Dad and I finally got the mast in the hole by the fourth attempt. My arms were sore.
Dad grinned at me. “There we go.”
The lifeguard truck still watched us. I also just noticed Mom and Eric's tiny forms. Aw, it would have been a little funny if Dad, the professional sailor, had to be rescued by a girl.
The wind still blew, but Dad and I were safe. The dark clouds now hovered overhead.
A few drops of rain touched my cheeks. It was some of the most soothing rain I ever felt. I wanted to sleep under it. The drops were like silky fairy wings brushing against my skin.
Dad sat in the cockpit. He placed his hand on the Laser’s tiller and moved the rudder back and forth. He caught the wind in the sail.
Slowly but surely, we started making our way back to shore. The wind pushed on the sail, which sped up our pace.
I noticed something out of the corner of my eyes. “Dad, look!”
On Oceania’s port side, a few gray dorsal fins appeared at the ocean’s surface.
“The mermaids did come,” I said. Now, they were, of course, dolphins, but I always saw a dolphin as the closest thing we had to the mythical beings.
“Oh, yeah. This happened the day you were born, too,” Dad said. “The dolphins came and said hello to you.”
I ran my fingertips through the water.
The dolphins playfully flapped their tails. There was even a calf.
He clicked at me and splashed water onto my life jacket.
I chuckled.
“Hey, Moana, do you want to steer the boat?” Dad wanted to know.
Moana. Funny, Dad. But yeah, I did want to try it.
Dad and I switched places. I got in the cockpit, and he settled on the bow.
I wrapped my fingers around the tiller. Pins and needles rushed through my arm, but they were of excitement.
Dad handled the lines while I steered the boat.
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was: move the tiller to the right, and the boat went left; move the tiller to the left, and it went right. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps being on the ocean was in my family’s blood.
Finally, we made it back to the sandy beach. While I enjoyed Dad and mine’s time out, it was nice to be back on land, especially after an accident.
“Land! Land!” I cheered. I fell to my hands and knees and kissed the sand.
The rain fell a bit harder, and a rumble of thunder shook the sky. Dad and I got back just in time.
Flash! More white and black dots clouded my vision.
Mom lowered her camera and tossed a towel over my shoulders. “Teuila!” She pulled me into a tight hug. “I saw you guys flip, and I was just like, Oh no! What have we done? But then I remembered that your dad is a professional sailor. But, baby, I was so worried!”
“Mom, we’re fine.” Nevertheless, I returned her hug. “Mom, Dad told me something when we were in the ocean.” She and I let go. “Did you really have me in Oceania?” I didn’t know why I suddenly felt nervous asking that question. What if Dad pulled a joke on me to keep us cool, calm, and collected while we were stranded?
Mom smiled gently. She rubbed her finger across my tan cheek. “I did, dear. You’re my little Teuila.”
Dad and Eric joined us.
“Aw, what’s all this boo-hooing about?” Eric wanted to know. “I was waiting for one of those beefy lifeguard gals to rescue y’all.”
Dad chuckled. He gently pushed Eric’s shoulder. “It will take more than a little wind to bring me down.”
I let go of Mom and approached him. I leaned against his side.
“Eric,” Mom said with a small smile, “would you like to come to Bohicket with us?”
“Seriously?” Eric looked shocked by the offer. He even lost his smile.
“Of course,” Mom replied. “After all, it was you who told the lifeguards what happened. Let’s make it up to you.”
“Well, um… sure.” Eric grinned. “It’s not every day I hang out with a family like yours.”
“Great! Let’s go, then.” Mom gestured for Eric to follow her.
He did but almost bumped into a few little kids.
The rain wetted my towel, but I did not mind. Sand brushed against Dad’s and mine’s legs. A scratching sensation followed as each grain stuck to our skin.
“Well, I hope I didn’t ruin your vacation too much, Teuila,” Dad joked.
I rolled my eyes. “Are you kidding, Dad?” I kissed his wet cheek, tasting salt. “This is the best vacation ever. Thank you for taking me out on the Oceania.”
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdXn1j2pkV
Final Word Count: 4,758
ns 15.158.61.12da2
