Waterskiing in a Lightning Storm
Nick clutched the ski rope with ease as he slid across the salty water on his slalom ski. The sun was only a memory in the dark sky and the moon was all that lit the sea under his ski. Rain was drizzling and he could feel it collapsing against his upper torso and his legs, just under his khaki shorts. Nothing like warm, sticky rain on a hot night.
The thrill of the adventure engulfed him. Night waterskiing was fun. He’d never skied at night before, and it seemed particularly enjoyable in his beer-fueled body. As his friend Bob, or “Bobnoxious," maneuvered the boat in a wide circle around Orange Bay, Nick gripped the rope and stayed in its wake.
Bob yelled something, but Nick couldn’t hear what he said over the boat’s purring engine. He watched Bob as he pointed to a few big waves heading towards the boat, and felt himself hopping over them with ease when they arrived. His other friend Tanner was standing next to Bob, yet turned towards him with his beer in hand.
“Start taking notes!” Nick O’Brien boasted to his friends, yet he knew they couldn’t hear him either.
He skipped over the wake behind the boat and made a wide circle to their right, carving a thick wall of water, which showcased his many years as a skier. Angling himself slightly, he skidded over to the other side of the boat and duplicated his masterful spray. His muscular body was in perfect shape for a battle on a ski with the water and the elements. Feeling proud and strong, he skimmed back to his friends’ right side and sprayed his highest wall of water yet.
It was hard to see the stars since the sky was covered in clouds and the air was thickened by the misty rain. Though the light of the moon seemed to be fading a bit, he remained confident in his abilities; he was familiar with the ocean water and its waves. Chuckling to himself, he figured he’d probably be able to ski without a problem if blindfolded. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before realizing that skiing blindfolded would be impossible. The moon’s reflection still guided him on the water as he moved about. The rain started to get a little thicker so he blinked his eyes a few times to free them from the blurry moisture.
“Yippee-yi-yay!” He screamed as he hit another wave and leapt into the air before landing perfectly once again. Nothing could stop him now, not even the beer rolling through his blood and playing with his mind.
The moon’s light started to dim even more and the stars were no longer present. Traversing across the boat’s wake was becoming more difficult as he strained to see the waves in the water past the newly thickened rain. The fun factor was fading away.
Seconds later, thunder rolled in and roared across the sky. Nick, who was well familiar with Florida’s notoriety as the lightning capitol of the world, shuddered. Time to get back on the boat. Being on the water in a lightning storm was toying with death.
“Hey, stop the boat!”
They didn’t hear him. The boat was still traveling at full speed.
He watched Bob as he turned around to face him briefly and pounded his fist into the air.
“C’mon! Stop the boat!” Nick demanded. “Lightning!”
Bob smiled and pounded his fist again. The boat kept traveling at full speed. More thunder. More lightning. Blinded by anger, Nick could barely make out the waves as they struck him.
“Oh God, please help me,” he said in a panic. “What’s wrong with him?”
He watched his friend, Tanner, as he grabbed Bob’s arm and shook him.
The boat finally stopped. He popped off his ski in a second and swam at breakneck speed to get back onto the boat. As he climbed in, he could feel his blood boiling, along with a sudden desire to kill Bob, who should have cut the engine the moment the lightning started.
“Why’d it take you so long to stop?” What were you thinking man?” He said as he glared at Bob and panted.
“Hey, you looked like you were having fun. Didn’t want to cut you short,” Bob replied. “Let’s get outa here.”
Thunder was still roaring and lightning flashing in the sky as the three young men headed back to the boat docks at full speed. The night had become wrathful and it was no time to be on a boat.
Nick tried to contain his rage. He wanted to pound Bob, yet took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Bob was much smaller than he was and he knew that he could probably level him with a couple of punches.
After a long while and seconds before arriving at the docks, he said, “It was fun at first. Then it sucked, Bob. It sucked.”
“Yeah, too much lightning. You guys up for heading back to my house? I’ve got more beer in the fridge.” Bob didn’t seem to comprehend his ordeal; he’d probably had too much to drink.
“Works for me,” Tanner said.
Nick was still fuming. But he was still alive. He took a deep breath and found himself thanking the Lord in his thoughts.
“Okay, I’m game too.”
A year would pass before he’d see Bob again.