10 cents worth of fuel

 

        It was like the dolphins were racing us.  They were all staying right long side of the boat the whole time.  When we turned, so did they.  If we slowed down, they did too.  At any time we could have reached down and touched them, they were that close.

        No one was paying attention to anything else, until we heard the splash.  Wally was behind us, at the end of the boat, back by the motor and when we looked to see what caused the splash, there was no Wally.  Had he jumped in?  Did he accidentally fall in?  We all looked around in the water, and Mary cut the engine.  Suddenly it all seemed so quiet.  If Wally had fallen in, then why wasn’t he splashing around and yelling for help?  Why didn’t we see him anywhere?

        Gary was the first to notice the dolphins were no longer around either.  What was going on?  Then, as if this were some ride at Disneyland, a dolphin arched up, out of the water with Wally holding onto his back.  I could see him take a big gulp of air just before the dolphin went back under.  He was having the time of his life.  He must have slipped over the side of the boat and plopped down on a dolphin.  That had to be quite scary for them both, but there they were, riding the waves as if it was something they did every day.

        All too soon the boat stopped rocking.  His mom reached over to lift him from the boat.  “That’s it, Honey, the ride is over."  Tim closed his eyes, picturing the Coast Guard helicopter lifting him to safety, while Dad was helping Wally off of the big gray dolphin.

        The next time they came to the store, he'd pick the dolphin.

But it has since been retired.