Cathy smiled nervously and blushed. “He’s a really nice guy once you get to know him. I had some classes with him while doing my undergrad degree. As long as you keep up with the readings and assignments you shouldn’t have a bad time in his courses.”
“I don’t know if I see the ‘nice guy’ thing,” Marc chuckled. “He seems like a jerk. I can’t believe he called on you like that and then insulted you. I wanted to walk right up to him and give him a piece of my mind.”
“Oh boy, I am so glad you didn’t! He takes his classes really seriously. I usually know the answers, he just threw me off by putting me on the spot. But thanks for wanting to stick up for me. That means a lot to me that a perfectly good stranger would want to stick up for a poor soul like myself.” Cathy joked as she smoothed out the wrinkle in her jeans. “So, are you studying Marine Biology as well?”
“You don’t seem like a poor soul to me. I would take you as a beautiful girl who lost her train of thought after being called on unexpectedly. It happens to the best of us. And yes I am studying Marine Biology. I really enjoy working hands-on with the sea.” He smiled as he got lost in a troubled thought. “I used to want to be a surfer.”
“Do you still surf?” Cathy asked looking puzzled. “I love water sports as well. My favorite would have to be scuba diving. There’s nothing like getting up close to the sea creatures that you adore.”
Marc’s eyes looked lost and dark as he quickly replied, “No not anymore. I lost my skills a long time ago.” He ran over his cheek in despair as he looked down at the cold, dark pavement shivering off his pain and fear, hoping that Cathy wouldn’t see his weakness.
He appeared out of sorts and Cathy was unsure why. She didn’t want to push the issue any further since it clearly made him uncomfortable, although she was curious. Cathy looked around at their surroundings surprised that they had already walked about a mile away from campus. Time passed so quickly talking to Marc. Even though they had just met, she could feel the chemistry forming between them. Her thoughts were interrupted as Marc smiled and looked into her eyes. She realized being lost in her thoughts contributed to the silence as they walked carelessly through the streets of San Francisco.
They passed by a local coffee shop as Marc stared wistfully inside. It was still fairly early in the morning and he wanted a coffee to fully wake him up. He also wasn’t done spending time with Cathy. Being with her felt right, he didn’t quite know why yet, but it made his soul happy. He couldn’t remember being this happy in a long time. Especially not with how the last few years had been. He didn’t want to give up this brief moment of happiness.
“Do you want to get a coffee or something?” Marc asked nervously. He usually didn’t ask out a girl so quickly, but he felt altered around her. “We can compare notes from class and work on the assignment together. I know with Professor Tyson as my instructor, I am going to need some serious help.”
“Oh, sure. I would love to.” Cathy was taken aback by Marc’s proposal, but couldn’t find a reason to say no. There was already something between them and she wanted to explore their harmony. “I have my notes right here, I was going to start on the assignment now anyways. His course work usually takes me about a week to complete. So the sooner we start the better.”
Marc held open the door for Cathy, welcoming her into the aroma of fresh coffee beans and pastries. She knew there was something special between them. She entered the room full of hope, mystery and new beginnings; all but not knowing what she was truly getting herself lured into.
Chapter 3
“So tell me something that nobody else knows about you.” Marc commanded to her as he unwrapped a sandwich.
He dazed into her eyes as he watched her think up an answer. He loved how her blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight as they sat on a blanket in the park. Things were so carefree when he was with her. He had packed a picnic to surprise her after class. Sprawled around them there were cheese sandwiches, vegetables, crackers and grapes. He fed them to her one by one as he awaited her answer to his question.
She giggled at his serious tone while taking time to come up with a decent answer. “I swim with sharks every weekend.”
“Really? How are you still in one piece?” He asked as his brown eyes got big.
“I go with a marine group from school. It’s a group called Shark Savors. Basically what we do is go in tanks or cages into the water and we tag sharks. We then study their patterns to see what we can do to help them. We like to see where they go and what they do, so we can fully understand their behavior. I think my favorite part about the group would be saving the sharks. Many people don’t know this, but a lot of sharks die from being tangled in fishing nets or from eating trash. So to prevent more shark deaths, we also help clean the ocean waters. It’s really an interesting group to be a part of.”
“Wow that’s intense. That’s great that you try to help them though, there’s not many people out there that feel that way. I think sharks are seen as dangerous creatures to most people, but then again they don’t really understand them either.”
“It’s great to be around a bunch of people who feel the same way. I enjoy the work a lot.” She munched on some crackers. “Well you are in marine biology, you should join us sometime! It’s a lot of fun, you get to see the sharks up close and you get to save the sea. I think we are meeting this Saturday if you would be interested in coming. We are always looking for new members who are as passionate as we are.”
He popped a grape in his mouth before answering. “Ummm…well I am kind of scared of sharks. I haven’t had good experiences with them. I don’t know if I should join the group if I don’t have a passion for them.”
“You don’t have to have a passion for them to join. We really save all marine life with the work that we do. You don’t have to be scared of them either, they won’t hurt you. We have high-tech equipment that we use to study them, so that everyone comes out safely. Oh and you don’t even have to join the group, you can just come and observe with us if you want.”
He thought about it for a moment. “Will you be there?”
“Of course. I am practically the leader of the group.” She said with pride.
“Then I will come. I wouldn’t want to pass up an opportunity to see you.” He said looking at her delicate face. “I also am passionate about marine life and I wouldn’t mind making the ocean a safer place for them to live.”
“Fabulous, it’s a date then.” She beamed. “So what about you?”
“What about me?” He questioned her back.
“What’s something that nobody else knows about you? I thought we were sharing.” She ran her hand through her blond curly hair as it frizzed in the humidity.
“Oh, we are still talking about that.” He smirked. “Well my father was a pro surfer. I was going to be pro too, but I ended up quitting before any of that happened.”
“Wow, that’s awesome your dad was a pro surfer. Do you think I could get his autograph sometime?” She joked as she poked him in the stomach. “And why did you end up quitting before you went pro?”
“Well, I don’t think you will be able to get an autograph since he passed away almost ten years ago.” Sadness filled his eyes. “I quit after my dad died. I just didn’t have the motivation or the strength to do it anymore. He was the one who taught me everything that I know. Every time I got in the water it reminded me too much of him and it was just painful. I couldn’t put up with it anymore.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he passed away. I understand what you mean. After my father was gone, I could hardly bear to go to the beach. It reminded me so much of him that I avoided it at all costs.” Her faced grew with hope. “Maybe your dad would be proud of you if you surfed again. He probably wouldn’t have wanted to you quit.”
He stalled for a moment while thinking. “Oh, I know he wouldn’t have wanted me to quit. He would have wanted me to keep going. I wanted to, I just couldn’t find the motivation anymore. I’m sorry about y
our dad too.”
“Marc…Marc.” His father whispered into the night.
Marc had been sleeping. He was tired. High school was exhausting. Not to mention all of the changes that his body was going through that made surfing that much harder. He woke up after seeing his dad through the crack of his door. He rolled over in his bed and turned the lamp on. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, wishing that he was still dreaming about surfing Stinson Beach.
“Dad? Is that you? Is something wrong?” He asked his dad as he pulled the sheets off of his bare chest.
“Yes, it’s me. I just wanted to tell you something. Nothing is wrong.”
“Oh, what do you want to tell me?”
“I don’t want you to ever quit surfing. You are too good to stop. You have raw and natural talent. I know it’s difficult right now, with your new height and body, but you can adapt to it. It’s just that I saw how frustrated that you were today and I worried that you would quit.”
Marc closed his eyes remembering his failure earlier in the day. “It was just so hard to get up on the board. I kept falling down. I didn’t know I would get this sudden height surge at just fifteen.”
He had grown over five inches over the winter, making it hard to balance now with his added height. Every day he went to the beach and tried to surf, but he couldn’t catch a wave. He didn’t know what to do. Quitting seemed like the easiest option, but his dad never let him take the easy way out. He had told his dad that he could do something else. Maybe wakeboarding, but his father wouldn’t have any of it. He wouldn’t give up on his only son.
“You’ll figure it out Son. It will just take some time to get used to.” He sat down on the side of the bed. “I have faith in you. You remind me of myself at that age. I was so clumsy, I could barely walk down the stairs without tripping.”
“Great so now I am clumsy?” Marc asked making a goofy face. “But seriously Dad, I don’t know if I will ever be able to surf again. I lost my talent with my new body.”
“You won’t if you keep thinking like that.” He scolded. “Your talent is still there. You just have to think of new ways to use it. It may be hard at first, but true pros never quit no matter what the difficulty is.”
“I guess I could try and find some new ways to prop my body up on the board. If I regain my balance, I should be able to surf again. I just need to figure out how to do that. Maybe if I go to the gym I can build some muscle that will help me stay upright?”
“That’s it, now you’re thinking Son. There’s always ways around it. Will you promise me something?” His father said with earnest eyes.
“Okay Dad, what?”
“That you will never quit surfing. Even if I am gone. I don’t want you to ever stop. You’re great, the world needs your skills in some way or form.”
“Alright. I promise. Thanks Dad. I don’t know what you see in me, but it must be good.” He looked up as his father got off of the bed and headed towards the door.
“I see me in you.” He opened the door and left the room, leaving it open so just a little surge of light shown through. Marc’s eyes closed as he drifted off into a silent sleep, thinking about the last words his father spoke to him.
“I think you should give it another try. You never know what will come of it.” Cathy stared intently at Marc, wondering what was going through his mind.
“Give what another try?” He asked shaking off a thought.
“Surfing. I know it has been years, but if you were naturally talented like your dad said you were, it would probably be pretty easy to get back into it. I believe in you.” She softly patted his knee in an effort to give him encouragement.
“I’ll think about it. I don’t know if I could face the waves again. I haven’t since he died, it just wouldn’t be the same.” He glanced away in the distance. “Anyways, tell me about your family.”
Cathy took the cue of the changed subject and decided to let her point go. “I have a younger sister named Carly. She just started college. She’s a handful. She is always getting into trouble. I practically raised her myself, we are pretty close. Then there’s my mom. She’s a dental hygienist. So of course my sister and I always have clean teeth. I love them both so much. I am lucky to have them. Things were rough without my dad, but we made it through. So are you an only child?”
“Yep, I am. You’re lucky to have a sibling. I always wanted one, especially a younger brother. My mom has been great though. She’s caring and understanding. She is actually a veterinarian. Animals are her favorite thing in the world. She loves and protects them. You remind me a lot of her.” He started cleaning the food off of the blanket and put the remainders in the basket.
She looked down and blushed. “Well, thank you.” She glanced around the park looking at the trees all in bloom. The leaves were huge, green and overcoming their branches. Off in the distance there were couples walking and holding hands, strolling through the grass without a care in the world. Marc laid his head in her lap as she stroked his brown hair. She glimpsed down and gave him a smile, enjoying the playful look on his face.
“Cathy, where’s Daddy? I looked all over the house for him. I can’t find him anywhere.” She called through the hall.
“I don’t know Carly! I’m busy. I have to write this paper it’s due tomorrow. Can’t you ask Mom?” Cathy answered in annoyance. She was tired of her little sister constantly bugging her when she had an assignment due. She stared back at her computer in an effort to concentrate harder on the paper for her English lit class. After staring at the same line over and over, she realized that she couldn’t focus on Hamlet any longer; not with her seven year old sister scanning the halls and calling her name. She closed the document and got up from her desk. As she pushed back the chair, Carly came bombarding in her room.
“Cathy. I can’t find Mom either.” She looked at her with a serious, grim expression. “And all of Dad’s stuff is gone.”
“What do you mean it’s just all gone? I don’t understand. Let’s go take a look.” She grabbed Carly’s hand and ran with her down the hall to her parent’s bedroom. She pulled open a few drawers. Everything was missing. “Well that’s strange. I don’t know where he would have put it. Let’s check the closet.”
“It’s all gone Cathy. I told you. It’s all gone.” Carly repeated.
“It can’t be all gone Carly. You must have been confused or not looked hard enough.” She threw the closet door open and dragged Carly in with her. “See Carly it’s all…here.” Looking around she only saw her mom’s clothing, shoes, purses and accessories. “Well maybe it’s hidden under mom’s stuff. Let’s look. It has to be in here. Where would it have gone?”
“Cathy. Let it go. It’s all gone. It’s not under mom’s stuff. It’s gone. He’s gone.” She peered over at her sister looking for comfort.
“But this can’t be right. Why would he just leave us like this? I don’t understand why he wouldn’t even tell us. He knows that we would have wanted to know first. I thought we meant everything to him.” She said as sadness crept into her voice. She continued searching through her mom’s stuff hoping to find one sole belonging that belonged to her dad. She came up empty handed.
“Maybe it was easier for them to tell us this way, so that we wouldn’t worry so much.” Her sister said thoughtfully.
“It’s not easier. It just made it harder!” She threw down one of her mom’s purses to the ground in anger as Carly clutched on to her legs.
“Stop Cathy! You’re just making it worse!” She screamed.
“He was supposed to tell us! I can’t believe he didn’t tell us! Did he just think that we wouldn’t find out? I don’t understand why he just left. We could have been there with him.” Grief threatened her voice as tears came to her eyes.
“I’m sad too Cathy! He didn’t just leave you. He left us all.” She shrieked as she started crying fiercely.
“I don’t know why he would do this to us.” She cried between sobs. She pulled Carly into her arms, huggin
g her tightly as they sat on the floor together and wept. “Now we don’t even have anything to remember him by. What are we going to do Carly?”
“I don’t know Cathy. You’re older. You tell me. Maybe we have to be stronger. For him. What if being strong helped him.” She wiped the tears off of her swollen cheeks.
“It’s so hard to be strong. I don’t think I can do it.” She helped Carly off of the ground, realizing that they were both still in their parent’s closet. She couldn’t bear the sight of it anymore and hurried out. She didn’t want to think of this house without her dad in it. He made the family complete. Without him they wouldn’t be a family anymore. She sobbed to herself as Carly followed her back to her bedroom.
“You can do it Cathy. He needs you to be strong. I know you were the daddy’s girl, but you have to be a tough girl too.” She said with sympathy in her tone.
“Come lay in bed with me.” Her eyes still filled with tears. “I’m too depressed now to do my homework and I don’t want to be alone. I just want to sleep and forget that this ever happened. When I wake up I want dad to still be here. I want our family back.”
“I don’t know if it works like that, Cathy. I think things will still be the same.” She went into her sister’s bed trying to comfort her. She laid her head in Cathy’s lap while painfully watching her cry. She lifted her hands up and wiped her sister’s tears before they hit the bed sheets.
“I know, but I can pretend right? It makes me feel better. I just don’t want to believe that this is my reality right now. I don’t want to live in a house like this. All broken and scarred.” It was times like this that she felt lucky she had her sister by her side. She almost felt as if Carly was the older sister. She was the one who was supposed to be comforting Carly, not the other way around.
“You can pretend if it makes you feel better, but at some point you’re going to have to face the truth and then it will hurt even more. Let’s just try to be strong. For Daddy.” She said with a half-smile.
Shark Lover Page 2