“Nice to meet you, Tina.I’m Reed and this is Avalie.”
“So glad I ran into you.You were a lifesaver.I didn’t bring a change of clothes for this one.”She gave a side glance to her daughter, standing beside her.“And trust me, that was an emergency.”
“Still, you didn’t know us.We could have been a couple of weirdos,” I protested, attempting to hand the child back to her mother.But the little troublemaker clung to my neck, even pressing a sloppy mouth against my cheek before finally letting go.
“Look, she even gave you a kiss,” she chirped.“She doesn’t usually do that, believe me.”
Tina probably said that to everyone she palmed off her children to.
I wasn’t one to get flustered, but to be honest, the sweetness of the moment actually got to me.I plunked the tricky troll into her mother’s arms.
“I understand where you’re coming from.”She leaned down, placing her baby in the stroller and buckling her in.“But this is a small town.Everyone knows each other.I’ve practically known half the parents on this beach since high school.It’s all about community, watching out for each other, and taking care of everyone’s kids.”
“You could have asked one of them.At least, someone you really know.”
“And besides,” she continued, ignoring my comment.“You like Jane Austen.I like Jane Austen.So I knew you had to be okay.”
“That is got to be the sketchiest reasoning for leaving your precious?—”
“Trolls.”She laughed.“Oh, by the way, are you done with the book yet?I still need to read it for my book club.”
She was so confidently at ease with herself that I couldn’t help myself.“Yes, you can have it.Where can I leave it for you?”
First, I had to get it back from Reed, though.
She rattled off her address, which she said was walking distance from here.I told her I’d try to drop it off at her door sometime in the next few days.
The oldest child ran off across the beach toward the water, and Tina maneuvered the stroller off the walking path and onto the sand.By the time we parted ways, you would have thought we were best friends.
The last blush of sunset was fading, and darkness was rapidly approaching.Despite this, no one was ready to leave the beach.
Reed and I climbed the first dozen steps to a landing on the pedestrian bridge that connected T-Street Beach to the neighborhood on the bluff.From up here, we could observe the surfers’ maneuvers.I enjoyed seeing Tina’s younger children toddling barefoot in and out of the water.
Mixed in with the men and women out of the water, I noticed quite a few teenagers and some surprisingly young surfers riding the waves.
“How early do you think they start teaching their kids to surf?”I asked Reed.
“I wouldn't be surprised if Tina’s older one is already a surfer.Look at her,” Reed said, nodding towards the child.
A surfboard lay in the sand, and she was stretched out on top of it.As I watched, she made a smooth, lightning-quick movement from lying on the board to a standing position.As she got her feet under her, she crouched slightly, her body completely balanced.She was a mirror image of the surfers out on the water.
“She’s practicing her pop-up.This helps improve speed and efficiency in getting up on the board once in the water.You’ll be doing plenty of that tomorrow.”
“That looks sort of difficult.”
He smiled.“You can handle it.”
As we lingered there, Tina’s words resonated deeply.Conversations were going on between groups sitting in the sand.They all seemed to know each other.A small gathering had formed around a blazing fire pit, and the smell of wood smoke and the ocean was intoxicating.Nearby, boxes of pizza were being delivered.There was enough food there alone to feed half the surfing families on the beach.What had been a lively volleyball game now broke up with the fading light, and the players and onlookers now joined the pizza crew and the fire pit group.
Standing with Reed, I saw a vibrant community spirit.The constant crash and wash of the waves only underscored what was clearly a deeply felt connection between the sea and the residents.
Contemplating what I had gleaned about this town before arriving and comparing it to my current experience, I realized that San Clemente truly lived up to its reputation.This town was a happy place, a haven for families.Along with the slower, beach town lifestyle—‘chill’ was the way a store clerk on Del Mar had described it—the place had a community fabric in which family and surfing were woven together.I’d heard that description repeated many times over the years, and the truth of it now resonated clearly.
“Again, I’m impressed,” Reed said, turning to me.
“I’m starting to think you’re easily impressed.”
“No.I mean it.”
