My Surfer Story Part Six
Farmhouse, Pro Ball Players, Musicians, DJ’s, Two Jet Skis, Mushrooms and Cher?
Part Six
Farmhouse, Pro Ball Players, Musicians, DJ’s, Two Jet Skis, Mushrooms and Cher?
The following day was the first day of Family Day. I slept almost all day but managed to get up and go meet Reed at the Casino where he was staying with his family. (yes, the same casino Liam and I had our first night of fun).
I picked Reed up and we headed over to the ranch. Reed’s children were already there hanging out. We met up with them for a bit then found Dean and a few other guys sat around and hung out until it was time for Reed to do his round of driving the jet ski. It was cold and not just any cold it was a wet and foggy cold. I had no idea how people were in the water. Reed invited me to join him on the ski for his run. I followed him over to the ramp and put on some rubber boots and carefully climbed on the back of the ski. I wrapped my arm around Reed’s chest and held on. Brandon was one of the guys in the water coaching the guests. “Hey” he shouted from the freezing water in his head-to-toe wetsuit. I was in complete awe. This was when I got to see first-hand how hard these guys work. I was dry, had several layers on and was still freezing and here these guys are in this freezing water giving people the experience of their life.
Riding on the back of the ski was fun. Watching people surf that close was awesome. The moves they make and how well they have to know not only their body but the way the wave moves. How they have to be perfectly in sync with it in order to stay up. It was beautiful. Reed finished his run and as the crowd was dying down at the ranch. All the guys were getting ready for the big party at the farmhouse.
The Farmhouse was an old two-story house on the outside of town. This is where the guys used to stay when the ranch first opened, and Ty was able to book it for a huge party that night. Ty was a DJ and was going to play a set for everyone. A bunch of guys came up to Reed and I asked if we were going. Reed had his daughter, so he decided to go back to the hotel, but I decided to go and check out the party.
I got there a little early, so I found myself in that awkward situation of not knowing anyone and not knowing where to go or what to do. As the house started to fill up, I noticed two guys walking in. Liam's brother Kurt and Liam's best Friend Reece, a professional baseball player. Equally hot mind you. It was one of those weird situations where I knew who they were thanks to IG, but they had no idea who I was. So even though I felt I found people I could talk to they would only see me as some stranger.
The house eventually started to fill up and I found it easier to blend in. I grabbed a beer and walked around like I was looking for someone stopping to say hi to the few people I did know. After a while people started to wonder what was going on. Ty was supposed to start playing but no one knew where he was. After a couple hours Ty appeared out of nowhere ready to shut the place down. Oh yeah this all took place in the living room of this small little house.
The room was packed. You had to forcefully squeeze through bodies to move anywhere. Luckily, I am quite small and found a spot along the wall right next to the table where Ty would be playing.
As Ty entered the room everyone started cheering, they were ready to party. Ty walked through the crowd of people like a true performer. Slapping hands with people waiving at people in the back and all around making his way to the table where he put on his headphones and dropped the fucking beat.
The place went crazy. There I stood in the room condensed with people jumping up and down dancing all around feeling the music. You could feel the floor bending from the weights of all the people. Once again, the energy was electric. These people knew how to have fun, they party like their life depended on it. But not in that depressed sad angry let’s get trashed and sloppy kind of way. In a way where they knew life was a gift and they were making the most of it.
Suddenly Reece and Kurt were next to me. All of us dancing and living in the moment. I remember looking around and seeing everyone vibing. No one was judging or starting shit. Just people vibing out to the music and enjoying every second of it.
As Ty’s set ended Kurt and Reece headed outside. I managed to make some small talk. Mentioning that I knew Liam from the bar. As they headed outside Reece casually threw a “Wanna come with?” as he walked out the door. I hesitated then figured fuck it. I was tired and ready to go home anyway.
When I walked outside, I saw the guys standing next to a fence. They were feeding the cows that were in the pasture. Now this was not a huge deal for me. I have seen cows all my life. For me, it’s strange to think that there are people who haven’t seen a cow. Anyway, I went over and said hi to the cute creatures. Fed them some hay and pet them for a bit. The guys made some small talk and asked if I was going to be back the following day. I told them I planned on it but wasn’t sure. They told me to go. They said that the second night was the big one, and it was going to be epic, but I wasn’t sure you could top the experience I just had. I thanked them for the conversation and said I’d think about it then headed to my car. I was ready to go home.
I woke up exhausted the following day. I had very little sleep. I spent the day being lazy resting and seriously considering saying fuck it and getting some sleep instead of going to the ranch. I mean the last two days had been so fucking amazing how could it really be topped. But I convinced myself to go. As I drove through the gate, I was still hesitant about staying. Although I knew almost everyone, I wasn’t family and more of an acquaintance than a real friend to anyone. So, I couldn’t help but feel out of place walking up into this massive place all alone. I was relieved when I found Reed in the dinner line. We grabbed some food and shortly after found ourselves back out on the jet ski.
I was on the ski for about an hour when they radioed Reed that the next round of surfers had guests who wanted to ride along. Reed took me back to the ramp and we switched out., I made a beeline to the huge fire pit by the main deck.
As I stood there warming myself by the fire, I realized I was just in time to catch Ty start his set. This is where the magic of the night took off. There is no way to describe the energy there that night. It was literally something out of a movie and we all felt it. I was standing back behind everyone watching Ty play a lot of his own music, he was incredible!
Next thing I knew I had made my way closer to the stage. I found myself standing with all of Liam's family, his girlfriend included. As I hung out there dancing along with everyone Reece came over. He made some small talk and eventually asked if I was there with anyone. I told him I was friends with a lot of the guys but not with any of them. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear “Good because I want you” idk how but I managed to keep my cool and flash a casual little smile. We exchanged IG and we both went back to dancing.
Ty switched it up from his stuff to a mash up of Fat Lip (that all of us lost our minds to singing every lyric as hard as we could because I mean how else do you sing that song) then straight into Unwritten. To my surprise this made the guys go even crazier than the girls. Like seriously they knew every word and sang it with all the heart us ladies do. It was amazing! Then the big one... Believe by Cher. The entire place went fucking wild! Ty jumped out into the crowd and was lifted and carried through like a king as he sang into the mic. Straight out of a 90-music video I swear! In the middle of all of this I found myself standing there taking it all in. I knew I was witnessing something special, something that was going to go down in history at this place. It was one of those moments in life where you know without a doubt you are in the presence of magic. There is no other way to describe it.
Soon after the music was the raffle. These people were given wave time, money, clothing, and trips to Fiji but what topped off the night was that Ty who proved to be the star of the week won not one but two Jet Skis!! The place went berserk!! I again found myself as an outsider looking in on this epic night. If this meant as much as it did to me an outsider, I could only imagine how all the employees felt. They are a family, and you could feel the connection in the air with so much love and joy filling this beautiful little piece of paradise in the outskirts of this small town.
As the time at the ranch came to an end everyone was going over to the casino to continue to party. Reed's family had gone home so we loaded up in my car and headed over. After hitting up the bar everyone scattered over to the tables. I don’t gamble so I just sat back and watched as the guys did their thing. Once again, we found ourselves celebrating as Ty had won two hands at the blackjack table.
As the night ended Reed offered to share his room with me promising me that we didn’t have to do anything. Except maybe a little making out or cuddling. As much as I wanted to, I still found myself struggling with making the decision to cross that line with Reed. So as much as it killed me to turn him down again, I politely told him I was going to head home. I felt awful but for some reason I just wasn’t ready.
I got home that night and found myself high off the energy of the last 3 days. I have never in my life had that much fun. The only thing that came close to it was the summer I spent on the river with the girls. As I walked into my room, I found myself looking in the mirror in disbelief. Was this really my life? Had I just experienced all of that? This was and is an experience that will stay with me forever. All those people and the vibe that was felt will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Reed and all the staff went home for the next few weeks, it was going to be a while before I saw any of them again. Working the bar when the guys were out of town always felt like something was missing. And hanging with Reed and everyone had become a regular part of my life. I missed them.