Chapter 4 third chapter

"Surfing is a very lonely sport, most of the time it's boring, with a few crazy and exciting moments in the middle. But surfing also teaches you how to follow the trend, don't fight against the forces of nature...just follow the waves. At least surf magazines say so That said, I agree too. There is nothing more exciting than following a big wave and rushing to the shore with the water curtain, but then again, I am with those tanned and corn-on-the-head Rolling people are different. Those people are in the ocean from morning till night because surfing is the most important thing. For me, surfing is not like that. I think the world is noisy most of the time, only when surfing No, you can hear yourself thinking." I told Savannah early Sunday morning as I was getting ready to go to the beach.At least that's what I think I'm saying.I pretty much chattered along the way, trying not to show her how much I admired Savannah in a bikini.

"It's like riding a horse." "Huh?" "Hearing myself thinking. That's why I like riding horses." I was at the beach a few minutes ago.The best waves of the day are usually early in the morning.This morning the sky was blue and cloudless, and it felt very warm. The beach would be overcrowded later in the day.Savannah was already sitting on the steps behind the house, wrapped in a towel, with the extinguished campfire in front of her.The party must have been going on for hours after I got home last night, but there were no empty cans or confetti in sight.My impression of this group of people has improved a bit.

Although it was still early, the temperature was already quite high.We stayed on the beach by the water and covered the basics and explained how to jump on a boogie board.When Savannah felt ready, I followed her into the water, surfboard in hand. There were only a few people surfing outside, people I had met the day before.I was still trying to figure out where to take Savannah to practice so there would be enough space, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Wait! Wait!" Savannah yelled behind me, "Wait! Stop!" I turned around and saw the first wave of water hit Savannah's stomach, and she jumped up, her upper body immediately Goosebumps, an obvious desire to jump out of the icy water.

"Let me get used to it..." Savannah folded her hands on her chest and gasped several times. "Oh, it's so cold, my mother!" My mother?The brothers on the team probably wouldn't say that. "You'll get used to it soon." I giggled beside me. "I don't like the cold. I hate the cold." "It snows where you live." "Yeah, but there are things called jackets, gloves, and hats that keep us warm, and we don't jump into the cold every morning." In the dead man's sea." "Interesting." Savannah kept jumping up and down. "Yes, very interesting. Mommy! It's freezing!" Mommy?I can't help but laugh.Savannah's breathing finally began to stabilize, but the goosebumps were still very clear.She took another small step forward.

"The best way is to jump directly into the water, and the whole person will get used to it when immersed in the water. It will only make you sad if you take it slowly." I offer conscience advice. "You have your way, I have mine." Savannah didn't appreciate my intelligence at all. "I can't believe you're starting now. I thought you'd only think about surfing in the afternoon. At least the temperature will be a little higher then." "At least twenty-five degrees today." "Yes yes yes." Savannah finally adjusted The water temperature, she put down her hand, took a few more breaths, and then walked a little further, the sea was submerged an inch higher.She patted the water on her arms with both hands, getting herself ready. "Okay, I think it's almost cold." "Take it easy, take your time. Really, don't rush." ​​"I will, thanks for reminding me." Savannah ignored my sarcasm.One small step forward, and another small step.I like the focused look on my face when I walk around.Very serious, very focused, and very funny.

Savannah noticed my expression. "Don't laugh at me." "No." "You have the expression on your face. I think you are smiling in your heart." "Okay, I will restrain myself." Finally Savannah came over to join me, walked to The water was up to my shoulders, and Savannah was on her surfboard.I held onto the surfboard with both hands, trying not to stare at her body, but it was hard, with such beauty right in front of me.I forced myself to keep an eye on the surface, to see when the waves would hit. "Do you remember how to do it? Hit the water hard first, grab the sides of the surfboard near the front with your hands, and then stand on it with your feet." "Understood." "It was a bit difficult at first, don't be too surprised if you fall, if it's true When you fall, remember to hold the surfboard and roll back to the surface. It usually takes a few practice sessions." "Okay," Savannah replied, and I saw a wave behind me begin to roll forward.

"Get ready..." I looked at the waves and began to give instructions, "Okay, start to hit the water..." The waves came, I pushed the surfboard forward, and Savannah was ready to keep up with the waves.I don't know what I was expecting to see, but it wasn't seeing her professionally get off the board, balance, and slide all the way to the shore until the waves subsided.Savannah jumped off her surfboard in the shallow water and turned dramatically to look at me. "What?" Savannah yelled. Although there was a distance in between, I still couldn't take my eyes off it.I suddenly thought, Damn, I am really miserable now.

Savannah candidly admits: "I've been doing gymnastics for years. I have a good sense of balance; I should have told you when you said I was going to fall." We were in the water for over an hour, and every time Savannah would Stand up successfully and slide to the shore with ease.There's no way to control the direction yet, but I'm pretty sure she'll be good at it in no time if she wants to practice. Later we went back to the big house and I waited behind the house for a while while Savannah went upstairs.Only a few people got up: three girls stood on the terrace looking at the sea, and there was no one else.I think everyone else is still asleep, maybe it was too late to play last night.Savannah appeared a few minutes later, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, with a cup of coffee in each hand.She sat down beside me, facing the sea together.

"I didn't say you will fall." I tried to clarify, "I mean, if you do fall, you have to roll around the surfboard and come back up." , pointing to my coffee, "how's the coffee?" Wenna looked at me. "I didn't." Savannah listened to my answer and jokingly elbowed me, which made me jump. "Did you know last night was the first day of the full moon?" I do, but it's best not to admit it. "Really?" "I have always liked the full moon. I have imagined that the full moon is an omen since I was a child, and I thought that good things would happen when I saw the full moon. I've been here." After finishing speaking, Savannah didn't continue the topic, but just brought the cup to her mouth.The white smoke of hot coffee surrounded her face.

"What are you going to do today?" "We're going to have a meeting sometime today, and nothing else. Ah, and going to church, I mean, I'm going, and, uh, seeing if anyone else is coming Hey. Oh, by the way, what time is it?" I looked down at my watch. "It's just past nine." "So soon? Time is running out. Sunday services start at ten." I nodded, thinking that our time together was coming to an end. I heard Savannah ask, "Would you like to come with me?" "Go to church?" "Yeah, church. Aren't you going?" I wasn't really sure how to respond.Going to church on Sunday was obviously a big deal for Savannah, and while I had a hunch that my answer would disappoint her, I wasn't going to lie.I honestly admit, "Very little. Haven't been to church in years. I mean, I used to go as a kid, but..." I couldn't keep up. "I don't know." Savannah stretched her legs, checking to see if I had anything to say.When I said nothing, she raised an eyebrow.

"What?" "What?" "Do you want to come with me anyway?" "I don't have any clothes to wear. I mean, I don't have time to go home and change, take a shower or something, and then Come back. Otherwise I'd love to." Savannah gave me a quick look, "Good." And patted my knee; it was the second time she'd touched me. "I'll get you something to wear." "Looks great." Tim cheers me on. "The collar is a little too tight, but you can't really tell." In the mirror, I saw a guy in khakis, a pressed shirt, and a tie.I myself can't remember the last time I wore a tie, and I'm not even sure if I should be happy or what.Tim next to him looked very happy. "How did she convince you?" "I don't know." Tim laughed, bent over to tie his shoe, and winked at me. "I just said Savannah liked you." There were chaplains in the army, and most of them were good.I knew a few of them quite well at the base, like Ted.Jenkins, these guys make you trust as soon as you meet them.Ted is a teetotaler, although not one of ours, but welcomes every time he shows up.He was married and had several children, but had been in the military for fifteen years.As long as it was a family problem, or general military life, he was an expert.Sit down and talk to him, he is always attentive.Although he couldn't talk about everything, he was an officer after all, and his rank was higher than ours. There were a few times when a few brothers in the platoon generously admitted that they had done some good deeds, and they really got the top spot.But then again, Ted is just like that, you want to say anything to him.He's a good guy, and a chaplain, and I can't think of any other reason you'd want to talk to him.The mention of God in Ted's words is as natural as we talk about friends. There is no sense of preaching at all, and of course it will not be offensive.He also doesn’t force everyone to go to church on Sunday. He usually lets us decide for ourselves, so he may preach to one or two people, or a hundred people during the service, depending on the situation at the time or the degree of danger of the task.Before my row went to the Balkans, maybe fifty people were baptized. I was baptized as a kid, so skip that step, but like I said, I haven't been to church in a long time.I stopped going with my dad a long time ago, because it didn't seem to matter whether I went to church or not.Although I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but to be honest, this time is not bad.The pastor is very low-key, and the music is not bad. It feels like time is not passing too slowly, at least not like going to church when I was a child.I didn't get much out of it, but I'm glad I went, at least to mention it to Dad.Also, in this way, I spent a little more time with Savannah. When Savannah sat between me and Tim singing the hymn at the end, I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye.Savannah's singing is very light and reserved, but it is not out of tune and sounds very comfortable.Tim read the Bible intently.After the service, Tim stopped to talk to the pastor; Savannah and I waited outside under the dogwood tree. "Old friend?" I nodded at Tim.Even though I was standing under the tree, I still felt very hot, and the sweat started to flow down my back. "No, I think Tim's dad mentioned it to him. Tim had to check the Internet map last night to find this church." Savannah fanned herself.In her dress she reminded me of the typical southern belle. "Glad you came with us." "Me too." "Hungry?" "A little bit." "There's something to eat in the big house, and you can change your clothes back to Tim, I can tell you're hot And uncomfortable." "Trust me, the helmet, combat boots, and bulletproof vest are twice as hot." Savannah looked up at me. "I love hearing you talk about the body armor, not many boys in the class are like you, so it's funny." "Are you kidding me?" "Just saying." Savannah leaned gracefully with tree trunks. "I think Tim's almost finished." Following her gaze, I saw nothing. "How do you know?" "Did you see him clasp his hands? That means he's ready to say goodbye. Just a second later, Tim will shake hands, nod with a smile, and be ready to go." I looked at the note. Tom did exactly what Savannah told her to do and walked over to us.Savannah smiled mischievously again and shrugged. "If you live in a small town like me, there's nothing much to do except people-watching, and after a while you start to notice patterns." If you were to ask for my opinion, I think she was probably watching Tim Too much, but I won't admit it. "Hey," Tim held up a hand, "ready to go?" "We're waiting for you," Savannah said. "Sorry, we have to talk." "You just have to talk to everyone." "I know, I'm trying to be nonchalant." Savannah laughed, and the old banter between the two was temporarily That excludes me, but when I walk back to the car, Savannah puts her hand around my arm, and I forget everything. Everyone was up by the time we got back, most of them changed into swimwear and were out in the sun.Some people hang out on the front patio, most are on the beach in the back.Music was playing from the stereo in the house, the refrigerator was full of beer, and several people had already started drinking: a morning drink, the oldest cure for a hangover.I don't mean to reproach me; a cold beer actually sounds pretty good, but I've only just been to church so forget it. I changed my clothes, folded them with the method I learned in the army, and then walked back to the kitchen.Tim has already made a plate of sandwiches. "You're welcome." Tim pointed at the sandwich. "We probably have tons of food. I know that because I was the one who spent three hours grocery shopping yesterday." Tim washed his hands and toweled them dry. "Okay, it's time for me to change. Savannah will be down later." Tim leaves, leaving me alone in the kitchen.I look around and the house is decorated in typical beach style: lots of pale wicker furniture, shell lampshades, little lighthouse statues on the mantels, beach pastels on the walls. Lucy's parents had a house like this.Not here, but on Baldhead Island.They never rent out the house, they go there for vacation in summer.Of course, Lucy's father still worked at Winston Sharon, but they took her mother away for a few days, leaving poor Lucy home alone.For me, of course, there is an opportunity to take advantage of.But if they knew what was going on then they probably wouldn't have left us alone. "Hey!" Savannah changed into a bikini again, but with shorts on her lower body. "It's back to normal?" "How do you know?" "Because the neck is not tied by the tie, the eyes are not protruding!" I laughed. "Tim made some sandwiches." "Great, I'm so hungry." Savannah walked into the kitchen, "Have you eaten?" "Not yet." "Let's eat together, I hate one People eat." We just stood in the kitchen and ate.The girls lying outside on the terrace basking in the sun didn't know we were there, and I could hear one of them talking about what happened to the guy last night, and the content had nothing to do with the goodwill image of serving the poor.Savannah wrinkled her nose at me as if to say "too gossip".She goes to the refrigerator. "I need something to drink, do you want something?" "Water is fine." Savannah bent down to grab a couple of bottles, and I tried not to stare, but I couldn't.Frankly speaking, I enjoyed it a lot.I wondered if Savannah knew I was peeping, and I guessed, because when she stood up and turned around, she had that mischievous smile on her face again.Savannah put the bottle on the counter and said, "Do you want to go surfing after drinking?" How could I say no?We spent the whole afternoon by the water.While I enjoyed the "close-up of Savannah on the surfboard" view, I liked her surfing even more.What's more, when Savannah was warming up on the beach, she asked me to show her surfing, and while I was enjoying the fun of surfing, I also enjoyed the eye-catching warm-up exercise exclusively for myself. At two or three o'clock, we were lying on the beach, not far from everyone.But there is still a distance, and everyone is behind the big house.Occasionally curious eyes drift over, but apart from Randy and Susan, most of them don't care that I'm here.Susan frowned desperately at Savannah; Randy looked okay, willing to stand between Susan and Brad as a light bulb while healing.Tim was nowhere to be seen. Savannah is lying on the beach, very attractive.I lay next to her, trying to take a nap on a lazy afternoon, but with her right next to me, I couldn't quite relax. "Hey, tell me about your tattoo," Savannah murmured. I lay on the beach and turned my head: "How about my tattoo?" "I don't know, why do I need a tattoo? What does the pattern mean?" I raised one arm and looked at her, pointing to the eagle and the flag on my left arm. "Well, this is the badge of the infantry regiment. And this..." I pointed to the letters and words inside, "is the way to identify each person: which company, which battalion, which regiment. Each of us has .The recruit training is at Fort Benning in Georgia. After the training, everyone goes to get a tattoo to celebrate." "What does it mean 'connected'?" The reason is that I can't assemble the gun fast enough, and the Master Chief said to connect some parts of me to see if I can go faster. That nickname has stuck to this day." "Master Chief That sounds interesting." Savannah joked. "That's right, we call him the devil behind our backs." Savannah smiled, "What about the caltrops?" "It's nothing," I shook my head, "It was there before joining the army." "What about the other side?" ?" A Chinese character.I don't want to say more, so I shake my head. "It was stabbed back in the days of 'Aimless but don't fucking care'. It doesn't mean anything." "Isn't that a Chinese character?" "That's right." "What does it mean? It must mean something, like Courage or honor." "It's a dirty word." "Oh." Savannah blinked. "I said, it's nothing to me now." "But if you go to China one day, you probably can't run around the streets like this." I laughed. "Yes, that's right." Savannah was quiet for a moment. "You used to be full of rebellion!" I nodded. "It was a long time ago. Well, not that long ago. But it feels like a long time." "That's why you said that what you needed most at that time was to join the army?" "It's a good thing for me." Savannah thought thought about it. "Tell me, would the old you jump into the sea and help me pick up my bag?" "No. Maybe you would laugh beside me, gloating." Finally, Savannah took a deep breath. "I gotta say I'm glad you're in the military. I really need my bag." "Fine." "What else?" "Anything else?" "What else can I tell you about you?" "I don't know. What do you say?" "Tell me something that other people don't know." I thought about her question, and then replied, "I can tell you how many pipings were cast in 1907." Indian head ten-dollar coins." "How many?" "Forty-two. Originally, this batch of coins was not going to be issued publicly. Some employees in the foundry privately minted this batch of coins for their own collection and distributed them to relatives and friends. ." "You like coins?" "Not sure. But it's a long story." "We've got a lot of time." Still hesitating, Savannah reached for the bag. "Wait." She reached into her bag and pulled out a tube of "Water Baby" sunscreen lotion. "Put me some sunscreen first, I think I'm going to get a sunburn." "Oh, are you sure?" Savannah blinked. "Yeah, it's a reciprocity." I put sunscreen lotion on Savannah's back and shoulders, and I went down a little more with my hands, but I told myself that it was for her own good, because it was already tanned, If you don't rub it a little more, if you really get sunburned, you will die from pain at work tomorrow.I spent the next few minutes talking about Grandpa and Dad and Ellie Asperger dude.Throughout, I didn't answer the question head-on because I wasn't really sure what the answer was.Savannah turned to face me when I was done. "Is your dad still collecting coins?" "Of course. I think so. But we don't talk about coins now." "Why?" I told her that too.Don't ask me why.I know that I should show my best side and don't say bad things, so that I can leave a good impression.But if the object is changed to Savannah, I will have nothing to do.Whatever the reason, Savannah made me want to come clean, even though we weren't close friends.When I finished speaking, Savannah had a curious look on her face. "Yeah, I used to be a jerk." I said it for her, and there are more expressive adjectives for me in the past, but it would probably scare her. "That sounds right, but that's not what I'm thinking about, I'm thinking about what you used to be, because it's not the same now..." Even if it's true, how should I respond, it sounds Doesn't it sound like crap?I really couldn't make up my mind, so I didn't say anything like my father. "What kind of person is your father?" I quickly made an outline.As I spoke, Savannah scooped up the sand in her hands and let the grains of sand flow through her fingers, as if she was listening to my every word.I was surprised myself when, at the end of the story, I admitted that we, father and son, were strangers. "Indeed." Savannah's tone was very objective and practical. "You've been away from home for years, and even you admit you've changed, how can your dad understand you?" I sat up and found the beach was packed.At this point everyone is on the beach, and no one wants to leave.Randy and Brad are playing Frisbee by the water, yelling as they run.Some wandered over to join them. "I know. But it's more than that. We've always been strangers. I mean, it's been hard talking to my dad." As soon as I finished, Savannah was the first person I'd confide in .very strange.Most of what I said to her was weird, though. "That's what a lot of people our age say about their parents." Maybe, but my situation is different.It’s not a matter of generational differences between me and my dad.In fact, normal small talk was out of the question for my dad, unless the subject was about coins.But I didn't say any more.Savannah smoothed the sand in front of her.When she spoke again, her voice sounded very gentle. "I want to meet him." I turned to her. "Really?" "He sounds interesting. I've always liked...people who are passionate about life." "Not life, but coins." I corrected her. "These two things are the same. Enthusiasm is enthusiasm, it's a stimulant to a dull life, and it doesn't matter which direction it's directed at." She shifted her feet in the sand. "Well, anyway, it doesn't matter most of the time, and I'm not talking about bad habits!" "Like you and caffeine." Savannah smiled, and a small gap between her front teeth suddenly appeared. "That's right. Or it could be about coins, sports, politics, horses, music, or faith, anything. The saddest people don't care about anything. Enthusiasm and contentment are one. If you don't have either, happiness is just a lot." A fleeting feeling, because without enthusiasm and satisfaction, happiness cannot last. I would love to hear your dad talk about collecting coins, because that's when you can see the best in a person. I also found that happiness is actually It's contagious." I was surprised by Savannah's words.Although Tim says she can be naive at times, Savannah seems to be more mature than her age.But to be honest, seeing Savannah in a bikini, even if she has a blank head and only reads from the phone book, I'm still impressed. Savannah sat next to me, following me to the Frisbee group.Everyone was having a good time; Brad threw the Frisbee, and the two people next to him rushed to catch it at the same time, and they crashed into a ball and fell to the edge of the water with a splash.The one in the red trousers didn’t receive the call, and when he got up, he hugged his head and cursed, and his shorts were covered with sand; the others were laughing happily beside him.I couldn't help laughing myself, but flinched at the swearing. "Did you see?" "Wait a minute, I'll be right back." Savannah walked towards the red trousers.Seeing Savannah approaching, he froze.Same thing with the guy next to him.Only then did I realize that Savannah has the same power over most men, not just me.Savannah spoke to the group of people with a smile on her face, and communicated with the guy with focused eyes. While listening to Savannah, the man nodded like a child being scolded.After finishing speaking, Savannah walked back to me and sat down.I didn't ask anything, knowing it was none of my business.But I do send out waves of curiosity. "Normally I don't say anything. But I just asked him to be more polite. After all, there are houses around here; there are a lot of children here. He just said he would pay more attention to his words." I should have thought so. "Did you teach him to use 'my mom' and 'mummy mia'?" Savannah playfully? #91; looked at me. "You love hearing me talk about this, don't you?" "I'm trying to teach this to the guys on the team. It will be more aggressive and scary when we attack and fire rockets." Savannah giggled. "Definitely scarier than swear words, though I don't know what a bazooka is." "A rocket-propelled howitzer." I found myself liking Savannah more every minute. "What are you doing tonight?" "No plans. Other than a meeting with everyone. What? Want to take me to visit your dad?" "No, not tonight. I'll talk about it in a few days. I want to show you around tonight Visiting Wilmington." "Is this a date?" "Yeah, but if you want to go, I can drop you back anytime. I know you have work tomorrow, but I really want to take you to a great place. place." "What kind of place?" "A place where locals go. Famous for the seafood, but mainly to experience it." Savannah folded her hands on her knees before saying, "I usually don't date strangers. .We just met yesterday. Do you think I can trust you?" "Not if I were you." Savannah laughed. "Well, if that's the case, I think I can make an exception." "Really?" "Yeah, I'm fine with a guy with a straight hair and a decent personality. What's the date?"