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After setting an alarm on my Apple watch, I returned to where I’d left Parker, so I wouldn’t cook the lobster too long.
“Need any help? Are you about to anchor?” I asked.
“I’m good. Just anchored a few moments before you came back.”
I smiled over at him as we walked to the galley. I put the plates together as Parker opened, rinsed, and put sriracha on the little necks. Satisfied, we took our plates outside to enjoy the sunset as we ate. The night air was cool, with the sky starting to line with stars. I reached into my blazer pocket, took out the small box, and handed it to Parker. He looked at it with a raised eyebrow and then at me with a confused expression. “What is it?”
I laughed and told him, “Open it, silly.” As he opened the box, the shiny silver sparkled with the low lighting and candles we had lit. He took the chain out of the box and held the pendant in the palm of his hand; it was a Hammerhead shark. He turned it over in his hand and ran a finger across it. Looking closely, he could see it had been engraved:I’ve got you. Love Always, Liv x.He smiled warmly, got up, and walked over to me. He held it out for me to put it on him. “I love it; it’s beautiful and will always remind me of you. What I could have lost but gained back.”
I smiled and kissed him. We sat there and listened to the waves as the stars sparkled, like our eyes. We had discussed the shark incident many times over the past few days, both our fears and what we thought needed to be done to get over it. We had already decided a few evenings ago to head to the Bahamas for a shark excursion. I had done some research and shared the information with Parker, and we decided to reserve a spot. We’d be leaving in the morning.
Olivia
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan
We headed for Bimini Island, Bahamas, for the excursion of a lifetime. We had stocked up and started our adventure. Knowing we wanted to explore for a few days, and though it was two short hours from Miami to Bimini Island, we’d taken our time. The townspeople were friendly, offering visitors from the coast of Florida gifts and chatter.
I looked out at the clear blue water, noting it was some of the most beautiful water I’d seen. We spotted Marlin, Mahi Mahi, and even an enormous Tuna, and couldn’t wait to fish again. I wore my bikini top and jean shorts, while Parker wore jean shorts and his fishing shirt. He wore deck shoes while I went barefoot. The breeze was warm, and the sun was hot.
We anchored around three that afternoon, fished, swam, and had dinner and a lovely night in each other’s arms, dreaming about tomorrow’s excursion.
It was a big day, and I was nervous. We were going to swim with the sharks. From North Bimini, we went to Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center, located at Bimini Big Game Club Resort. There were ten in the group for the day. We had our scuba gear and were loaded onto the boat around ten-thirty. We’d already okayed it with the instructors to swim to their boat and not stay all afternoon.
Parker’s boat was as close to where we were diving as if it was across the street in a neighborhood, and it would be easy for us to make the swim.
After anchoring, I watched the crew begin dive setup, including baiting the water. It took approximately thirty minutes for the sharks to come around. My nerves were frazzled; I had sweaty palms, and my heartbeat quickened at the sight of the sharks. For a moment, the accident flooded my thoughts as Parker took my hand and gently squeezed it.
The instructor told our group he’d let us know when the sharks were comfortable so we could dive. He told us about how Hammerheads are not aggressive sharks. I felt like I should beg to differ and show my scars, but I remained silent, listening to the guide.
“Okay, folks, you can dive now. Remember, it’s only about seventy-degrees in the water, so wearing full diving gear is recommended.”
Parker looked over at me. I could tell by his half-hearted smile that he was worried. I gave him a thumbs-up and we put our gloves on. I was thankful we already had our five MM diving suits on.
We jumped into the water together and stayed near the top, watching the sharks circle. I continually told myself to breathe; the fear almost consumed me as the sharks circled. Gradually, fear took over, and I was unable to move or speak. But before Parker could call it quits the instructor, who knew about my accident from Parker, gradually coached me back to the present and out of my head. Parker took my hand at the instructor’s suggestion, and he told us to gradually swim around, letting me gain my confidence. When I was ready, I was to squeeze his hand, and we would then take the dive.
I looked over at Parker, who lifted his chin and swam beside me the whole way. The sharks were only an arm’s lengthaway when I sucked in a breath, becoming paralyzed again. But after a moment or two of watching the enemy become a beautiful fish, I began to relax.
Others were exploring the water as well. The sharks showed no signs of aggression, they just swam freely among us. Per the instructor, I held on to Parker as we swam with the sharks a few times; feeling a bit foolish, scared, and exhilarated all at the same time, I squeezed Parker's hand. It was time for me to face my fear at a greater level and dive and we swam for what felt like minutes, then hours, as a shark would get a little too close.
Finally, running out of air, we resurfaced for lunch and a tank replacement. After turning in my tank, I hugged Parker and took my wetsuit off to the waist. “Baby, did you see them all? There must have been fifteen of them swimming around us. I admit, it freaked me out for a bit.”
Parker held me. “I’m so proud of you. It freaked me out a bit, too, at first. You did great. Do you want to go back in the water or swim to the boat and have lunch?”
I thought about that for a moment, then said, “Let’s swim to our boat.” I knew I was no longer traumatized by the sharks. I was thrilled to overcome my fear of them, wanting to fish since it was such a huge part of our lives. However, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go back in the cold water and freely swim with them again.
We thanked the instructors, and I gave the one who had coached me so calmly a hug; he had helped me face holy terror, more than he could imagine.
Before heading out for the second part of our trip, we made pineapple barbeque and hotdogs on the grill that sat on the griddle. The tangy sauce was thick on the hot dog, then topped with pineapple bits and fresh basil; they tasted amazing. Parker moaned as he chewed. I laughed at him when I saw the look on his face: He looked like the cat that ate the canary.
We decided to sit on the deck, taking in the beauty and the warmth of the sun.
“A smile and tan look really good on you, baby,” Parker said.
“When do you want to take off?” I asked as I nudged him with my shoulder.
He tilted his head. “I’d say within the hour.”
I agreed as I stood to clean up the mess we’d made during lunch. We decided to tour a few of the cays around the two small islands of Bimini.
