Memorial day Memory

[SlimyBritches]

Reminds me of my dad and others I've known who spent, and, sometimes, gave their lives in service for our country. And how thankful I am of them.
But it also reminds me of fate, and how one instance can change the order of things to come.
Last century, I got a call from my bud in Nags Head about a building swell.
I packed the boards and kids and headed to the OBX.
We got to his house right at sunrise, and his wife said he couldn't wait and to meet at The Whaling Station.
There were a thousand guys out there, so we went north to Corolla, where I could dive out on the beach, and not have to burn our feet up.
We got there and there were a ton of people on the beach but no one out in the over head high glassy tubes.
I was out several hours. As the tide dropped, the waves got bigger. I had a hard time staying in where the waves were breaking, having to paddle in 50 or more yards to The Spot.
I was lining up with a house when I saw what looked like a beach ball being sucked out to sea. As it pass me, it was a kid with his head just above the water.
We make eye contact, and he calmly said. "Help. Please."
It took me a while before I could catch up to him, I got off the board and pushed him on the front.
I got on behind him and we started paddling in. It took a while before we got to the line up and the kid asked, "How are we going to get past those waves?"
I told him we were going catch one in.
He asked if I had done it before and I said, all day.
With 2 people he asked. Nope. I told him that as soon as we start dropping, to pull back on the nose of the board and I'd do the rest.
Didn't take long and we were dropping down the face of a beast. The kid was arched back and howling as we made the drop. I cut it in the slot and we were barreled all the way to dry sand.
I helped the kid to his feet as an oily guy in a "banana hammock" walks up and thanks me. I said, "This ain't no swimming pool. I don't let my kids in here without something strapped to them. Then left.
I have often thought that maybe, God meant him to be flushed out to the shipping lanes, and I just saved Hitler Jr.