“You can come inside to change. No one’s home so don’t worry, but you can change in my room. It’s upstairs, third door on the left. I’ll load the boards while you change.”
I follow him into the garage and he points me to the door into the house.
Inside it’s painted in warm neutral colors with dark rustic hardwood floors. I head toward the front of the house and find a Spanish-style staircase with intricate wrought iron work. I take the stairs up and push the door open on the third door on the left.
It’s my first look at Jasper’s room and somehow, it’s everything I expected and completely different at the same time.
The bed sits against the left wall—which is done in some kind of weathered wood while the rest of the walls are painted a deep blue. The headboard is a dark wood color that contrasts nicely with the gray of his comforter. There’s a dresser across from the bed and above it are posters of surfers and pictures with his friends and family posted. There’s a desk in the corner with a large iMac and several notebooks and pens littering the top. Overall, it’s super clean and neat. Somehow, I expected it to be messier. On the contrary, my room is far messier than his and I feel like I need to go home and clean it now.nbsp;
I turn around and close the door so I can change. Knowing I’ve probably spent five minutes gawking already and he’s bound to come looking for me if I don’t get with it.nbsp;
I change into a red one-piece swimsuit with black piping on it and stuff my discarded clothes into my bag. Heading back downstairs I hear someone in the kitchen and head that way.
“All set?” Jasper asks, pulling two water bottles from the refrigerator.nbsp;
“Yep.” nbsp;I look around the kitchen that’s as warm as the rest of the house with dark cabinets and a cream-colored granite countertop. A row of windows overlooks the backyard, which is surprisingly large with bright green grass, a pergola, and outdoor furniture, set up around a fire pit.nbsp;
He hands me a water bottle and I follow him back into the garage. We both change into a wetsuit before getting in the Jeep to drive to the beach.
I lean out the window with my arms crossed, my hair blowing in the wind. I can’t stop myself from smiling. When I was fourteen and my whole life imploded I always pictured this day. A day when I finally had a kidney and I’d feel better than I ever had. At the time, it was hard believing this day would come true. I knew it had to, that dialysis wasn’t forever, and each day was a step closer to transplant, but it wasn’t easy. The first few months I cried myself to sleep every night. Not because I was sad, but because I was in mourning. Like I told Jasper, I grieved for the loss of the life I’d never have again. I had to put it to rest and accept that life would always be different, but because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad. If anything, my life is better because of what I’ve gone through. I understand things most people don’t even begin to grasp even if they live to be one-hundred. While this hasn’t been easy, not by a long shot, if you told me that it could be taken all away and it never would’ve happened … I’d say don’t do that. Because the person I am now is stronger, kinder, and more compassionate than I ever could’ve been if I didn’t go through this. Life’s full of trials and tribulations, tests to see how we respond; do we become stronger or weaker for it? Sometimes we think we have no choice in the matter, but we do. We always have a choice in how we react.nbsp;
nbsp;I turn to Jasper as we reach the beach. “I’m going to catch a big wave today and I’m not going to fall down, either.”
He chuckles. “You think?”
“I know. If I will it, it’ll be.” I stick out my tongue and laugh.nbsp;
He shakes his head. “Whatever you say. But I believe in you. You almost had it last time.”
I feel eager to get out on the board and see what I can do. I know I’ll never be Jasper’s level of good at surfing, but I find that when I’m out there with him I can’t think of anything else and that’s nice. I like having my mind emptied of all other thoughts.nbsp;
Gathering the boards, we head for the water. When we reach the ocean Jasper hands me my board and I carry it into the water, setting it down when I’m waist deep and climbing on top. Jasper, with his height, has to wade further into the ocean before he can get on his board. Together we paddle out to wait for a wave.nbsp;
While we sit on our boards, legs in the water and bobbing up and down from the current, Jasper goes over instructions again. Even though I remember most of what he’s taught me, I appreciate the refresher.nbsp;
“All right, here comes a good one. Paddle, paddle, paddle,” he chants.
My arms work hard to propel me through the water. I’m sure this would be easier if I had longer arms, but hey you work with what you got it. It doesn’t mean I can’t do it, just that it might be more challenging.
I rise up on my board, feeling the wave swell below me.
My legs shake, and I hold my arms out, exclaiming, “Whoa,” as I try to maintain my balance.
“You’ve got this!” Jasper calls out.nbsp;
I take a breath and find my balance, riding the rest of the wave.nbsp;
I hear Jasper cheering and I smile so big I’m surprised my face doesn’t split into two.
I did it. I actually did it.nbsp;
A year ago, I never could’ve imagined this happening, but here we are.nbsp;
I drop into the water and climb back onto the board, paddling over to Jasper.
“I did it,” I exclaim, slightly breathless.
“You did it,” he echoes and reaches over, taking my face in his hands so he can kiss me.