Page 55 of Dear Adam
I’m not ready.
But instead I take a deep, shaky breath, and lay my head in the crook of his neck. His heart is pounding, the blood pumping through his veins so hard that I know he didn’t want to tell me as much as I don’t want him to go.
“I’m sorry, Aly.”
We sit like that for a few minutes longer, Levi stroking the back of my head, until a cold, wet nose nudges right above the edge of my fuzzy sock.
Pretzel stands on her hind legs, eyes pleading, and Hank’s not far away.
“How can we separate these two?”
He forces a laugh and then strokes his beard thoughtfully. “Let’s make the rest of this day the best day ever, for them.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“This! This is perfect!” Levi says, eyes wide with excitement as he holds up a visor and matching fanny pack. “They have one in green and one in blue. What color do you want?”
“Blue, obviously.”
“Obviously?”
“It matches my eyes.”
“Right, of course. Let’s see if we can find those super obnoxious state flag shirts too.”
As soon as we check out, we immediately put on our new gear.
“Do I look touristy enough?” I ask.
“You look like a massive cheeseball,” he chuckles. “It’s perfect.”
I grin then untie the dogs from the lamp post. When Levi suggested we dress up as tourists and do all the touristy things, I couldn’t say no.
Afterall, I’ve never been on a dolphin sightseeing tour.
“Excuse me, sir, but we don’t allow pets,” the guy checking tickets at the gate says. I hurry to cover the fanny pack currently housing Pretzel in an attempt to keep him from noticing another dog. Levi adjusts his visor and looks down at Hank.
“You can’t make an exception, just this once? He’s a really good boy and you won’t even notice he’s there,” Levi says. The guy points to the sign like he’s done it a million times and sure enough, “No pets allowed,” is fourth on the list. Levi lowers his voice. “Please, man. It’s my last day in town and I just want to make it special for my girl. Don’t make us miss this. Shelovesdolphins. They’re like…her thing.”
I try not to giggle, though him calling me his girl makes me warm and tingly inside.
“Sorry, man, I don’t make the rules.” He’s already peering behind us, ready to usher the next set of tourists through.
“Who does, then?” Levi asks and slyly pulls a crumbled bill from his fanny pack. I can’t tell what denomination it is, but it’s enough to make the man perk up.
“Today, I do. Looks like there are a few seats open in the back.” He takes the bill, unfolds it, and holds it up against the sunlight for inspection. “Enjoy your ride!”
Levi gives me the biggest, dopiest grin I’ve ever seen and hooks his thumb toward the boat. “Ready?”
I follow him and Hank as we file into our seats. When no one is looking, I unzip my fanny pack and let Pretzel stick her head out. Once we’re on the water and the boat gains speed, Hank and Pretzel raise their faces to the wind, tongues lolling as they pant happily. I snap a picture and immediately send it to Adam.
“I think it’s definitely the best day ever for them,” I say to Levi, raising my voice above the noise of the engine. He threads his fingers through mine and nods in agreement.
Minutes later, we halt in the water and the same guy that checked our tickets takes his position at the front of the boat. Then his nasally voice comes over the loudspeaker. “Okay ladies and gentleman, if you look to the right of the boat, we’ve got a pod coming towards us. It looks like there’s maybe twelve. Please remember to keep your hands, feet, and other objects inside the boat, and please do not feed them. Feel free to take all the pictures you want, though.”
People from the other side of the boat squeeze onto ours and crane their necks, searching for the dolphins. Levi gets up and moves to another spot to make more room for the actual tourists, but I stay put, and Hank remains at my feet. Within minutes, the dolphins swim up to the side of the boat to squeals of excitement from the tourists, phones held out to capture the creatures. Levi surprises me by pulling out a disposable camera and snaps a few pictures, too.
“Where did you get that?” I ask.
