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We get out of the car and I carry her, knowing I plan to once we get inside because she’ll need help seeing. While I buy the admission tickets, Sydney takes Savannah to the restroom since she suddenly needs to go. I’m standing off to the side, waiting, when Savan
nah runs over, a slightly pale-looking Sydney trailing behind her.
“Mommy’s sick!” Savannah exclaims as she jumps into my arms.
“What?”
“She throwed up.”
Sydney comes to stand with us with a small smile.
“You were sick?” I ask, concerned. “Do we need to go home?”
“No, I’m fine. Just didn’t feel well for a moment. Let’s see the fish.”
I eye her. She still looks like she doesn’t feel well, her hand resting on her stomach like it’s unsettled. “Are you sure?”
“We drove all this way. We’re not going home until we’ve seen what we want to see.”
“Okay, but if you need a break or anything, tell me.”
She smiles, but it’s a weak one. “I will.”
Savannah oohs the moment we walk into the main area and she catches sight of the first of many fish. Sydney stays close, leaning her head against my arm whenever we stop to look in a tank like she’s tired. It worries me. I catch sight of a place where we can touch some sting rays.
“Savannah, want to touch a fishie?” I ask.
“Yes!” Her fearlessness makes me grin. It’s then that I realize I was expecting her to be scared and to not want to do it. We walk over to the interactive zone and I hold on tight to her as we lean over. “You first!” she says at the last minute. A gray one is coming by, so I stick my hand in the water, one finger out, and it grazes the top as it goes by. Savannah giggles. “Was it gross?”
“No. Your turn.” We only have to wait a moment before another one comes by. I lean over and Savannah bravely sticks her hand in the water just like I did.
“Ew!” She laughs. “Mommy!” She turns and frowns. I look and realize Sydney isn’t with us. Where’d she go?
“She’ll be back,” I say. “Look. There’s a starfish. Want to touch it?”
“Yes.”
We touch various “fishies” in this particular tank and are rubbing hand sanitizer on our hands when Sydney returns.
“Where did you go?” I ask.
“Bathroom. Sorry.”
My brows pull together with my frown. She got sick again. “Babe.”
Sydney quickly waves me off. “I’m going to sit on a bench by the gift shop for a few minutes, okay? Y’all go ahead. I’ll find you. I just need a second to recover.”
“Are you sure? We can wait with you. We have all day.”
“I’m sure.” She kisses each of our cheeks and then walks off.
“Let’s go, Daddy.”
Reluctantly, we keep walking around, looking at the various exhibits. My mind alternates being worrying about Sydney and enjoying all of Savannah’s reactions from seeing the various fish, especially any that remind her of those she’s seen in The Little Mermaid. She loves touching them, too. She giggles and pretends it grosses her out, but she reaches in and tries to touch it again.
I hate that I wasn’t in her life from the very beginning, but Sydney has done a good job so far. All I can do is hope I learn quick and don’t make any mistakes where my little girl is concerned. Or, at least, none that will affect her for life.
Savannah is obsessed with the seahorses. We’ve been standing in front of this one tank for at least fifteen minutes. Her face is as close to the glass as she can be without touching it.
