“You mean a trick?”
“We like the word ‘behavior’ better, Teddy. We don’t have to teach them things they’d do on their own in the wild, like jumping. But we do train them to jump when we give the signal. Other stuff we teach them helps us take care of them, like opening their mouth so we can check their teeth. We call those husbandry behaviors. And then there’s stuff we teach them just for fun. Make sense?”
“Uh, I guess so.”
“It’s easier to understand when you see how it works. Ready to try it?”
“Yeah!” the boys shouted.
“Good. First things first. Meet Aquarius and Calypso.”
At Flipper’s signal, each dolphin waved a pectoral fin in greeting, making the kids laugh. The trainer blew the high-pitched whistle around his neck and handed each boy a fish.
“Give them their reward.”
“Uncle Cosby, check this out.” Teddy mugged for the camera and waved his fish in the air before dropping it into Calypso’s waiting mouth. “He didn’t even chew it.”
“Dolphins swallow their food whole,” Flipper explained. “They use their teeth to catch their prey.”
“They look sharp. How many do they have?”
“Seventy to a hundred.”
“Why’d you blow that whistle?” Adam inquired.
“It serves as what we call a bridge, connecting the hand signal to the reward. Blowing the whistle tells the dolphin he’s done the behavior correctly and can stop doing it.”
“Is the reward always a fish?”
“Not always. Sometimes we rub their bellies, give them a favorite toy to play with, or spray them with a hose or a water gun.”
“But they live in water. Why would they like being sprayed with it?”
“It’s hard to figure, but they do. The type of training I just described is called positive reinforcement and it works on just about any animal. Kids, too.”
“What happens when they don’t do what you want?” Teddy asked. “Do you punish them?”
“Never,” Tyler answered. “We ignore the incorrect behavior and try it again. If they still don’t want to do it, we move on to something else or maybe give them a brief time-out.”
Teddy heaved a relieved sigh. “I’m glad they don’t get in trouble. I hate it when my mom or dad sends me to my room or won’t let me play video games.”
Flipper gave another hand signal and Aquarius descended to the bottom of the pool, then swam up until he exploded out of the water like a rocket being launched. He earned praise and another fish for his effort.
“Calypso was supposed to do the same behavior but didn’t for some reason,” Flipper noted. “I need to make sure he understood what I asked him to do.”
Tyler moved away from the group and signaled for Aquarius to come to him. He motioned him to roll over, then rubbed the dolphin’s underside from jaw to flukes. Flipper made another hand gesture and Calypso disappeared beneath the surface before bursting from the water in a graceful arc.
After Calypso received his reward, the head trainer called Aquarius back over and told the boys, “Let’s try this again.”
This time, both dolphins submerged and then propelled themselves up and into the air. While their leap wasn’t perfectly synchronized, Flipper and Tyler praised them and tossed them fish. Then the trainers handed each boy a multi-ringed wand and a bottle of “bubble juice” made from water, sugar, glycerin, and dish soap.
The boys shrieked with delight as the dolphins chased the bubbles that floated delicately above the pool and popped them with their teeth. The game went on for a while until Calypso and Aquarius tired of it.
“So was that fun or what?” Flipper asked. “Still think sharks are the coolest animals in the sea?”
“I love dolphins!” Teddy enthused. “Maybe I’ll be a dolphin trainer like you when I grow up.” He exchanged high fives with Flipper and Tyler.
“I still love sharks the best,” Adam insisted. “But that was definitely killa.”
The boys thanked the trainers and Cosby shook hands with them.
“Drop by Nauti-Toys anytime and I’ll set you up with a sweet ride on the water,” he offered.
“Yeah? What’s her name?” Flipper joked. Monica rolled her eyes and wagged her finger in admonishment.
“C’mon boys.” She motioned them toward the gate.
Flipper laughed, then turned to Cosby when she was out of earshot. “My man, you’ve got a challenge on your hands.”
“You mean with my nephews?”
“I mean with that woman.”
“That so? Care to elaborate?”
“Nope. I’ll let you discover that all on your own.”
Cosby didn’t care for Flipper’s tone or his implication. “Sounds like a warning.”
“Months ago, it would’ve been. But Monica’s a different person now.”
“Different how?”
“Nicer, to everyone.”
“Good to know. See you around.” Cosby turned to leave.
“Hey, don’t walk away pissed off,” Flipper implored. “It’s just that I’ve known Monica for a while now, and I’ve seen her at her best and her worst. She dated my best friend.”
“Who? Evan?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know that. What happened?”
“Let’s just say things didn’t end well and leave it at that.”
“So then, what, you’re holding that against her?”
“All I’m saying is that she’s changed and I hope it lasts. She’s still a handful. Most women are.”
“I think she’s worth it.” Cosby looked over to where Monica stood outside the gate talking to Adam and Teddy. “She’s not dating anybody, is she?”
“Not that I know of.”
“All right, then. Thanks again for letting the boys play with the dolphins.”
“Catch you later. Bring them back anytime.”
* * * *
As Cosby walked away, Tyler made a face. “What was all that about, Flip?”
The two trainers watched Monica smile and laugh at something Cosby said.
“I still don’t totally trust her,” Flipper replied. “I can’t forget that easily what she did to Evan. I just wanted to give Cosby a friendly heads-up, but I think it’s too late. He’s obviously already hot for her.”
Tyler shrugged. “Hard to blame him.”
Flipper’s eyebrow lifted. “You interested?”
“Hell, no. Too much drama for me.”
“I hear you.”
“Think she’ll shit all over him?”
“It’s entirely possible but I sure hope not. I really like the guy.”
Tyler nodded. “It’s a shame, really. Monica’s used to eating his kind for lunch and then gnawing on the bones for a midnight snack.”
Chapter 6
Cosby caught up with them as Monica told the boys about Fins and Flukes, rescued after they stranded with other dolphins suffering from a bacterial infection.
“They’re doing great now, especially for two gals approaching forty.”
“That’s wicked old!” Adam exclaimed, and Cosby and Monica exchanged a look. “How long do dolphins live?”
“On average about twenty years in the wild,” she replied. “With proper care, much longer at an aquarium. The coolest thing about Fins and Flukes is we hope eventually they can be surrogate grandmothers to an orphaned calf named Trident. Have you guys heard about him?”
“You have a baby dolphin here? Can we see him?” Teddy asked.
“Sure. He’s still in our rehab facility until he gets older, but we can watch him through one of the windows.”
“Why’s he in rehab?”
“Because he and his mother beached themselves north of here, near Cedar Key, and she died before we got there. Trident was still nursing, so we’ve been feeding him from a bottle.”
“What’s in the bottle? Milk?” Adam asked.
“You know how you can buy formula for human
babies? Well, there’s also dolphin formula. At first we mixed it with fish that we liquefied in a blender. As he’s gotten older, we’ve started mixing in chunks of fish. Eventually, he’ll eat whole fish like our other dolphins do.”
“So if you feed a dolphin baby with a bottle here, how do they drink milk in the ocean?” Teddy asked.
“Well, the calf drinks from a nipple hidden inside two of the slits in its mom’s lower belly. Obviously, dolphins don’t have lips, so the calf rolls its tongue like a straw to make a seal over the nipple. Baby dolphins, and whales, too, also have little finger-like things on the sides of their tongue that act like a zipper. That way, the milk stays in and the salt water stays out. Plus, dolphin milk is really thick, almost like a milkshake.”
“I can’t wait to tell my mom. She’ll freak,” Teddy enthused. “Isn’t that insane about their tongue, Uncle Cosby?”
His mind had fixated on another pair of nipples, but he forced his thoughts back to G-rated territory.
“Sure is. You mom will be happy you guys are learning so much today. Monica’s a really good teacher, don’t you think?”
“Definitely.” Teddy slipped his hand into hers as they walked along. Adam, who never missed anything, jabbed his uncle with his elbow and cocked his head toward the pair.
“Be nice,” Cosby mouthed. Adam made a silly face and his uncle elbowed him back.
“You should come speak to my class for the Great American Teach-in in November,” Adam invited to appease Cosby.
“Mine, too!” Teddy chimed in.
“We have people at the aquarium, education specialists like Dani Davidson, who are good at that because it’s their job. I can ask one of them to speak at your school if you want.”
Teddy’s face fell and he let go of her hand. She shot Cosby a panicked look.
“Hey, buddy, Monica’s been very generous with her time today and we’ve had lots of fun, haven’t we? Let’s cut her some slack. She’s a busy lady.”
“I guess.”
Cosby noted his nephew’s pout. “What happens when your face freezes like that? How will you lick an ice-cream cone or chew red licorice?” The boy giggled.
Monica grasped his shoulders and turned him to look at her.
“Teddy, listen, I’ve never talked to a classroom full of kids before. The idea made me nervous, and that’s why I suggested somebody else could do it. But I’d be happy to come to your school if you still want me to, okay?”
“Really?” His eyes sparkled.
“Really.”
“You sure?” Cosby asked.
“Absolutely. I can handle it. They’re just kids, right?”
Cosby laughed. “Sometimes I wonder.”
They walked through the main aquarium building and down the hallway leading to the public viewing of the rehab facility. Through one of the large picture windows they could see a woman in a wet suit feeding Trident his bottle.
“That’s Sitara Patel. She’s in charge of our rehab unit,” Monica noted. “And the other woman in the water is dolphin trainer Trisha Day. She’s been teaching Trident what we call husbandry behaviors, which help us take care of him. Flipper explained that earlier, remember?”
The boys nodded.
“Their job would be such a blast,” Teddy enthused.
“It would, although it’s not quite as fun when you’re up to your armpits in cold water at four o’clock in the morning. Or when a dolphin is too sick or weak to swim and you’re holding it every minute, for days at a time, to keep its blowhole above water so it can breathe.”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“Working with animals can be the coolest thing in the world. I love it, and if you decide one day that’s what you want to do, go for it. But there are plenty of unpleasant duties, too, like cleaning up their waste. If you’re squeamish about that, you should consider a different career.”
“Teddy’s gonna grow up to be the head elephant poop shoveler at the zoo.” Adam hooted with laughter.
“And you’ll be the biggest do-do head in the world,” Teddy snapped.
“That’s enough, boys,” Cosby ordered.
“He started it,” the younger boy complained.
“And I’m ending it.”
Teddy appeared ready to argue and his uncle stopped him with a look. The child turned to Monica.
“We went to the circus one time, and there was this elephant, and it was near the stands when it started peeing everywhere!”
“It was like a fire hose or something,” Adam added. “And all the people in the first twenty rows jumped up, screaming and hollering, and ran up the stairs as fast as they could.”
“And the announcer goes, ‘Please, stay in your seats,’ but nobody listened to him because they didn’t want to get peed on.” Teddy giggled, giddy at the memory.
“And it smelled so nasty,” Adam continued, getting into the story now, too. “We sat about fifty rows up, and suddenly the smell got up there, too, and we almost gagged. Mom totally turned green! She had to go out to the lobby to get fresh air before she puked!”
“Boys, I’m not so sure Monica is as enthralled as you are with stories about peeing pachyderms and puking,” Cosby chided.
She laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. I think that would’ve been pretty funny to see. The elephant, that is. Unless, of course, you sat within peeing range.”
As the boys whooped it up and entertained themselves with other stories about bodily functions beginning with the letter “p,” Monica’s cell phone rang. She stepped away from her rowdy young guests for a few minutes to take the call. Cosby saw her frown and nod, and disappointment flooded him.
“That was my boss,” she told them afterward. “I’m afraid I have to go. This is way more fun, but the biology staff is reviewing overdue animal care reports.” She pantomimed falling asleep and the boys laughed. “I hope you’ll visit again before the teach-in so I can show you some other stuff.”
“We will,” Teddy promised.
“Hey, maybe Mom and Dad will buy us fun passes so we can come back however many times we want,” Adam noted.
“We really do appreciate today. It was great. Right, yahoos?” Cosby prodded.
“Fosheezy,” Teddy intoned. He hugged her in a quick but fierce gesture.
“Fo shizzle.” Adam exchanged a complicated hand slap with his brother.
“Enough with the slang, boys,” Cosby directed. “Your mother won’t let you hang around those older kids at the youth center anymore when she hears the way you’re talking.”
Adam slipped in one last phrase. “You’re awesomity times infinity, Monica.”
She beamed and bumped fists with both boys.
“That’s totes terrific! OMG, what an endorsement! Now make sure you go wade with the stingrays and see our coral reef habitat,” she told them. “And don’t forget the manatees and the touch tanks.”
“Let’s go, Uncle Cosby.” Teddy yanked on his arm as Cosby stole a final few minutes with Monica.
“Guess I’ll see you Monday.” He wasn’t ready for their day together to end.
“Let me have your phone for a second.”
He handed it to her, and she touched an icon on the screen and began typing. When she returned his phone, their fingers brushed and she looked at him in surprise. Cosby took that to mean she’d felt the same current of desire as he had.
“There, now you have my cell number. Bye, boys. See you soon, Cosby.”
Not soon enough. His gaze locked on her legs and backside as she walked away.
Teddy’s voice cut into his thoughts. “I think she likes you, Uncle Cosby.”
“Yeah? What makes you say that?”
“Girls don’t usually give boys their phone number unless they like them.”
“So, what, you’re the expert now, short stuff?” Adam scoffed.
Teddy crossed his arms and nodded. “I know what I know.” His sage demeanor made Cosby laugh.
“You two are a trip. C’mo
n, I hear some stingrays calling our names.”
Chapter 7
By the time Monday finally arrived Cosby had been reduced to a nervous wreck. First, he worried that Monica wouldn’t show, although he had no reason to believe she’d stand him up. Next came concerns the weather wouldn’t cooperate. Lastly, he stressed over every detail at Nauti-Toys because he wanted to impress her.
Cosby couldn’t understand the reason for his angst. He’d spent time with plenty of good-looking women. Not to brag, but he’d never had trouble getting a date when he wanted one.
And who knew whether Monica even wanted to date him. Maybe she’d decide they were square after today’s outing and that would be the end of it. Cosby didn’t think that would happen because she’d seemed to enjoy his company at the aquarium, but Flipper’s warning kept playing in Cosby’s head as if on a loop. Was he setting himself up for a big letdown or, worse, heartbreak?
Any reservations he had flew right out of his mind when she walked through the door of Nauti-Toys right on time that morning. A white-hot bolt of lust nearly split Cosby in two, and several of his employees stopped what they were doing and just stared at her. He resisted the urge to whack them upside the head and order them to quit drooling all over themselves.
Her white shorts showed off her toned, tanned legs and hugged her shapely bottom, while her snug baby blue T-shirt with the sea turtle design showcased her generous breasts. She’d pulled back her hair in a ponytail beneath her teal Gulf Shore Aquarium cap.
“You made it!” Cosby could’ve kicked himself with how inane that greeting sounded. He hoped he appeared more confident than he felt.
“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it. Did your nephews enjoy the rest of their day at GSA?”
“They loved it. Teddy’s gone crazy for manatees and dolphins and can’t decide which one is his new favorite animal or if sharks are still number one. And after seeing all the fish in the coral reef tank, Adam told his father he wants a saltwater aquarium for Christmas. I think we have two budding marine biologists on our hands. Their mother’s thrilled they’ve found something that interests them besides video games.”
“I hope you’ll bring them back for Dani’s Aquarium Careers Tour. Sounds like they’d get a lot out of it.”
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