Shark Lover

by Marie, Gracie

  “Nonsense.” He handed the board to Marc. “Talent never goes away. You still have it. I’m sure of it.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because I know you and what you’re capable of. You are a natural-born surfer. You were bred to be the best and you still are. I have faith in you.”

  He took the board in his hand and started walking toward the water. “I’m going to try. For the first time, in a long time, I feel inspired. Thanks Tony.”

  “No problem, I didn’t do much though. You did it on your own. You knew that you couldn’t stay away from it forever. Some people were just born to do certain things with their lives and surfing is yours.” He took his long board under his arm, running freely into the ocean. He let it gobble him up as he screamed out in joy.

  Marc sighed, jealous of Tony once again. He used to have a free spirit just like Tony did, but he didn’t anymore. He was tired of being held back by his fears. Today he would face them. At least he told himself that he would. He put his feet in the water as the rest of his body shivered by the cold. Tasting the salty sea already in his mouth, he felt a temptation. He wanted more of the rush. He wanted to feel it going through his veins. He was ready to make the plunge.

  He threw the board into the water and slapped himself across it. If he wanted to do this, he was going to have to do it fast. He couldn’t give himself any more time to change his mind. Time was the key. He moved fast as he started paddling with the waves. He was feeling the same rush that he used to feel time and time again. The waves were slapping across his body as he felt chills move across his cold and wet skin. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. He was here in the water, surfing again. He never thought he would see this day. He hadn’t planned to surf for the rest of his life. When his dad died, he vowed he would give up surfing forever. He couldn’t pull through with that promise.

  He climbed the wave as he moved through it, he conquered it. Feeling a rush throughout his body, he started swirling through the wave. He nailed a 360, just as he had once before. His skills weren’t even rusty, which surprised him. He figured he wouldn’t even be able to balance on a board again, but Tony had been right. It had all come back to him, just as he said it would. He didn’t know whether to feel happy or blessed. Feeling a bit of both, he rode the wave back to the shore and popped off his board as he heard Tony cheering loudly in the distance.

  “Whooooooo! I knew you could do it man! See you’re still the same old Marc that you always were. You’re still one of the best surfers that I have ever known!” He yelled through cupped hands as he sat with his board between both of his legs, balancing through the rough waters.

  “It’s not that big of a deal.” He said brushing off the compliments. Marc never liked to take praise. His father had always taught him to stay humble and he would for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t have a full head, like some surfers did. No matter what he did with his life, he wanted to stay down-to-earth.

  “Yeah it was man!” He called out as he started swimming ashore. “You actually got back on the board and you were good! Your dad would have been so proud of you right now. He woulda said that you and the board became one.” He plopped down in the sand next to his best friend and gave him one of his large, signature Tony smiles.

  Marc couldn’t help but laugh. He found it funny that Tony had become so metaphorical lately. It was even more amusing that Tony was using the smile that he used to attract girls, on him. Tony had always been quite the charmer. The girls had always flocked around him as if he was the next best thing and he probably was. He looked as if he had come out of page five of a Hollister magazine. Marc had often envied his good looks and the way he was with the ladies.

  Marc had never been outgoing and had often kept to himself. He had a difficult time connecting with people. Even though he had a lot of friends, he felt as if they didn’t really know him. Since his dad had died, he kept all of his emotions bottled up inside him. On some days he felt as if he would explode from keeping it all in too long. He was starting to accept that it was just how he was. He was a lot like his dad. He had a hard time opening up to people he wasn’t close to. If he met the right person, he might open up more. With Tony it was easy. He had known him since he was a kid and he didn’t feel as if he would judge him. He knew Tony would understand.

  “Thanks Tony. Even though it was only one wave, I felt as if I have accomplished something.” He ran some sand grains through his fingers. “As my dad would say, I faced my fears. Thanks for the push.”

  “Anytime. I hope to see you out here more. You have talent. Don’t hold it back.” He patted his friend on the back as they started walking back.

  Marc took one last glance at the ocean, knowing it would be his last time soaking it in for a while. He was proud of what he had done. He had faced his fears and he did feel as if his dad was looking down on him proudly. He smiled to himself in pure joy at what he had done. Not only had he become one with the waves, he had become one with his father again. And there was no better feeling than that.

  Glancing around the room, he noticed tons of plants around the lab. There were plants hanging from the ceiling, the walls and the door. He figured that Chris was a gardener and possibly had a passion for planting as well. Marc got up from his chair, shaking his head from the headache that he was slowly developing. Wanting a drink of water he exited the office and went into the main hall of the lab. He saw a faucet and a sink with a couple glasses. He poured himself a glass of water, filling up the glass to the top. Feeling thirsty, he downed it all in one big gulp. Setting the glass down, he turned the faucet back on and started splashing water on his face in an effort to wake him up from his tired state of mind.

  Grabbing the glass with his left hand, he walked back to the small office that he was in before. He didn’t feel like sitting down anymore. His eyes couldn’t take looking at that computer screen one minute longer. He decided to go investigate the plants on the walls and see what all of this planting madness was all about. The plants didn’t have soil and were all kept in a big, white plastic tube that had small holes where the plants were coming out of. Lifting up one of the plants, he realized he could see the roots. He also noticed that tomatoes were growing from some of the plants. Wondering how plants could grow in such a small area, he turned around to ask Chris, whom had already gotten up from his desk and was standing behind Marc.

  “Interested in the plants?” He asked enquiringly.

  “Yes, I was just about to ask you about them actually,” Marc responded pulling up a leaf of one of the plants. “What do you grow all of these plants for and why are you growing them inside? The weather is so nice in San Francisco. I’m sure you could have a small outdoor garden if you wanted to.”

  “Well, I’m a vegetarian first of all. And…”

  “Wait, you’re a vegetarian too? I never knew that about you Chris.” Cathy interrupted as she looked at him in disbelief.

  “Yeah, I decided about a year ago to transform my eating habits to a vegetarian. I work with animals, so I figured why am I eating them? It just didn’t seem right. I was spending all of my time saving marine life, so I decided it just wasn’t right to be putting them on my plate at dinner time. That’s when I decided to give up meats and fish completely. When I realized that I loved animals more than my appetite.”

  “Wow, that’s inspirational.” Cathy exclaimed as she patted his arm in support.

  “Yeah, Chris that’s great. It’s really an amazing thing to take a stand for the animals.” Marc looked at Chris with sincerity, but he felt a twinge of jealousy. Chris was strong, a good person and he truly had a passion for animals. If Marc wasn’t with Cathy, he would probably assumed that Chris would be a great match for her. They had a lot in common and they both seemed fervent about saving marine life.

  Marc did care about animals, but being a marine biologist hadn’t been his first career choice. If his father hadn’t passed away, he probably would have been a surfer. He
had just realized that now. Surfing was his passion and he needed to get back to it as soon as possible. After making this revelation, he wanted to take hold of it. But he would have to wait until later. Much later. Possibly tomorrow, if he wasn’t doing anything with Cathy of course.

  Taking another look at Chris, he was actually surprised that Chris hadn’t made a move on Cathy sooner. Chris was a good looking guy, he was tall and extremely muscular. He could probably have had any girl that he wanted to. The way he talked about marine life with so much passion, had to be appealing to Cathy. He knew she would never tell him that she felt that way, but Marc could see admiration in her eyes for Chris. The way her blue eyes glimmered as he spoke made him wonder.

  Chris ran his hand through his blond hair, shaking the plants off his head. He was so tall, everything seemed to be in his way. “So to answer your original question Marc,” He stated capturing Marc’s attention once again. “I’m actually growing plants by using a technique called Aeroponics. It’s great because I don’t have to use soil, since soil is so messy. It would end up totally trashing the labs here. I basically grow these plants by using these horizontal boards and vertical tubes. All I have to do is spray the plant’s roots with water a few times a day. Lately I have been growing tomatoes, but I can grow other plants as well. Since I am a vegetarian it’s the perfect way for me to grow lunch or dinner in my own office here at the headquarters. I have also been saving some of the fruits for our newly formed Shark Savors Camp. We have been carving the tomatoes into popular marine life animals.”

  “Wow, I don’t even know what to say. You’ve left me speechless.” Cathy smiled as she picked up a tomato from one of the plants. She stared out the window momentarily, seemingly thinking and then turned back around to face Chris. “Do you mind if I eat one? Swimming with the sharks made me pretty hungry. It looks delicious and I need a fresh snack.”

  “No problem! Take as many as you like. I can always grow more.” His blue eyes shined as he picked a few more tomatoes off of the plant and handed one to Marc. “You take some too Marc. They are healthier and better tasting than the ones that you buy in the stores.” He smirked. “Well at least in my opinion.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not much of a fruits or vegetable eater.” Marc handed the tomato back to Chris. “Save it for the kids. It’s a great thing that you’ve got going here.”

  “Thank you, I spent most of my life being lost. Once I started Shark Savors, I felt like I was at home again. It’s been a great opportunity for me to meet people who are as passionate about sharks as I am. I’m just blessed to have been able to start it.” He walked back over to his desk and started to turn off his computer. “I think I am going to go home for a while. I need to catch up on my lesson plan for Monday’s camp. I will have hundreds of young kids and nothing planned to do with them, which could end up being a problem.”

  Cathy laughed. “Yeah, kids can be a handful. I’m sure you will find something creative for them to do. We better be going too. I can’t believe how fast the day has passed us by.”

  “It was great seeing both of you. I know that we always appreciate all the help that we can get with this organization. My volunteers have really helped me form what Shark Savors has been today. Without all of their help, we wouldn’t exist.” He grabbed his backpack from the side of his desk as he started leading the way out of the building. “And thank you so much Marc for joining us today. It has been a pleasure having you on board.”

  “No problem, I enjoyed it myself as well. Even though I was afraid at first, it was such a great experience for me. I will be joining the organization. I want to experience this every week.” Marc said, almost shocked at his own words. He wasn’t sure if it was his enjoyment of scuba diving that made him want to join the group or the fact that he wanted to spend supervised time with Chris and Cathy.

  “That’s great to hear Marc. It’s always great to gain another member. We would gladly appreciate the help.” He closed the door to his office and locked it, while looking thoughtfully out into the hallway. “Would you both like to see our new Aquaponics system that we just put in? I had some of the kids from the camp help me install the system. It’s up and running now.” He stuffed his office key back into his bag and started leading the way once again.

  “Of course we would love to see it.” Cathy grabbed Marc’s hand and started picking up her walking pace in order to keep up with Chris.

  Marc stopped in front of the large wooden structure in awe. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. The closet thing he could relate it to was a wooden bunk bed, but for fish and plants. The top layer was filled with green and leafy plants. The center was held up by four wooden beams and the bottom contained a large tank that was full of fish. He looked down into the bottom of the bed and took a closer look at all of the fish swimming around. He hadn’t witnessed an Aquaponics system before and as a marine biologist, he was fascinated.

  “So this is our Aquaponics system. I’m sure that since you are both marine biologist you have heard of the concept before, but it has been a proven hydroponics technique for us here in the lab. Basically the waste accumulates the water which helps increase toxicity for the fish. The water is led to the hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by bacteria which then is filtered out by the plants as nutrients. After the water is cleaned by the plants it is recirculated back to the fish. It really creates a symbiotic growing relationship between the plants and the fish.” Chris explained with pride in his eyes.

  “That’s amazing that the fish and the plants are actually working together to keep each other alive. I bet it’s a great addition to the lab too with the plants that you are growing on the top there.” Marc said as his eyes still laid on the tank in captivation.

  “It’s been a proven success so far. The kids in our camps love it. We let them feed the fish on breaks. We are growing strawberries on the top of our system here. Do you guys see them?”

  Marc and Cathy both nodded and gazed towards the top of the Aquaponics system.

  “The kids love eating the strawberries. They are in season right now. It’s always nice to be able to serve fruits and vegetables as snacks for the kids, at least the parents always agree with that theory.” He pulled his book bag closer to his shoulder before continuing. “The campers enjoyed putting this Aquaponics system together. They are the ones who are taking care of the fish and the plants. I oversee everything, but our campers and volunteers have really stepped it up as far as helping us take care of things around here.”

  “It’s really a great program that you have going on here. I’m sure that you are proud of all the hard work that has been accomplished that has made it possible. I didn’t even know that you had all of these hydroponic growing techniques in here. It’s a wonderful thing that you are doing for the community here. The way that you are helping animals and children, just blows my mind away.” Cathy took a step back from the system and looked Chris in the eyes, shining one of her famous smiles that could make anyone melt.

  “It’s been a passion of mine for a while. I was just lucky enough to be able to start it. Like I said before, I can’t thank my volunteers and campers enough for all of their support. It’s really the support of the community that helps Shark Savors run fully.” He started walking down the hall to the main entrance of the building as Marc and Cathy followed. “Once again, thanks so much for all of your help. It was a pleasure meeting you Marc and it’s always good seeing you Cathy. I hope to see you both again next week.” He opened the door for them and let them out, while he locked the door to the lab shut.

  “No problem, looking forward to next week.” Marc put his hand out for Chris to shake.

  “Same here.” Chris shook his hand firmly and then dug in his backpack for his keys. He started walking to his car with a quick pace and a determined look on his face. Marc could tell that he was in a hurry to get home to work on those lesson plans. Anyone could see that Chris was truly
devoted to Shark Savors and the community as a whole. Marc was impressed that he had built this organization with his own two hands based on a dedication that he had to marine life.

  As Chris got into his large green jeep, Marc couldn’t help but to be a little envious of him. Even though Chris’s original plans hadn’t gone as he had expected in the military, he had come out of it stronger and with an idea of what he wanted to do with his life. He hadn’t let the injury stop him from doing something else and he had found a new path in life. Similar things had happened in Marc’s life, but he had had a hard time recovering. He had wanted to be a surfer for most of his life, but when that plan fell through he did have the plans to become a marine biologist. Chris had given up his job in the Marines due to an injury, Marc hadn’t even had an injury to prevent him from surfing. But for some reason he had just given up on it.

  Of course he knew the reason, but now it didn’t even seem like a good one. His father probably would have wished he would have become a professional surfer like he had. He might have even been disappointed to see Marc living a life not doing something that he was truly meant to do. Marc did love marine biology, but after seeing Chris and Cathy talking passionately about it, he just didn’t know if he felt the same way. He did love the ocean and he did enjoy studying the marine animals, but he wasn’t sure if it was meant to be his path in life. He needed and wanted to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Anytime he thought about that, it always drew him to the same conclusion. That he needed to surf again.

  For the first time in a long time, he actually wanted to surf again. The timing actually felt right. The last time he had surfed was with Tony when he was back in high school and he realized that he missed it. Maybe he would call up Tony later and ask him to go surfing with him again. His best friend would probably be surprised at his request since he had refused to surf with him for years and years. Recently he had started thinking of taking up surfing again and he wanted to act on this quickly before he ended up changing his mind again like he had so many times before in the past.