Shark Lover

by Marie, Gracie

  “That’s one way of looking at it. It’s just some things in life are so close to us that we can touch them, but we can’t have them. As much as we want to, it just won’t ever happen.” He spread out his legs across the grass, leaving the strands sticking to the ground.

  “What do you want that you can’t have?” She asked quizzically.

  “You.” He looked away from her.

  “You can’t have me?” She questioned him confused. “You already have me. We’re together. You know that.”

  “I don’t have you. I don’t own you. You could leave me any day, any hour, any minute.”

  “But I won’t. You know that. We’re perfect for each other.” She reassured him.

  “I know you won’t, but I could leave you.” He scooted away from her, dazed in his own troubled thoughts.

  “Why would you do that? I thought everything was going well?” She said with concern.

  “I wouldn’t leave you by choice.” He answered slowly.

  “Then why would you leave?” She moved closer towards him in an effort to regain the closeness that she could feel slowly fading away. “Why are you saying all of this? I just don’t understand what I did.”

  “You didn’t do anything. It’s just life. We don’t know when the end is near. It could be today, tomorrow, it’s unknown.” He dipped his feet in the river, feeling the rush of the water through his toes.

  “Stop, don’t talk about stuff like that. You’re scaring me. I don’t want to think about living without you. I wouldn’t know what to do.” She cried as she attempted moving his feet from the water.

  “Don’t you ever think about dying? You do realized that you’re not going to live forever right?” He forced his feet back into the water and waded his toes gracefully through the rushing current.

  “Well yeah, but I don’t want to think about it right now, not while we are here together having a good time. Can’t we talk about something else? This is making me depressed.” She slid her finger quickly under her eye to remove a silent tear.

  “I don’t want you to miss me too much when I’m gone. I want you to go on and live your life. I don’t want to hold you back from chasing your dreams. I hope that you will find someone else. It can’t just be any guy either. He has to treat you right. The way that I would have.” He kissed her forehead passionately and wiped away her tears.

  “I don’t want you to go.” She sobbed through her tears pulling away from him.

  “I don’t want to go either. I wanted to spend my life with you, but life had other plans. I know you will be okay without me. I need you to face all your fears and go on to live out all of your dreams. I will always be with you, even if I am not physically here. I will always be in your heart. When the pain is too much to bear and you are missing me, look there to find me. You won’t be disappointed, I’ll always be there for you. I love you.” He stood up while holding both of her hands. “I have to go now.”

  “Where are you going? Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!” She cried holding on to his hands tighter and tighter.

  “I have to, just remember what I told you. I love you. Be strong.”

  And just like that he was gone.

  “Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep!”

  “Oh it was just a dream!” Cathy murmured to herself as she pulled the covers over her head, the light was shining through her window showing the red through her eyelids. She moved her arm from her body and slammed her hand down on the snooze button. She didn’t feel like waking up. Her deep, restless sleep had fulfilled her needs; until she had that awful dream. What did it even mean anyways? She pondered over the possibilities, tossing and turning over in her bed. She glanced over and the clock and was shocked to see the time.

  “It’s already 9 o’clock! I was supposed to be there already!” She popped out of her bed and started throwing clothes around from her drawers. Whenever she needed to be somewhere, she could never find the right outfit to wear. Why was that? She threw out all the shirts in the second drawer of her dresser, frustrated that she couldn’t find something to wear. She ran into her closet picking through more clothes that just weren’t right for the occasion.

  “Wait,” She said to herself as pants flew across the floor. “Why am I stressing out over an outfit when I am just going to put a wetsuit over it when I get there?” She patted herself across her forehead and threw on the next pair of shorts she found in her drawer. She found a loose pink T-shirt and pulled it over her head quickly. She glanced at her appearance in the mirror and groaned. “Ugh! I look terrible! I don’t even have time to put on makeup. And my hair!” She ran her hands through the tangled mess that was her normally beautiful, blond hair. Looking at her reflection again, she decided against brushing through her hair and threw it up in a ponytail. Running out toward the kitchen, she opened the pantry, grabbed a banana and fluttered out the door to get to her jeep as fast as possible.

  Rushing down the steps as quickly as she could, she looked up at the sky and saw the darkening clouds. “Ugh, it wasn’t supposed to rain today.” She muttered under her breath as she opened her jeep door and hopped in. Driving down the freeway, she felt raindrops hitting the tip of her skin, melting away swiftly in the humidity. She could smell the ocean in the breeze. The smell brought her a feeling of comfort as she reached her destination. She saw him standing by the rest of the group, fastening his scuba tank to his body.

  “I’m so sorry I am late,” She said out of breath from all the running. “I overslept. I never do that either. I don’t know how it even happened. I….”

  “It’s okay,” He replied laughing. “I just got here ten minutes ago. The crew has really been helping me get all this gear on. I had no idea just going scuba diving would require all of this equipment.” He stared down pointing at all of his apparatus.

  “Yeah it’s a lot.” She laughed as he waddled around in his flippers. “So how are you feeling about it? I know you were nervous the last we talked.”

  “Shhhhh,” He whispered quietly in her ear. “Don’t tell these shark lovers that. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  She laughed, assembling her gear. “I was just wondering. I was worried for you.” She slid her exposure suit on over her bathing suit, observing the ocean, just steps away from her. She put on her mask and her dive regulator, watching Marc’s eyes on her. Boards underneath her were creaking as the wooden dock moaned in the roaring waves. The large boat rocked as the water pushed it closer and closer to the dock. She could feel Marc’s tension and nerves as he moved closer to her, his eyes growing big in fear.

  “You’re scared aren’t you?” She asked suddenly.

  “A little bit. I don’t know if we can trust these sharks. How do we know they won’t attack the cage?” He pointed towards the large metal cage sitting in the middle of the boat.

  “Oh they won’t, they usually don’t venture too far when they discover something doesn’t taste very good,” A man said interrupting sticking his hand out in Marc’s direction. Marc took his hand and shook it with firmness in a professional manner. “By the way, I am Chris. I don’t think we have met before. I’m the founder of Shark Savors. There’s nothing to be scared about. Cathy tells me you’re getting your graduate degree in marine biology?”

  “That’s good to know,” He sighed in relief. “Yes, I am currently in grad school pursuing marine biology. I have a passion for marine life.”

  “Well, welcome to the team. We are glad to have you!” He stiffened his back and turned towards the group. “Okay Shark Savors, listen up! Today we are going to clean the shore of Marshall Beach. That means we pick up all the trash, no matter what it is. We are looking out for fishing nets, aluminum cans, plastic and other unidentified sharp objects in particular that will hurt sharks. This is our number one priority to get the trash out of the water to protect the sharks. Today we have a special guest. This is Marc everyone.” He pointed at Marc as he flinched in embarrassment.

  “Hello, Marc!” T
he group yelled out.

  “Marc is a graduate student in marine biology. He will be joining Cathy in the tank today. We will try to tag our favorite shark, Mandy. Now some of you who are new may not know who Mandy is. She is a female shark who mysteriously disappears every spring. We have no idea where she goes and we are curious to know about her whereabouts. Mandy has followed us since day one of our group formation. When we first started our group, our main goal was to tag sharks and figure out their patterns so that we could understand their movements better. By understanding their movements, we will be able to help them in a more efficient way.”

  The group proceeded to the end of the long wooden dock and boarded the boat one-by-one. Marc looked around at the group, shocked that this many people were interested in sharks. He counted them one-by-one as the jumped into the boat. He swore that there was over twenty-five people. He wondered why he had to be the one going in the tank. He didn’t feel like being shark bait. He didn’t even know if he had his equipment on right. He looked around at the rest of the group, wondering how they could all act so carefree when they were about to risk their lives swimming with the ocean’s most dangerous creature.

  “Everything okay, Marc?” Chris asked him with concern in his green eyes. He was a strong man, who looked as if he had worked his muscles to no end every day. Glancing at his muscles, Marc gulped in fear. These were the kind of men who swam with sharks. Ones that were strong enough to swim in the Olympics. He didn’t see himself as being physically fit or emotionally fit enough to handle swimming with something that could potentially kill him in one bite.

  “Yeah, everything is fine.” He lied to Chris as well as himself. “I’m just not sure if I have my equipment on properly. I don’t want to go down in the tank and end up suffocating.”

  “Oh, no problem. Let me give you a quick equipment check. It’s completely normal to be nervous. I know I was on my first dive. When I finally got in the water, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was so close to a shark, I could touch it. All my fears went away after that moment. Once I adapted to the underwater world I became a part of it.” He fastened Marc’s mask tighter to his head. “I know that you will feel the same way.” He moved the regulator closer to Marc’s hips. “Alright you should be set now. Where’s your partner in crime?”

  “Huh?” Marc asked dazed still distraught from all the shark talk.

  “Cathy. Where does that girl go? One minute she’s here, the next she’s gone.” Chris ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair, making all of the ladies in the group swoon.

  “Yeah she’s like that. Always chasing adventure.” Marc grinned as he forgot about his nerves momentarily when he sudden felt a crushing pain against his hips.

  “Ahhhhhhhhhh!” He screamed out as loud as possible.

  He turned around to see Cathy laughing her head off as she removed her scuba mask from the fog she was creating from her howling laugh. He gave her a grim look and turned the other way around still catching his breath from the scare. He could feel the heat in his cheeks from the embarrassment as the rest of the group stared at him. Feeling their eyes glaring at him, he wasn’t sure what to do or say. He looked down, hoping to repulse their stares.

  Cathy lightly touched his shoulder and turned him around slowly to face her. “Hey,” She started slowly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You were just standing there, looking all scared. It was just too easy, I had to take a shot at it. Don’t hate me.” Her eyes touched his with kindness and apology.

  “You know I don’t like sharks. This whole thing is already freaking me out. I don’t need you freaking me out on top of it.” He turned away from her and looked out the boat. As the boat started rocking back and forth from a rather large wave, he could feel himself getting queasy. His stomach was rolling up and down. He held his hands to his hips, trying to contain his uneasy feelings. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax and think of happier times.

  “Dad! Hurry up we’re going to be late!” He yelled from the car as he honked the horn. He had been waiting for this day all week. It had been written on his calendar for months. He marked out every day with an X, eager to get closer to the day he had been waiting for. He didn’t understand why his dad was taking so long. He knew today was the day. He had to be excited too. He had to understand what this day meant to the both of them.

  “I’m coming Marc! Just wait in the car I will be there in a minute. I’m just making sure that we have everything that we need.” He called back.

  “Dad, it’s only ten minutes away from our house. I’m sure if we forget anything we can easily come back to get it.” He slumped in the seat sighing. It was typical of his father to bring more than what was needed. He was constantly preparing for the unknown. Marc didn’t understand why either. They could just drive back to the house to get water, they didn’t need a full cooler with snacks, a lunch and drinks. His father interrupted his thoughts as he hopped in the car and slammed the door shut, starting the ignition and backing out of the driveway as fast as possible.

  “You have the suit?” His father asked him, his eyes still stuck intently watching the road.

  “Yes of course.” He looked at his dad with big eyes. “How could I even go without it? That’s kind of one of the most important parts of the whole day.”

  “Right…right.” Staring down at the clock on the dashboard he let out a sigh. “I’m sorry we are running late Son, I meant to get up and going sooner. It’s just that I wanted you to be fully prepared for your first day. I guess I over packed.”

  “Dad, it’s fine,” Marc smiled as his dad pulled into the parking lot. “We made great timing, we’re here and I am ready to win.” He opened the car door as fast as he could, grabbing for the red board on the top of the car. It was heavy. He pulled it down with all of his might. It crashed down into his hands and he caught it before it hit the hot asphalt. “I just almost dropped the board dad, I am so nervous.” He set the board up against the car and looked at his hands, full of sweat and perspiration.

  “You’re going to do fine,” He looked at his son reassuringly, patting his shoulder. “Have faith and be one with the ocean. I know you can do it. You were born to do this. It’s in your blood.”

  “Thanks Dad,” Marc answered feeling more confident. “Do you have my wetsuit? There’s a bathroom over in the corner, I can change quickly and get some practice runs in before the real competition starts. I want to be ahead of these guys in each and every way I can be. I know I am just a beginner and this is my first competition. I can use all of the practice that I can get.”

  “It’s right here. Don’t worry so much about the competition. Worry about you. Breathe. Take in this scene. Savor the moment while it’s here.” His father handed him the duffle with his wetsuit as he ran off to the bathroom, thinking of his father’s last words.

  He looked around the beach at the competition. Some were in the water, practicing their craft. Others were sitting alongside the ocean, just laying out on their boards, basking in the sun as if it was just a regular old day. Marc didn’t understand how the other boys could act so calmly about a day this big. Maybe it was just a big day for him. He had waited his entire life for this day. Today was the day that he was going to show his father what he was made of. In the past, he had felt as if he had let his father down. He hadn’t been fearless, he had been afraid. He had been afraid of so many things. Today was the day that he pushed those fears aside and became the man his father wanted him to be.

  As he pulled on his wetsuit, he could hear the ocean roaring in the distance. It was almost as if it was calling his name. He couldn’t wait to get his board out and start practicing on the waves. The sun gleamed through the small windows at the top of his stall and he couldn’t help but to smile. He wanted to take in every moment of this day, savor every single second of it. He had only waited for this day since he was five years old and had decided that he wanted to be a surfer. Just like his dad. He had practiced for years and years it had seemed li
ke all he did was practice. His father had finally let him enter a competition now that he was thirteen years old. He had wanted to compete earlier, but his father had constantly told him he wasn’t ready. Today he was ready and he wasn’t going to let this chance slip through his fingers.

  He ran out of the restroom, fully geared in his wetsuit, ready to take on the ocean. Running past his father, he grabbed his surfboard and headed into the water. The water was chilly this time of morning. There was an icy touch to it that numbed his bones. He felt as if he had jumped into a bucket of ice. Shaking off the feeling, he started paddling out and catching all the waves that he could. He wanted to practice, but he didn’t want to wear himself out for the competition, so he proceeded to catch smaller waves and ride them into the shore. Having the time of his life, he didn’t want to stop, but he heard the whistle from the judges calling all of the surfers out of the water. His pulse started beating faster, knowing that the moment was almost here. The moment that he had waited months for. He could barely contain his excitement.

  “Junior surfers, the competition is about to begin. Please come out of the water, line up at the judges table and sign in. Once you sign in, we will assign you a number for the competition. You must wear this number at all times or you will be disqualified. Now line up behind the blue tent and we will get this competition started!” An announcer said over the speaker system that blasted throughout the beach.

  Marc paddled out of the water as fast as he could, he wanted to be in that line first. He looked around, noticing that the competition would be steep. He didn’t think he would have to battle this many competitors. There were over forty boys that he could count so far. All of which were running out of the water and into the line. He waited in line patiently and after about ten minutes, he received his number. He strategically placed it across his chest. The competition would remember him today. He would make sure of it.

  Once the line had gone down, the announcer spoke again, “Okay junior surfers, we are going to announce some of the rules of this competition and how the winners will be selected.”