Mr. Mom Goes Surfing

But she could save it. First of all, she and John had to remain strictly business, all on the up and up. There would be no hanky panky, just their jobs and friendly contact in their off hours. She could sell Danny on that. She may be wrong about a lot, but he is still kind of slow on the uptake. She needed to start by saving her marriage. Then she needed to bring Danny back up to a respected existence in heir life. She could do it, and she could close this deal.

The deal. She had begun this harebrained cluster fuck for a deal. But it was a sweet deal. Sunset Surf was a hot brand, and the business plan was a winner. They would be around for years, and the agency that landed their account would bring in millions on this first contract alone. She had to make it right with Danny, but she also had to land the account. That meant keeping John on her side as well. It was a narrow tightrope she would have to walk, but with Danny's slow nature and John's enormous ego, she just might be able to hide between their weaknesses.

The morning came fast. Kelly slept hard and soundly, since she had such a restless night on the flight. The boys were up already and checking out the surfers on the beach below. The hotel was fantastic, and breakfast was a treat with fresh pineapple and coconut that tasted divine. The first day's agenda began with the opening ceremonies of the surf competition. It had the boys very excited, and John was interested too.

"Mom, they are having a legends exhibition right after the opening ceremonies, then a warm up of the pros. We can get dinner there, and afterwards there are all kinds of parties along the beach."

She and John needed to touch base with the Sunset Surf team as well. They would present their pitch tomorrow after the competition's morning rounds, but there was a mixer at Sunset's hospitality base, a private home near their hotel and adjacent to the competition beach. So they all agreed to follow the boys' plan. They swam in the surf that morning, did some sight seeing in the afternoon, and were there at the ceremonies. Kelly had been on the lookout for Danny all day, but knew she would find him at the opening.

It was quite a sight. The boys were treated to ample amounts of tanned female skin, as the women were dressed in their finest show off swimwear. Hard bodies surrounded Kelly too, but there as only one she wanted to see. Danny's. Finally the ceremony approached the Legends Exhibition, and the announcer rattled through some names of past surfing stars. She heard nothing he said until she heard "...35 years after his incredible win on his very beach, Danny "Sugar" Cane!!" A barefoot Danny strode to the podium with a board that dwarfed the others, and waved at the crowd. As the cheering died down, jibes about the length of his board sprung up from hecklers all around. Danny stepped to the mic...

"Hey, it's not the size of the board, it's how you use it." The crowd laughed. "Besides, what's the use of all this good wood if you don't use it!" The crowd roared. Kelly tried, in vain, to get his attention. The announcer asked Danny if he really intended to ride the long old-school board, to which he replied "Why not? It's what I always ride."

The surfers paddled out in a pack. There was no competition in the air, only the desire to produce some beautiful rides and photo ops for the crowds on the beach. Danny lagged behind. "He was always the last out there," said an older guy standing beside Chuck. "That's why he won. He didn't jump right on the first wave possible."

Several riders had taken a tow from the jet ski riders standing by for safety reasons. They were finished with first runs before Danny was in place. The whole pack but Danny tried to get up on one particularly big swell. Danny bided his time.

"He surfs as slow as he thinks," cracked John.

"No, he surfs slow because he thinks," said Sandy. "Watch this!"

With all the rest out of his way, Danny paddled right onto the biggest swell of the day, and owned it. While the younger surfers worked the wave hard, shredding. Danny's ride was a spectacle of grace and style. He dropped into the tube just right, and the long board accelerated through the tunnel of water right ahead one of the photographers who were documenting the legends. He was deep in the tube, encased in a peaceful cocoon of seawater that belied the roar of the surf outside and the crowd on the beach. Everyone waited on pins and needles for fear the wave would collapse on him and spit him out the other side, but he defied their expectations for disaster when he rocketed out of the wave and carved his way elegantly to shore. He stood the board all the way in to the shallows, and strode up the beach where he was met by an a oh dear with a wireless mic.

"Danny, that was amazing! No one can surf that way nowadays."

"Sure they can. They just don't!"

"How do you do it, staying so calm and riding so strong?"

"Yoga. It clears your mind. Surfing is about joining a wave, and letting it play with you as much as you play with it."

"Are you done? Aren't you going back out?"

"No. That ride felt wonderful. I don't want to spoil it with something less."

"Really!? We only get to see one run from Sugar Cane and his long board?"

"Tomorrow is another day. Today, that run is all I can say."

The young surfers in the crowd were stunned. They wanted more. The older guys just smiled. They had just seen a surfing god at his finest.

Kelly tried desperately to get to Danny, but the beach was closed to the public beyond a point. Danny strode along while she fought the crowd to catch up. His body was better than she suspected, and his strong legs easily navigated the sand. His broad back was easy to spot, with its deep tan. His muscles rippled as he easily carried the heavy long board. Far ahead, she saw Danny enter the crowd and be swallowed up by adoring fans. She tried to wade through the bedlam, but when she got to the middle of it all, he had gone. However, his autograph was being shown by dozens of adoring fans, especially several young girls whose large, perky breasts, supple thighs, and flat stomachs bore sharpie marks in his trademark flair of a signature. It was evident Danny would not lack for companionship in this crowd, and probably not in any crowd for that matter. This would not do. She woke up this morning planning to sleep with another man. She woke up this morning planning to leave her husband behind. She woke up yesterday morning believing he was nothing, no one of consequence. She woke up believing she was socially invincible. She was smart, beautiful, sexy, successful and financially secure. Now she saw herself as foolish for ruining a perfect marriage, feeling about to be left behind, inferior to her beautiful husband, jealous of his attention to other women, and in danger of losing her job if she didn't either sleep with her supervisor, or deliver an amazing account opportunity. Oh the difference a day makes. Her phone dinged a text had arrived. It was from Chuck.

"Did you know Dad has a house here!? It's right on the beach, so we're going to stay the night and catch the early tide."

She was also alone. Worst of all, her boys would not be with her to vouch for her not sleeping with John.

Morning broke on the second day in paradise, and Danny and the boys had already been surfing, along with all the competitors warming up on the early waves. The sun wasn't fully up yet, but the three were pleasantly exhausted from their predawn fun. Back at the house, there was a sumptuous buffet that Danny's company had catered for Danny and the other corporate big wigs staying there. The boys ate their fill and retired to catch a few more Z's.

The other officers of the company drifted in one by one, and talked over the events of last night. Everyone, whether a surfer, skier, or skater, raved about Danny's ride, which was now as great a legend as his win here 35 years ago. They talked of their evening preliminary meetings with the contending ad agencies, and to a person liked Kelly's team the best, though they hadn't met Kelly or John yet. They also agreed it was too beautiful a day to be cooped up in meetings until the late afternoon competition runs, so they scurried out to the beach with kayaks and boards, and got out on the water.

The afternoon meetings weren't awful. They had scheduled a brief presentation from each advertising firm, after which they planned to adjourn and examine the pitches before watching the preliminary competitions. They would save q&a until tomorrow and hear a final pitch from the two finalists the following day.

The teams arrived one by one, and presented their pitch. Kelly's firm came last, and she made a bee line to Danny when she entered the house.

"We have to talk," she began, but got no further. Danny's corporate attorney intervened.

"Ms. Allen," he began, using her maiden name.

"It's Mrs. Cane!" She corrected him.

"No," he responded. "Sunset Surf places a high value on ethics, both in business and in our personal lives. That is a large part of our corporate philosophy, and a large part of our expectation of our contractors. Surfers and skaters are most of our core market, and it's a population that is often seen as a little renegade. Our owner is a surfer, but was always a proponent of a clean life, including a clear conscience and a controlled temperament being the key to success. We know who you are, but unless you present this without any reason for favoritism, your bid must've disqualified. So you can't be a wife here, you have to be an ad executive."

Kelly bit her lip, while Danny turned to take his seat in the presentation room. John moved in, and stepped between Kelly and the lawyer. "Kelly, they are the client. It's their party, we play their rules." The lawyer turned to take his place with the other Sunset Surf officers. "You didn't tell me your little man would be here, we are not prepared for this. You need to let me take the lead."

"I don't think so!" called out a voice from the other room. "Sir, you need to withdraw or your firm will be eliminated now. We will not negotiate or grant a contract to anyone who belittles our owner by calling him things like "little man."

Angel Carter was famous for two things in the Sunrise Surf family. She was the youngest officer of the board, and was renowned for her snowboarding aerials, having won several gold medals at X-games, and an astoundingly sensitive ear, being able to clearly hear the softest sounds.

"You're kidding."

"No sir, I'm not. Mr. Cane has authorized me to use what I hear to ensure we are being treated honestly and with respect. Referring to him as "little man" is quite contemptuous. I will be reporting this to your President. You have a choice right now. Leave alone, or take your creative director and her team along."

John left.

Kelly presented, and her team rebounded from John's gaffe with class. Kelly was nervous and obviously unsettled, but her team took over and wowed Sunset Surf. They left quietly, but feeling very good. They decided to gather at the hotel and plan their follow up strategy. They all agreed, John had to go.

So had the Agency partners. John met them in the hotel bar where they held their war council. He had his bags, and was on the way to the airport to fly home. He made his apologies to the team, and asked Kelly if he could speak with her privately. There were snickers from the rest of the team, who had suspected Kelly and John were playing around together, which Kelly quashed by snapping at John.

"No! I don't know what you thought would happen by insulting and down talking my husband. His company took a perfect approach to the possibility of a conflict of interest by dealing with us on our merits, not a marriage."

"You didn't even know that..."

"...that he owned this company. That he owned anything. Thank you for reminding me, John, I needed that. It's to my shame that I've been so blinded by my work I never had a clue how successful my husband was. I laughed with you about the Mr. Mom jokes, and even took that home where I treated him with utter contempt. I even belittled the man in front of his sons. Boy am I proud of how I've acted as his wife. We are lucky to still be in this. So if you all really expect to win this account and earn your bonuses, get your "A" games ready for tomorrow. And John, go home. Don't let Danny even see you. Oh and John, don't ever speak to me again."

John left. Again.

They made it out for the final surfing rounds. Danny was out on the beach, working the crowd with autographs and free Sunset Surf T-shirts. It was a young, kind of wild crowd, and one young thing after another presented Danny with a Sharpie and her cleavage for an autograph. Everywhere she turned people talked about him, and his increasingly legendary old man ride. In her frustration, she pulled out her phone and sent him a simple text.

"Sorry."

She didn't expect an answer, and found a piece of beach where she could enjoy the late day sun, and the busyness of the event. As she watched the surfers, things Danny had told her over the years finally made sense. Each wave was alive, and each wave was different. She saw how a surfer might find the wave and be one with it, or completely misjudge it and wipe out. Suddenly she saw surfing as a metaphor for life. It wasn't enough to just spot the wave and jump on, you had to join it, sometimes going where it sent you, and sometimes letting it pull you against the grain. Either way, it would take the clear mind, the calm spirit, and the vision Danny strove for on order to survive powerful chop, and both took courage and conviction to stay balanced on the largest and fastest waves. Kelly felt better and better as she let her mind surf her predicament.

The competition over, she walked towards her hotel, ready for a lovely meal on her room's porch overlooking the beach through sunset. She sent a second text. "Please join me for dinner after your decision. I have so much I need to say. I want the boys there too. I have much to say to them too.

The next day, Kelly's team was waiting for her at Danny's door. They walked in together, proud and heads held high. They passed the sumptuous buffet spread and gathered in front of the chairs where Sunset Surf would sit. Kelly gathered them, had them join hands together, and instructed them to focus.

"Close your eyes please. Empty your mind, and breathe deeply. Feel the energy of your colleagues gathered in our hands. Tap that power to make yourself whole. Today isn't about finding Sunset Surf and the key to its business. Today is about finding each other, feeling what they feel, and being good by being what each other needs right now. If we're good by being together, Sunset Surf will want to join us, because we will feel right to them. If they don't, it's because we are not right for them and we can't work as one with them. If that happens, we smile, and we go home to be better next time." The group continued to meditate until Kelly heard the Sunset Surf team sitting down. She turned to see Angel Carter smile at her, and give her a discrete thumbs up. She was on track, and it didn't matter. What mattered to her is that her team had taken their seats, and we're still holding hands.

"Yesterday was interesting. I saw some amazing sights. I learned to better appreciate the sport you so love by watching some amazing surfers. I came to appreciate some lessons I had never before had ears to hear, in spite of the efforts of some people I love dearly. I am seeing things very differently than in the past, and because of that I am going to conduct business differently. We will participate in your Q&A, but will not re-present our pitch tomorrow. It wouldn't matter. I have the best staff I can imagine behind me. If we cannot convince you how well we would perform for you if awarded this contract by the end of our Q&A we don't deserve your business. Instead, I would like to invite you to dine, as my guests with my staff tomorrow night, and have a chance to get to know each other on a personal level, however only if you have already made your decision on the contract. The world needs more friends, but we don't want to play on your friendship for business. To that end, this dinner party will be strictly non-business. No shop talk allowed. Dress casual, we will be dining on the beach, where the hotel will be roasting a pig for us in the traditional style. Family members are more that welcome, we are eager to meet them. Now ladies and gentlemen, we are happy to entertain your questions and comments.

The first began, "Mrs. Cane," and stopped himself. He barely got the "Ms." Out of his mouth when she stopped him.

"Kelly. I'm just Kelly. No Mrs. Or Ms., and I plan on dropping the last name entirely. Using it right now would be wrong on so many levels, both in a business sense and personally. My maiden name is far in my past, in a place I don't want to go back to. So I'm forging ahead as Kelly. One name."

Several of the Sunset Surf staff smiled, and Kelly went on with the Q&A. The staff was calm and confident, and the session was handled without flaw. Kelly took her team to dinner, then went to bed.

The next morning, she woke early, feeling better about herself than since she could remember. She hit the beach with the yoga mat she had bought the night before, and proceeded to follow her old routine of poses. She was rusty, but it felt good. And she wasn't alone. As a matter of fact, there were plenty of early risers running, surfing, paddling, and practicing yoga and tai chi. She barely took note of the tight group of kayakers playing in the early morning surf just down the beach, but one of them noticed her.

Danny recognized her form and the graceful movements between poses right away, and the sight drew a smile. She had been away from this morning routine for years. Last night she had shown a streak of freedom and independence that the ass kissing business woman she had become, and that looked down at her Mr. Mom husband had silenced. All too soon, yoga time ended, and the kayakers soon paddled into shore as well. Time to go to work.

Kelly spent her day touring the island with the boys, even splurging on an aerial tour by private plane. Danny remained huddled with his staff, deciding on the successful advertising bid. As dinner drew close, they made their choice.

The dinner was splendid, and the staffs got along very well. Kids raced around the tables that had been setup in the sand, while couples danced to the sounds of a local slack guitar band playing pop tunes and Hawaiian favorites. Kelly floated along, taking an interest in everyone. She delighted in watching her boys flirt with the teenage girls that were present, and snickered to herself when she realized hers were the only teen boys there to occupy the attentions of a half dozen gorgeous bronze skinned beauties their age. Not that they needed the monopoly. Her boys were gorgeous. They were personable and charming and would have no trouble winning female attention in any situation. They were in every way, their father's sons.

Kelly felt suddenly empty. She missed Danny. It had been months since they had been civil, and longer since they had been intimate. It had been even longer since they had been happy. She knew where it had gone wrong, when he had lost his job. She had been harsh. She berated him constantly with humiliating remarks about his Mr. Mom status. She could see now why he hadn't cared. He must have been working all along, building his own company. All along as he was becoming a captain of industry, she jibed and goaded him until she believed her own rhetoric, and he became less of a man in her mind.

She thought back to the company happy hours when the pussy hounds among her colleagues tried to seduce her, often making fun of her husband's inability to provide for his family. She had adopted their sneers when she related how ashamed it made her feel to Danny as soon as she got home. She remembered making fun of him at neighborhood gatherings and picnics, in front of family members at weddings and graduations, and even in front of her own boys. His sons. Oh my God, what did I do? No wonder the boys always want to spend days off with Danny rather than me.