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“Right there.” I pointed, my heart pounding with excitement as I watched the fin swirling around, leaving a small wake behind it.
“Oh, wow! I see it too!” The man whose name I would never remember smiled as wide as I was. “Isn’t this amazing?”
“So amazing!” We looked at each other, our goofy grins matching. Then I turned to the widows. “Do you see it? Isn’t this awesome?”
“I don’t want to look. I want to go home.” Doris’s lower lip quivered.
“I’m not going to lie,” Sylvie said from beside me as she stared out the window, “I was feeling like I could do this, but actuallyseeingthe fin in the water?” She shuddered. “I don’t know if I have the balls to get in. This just made it very real.”
“I’m with you there, sister,” Alice agreed as she leaned over my shoulder to get a look.
With a grumble, I turned to face them. “Really? You big, bad ladies are scared of a little shark?”
“Little?” Sylvie’s eyes flashed wide. “Great Whites are not little sharks. They arehuge,Marge. Withhugeteeth. And as you’ve pointed out several times, this is the Time of the Titans here in Guadalupe Islands. The time of the year that attracts thebiggest sharks in the whole entire world!”
I shrugged. “Okay, so they aren’t little. But we will be safe. Won’t we?” I turned to the nameless man with the shaggy orange beard.
“Absolutely.” He nodded. “This is the safest outfit in the ocean. They have a perfect safety record and some of the best cages and technology in the world. You ladies will all be very safe in the water.”
“Ugh.” Alice moaned. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Atta girl.” I slapped her arm and she grimaced, rubbing the tender spot.
“Easy with the ‘atta girls.’ You’re gonna break my arm.”
I sucked the air through my teeth. “Sorry. Just super jazzed up over here.”
“Good morning, shark spotters!” one of the crew, Jerry, said as he burst into the dining area. “If you haven’t seen it already, we already have our first sightings of the day!”
“We saw. Can’t wait to get in with them!” I answered enthusiastically.
Jerry clapped once then pointed a finger at me. “That’s what I love to hear!” His energy matched his young age, maybe twenty-two at most. “We are setting up the dive cages now, and in one hour, we will start letting you all go down. Up to four at a time, plus the divemaster, who will go with you on every dive. And after everyone gets a turn, you can go down as much as you want while we’re here.”
“I’m gonna live in the water,” I breathed, my eyes widening with excitement.
Jerry laughed. “I like that energy. Now, go get yourselves ready and meet us on the platform behind the boat. We’ll go over all the final safety notes, get you all fitted with suits and gear, and start swimming with sharks.”
A few of the other guests milling around started clapping, and I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t force the widows into the water and instead join one of the groups that were as excited about this as I was. But when I glanced at my widows, I knew it was worth trying to bring them on this adventure with me. Having this experience without them by my side wouldn't be the same. I was already missing Percy deeply today, knowing how much he would want to be there with me, and he’d be chomping at the bit too. But I didn’t have him. I hadthem, and I wanted to see the wonder on their faces I knew would appear if they would just suck it up and jump in. So today, I had to convince the widows to take the plunge and be by my side while I fulfilled this next wish.
***
“At least come downand get the gear on,” I said to Doris while I tried to pry her fingers from the railing of the stairs that led to the dive platform behind the ship.
She shook her head furiously. “I can’t. You said I didn’t have to, and I can’t.”
“I said you don’t have to get in the cage. But you at least need to get in the outfit so we can get one good picture of the four of us.” I tugged at her again.
“What if I fall in?”
I gestured my hand to the huge platform below us—big enough that at least twenty people could stand comfortably. “The platform is secure, and you’re not gonna fall in. Just come on, you big ninny. You’ll be fine.”
“It’s really sturdy!” Sylvie called up from the bottom. “I think you’ll be just fine, Doris. Just get down here with us!”
“Come on, Doris. If I have to wear the stupid suit and ugly mask, you have to wear the stupid suit and ugly mask,” Alice said, followed by a deep sigh.
Doris chewed her lip, then finally released her death grip on the rail and came down the stairs, one slow step at a time.
“You did it!” Sylvie cheered when she reached the bottom.
