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Back in 2010, my wife Maria and I were traveling through the coast of Brazil during our long term vacation in the months of January and February. Those were the months with more festivities. We chose Brazil because we spoke Portuguese. Since we're from Spain, it had been an easy language to learn.
We happened to cross by a small town in the Northeast coast which had a calm atmosphere compared to the rest of the country. After going to so many parties, a little rest would do us good before moving on to the capital of the state. We rented a room to spend a few days in a resort of sorts. Simple, but accommodating, it was right by the beach, which we decided to try right away.
We fell in love with the place rather quickly. The water was crystal blue, closer to the color of the sky than any other beach we visited so far. There were a few people that day, scattered all around.
On the second day, Maria carried me to a big open area away from every one and laid down a towel so she could catch a tan. Leaving her be, I wanted to try the water again, having enjoyed the experience the day before. The waves were big and noisy, which I much preferred rather than quiet and boring. If I wanted quiet, I could go to a pool.
I let the waves take me and stopped when the water was around my waist. I looked back, planning to wave at Maria and call her in, but she had her eyes covered and seemed pretty relaxed. I tried to relax too, closing my eyes and floating a bit. I started thinking about my son back in Spain, who was about to get married. It was because of him that we would cut this vacation short. We would have stayed until the end of February if not for the wedding. It was okay, though. For a very good cause. I couldn't believe how fast time had passed. Maria and I were in our forties, not exactly children, but we had been when we got married and had our son. Somehow we managed even though we were so young. I had the feeling I would be a grandpa soon. The thought was joyous but gave me a belly ache as well.
I had drifted away both in my thoughts and literally. My feet weren't touching the ground, but I thought I was in the same place. When I tried to find the sand with my feet and couldn't, I looked back...and gasped. Maria was far, the whole shore was far, how the hell had I moved so quickly?
But I didn't panic. I began swimming back right away. It seemed to go on forever. I looked at Maria while she seemed to get farther away, wishing that she realized what was happening while at the same time, not wanting to worry her. I poured out all my energy trying to get back, but it wasn't working. Suddenly, I remembered that I might have been caught by a rip-current. If that was the case, I shouldn't try to swim against it. I stopped and let myself be taken away. The farther I got, the scared I felt. I knew I shouldn't fight the current, but the fear became so great I acted irrationally and swam back again. I got tired and swallowed some water. That's when panic invaded me.
I was drowning. My arm stood up, trying to call the attention of my wife, trying to stay out of the water. I felt my shorts slipping away but could find no strength to pull it back up. I wore nothing underneath, so I was naked as well as drowning. Could it really be this easy for me to simply die?
In that moment of utter powerlessness, I was hit by something hard. I turned and instantly grabbed it, not knowing what it was. It could've been another person, a piece of wood, a shark, I didn't care. It was a big yellow surfboard, and it helped me stay out of the water and breathe. I coughed and breathed at the same time, water pouring out of my lungs. Then someone hugged me from behind, pressing his body against me. It wasn't a threatening hug, I could tell right away. He helped me stay secure on the surfboard, protected.
"You're okay," he said in Portuguese, a husky voice, alarmed. "I'm gonna take you to the shore, don't worry," he kept saying, and I nodded. I believed him. He sounded young, but very secure. He said something else that I couldn't catch for lack of attention.
"What?" I said.
"Oh, you're a gringo? Can you understand me?" he asked. I nodded. He was behind me, but could see my head moving. "What's your name?"
"Carlos," I said.
"I'm César. My friend here is Felipe." I hadn't noticed that there was another surfer, but suddenly he was there, swimming on top of his green surfboard. He was black, short hair, light brown eyes. Felipe. He was young too. "You're safe, Marcelo. Try to stay calm. I'm gonna let you go and hold to the board next to you, okay?"
He waited for my nod. Finally, I saw his face. A sharp face, bright green eyes, tanned and with curly hair. He flashed me his teeth in a big sincere grin.
"Thank you so much," I managed, still catching my breath.
César put a firm hand on my waist. I grunted and smiled. For some reason, I was suddenly shy. But I was definitely getting calmer.
"Do you want to mount the board?"
"I can't," I said, blushing. "I lost my shorts."
"You did?" Felipe asked, taking me by surprise. I looked at the other youth, who was grinning. I chuckled nervously.
"Yeah...I...I..."
"It's okay," César said. "We totally get it."
"Thank you," I said again. Both surfers smiled.
"The water will take us back," César said, when he turned to me again. "Sorry nobody warned you about this place, gringo. There are usually big ripcurrents over here, cause of the terrain. We use it all the time to get away from the shore quickly."
"I should've been more careful," I said.
"Yeah, but don't beat yourself over it. You're okay now," he said, squeezing my waist. A thumb rubbed my skin. I grinned at him, not knowing how to react. I could only lower my head and avoid eye contact.
Felipe was swimming very close too, his presence was another beacon of safety for me. After the fear of dying alone in the sea, I couldn't complain.
"My wife must be worried sick," I said. She was so small in the shore, I could barely make her figure. But she was there, sitting down, hand covering her eyes so she could see better. I tried waving at her, but maybe she was too far away to see. She left her glasses at the resort.
"Is that her?" César asked.
I nodded.