Uchiumi Point

"The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea."

Vladimir Nabokov

Waves come and they go. Surfing is all about catching the right one. For some,
that is the much smaller calmer wave; for others, it is the wave with the largest peak;
then there are those who wade in the water just to feel that perfect wave. My uncle
taught me how to do the latter at an early age. He would take me to one of the many
San Francisco beaches every weekend and teach me the things you could not learn in
any basic surfing class. My parents hated this. God, how they despised it. Truly, I
think they disliked it because of the passion I held for it. It was like a roaring fire their
wishes could not douse. And as my passion grew to be an utterly bright and beautiful
flame, my parents only tried to kill it more and more.

It was the middle of March when the results came out for the national surf
competition. I waited for those results like a kid waiting to meet Santa Clause and
when they finally arrived I nearly screeched. I opened the envelope, pacing the hall
which lay between my parents' bedroom and my own. The wood creaked with each
step I took as if it were demanding the results themselves. Upon opening the envelope,
my eyes jumped to the results, I had not have a care in the world for what the rest of
the letter said. Maybe it was my parents, but numbers, to me, defined who I was. How
good I was in school. How well I scored on finals. And as of now, if I was worthy
enough to make it to internationals.
“Oh my Gosh!!”
I immediately ran into my room, nearly breaking down the door as I did so. I
was surprised it didn’t fall off with how quickly it flew shut. Trophies which stood in
all their little glory around my room shook as I shot towards my bed. I grabbed my
phone, flopping back on my mattress as I dialed my Uncle Carter. Within the first
ring, he picked up.
“Results come out I’m guessing?” Even with the inability to see his face, I
could already see the smirk laced across his face.
“Yeah, they did! I got first place!” I sat up once more, my eyes still glued to the
white printer paper with my name Sahara Lynn Everdeen written across the top. It
was my name! Not Harper Brown’s name, but my full government name!
 “Holy sh--”
My mother yelled, “Keep it down Sahara! You have work to do! Stop slacking
off!”
I rolled my eyes, sinking back into my bed, diverting my attention back to what
my coach had to say. This was as important as any test. I had to know what the next
move would be and what my training was going to look like until May 17th.
“--so the tournament will be in Japan. It’s a week-long event and you’re gonna have to
work yourself like all hell if you wish to even make it into the top five. I think you can
do it, but you might have to miss a few days of school.”
“Oh I can definitely do that! Not a problem.”
“Alright sounds like a plan, I’ll see you tomorrow. 2 o’clock sharp. Come right after
school.”
I was soon met with silence as he cut the call. Unfortunately, that peace was short
lived with my mom storming into my room. As she slammed open the door, the
trophy which sat on my desk fell and rolled all the way under my bed. “Sahara, what
in God’s green Earth were you screaming about?” My mother interrogated, as she
leaned forward, using the doorframe and doorknob for support. “You won’t believe it.
I was selected for the International Surf Comp! Its being held in Japan and e--” My
mother simply huffed. “Thats great and all, but what money lies in this competition?
Hm? Enough to give you a stable life? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Get back to studying,
your grades are important to colleges.” In that moment, she turned her back on me.
“Oh come on, mom! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If I go I can meet scouts!
I can compete for living and maybe eve--”
“The answer is no.”

~~~~~~
The answer was in fact not no.
I went against my parents' wishes and kept going out to train for a competition. I knew
they would do everything in their power to keep me away from. All they wanted was
for me to be a mere part of their sea, and not a wave breaking out into the world. They
wanted me to conform and follow the footsteps they formed in the sand; become a
lawyer and continue their practice, make it a family run business. They wanted me to
be the perfect daughter, but our perfections were not the same. To them, perfection
was following the mold they created and for me it was never following the mold and
simply letting the world shape me.
“I am going to Japan for competition and that’s final.”
I was standing across from my parents in our dining room, the table sitting between
us. My brother stood by the sink, fixing himself a bowl of cereal before he headed off
to practice fractions and inequalities.
“Only in your dreams. You couldn’t even afford to spend a week there and that’s if
we even allow you to go,” huffed my mother, throwing her arms in the air. “Your
mother is right. You will not be going anywhere--”
“I will. I already got all my work for that week. I will miss school and I spoke with
my teachers. Beyond that, I have just enough to get by besides Uncle Carter is going
with me.”
My mother laughed and shook her head. “Oh of course your uncle is going! Of
course, he is Alaric.” She turned to my father, whose brother was Carter. My father
simply sighed. “Carter is not your father, Sahara. I am and I say you are not going.”
~~~~~~~~
I was in fact going. After a good while of convincing, my parents signed the form and
before I knew it I was standing on Uchiumi Point beach with my surfboard,
surrounded by many different women and men. There were people from so many
different ethnic backgrounds who held so much talent that it was absolutely
breathtakingly-nerve-racking. I finally had met my true competition.
After a full week of surfing, it was time for the finale. Only around ten of us
remained. When the time came, I stood ready with my board just waiting for the
whistle to cut through the air. I watched the waves. I watched as they rolled over in
their beautiful shade of blue. They held the same passion as fire yet kept the stability
of water. They were the definition of true balance. And despite all else, they kept the
balance as they slowly reached higher and higher, towards the heavens, in all its glory.
The whistle finally cut through the air. I raced towards the water, sand kicking up
behind me. Water splashed my wet suit before I was deep enough to dive in. I cut
through the water, using my arms and legs and all the strength I could conjure up to
swim out as far as I could. Ahead of me, surfers had already found their waves. They
surfed towards the shore, doing tricks wherever they could. In the end, they needed
the numbers; numbers determined their worth.
 I eventually made it. Most of the surfers had caught a wave. I was the only one who
waded in the water. I sat still on my board, my hand sitting atop the ocean as I let it
hold my hand. It had grown awfully calm. I worried at my lip before taking a deep
breath. I closed my eyes and just waded.
‘The greatest surfers can feel their opportunity arise.’
I opened my eyes and found myself faced with an awfully large wave. The
monster towered over me at around 90 feet. There was only a minute left on the clock.
I had to do it.
I spun around and paddled and paddled and paddled. Just when I thought I
nearly lost it, I pushed myself a bit further before jumping up. I found the balance
beneath my feet and rode the wave. I surfed up and down, the idea of performing a
trick in that moment never even crossed my mind. I was so caught up in the fact that I
had surfed one of the largest waves ever recorded. In that moment, I found myself
caring less about the numbers that awaited me on shore.
~~~~~~~~~
I came back to San Fran with a trophy in hand and a medal hung around my
neck. I was so ecstatic about going out to dinner the next night with my friends and
Uncle Carter to celebrate. They all cared. However, there were two people I did not
expect to have the same opinions. As I headed up to my front door, my dad opened it
and smiled. “Welcome home.” As I stepped inside, there was a banner sat above the
staircase reading ‘Congrats’ and there was balloons of blue and a cake which
represented the globe and it had a girl surfing a top of it. I looked to both of my
parents who only smiled. I hugged them close. For the first time ever, my house had
found the balance of the waves; the passion of fire and the stability of water.