Forever(7)

The release of bubbles scared me into opening my eyes to a group of giant spotted rays and a dozen dolphins. Fifty or more of the enormous rays gathered at the edge of the purple circle that had formed around us. They hovered like eagles on the wind, elegant and fluid in their movement. The dolphins remained behind the rays, most of them female with their babies.

“Oh my,” I said, not able to find the words. Thayde rested his head against mine. There were no words and we watched them watch us until our aura began to dissolve. It was only when the aura had vanished that the rays decided to move on, slowly diving and swimming away together. The dolphins followed suit, reminiscent of a royal procession.

When they completely disappeared, I remembered that somewhere on my body was a brand new tattoo. I pulled away from Thayde, expecting some huge, grotesque black sludgy looking thing to be plastered onto his chest. There was nothing.

“Where is it?” I asked, circling him, looking at his back, but it was completely bare.

“I’m not sure.”

“Can’t you feel it?”

“Can you?”

“No.”

“That’s right. These tattoos don’t hurt. Come here.”

Gently, he took my waist and searched me, starting with my fingers, my arms, my stomach and my back. There was nothing.

“It has to be here somewhere,” he said, twisting me in the water.

“It’s not on my face is it?” I groaned, trying to picture walking down the street with a hideous black or green ink blotch on my forehead. That would make Mom really proud.

“No, that’s the thing, I can’t find it!”

“What does that mean?”

“It means it didn’t take, but I don’t understand! Everything else happened correctly!” He pulled away from me, trying to get a better look.

“Maybe it’s on our scalp?” I offered.

“It’s never hidden like that.” Thayde frowned. “I don’t understand!” He looked down at the ocean floor a few hundred feet below us.

“Maybe it can’t happen with me?” I was out of suggestions.

Deep in thought, Thayde crossed his arms and covered his mouth with one hand. I was quiet while he thought. When he looked back to me, he did a double take and smiled.

“It’s on your fins.”

“What? Where?” I bent at the waist, trying to get a look. Thayde swam forward and, taking my left fin in his hands, lifted it up so I could see. Sure enough, there was a white tribal looking line running the length of my fin.

“It’s white!” I exclaimed feeling the rush of relief and shock run through me at the same time.

“That it is,” he nodded and flipped his tail up to me. I caught the end of it and rubbed my hand over the matching tattoo.

“I thought it would be black!”

“It’s pretty rare to have tattooing on your tail – it’s not something you see every day. In fact, I’ve never seen it.”

“It looks really cool, Thayde.” I said, noted how beautiful the white stood out against the dark blue.

“Yours is lovely,” Thayde’s voice was filled with love. I looked back to my fin.

“It looks like a Christmas gift.” I muttered.

“What?”

“It does! Why don’t we just add a green bow and I’ll be all set?”

Thayde began to laugh, dropping my fins and wrapping his arms around me. “You’re such a dork,” he said, “and I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“Na-uh!”

“Ya-huh!”

Thayde lifted me into his arms and held me as he swam back to the dock. I leaned my head into his neck and closed my eyes. Would that this could last forever.

He stopped swimming.

Those girls are standing on the edge of the dock. They’re holding our clothes. Thayde released me. We need to phase now and pretend we were skinny dipping.

I can do that.

Together we rose toward the light. When we surfaced, the girls screamed.

“What are you guys doing?” Joline shouted, dropping my dress into the water.

“Thanks,” I grabbed at the dress and wriggled into it. “We were taking a dip.”

“At night? Aren’t you scared of sharks?”

“It’s not night yet and no, we’re not afraid of sharks.”

“Can I have my pants?” Thayde asked Carly, who held them tightly in her hands.

“You were down there a really long time,” she said.

“Yeah,”

“Really long,”

Thayde wiped the water from his face. “Do you mind? I’m naked here!”

Carly tossed him his shorts. “You guys aren’t normal are you?”

Thayde glanced at me. Should you do a mind swipe?