I sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”
Determinedly I stood.
Perhaps a little too fast.
Instantly the boat began to rock.
“Easy, tiger,” Cody said, grabbing my arm.
But I was already trying too hard to steady myself, fighting against the pitch and rock of the boat until—
“Woah! Woah! Woah!”
I lost my balance and plunged head first over the side, splashing gracelessly into the water before coming up for air, gasping and thrashing.
With a splash, Cody immediately jumped into the sea and held onto me, keeping me buoyant and calming me down. “Easy does it, babe. I got you, you’re okay. Just chill.”
My breathing slowed, and my panic diminished somewhat. I looked into Cody’s eyes. “Well, I guess that’s one way of facing your fears.”
Cody laughed. “I guess so. Although for future reference, you might not wanna splash around quite so much. In these wetsuits you look like a dying seal, which is exactly what great whites like to eat for lunch. Just sayin’.”
Ever so casually he reached back into the boat, grabbed our masks and snorkels, and with a wink said, “Come on then. Let’s go snorkeling.”
As always, Cody was right.
It truly was magical down here.
Sunlight danced in ripples through the ebb and flow of the aqua waters. Tiny fish with spots and stripes of all colors—blue and pink and orange and yellow—ventured close, curious and playful, before darting away. Starfish decorated the seabed, blooms of seaweed swayed lazily back and forth, and near an outcrop of rocks Cody pointed to a garden of giant moss-covered clams.
But it was the sea turtle I spotted that made my heart skip a beat, its shell caked in barnacles, its face ancient and wise, its flippers paddling with slow, strong strokes, steering the creature toward us.
Suddenly I was lost in this natural underwater haven.
I was spellbound by this magnificent siren of the sea, swimming closer and closer to me.
And for the first time in my life, I felt a connection with something other than my boyfriend or even books.
I felt a connection with the natural world.
Desperately I wanted to make that connection real.
I reached my fingers out to touch the nose of that beautiful sea turtle as it came toward me.
The turtle seemed to smile and swim straight for my outstretched hand.
Suddenly there was a swoosh of bubbles.
Something grabbed me.
The startled turtle swam away and all I could think was—
“Shark!” I screamed, coughing out my snorkel and a lungful of seawater as I broke the surface. “Cody! Help! There’s a shark! A shark’s got me!”
Beside me Cody suddenly emerged, spitting out his own snorkel. “Babe! Calm down! There’s no shark, it was just me! What the fuck were you doing down there?”
“What do you mean?”
“The turtle. What did you think you were doing?”
