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I shouldn’t care that Hazel just walked away… but I do. A lot. Maybe it has something to do with the connection I felt with her yesterday.
Ophelia swings again until her feet touch the path.
“Great,” I tell her. “We can swim later in the ocean, but there’s no way I’m jumping into this slime to get you if you go for a dunk.”
She giggles. “Yeah, right, you so would.”
“Okay, I would.”
Jasmine points. “There’s one! A turtle! There are supposed to be two… where’s the other one?”
Ophelia looks up at me. “Uncle Jack, these turtles have to stay here until they get big. Like, a hundred pounds. Then, they go into the ocean. They don’t have babies until they’re like twenty.”
“That right?”
She nods studiously. “Yep. Me and Jazzy learned it all from that nice man, Akoni, with the bucket. He let us feed them dried-up seaweed and carrots.”
Jasmine leaves her spot at the railing and starts walking. “Come on, Lia, let’s look for the other one.”
They make it about ten paces before they get distracted by a lizard. Soon, they’re crouched by a bush, totally fascinated by this green lizard.
“He’s doing push-ups!” Jasmine giggles. “Uncle Jack, come see!”
I squint at the bush. “I see him. Cool.”
Man, to be a kid again. I remember how lizards and frogs used to fascinate me.
I watch my nieces marvel over the critter, then let my gaze wander back over the dark green water. That sea turtle moving through the depths is sort of cool-looking…
The sun’s strong today, getting hotter by the minute. I look around to see if there’s some shade to step into while hanging around here. I promised Corinne I’d have the girls to the dolphin area by ten, but that’s still fifteen minutes from now.
The only slice of shade I can see is over by a maintenance shed, but that area is roped off.
“Squawk! Jack is handsome.”
Okay, that bird really did just say my name.
That’s strange.
I wander toward the shed, wondering if there might be a way to squeeze into the shade from this side of the rope. I wouldn’t mind seeing the parrot, either.
As I get closer to the little building, I pause… and squint.
I’m pretty sure those are Hazel’s bare legs poking out from behind the shed. I recognized her flip-flops, her delicate feet, and even the maroon nail polish.
I can see my nieces from here, so I’m not neglecting my uncle duties. I amble up to the rope, trying to get closer to the shed. What is she doing back there?
“... it’s not like confidence is a bad thing,” I hear her murmur. “I just want to…”
Wait… is she talking?
To whom?
I only see her legs, no one else's. Maybe she’s on the phone.
Yeah, she’s probably on the phone. She’s having a private conversation, and it’s none of my business.
“Squawk! Jack is handsome,” the parrot pronounces.
