Page 148 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“What did you find, Smiley Riley?”
“A hermit crab.” I scrambled up the sandbank, almost falling onto my nine-year-old face.
“Show me!” Mom put down her book and gave me her full attention.
Carefully pinching the shell, I proudly presented it to her. “Can I keep it?”
She pouted. “No, darling. It doesn’t belong with us. It belongs here.”
“But I want a pet crab.”
“Do you think the crab wants to leave the beach and live in the city?”
I shook my head.
“Of course it doesn’t. It wants to be in the sand and water with the other crabs. That’s its home. That’s where it’s happiest.”
“But I love it.”
“Then you have to put it back. To love is to give, and to give is to love. Do you understand, my precious girl?”
I nodded sullenly.
“Go on then… show the crab how much you love it.”
Trudging back to the water’s edge, I set the crab down, waving as it buried itself under the sand. “Goodbye. I love you.”
A sob ripsfrom my chest, tearing it open as only deep love can. “I’m ready.”
Riley kisses my head and stands, offering me his hand. I take it and rise, legs trembling as we walk to where the captain waits patiently, a large bouquet of flowers on a table covered in a white cloth, a single note readingA loving mother and best friend.
Confused, I read the note again before snapping my head to Riley. “Did you do that?”
He nods once, then links his hands behind his back.
Pressing Mom to my chest, I step up to him, hug him tight, and whisper, “Thank you. That’s so unbelievably thoughtful of you.”
“It’s my honor, Riles.”
Tears flood my eyes and stream down my face, so I wipe my cheeks and step back, not wanting to stain his shirt with my running mascara.
“Ms. Wilson,” Captain Katarina says, “if you’re ready, I’ll say a few words and then give you some privacy to commence with interment.”
I nod.
“Very well.” She fixes a pair of reading glasses on her nose and raises a sheet of paper. “Today, we interment Grace Diana Wilson to sea. Beloved mother of Riley Alessandra Wilson, and a courageous woman who was taken far too soon. May you rest peacefully, Grace, and move with the ebb and flow of the ocean, your memory remaining, forever in the hearts you touched so deeply.” She sets down the paper. “In your own time, Ms. Wilson, you may proceed to the railing.”
I slide my hand into Riley’s and urge him forward with me, not wanting to do this alone. “Would you mind carrying the flowers for me?”
“Ofcourse.”
“Thank you.”
Strolling to the railing, Mom pressed to my chest, I breathe in the sea air, committing to memory how it smells and feels: tepid but fresh, salty but clean. The distant laughter of children and adults hums on the breeze several decks above, a joyous soft melody. It draws a smile I didn’t think I was capable of today, because Mom loved laughter. She would always tell me it’s the world’s strongest medicine. An everlasting cure. When she was sad, it was never for long, because she’d find ways to laugh. I thought she was crazy, but… she was just pure like that.
“Okay, Momma,” I say, wiping my face. “Are you ready for your free throw?”
If she were here, she’d say,“Don’t miss,”and then she’d cheer me on like a manic spectator.
