Is that you? Yeah, you.

Dropping Joe off for his Tae Kwon Do class yesterday afternoon, I walked into that gym-smelly place, smiling as Joe showed me the punching bag. I told Abby to pretend it was her brother, Ben, and she slammed her fist right into its middle. Nice.

I walked into the main room where some little kids were already practicing their moves, little tikes all focused and looking bad ass.  I noticed a man sitting with what looked like his daughter.  He stared at me when I walked in, like he wanted to say something, like he recognized me, and I backed away back into the room I had just emerged from, instinctively.  I didn't recognize him, and sensed I was in for some more feeling bad stuff. I emerged once again, after I had finished pretending to forget something, and he was still staring, smiling, and said, "Diane?"

"No," I said, "I must have a twin because this happens a lot." He said, "You surf, right?" And I smiled. "Yep". He looked at his daughter and said, "She is one of the best surfers you will ever see!" His daughter, about thirteen, looked up at me, but it wasn't with that look of: RIGHT, DAD!  It was more of a look like she believed him, for some reason.

He apologized for getting my name wrong and I told him it was Nancy, and said he knew Dave from the surf shop, and for whatever reason, after his divorce, realized he could remember guys names, but never their wives or girlfriends.

He began recalling an epic day at Tenth St.  saying we were the only ones out on a really good tubing day and how he recalled I kept getting barrel after barrel, how it was so early that the tubes were pitch black, and he had never forgotten that day. I felt pretty sickened that I could not.

It was an unexpected gift on a day that I was feeling aggravated, from the lack of surf and the overwhelming responsibility and test of my patience as a nanny to four kids in summertime.

His smile that was so genuine and was a connection to all that that is surfing and goodness and what I need in my life that has gone missing for too long.  Tropical Storm Arthur has formed just off our coast, and continues to frustrate with its proximity, causing the wind to be so strong you can't surf unless you want to be blown south to Ormond Beach in fifteen minutes.

Oh, July, please bring something better than June has given us.  Please?

More cat art, then.