Man…I spent a few of my early years living in Saint Pete, Florida before we moved to Kansas when I was 8. My dad moved to Amelia Island several years ago upon retiring. The Pacific was in their back yard. Then Dad died, so I went back to Florida for the first time since I was a kid. Stepped off that plane…and man. The smell of the air, the feel of the humidity…I was eight years old again. It was like I had never left. Rick came up after me. He’d never been to the beach. We were sitting on a blanket kind of watching the tide come in. Rick thought it was cool how the water came up a little higher and little higher..inches at a time after every wave. At one point, when it was within about 5 feet of us I said, “We need to move back now….”
Rick said, “Nah! Not yet! We’re plenty far away.”
I said, “But you don’t know…” and WHAM!! Big wave broke all over us! ‘Bout took our six pack out to sea!
Rick said, “How’d you know???”
I honestly don’t know how I knew, I just knew. Buried experiences I guess.
And then he saw a dolphin leap. That country-born Kansan yelled “BIG fish!! BIG BIG fish!!!” I laughed!
Then, after dark, a gaggle of boys came along, scurrying around with a flashlight. I went up to the car for something, and when I got back Rick was GONE! I looked around…and there he was, in this huddle of boys, looking for all the world like a little boy himself They were looking at something and explaining something to Rick.
I said, “Rick?”
He looks up with this this amazed and awed grin on his face and he yells “CRABS!!!!” They were catching crabs! And then they were off, scurrying after more crabs, Rick right in there with them!