Shark Lover

by Marie, Gracie

  “You know how sometimes you can just feel things?” She said as she rested her hands on the metal bars of the boat. “That’s how I feel today. I just know today is the day. It’s been three long months with no trace of her, but today I feel certain we will find her.”

  “So you’re just going off of your intuition?” He asked curiously.

  “Yes, something like that.” She stared out into the sea with fortitude. Cathy could feel it in her soul. Today was the day. Mandy would finally face her sentence. She had spent three long months on the run, but her freedom was over now. Cathy was confident that she would finally be able to put Marc’s killer to rest. She only wished her sister would have been able to come with them. Carly was too busy these days for anything it seemed. Cathy missed her, but she was glad Chris was with her today. He probably thought she was crazy, but she knew her gut was right. It had to be.

  “My mobile shark tracker is picking up her signal at Ocean Beach now. So she won’t be too far away from us. We should be there in about ten minutes. At least we don’t have to go on an hour long boat ride to capture her. It’s surprising that she moved areas. I figured she would have stayed in the Stinson Beach area throughout this entire fall season.” He paused looking down at the tracker. “I’m just glad we’re still picking her signal up again. I didn’t think we would ever find her again. We’ve been blessed but, I honestly don’t know how much time we have left. I really hope you’re right and today is the day.”

  “It’s a shame she switched locations. I really wanted to capture her at Stinson Beach. It would have been more fulfilling, but at least we have our chance now.” She looked down disappointed at the outcome of the search. “I know we don’t have much time left. The tracker will probably expire soon, but I really do feel like today is the day. It feels like the day. With the wind blowing furiously through my hair, it’s weird to say this but I feel like Marc is here with us. Like he’s watching over us. I get a warm feeling. I have good vibes that today will be the day.” She sat down on the floor of the boat and began putting a large fish on the hook that would be used to capture Mandy.

  “I’m not doubting you at all. I just want you to be realistic. We’ve been doing this for three months and I just hate coming back home with nothing. I don’t want you to get crushed again. I hate seeing you down. I am determined to find her today though. I won’t give up until we do. I don’t want you to give up either. I see you have the fish ready. Perfect.” He pulled up his red cap so he could get a better look at his tracking device. It was making loud beeping noises and Cathy figured it was time to throw the fish in.

  “I won’t give up. We are so close. Let’s throw the fish in now.” She handed the line over to him and he picked up the fish and threw it overboard the boat. A loud splash sounded as water was splattered all over her white shirt. “Oh, no! How embarrassing. Do you have an extra shirt by chance or a jacket?” She looked down at her shirt as her face blushed. Chris was so distracted by the line that it took him awhile to answer.

  “Oh, sure there’s a jacket in the back of the boat. I usually keep spares there.” He said without looking up.

  “Thanks.” She walked to the back of the boat and slipped on the jacket. It was large and it had a musky male scent. She figured it was Chris’s jacket based on the size and the military logo sprawled across the front. Taking a minute to take in all of her surroundings, she realized how alone they really were. They were in the middle of the ocean without a soul around them. She shivered as the wind blew and she grew cold. She wasn’t used to the cold air, she could feel that winter was coming. Today would be one of their last chances to capture Mandy. Cathy hoped that she would be hungrier than she was on their last attempt. The seals were migrating, she might be on a food shortage. Cathy could only hope that her strategic thinking was correct. For her and Chris’s sake.

  “Cathy!” Chris screamed from the front of the boat. “Hurry, I think she’s on the line. This thing is beeping like crazy.” He quickly glanced over at his mobile tracking device and saw the yellow dot lighting up right underneath the boat.

  “Are you sure?” Cathy came over to him looking skeptical. It seemed too good to be true. She couldn’t believe it yet until she saw Mandy’s face.

  “Yes, I believe so! Hold the end of this line and help me pull.” He threw one end of the line at her as he pulled with all of his might to get the creature out of the water. His muscles were burning with sweat and Cathy could see the tension in his body. He was giving it all that he could to get what he thought was Mandy, up into the boat.

  “I hope so. I just don’t want to hurt another seal or some other poor animal who was just minding its own business.” Worry crossed her face as she looked down from the boat. She wouldn’t be able to look if they had accidentally caught an innocent animal. She hated seeing animals in pain and she felt guilty for taking a chance that was risky of hurting another animal. She just hoped catching Mandy was worth all of this strife.

  “It’s her. Look at the key shaped fin,” He said pointing at the fin that was swirling around in the water. He had used all of his strength to get her as close as he could. “Just let me get her in the boat here and everything will be alright.”

  “Be careful Chris! We don’t want to lose her. We have waited months for this. Also be careful that she doesn’t bite you.” She looked away from Chris and Mandy momentarily. It was too much for her to watch. She couldn’t bear to see Chris get hurt. Over the past couple of months, she and Chris had grown so close. She didn’t know what she would have done without him. He had been there with her through some of the worst times in her life and he had eased her grief. Now she was watching him making the ultimate effort for her, capturing a shark that had taken the love of her life away from her.

  “I’ve got it,” He said calmly as he pulled her swiftly aboard the boat like it was nothing. “Well here she is.” He stood back and looked at her as Cathy did the same thing. They both were in awe. They had waited so long for this moment. It had been months of worrying and going out on a hunt every day. It had finally paid off.

  Cathy took Chris in her arms and hugged him as tightly as she could. She couldn’t believe that they had finally accomplished their goal. She had dreamed of this moment for months. It felt good to have finally captured the evil creature that had killed Marc. So many emotions were running through her that she didn’t know exactly what to feel. For once in her life, she was actually speechless.

  “I’ll prop her up for you.” Chris tied her back fin up on a rope and then hauled her into the air so Cathy could take a better look at her. Cathy couldn’t believe Chris’s strength. He had to be one of the strongest people she had ever known. He was able to lift up a five-foot shark on his own, she couldn’t help but to be impressed by his power. Mandy was now hanging by her tail right in front of Cathy. She stared at her in awe and then looked at Chris. “I’ll let you have a moment with her.” Chris said as he walked away giving Cathy time to make a decision.

  Cathy didn’t say anything. She could barely even nod. She was looking at Marc’s killer straight in the eyes. This was the shark who had ended his short life. She had ruined Marc’s future and Cathy’s as well. Cathy felt a pang of jealousy, this was the creature who got to spend time with Marc in the last few minutes of Marc’s life. She hated this creature. Cathy never in her life thought that she could hate an animal so deeply, but she did. This shark had taken everything away from Marc and it had taken away her future with Marc.

  She clutched her fists in anger. She didn’t want to be angry, but she was. Mandy didn’t even care that she had ended Marc’s life. Cathy hated her for that. As Cathy looked at her longer, her hate faded away. She still had a love for marine animals and even though Mandy had killed Marc, she still felt sympathy for her for some unknown reason. Looking into her eyes, she saw pain. Mandy was losing her life right in front of her. Sharks couldn’t survive long without water, they needed to constantly be swimming to stay alive. Even thoug
h she hated Mandy for killing Marc, she wasn’t sure that she could kill her for it.

  Cathy’s love for animals was getting in her way of taking a stand for Marc. She closed her eyes for a moment, unsure of what to think. She wasn’t intending on making such a tough decision. When Mandy was captured, she figured she would just want revenge. Guilt was filling up inside of her as she tried to decide what the right thing to do was. Staring at her once again, she noticed a large bulge on Mandy’s stomach. She took a step closer to Mandy and put her hand on her stomach. The bulge felt hard and stiff as she ran her hands along the side of Mandy’s stomach. She couldn’t believe what she was feeling. She didn’t want to believe it. Mandy was pregnant.

  “You okay?” Chris came up behind her and put his hand gently on her back trying to comfort her.

  “I just can’t believe we caught her. It’s so surreal.” Her eyes were still glued on Mandy. “I can’t believe I am having second thoughts about this. I thought when I saw her, I would just want her dead. Chris, she’s pregnant.” She turned her gaze towards him with indecision in her eyes.

  He looked at her with widened eyes. “Are you sure?”

  She brought him into another hug as she started to cry. “Yes, I have studied sharks and animals for years. She has a hard bulge in her stomach. It makes me hate her less. I hate looking at her like this Chris. I don’t want to see her in pain. Even though she killed Marc and took him away from me, it just doesn’t feel right to take her life. She’s going to be a mother. She was probably just hungry and trying to feed her baby when she attacked Marc. It was a pure accident. He was surfing and looked like a seal, she just wanted some food. I can’t hate her for trying to take care of her unborn child.”

  “Oh, Cathy I am so sorry.” He pulled her closer. “I know it was just an accident. I know it hurt you. Whatever you want me to do, I will. I know you love animals, I do too. I am here to support whatever decision that you want to make. It’s your decision to make, not mine. I want you to be one hundred percent sure so that you don’t have any regrets.” He pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. “I’ll let you have a few more minutes alone with her to decide.” He walked away once again as Cathy was left alone with Mandy.

  Cathy focused her full attention on Mandy. She noticed signs of a struggle. Her top fin looked scratched. She wondered if Marc had put up a tough fight when he was getting attacked. It saddened Cathy to even think about the attack, she wanted to think of Marc as being alive. But she knew he wasn’t and he wasn’t coming back. Cathy only had a few minutes to decide what she wanted to do with Mandy. Mandy wouldn’t survive long out of the water and she was breathing heavy. She was upside down and ended up throwing up all of the contents in her stomach.

  “Is she okay?” Chris came over and looked. “Wow, she had some interesting stuff in her stomach.” He kneeled down to get a better look. “A tire, a boot, a shovel, another fish swallowed whole. This is crazy. Her stomach can’t even digest these things. I guess we helped her out.” He stood back up, still amazed by the findings.

  “Chris, I want you to let her go. I can’t do this. I don’t think Marc would have wanted us to kill her. I remember that he loved all the sea life. Even though marine biology wasn’t his first career path, he still loved animals and had a passion for them. Now looking at Mandy, I can’t help but to feel bad for her. She didn’t mean to attack Marc and if she could take it back she probably would. Let’s just throw her back. I thought it would feel good to catch her and kill her, but it’s just making me feel worse. It’s not the right thing to do.” She looked at Mandy knowing that the decision she had just made was final.

  “I figured you wouldn’t be able to do it,” He said giving her a slight smile. “I’ll put her back in the water. Do you want me to remove her tracking device?” He started to lower her in the water slowly on the levee.

  “No, keep it. I know what you’re thinking, that it might be tempting to come back and find her. I honestly don’t want that anymore. After seeing her and thinking about what Marc would have wanted, I think she should stay alive. I might want to come back and observe her some other day. I know that the tracking will wear off at some point, but until that point I want to keep it on.” She looked at Mandy one last time before Chris had finally lowered her entire body in the water. Cathy was saddened to say goodbye. It was almost as if she was saying goodbye to Marc in a way.

  Chris unhooked Mandy from the line and they both watched her swim freely away into the sunset. “I think you made the right choice. It’s what Marc would have wanted. I don’t think you could ever hurt an animal, no matter what it had done to you. You love animals way too much.” He tried reasoning with her.

  “You’re right. I do. I just couldn’t do it. I think so too. It was the best decision. Doing this actually gave me closure. I feel like I was able to get closure through Mandy. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. Thanks for doing this with me Chris, I couldn’t have done it without you. You were the one who encouraged me to never give up and I didn’t because of you. You’ve been an amazing friend in these past few months. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You kept me going and kept me out of depression. You saved my life.” She gave him a big smile and reached for his hand.

  “It’s not a big deal, you know that I would do anything for you. It was enlightening to see you each day and to see you get through the pain. I know how saddened you were the first day that you found out and now three months later I know it still kills you. I’ve often wished that I could somehow bring Marc back for you to make your heart whole again. It was horrible for me to see you crushed each day. Today I see the light in your eyes again. I’m so glad you received closure. It’s something that you desperately needed and I am glad that you found it. I’m just blessed that you let me in your life even though you were suffering through immense pain.” He gave her hand a squeeze. The blue light was back in her eyes. She finally looked happy again after months of pain and heartache. He felt like the luckiest man to be able to share a moment like this with her.

  “Chris, you’re one of the best friends that I have ever had. To stick with me through everything like you did, it just means the world to me. I did need closure and now that I finally have it, I feel like I will be able to move on with my life for the better.” She looked out towards the sky, noticing that it was red which meant sailor’s delight and the next day would be beautiful without rain.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone Carly. It just doesn’t seem real yet. I didn’t think he was going to die so soon.” She looked at Carly who was wearing all black and sitting next to her. Her father’s funeral had just ended and they were the last ones sitting in the room. Their mother had gone out to the hall to thank all of the guests for coming. It had been a full room full of love and people who had cared about their dad. Both girls were having a hard time leaving the casket. They both sat in their chairs and just stared at it crying. It seemed too surreal to believe.

  “Me either. I don’t want him to be gone,” She said as her blue eyes filled with tears. “I miss him already. Do you want to go say goodbye for the last time?” She sniffled trying hard not to cry again.

  “Yes, let’s say goodbye to Daddy.” She took her sister’s hand and they walked over to the casket. Their mother had chosen to keep the casket closed. In his later months, their father had become so brittle that he wasn’t even recognizable. It hurt Cathy to even remember those months, but she wanted to remember every single moment of his life. She wanted to remember the good times and the bad.

  “Goodbye, Daddy. I love you.” Carly touched the top of the casket as if it was her father. She looked down as tears hit the top of it and started rolling down the sides. The white casket with gold lining was so beautiful and it suited their father. He was like a king to them and the community. He had a soft sense of leadership and a heart of gold. Carly looked around at all of the flowers in the room. There were hundreds of daisies, which had been her father’s favorit
e flower. “Cathy, look at all of these flowers. Look at how many lives Daddy touched. He was so blessed. Now he is with God in heaven.”

  “You’re right. Lots of people loved Daddy. This room is so white and beautiful.” She smiled looking at all of the bright daisies that lightened the room. “Daddy is in heaven. I think he’s happy.” She looked out the window near the casket. The sky was beautiful, she had to go get a closer look. “Let’s go to the beach. In honor of Daddy.”

  “Okay, let’s go. It would be a good way to remember Daddy. He always took us to the beach.” She started walking out of the room as Cathy stayed in place by the casket. “Are you coming Cathy?”

  “Yes, in a minute. I just have to say one more thing to Daddy.” She turned back towards the casket as Carly went out to the hall to wait for her. “Daddy, I love you so much. You were the first example of a real man. I will never ever forget you or anything that you taught me. You were one of a kind. I don’t really know what I am going to do without you, but I am going to try to live my life to the fullest for you. You mean the world to me. Whenever I am missing you, I will just look in my heart and feel your warmth there. I love you Daddy, rest in peace.” She wiped a tear from her eye and ran out of the room to find Carly. There was no looking back or turning back. Her father would want her to look forward and live in the present. She would do just that.

  “There you are, I was waiting for you. Are we going to the beach now?” Carly asked as she stood by the door of the funeral parlor.

  Cathy responded by grabbing her sister’s hand and running as fast as she could through the doors. “Yes we are. We’re running all the way there.” She took off her shoes while she was running and threw them next to the funeral home.

  “Why are we running?” Carly asked jogging to keep up with her sister. “Couldn’t we just walk? It won’t get dark for a few more hours and the beach is less than a block away.”