I had just felt the exhilaration of the moment~~five of my grandchildren had joined me in the ocean. We were riding the waves. Together.
"Dive," I yelled on a wave that was turning. "Ride this one," was the next instruction.
It was as if the universe had come together in this moment. My childhood years of riding waves so dangerously. My lifetime of loving the ocean. The water. The sea and sun. Paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, trying to surf...best of all, I was with my cadre of little people grandchildren.
And then...
Annika yelled, "Shark!!"
Before the big wave rolled in, before it curled for us to ride its crest, I saw the big white fish. The fin, its arc shaped body, riding the wave. Dolphin, I thought. How cool. Its proximity however was sobering. It's big powerful body so close to ours. What else lurked beyond in these vast waters?
And because I wanted us all to be safe, because we are reactionary people, we swam fast for the shore. Bright eyed and shocked.
How could such a threat come to this perfect moment?
Annika was sure it was a shark. She saw a flat head. We both saw a dorsal fin. But don't all fish have dorsal fins? Sharks don't play in the waves, do they? Do they?
On the beach, we reason. We were swimming too close to dusk. Annika had shiny earrings. And the ultimate question, do we keep swimming?
Mandi and Tony spy a big white fish jump into the air. Oh that's what it was...I try to convince myself.
That night, I contemplate the return of the family beach vacation. Are we finished coming to Florida? I hope not, for I am not willing to let a possible-false shark encounter change the venue I love. But I'm not willing to risk a possible shark encounter with the people I love.
Lake house?
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