I’m a married man now. Gazza was prolly gone for the day. When I complained he said, “Don’t be such a fuckin’ princess.” But in bed he’d made love to me, and afterwards he cuddled me which he didn’t usually do, and it was OK. Now that I knew it was there, I could see the blue stripes of his Aussiebum through the white fabric. Gazza had fucked off somewhere like he did and I was on my own. I got up quickly. I must have looked a bit dazed. “Beaut day, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“You from round here?”
“Nah. Then Mattie turned my head to one side and was kissin’ me hard, his tongue in my mouth, clever and strong and urgent, his body big and firm and strong on mine. We lay together, our speedos round our ankles. Jamie!” but I kept on walkin’. Just the sea, and the air, paddlin’ hard to catch a good break, then the magic of the slide along the face of the wave, the sea green and white around you, the board slicin’
