the pile of books was stacked ten high and he fervently flipped through one, scanned a page and then moved on to the next book. A wash-rinse-repeat cycle of research. “I’m leaving for Costa Rica in a week and I need to know where to go.” He seemed high strung,due to the fact that he was going to the Latin American- his first time leaving the country- alone. “A friend in Ohio said I had to go. He said the surfing was ridiculous.”

Surfing? In Ohio? “Oh yeah,” he said, his energy level spiking at the mention, “It’s great there.” He paused, “Well, better than here at least.” He grabbed his next book- a generic looking travel guide and thumbed to a detailed map of Costa Rica. “I gotta find a way to get from here to here” His pointed to Puerto Viejo on the south-eastern tip of the country. “Caribbean surfing, man. I’ve been in both oceans here, but the Caribbean is a whole new monster near the equator.”

He faded off and started jotting down notes in his Moleskine Notebook. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned at the growing noise level in the cafe side of McNally Robinson bookstore or that the woman next to him gently nudged the stack of books closer to him. As they say, surf was on the brain.

andrew said thomas.