HONK! HONK!

“Let’s get it on!” Mr. Flipadoodle said.

The traffic crawled that early morning in San Francisco, and Cole was  awakened by his Dad who was yelling at cars that were stuck in traffic. It was a typical morning for the Flipadoodles.

“Dad, can you please shut up, I’m trying to sleep here.”

“Ya flutter bum, You’ve been asleep for five hours, and we’re almost here.”

“Ok fine, but next time please let me sleep in a little longer.”

The Flippadoodles lived a poor life out on the coast of California traveling up and down the coast looking for work and the best surf spots.

“Dad! Look at that sign on that surf shop!”

“What does it say?”

“It says ‘Now Hiring’!”

“Let’s pull over and see what kinda job they’re offering.”

Mr. Flipadoodle pulls over into the small sandy parking lot, and both Cole and his dad step out of their car with excitement. It’s been a long time since Mr. Flipadoodle found a stable job that could keep him and his son off the streets.

“I wonder what kinda boards they have?” Cole said.

“Don’t get too excited about me getting the job.”

The Flippadoodles walked in and looked around a little. While Cole was looking at all the boards Mr. Flipadoodle bumped into the surf shop’s manager.

“How may I help you, Sir?”

“Well, I just happened to drive by when I noticed your sign, and was wondering if you guys still had any jobs ” Mr. Flipadoodle said with excitement.

“Well, we’re looking for someone who has experience with boards and maybe someone who could help us with design and just the overall process of making them.”

Cole, who is always filled with curiosity, overheard the conversation.

Jumping in to the conversation Cole said, “I can help out with board designs!”

“Cole what are you doing!” Mr. Flipadoodle said.

“Haven’t I told you that’s it’s very rude to interrupt!”

“Actually, I could use help with someone to help me test out some boards,” said the surf shop manager.

“Awesome!” Said Cole.

“You know what, I think I’ve found the people I’m looking for this job.”

“Really…well I guess we better get going” said Mr. Flipadoodle.

“Wait!”, said the surf shop manager.

“I was talking about you guys!”

“You’re hired”

************************

The Flippadoodles, overjoyed with their new job led them to a new way of life. The O’Niell Surf Shop was running great, and Mr. O’Niell, the surf shop manager, was very pleased with the Flippadoodles’ work. A few months passed and the news of war broke out throughout the country. Everyone was talking about the Korean War and wondered what the outcome might be.

It was a hot summer that year, and all Cole could think about was surfing. He wasn’t really interested about the war or what the breakout was even about. His mind was on what next barrel he would ride, or how long he could hold his next floater. But all his fantasy about surfing would soon come to an end.

“Hey Cole!” Mr. Flipadoodle exclaimed.

“What.”

“Ya got something in the mail, its says its for you!”

“Really! What’s it say?”

“It says something about a military draft.”

“Wait, WHAT!!!”

“But…I…I…I can’t! I won’t!”

“I have such a good life right now and I don’t even know what I’m fighting for!” said Cole with major disappointment and anger.

“Well, I’m sorry Son, sometimes we need to do what’s right no matter what and stand up firmly.”

Cole, who was crying with the news he just got, ran upstairs in his room and sobbed for a solid hour. He couldn’t believe what had just happened to him. All he wanted to do was surf, but the war had to get in the way.

*****************

The next morning Cole woke up slowly still thinking about the war. He walked down the stairs in his apartment and walked into the kitchen and was surprised by Mr. O’Niell who was holding this weird-looking board . Mr. O’Niell had a great big grin on his face and said,

“Good morning, Cole!”

“I heard about the news of you going to war, and I always had an idea of this board that you could ride on land. I never really thought I would show it to anyone, but since I heard about the news of you going into the war, I just had to show it to you and let you give it a shot.”

 Cole, who was shocked by the surprise, was speechless and didn’t know what to think about this weird looking board that Mr. O’Niell was holding.

“Thanks Mr. O’Niell,” said Cole.

“What made you come up with the idea of screwing on some skate wheels to a surfboard?”

“Well, when I heard that you were going to Korea, I thought man, Cole is really gonna miss the waves out here in San Fran. So I made you a board that would work on land incase you couldn’t be surfing out there in Korea.”

“Wow, thanks!” Cole said with joy on his face.

“No problem, anything for my best board builder.”

Cole, who was awakened and back to life because of his gift, was so excited to go try out this new contraption. He immediately ran outside with the board in his hand and grabbed his bike and headed for the biggest hill he could find. Eventually, he came across a series of rolling hills that he could test out his new board. Cole ran up one of  the hills and placed the board between his feet. He then took a deep breath and stepped on the ride of his life! Cole couldn’t believe how much fun he was having. He had to go tell Mr. O’Niell how great this board was. So he grabbed his bike and peddled as fast as he could to the O’Niell Surf Shop. When he arrived he scrambled up the sandy parking lot throwing his bike on the ground and yelling,

“Mr. O’Niell! Mr. O’Niell!”

“What is it?” Said Mr. O’Niell!

“I absolutely love this board you gave me!”

Cole who was ecstatic about his experience with the new board couldn’t stop talking about it. He told everyone. His friends, his neighbors, even random people he met on the beach.

*************

It was July 20, a month later and Cole was getting ready to leave to the war. He would be leaving in a few days and was saying his last goodbyes to everyone he knew. He was really gonna miss his San Fransico lifestyle. But most of all he was gonna miss his dad and Mr. O’Niell. So the day of his departure he stopped by the surf shop one last time.

“Mr. O Neill!”

Cole and Mr. O’Niell ran up to each giving each other a big hug. Both sobbing. It was an emotional time for both of them.

“Cole I’m really gonna miss you.”

“Same to you Mr. O’Niell.”

“I’ll be praying for you everyday.”

“Thanks.”

“Try not to miss us too much and remember to shred those hills out in Korea!”

“I sure will,” said Cole with a smile on his face.

Cole got back in the car and waved at Mr. O’Niell as he drove off into the sunset, and with the mindset of Korean Surfing.

Works Cited

Bevk, Alex. “Hidden Histories: The First O’Neill Surf Shop at Ocean Beach.” Curbed SF.  25                      June 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

History.com Staff. Korean War begins. A+E Networks, 2009.History. Access March 28,

            2017

News, ABC. “What Is the Draft and How Does It Work?” ABC News. ABC News Network, 23                     June 2005. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Nunn, Tim. A Brief History of Surfing.mpora.com. Access March 28, 2017

“The Korean War and American History: How the Conflict Started.” Time. Time, n.d. Web. 06                   Apr. 2017.