Shark Lover (19 page)

Marc
paused while he thought carefully about it. “Okay Dad, I will go back and face
my fears. But I’m not doing it for surfing. I’m doing it for you.”

His
father held his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “Don’t do it for me. Do it
for you Marc. Do it to be a strong person who lives life to the fullest.”

Marc
smiled up to his father in agreement. He snatched his Dad’s hand as they walked
back to the dolphin pool. He could feel his little fingers sweating in his
father’s palm as he tried to calm himself down in order to try again. Feeling
stronger with each step, they quickly approached the pool. He sat on the side
of the pool and slowly dipped his flippers in the water. The instructor helped
him in and coached him through the process.

“Good
job Marc! You’re a great swimmer!” She said as she pat him on the back. “Now we
are going to go over here by the dolphins okay? They are completely harmless.”

Marc
nodded quietly in understanding.

“Now
the dolphin that we are going to work with is named Fin. He’s five years old
and has been working with kids his whole life. He is gentle and very happy to
see you I might add!”

“I’m
five years old too!” Marc exclaimed showing some signs of comfort.

“Wow!
Really that’s great!” Okay so when Fin comes closer I want you to grab his back
fin. He’s going to take you on a slow ride throughout the water. But you have
to hold him as tight as you can so you won’t fall off. Are you ready?”

“Yes…I…I…think
so.” He stammered nervously as he gulped.

“Alright!
Here we go then!” She blew her whistle loudly as she shouted, “Fin!”

Marc’s
teeth chattered as he waited nervously in the water for Fin to approach him. He
held his arms out and waited for the dolphin. Fin swam elegantly towards Marc at
a peaceful pace so he wasn’t afraid. Marc grabbed his back fin as instructed
and held on for the ride. He closed his eyes as Fin slid through the pool,
turning in circles rushing through the water. Holding on as tightly as he
possibly could, Marc finally opened his eyes and felt the rush of wind going
through his shaggy brown hair. He smiled as if he had just realized that his
worst fear had actually become a pleasure. As Fin stopped in the water, he
heard applause from the other side of the pool.

“Woo!
Good job Marc! That was a great ride! You held on to Fin the entire time and
you rode him like a pro!” His instructor shouted as she clapped as loud as she
possibly could.

Marc
looked down at Fin in joy as he still held him in his arms. He got off of his back
and swam around to the front of his face. Marc swore that Fin was smiling too
as they looked each other straight in the eye. Fin moved closer to Marc’s face
and gave him a big kiss on the lips. The crowd awed as Marc hugged Fin. He held
Fin tightly not wanting to let him go. He had faced his biggest fear with him.

“Fin,
I love you.” He said truly meaning it.

“EEEEEEKKKKKK!”
Fin squealed in delight and Marc took it as agreement.

“Thank
you Fin for everything. You’re the best.” He hugged Fin one last time as he
swam over the side of the pool where his father was squatting.

“Wow,
Marc I am so proud of you. I can’t believe you did it. You chased away all of
your fears.” He patted his son on his soaked back.

Marc
grinned sheepishly. “Sorry Dad, I am all wet. That was fun. Can I do it again?
I want to see Fin. He’s my friend.”

“Sure
Son, we will come back another day. I’m just proud that you did it. We’ll come
back and see Fin. I’m glad you liked him. I was so worried you were going to
fall off of him and get hurt.”

“Fin
wouldn’t hurt me Dad. He’s harmless and he’s my friend. Dad, he’s amazing. I’m
not scared of dolphins anymore. It was so much fun, I might want to work here
someday.”

“If
surfing doesn’t pan out maybe you could be a marine biologist.” His father
stated matter-of-factly as he took off Marc’s flippers and dried him with a
towel.

“What’s
a marine biologist?” He asked.

“They
study the organisms of the ocean. You would study all of the plants and animals
that live there.”

“Wow,
that’s awesome! I’m doing that Dad.” Marc stated confidently. “I have never
felt so alive in my entire life.”

His
father let out a roaring laugh. “What about when you surf Son?”

“I
love surfing. I feel fearless. I feel free. But with Fin, I feel alive. When we
were swimming together it felt like we were one.”

“Do
what makes you happy Son. Whatever you choose I will support you all the way
through.”

“Thanks
Dad.” He grabbed his father’s hand as they left the park arm in arm.

“Dad?”
He looked up at his father.

“Yes
Son.”

“If
anyone asks me, you’re the father of the year.”

“Thank
you Marc. It’s easy when I have a son like you.”

He
held his father’s gaze for a minute longer and then looked off into the sky. It
had been one of the best days of his life. He had finally faced his fears and
had done something that made him feel right inside. He wouldn’t forget this day
for the rest of his life.

Without
realizing it, he just then noticed that Cathy had come out of the water and sat
next to him in the sand. Her hair was soaked and dripping all over his legs as
she squeezed the remaining drops from it. She brushed off the water from her
legs into the sand leaving decadents of water drop prints. Her feet were full
of sand as it stuck to her like glue. Before brushing more sand off her legs she
looked at him intently in the eyes.

“What
were you thinking about?” She asked cautiously. “You were in the water, then
you came and sat down here. Your eyes were glazed over. I could tell you were
in another place and time.”

“Oh,
it wasn’t anything too profound. I was just thinking about Fin and the day that
I faced my fears, that’s the day I decided that I wanted to become a marine
biologist. I told you that story right?” He answered immediately.

Her
seriousness and concern left as she let out a small laugh. “You scared me I
thought something was truly wrong. Yes, I remember that story. Fin was the
first marine animal that you befriended. I remember you told me that your
father made you swim in the pool with him when you were five years-old. You
were terrified, but you ended up doing it. Your father was good at stuff like
that. He taught you how to become a man and let your fears go.”

“I
miss him.”

“I
know you do. I see it in your eyes every day. I see the pain that you feel and
I understand.” She added with a tone of sympathy.

“Life
was never the same after he was gone. I felt like I lost a part of myself when
he died. I gave up surfing, my happiness and ultimately my life.”

“I
know how you feel. That’s exactly how I felt after my dad vanished. He was my
best friend and we did everything together. My family was never the same. My
mother had a hard time raising my sister and me alone, especially me. I didn’t
want to believe that he was gone.” Sadness filled her voice as she felt tears
come to her eyes.

Marc
pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She moved her
face into his chest as tears started falling down her face. He let her use his
sleeve as a tissue as she wiped her wet eyes into the dry cloth.

“Cathy,
it’s okay.” He murmured softly to her over and over again until she finally
stopped crying. 

After
a while he spoke again. “Do you want to know something funny?”

He
lifted her chin to have her look at him. She slowly nodded.

“When
my dad died, I felt so incomplete. I gave up everything. After I met you I
started to feel like my old self again. I remembered what it was like to be
happy and enjoy life. You complete me and make me whole again.”

“I
feel the same way about you. When I am with you I feel happy again. I forget
about all the other problems in life and focus on our happiness together. I
have been through so much in my life, but with you I forget about all my trials
and tribulations. It is just great being with you, spending days with you has
been so special to me. I hope you know that.”

“I’m
so glad that I met you. Adding on that class has been the best decision that I
ever made in my life.” He chuckled then turned serious. “I can’t imagine my
life without you now.”

“I’m
happy that you joined that class too. I was sure you thought I was an idiot
after I missed that question. And now to think you are such a huge part of my
life.” She pulled him closer to her body. “Life feels better knowing that
you’re in my life. I feel like I have finally moved on from the past now.”

“Well
for the record, I never thought you were an idiot. He just picked on you
unexpectedly. That could have happened to anyone. And I feel the same way about
you. I have forgotten about the past and the pain that it brought me. I’m
finally happy now.” He brushed his hands through her tangled hair.

They
sat there in silence for a while basking in the sun as it played along the
horizon. It was so hot out that sweat was perspiring off of their legs and onto
the sand. Marc held Cathy for what seemed like forever and he realized that he
wanted her forever. She had been the only woman in his life who could ever
understand him. He loved that she was his lover and his best friend. She was
his world he realized and he wanted to keep it that way.

“I
love you Cathy.” Marc said softly breaking the silence between them.

She
blushed and turned her head to the side to look him in the eyes. “I love you
too Marc.”

“You’re
going to marry me one day. You make me happy. I need you for life.” He stated
surely.

“Deal.
I need you too.” She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “Our love
is magical.”

“Yes
it is. You’re my love.” He kissed her back tenderly as he picked her up and set
her in his lap. “The heat is killing me. Do you want to head back to my place
for lunch? I just bought some fresh veggies, I could make them steamed.”

“You’re
my love too. And yes I am burning up. That sounds amazing, let’s go now.” She
said as she stood up. She used her hands to pull Marc up from the ground. He
landed her arms and she held him momentarily before they started walking up
towards the boardwalk.

The
sun burned down fiercely upon their backs as they walked hand-in-hand to Marc’s
car. Cathy hopped in the passenger’s seat and buckled her seatbelt as she
messed with turning the radio dial. He put the car in gear and started down the
road, grabbing for Cathy’s hand. She let him hold in all the way back and
recognized she never felt something more wonderful.

            The tips
of her fingers touched the smooth surface as her hands grazed thoroughly over
it. She had never seen something so beautiful in her life. She had never seen
anything like it in her life, nothing that could match its perfect quality. She
picked it up and held it in her hands taking in the fine quality of it. Just
the feel of it alone made her want to get into the water. She wanted to dive in
and try it out to see if she could master the task. She couldn’t take her eyes
off of it as she dazed admiringly at it.

            “Cathy?
Where did you go?” Marc yelled out from the kitchen. “I made the steamed
veggies. Come and get them while they are hot. And still here.” He laughed as
he popped one in his mouth seething at the joy of the taste.

 “I’m
in here!” She called, her voice sounding distant.

“Where?”
He said back while heading to look for her.

“In
your bedroom.”

“What
are you doing in there?” He asked smiling at her as he cracked the door and saw
her holding his prized possession.

“Just
rummaging around your room and admiring your surfboard. I have never seen one
like this. It is so classic looking, with the red paint. I love the design
going down the middle with the blue waves.”

“I
love this board. It was my Dad’s. Well it’s funny, actually it was mine. He
gave it to me as a gift for my thirteenth birthday. He said I was finally a
teenager, becoming a man and I needed a real board to surf with. Although he
gave it to me, I could tell that he wanted it. Badly. So I would often let him
“barrow” it, but it was mostly used by him. I used it on my thirteenth birthday
and that’s about it. I might have used it a few other times as well, but my
father was the one who really loved this board. The reason why it is so
significant to me is because it was his favorite board. It was the board that
he rode his last wave on. He said, taking the board into his hands while
caressing its surface with care.

“Dad!
Dad! Do you know what today is?” Marc cried out as he ran down the stairs.

“Yes,
it’s Thursday Marc.” He said looking up from his paper as he picked up his
coffee mug from the table and took a sip.