Learning to Be Little Again(53)

“I’m happy to hear that. Now, do you want to listen to music on the drive to your surprise?”

“Yes please, Daddy!”

I popped a Kidz Bop CD into the CD player and headed towards the city aquarium.



* * *



We arrived at our destination twenty minutes later. Juliana had her face plastered against the window and had realized where we were going five minutes ago, when she saw a sign advertising the aquarium.

“Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squealed in delight as I parked the car in the aquarium parking lot.

“You’re welcome, baby girl. I thought since you had been such a good little girl this past month, you deserved a special treat.”

“This is the best treat ever! Thank you!” she said and gave me the best hug she could over our arm rests.

“You’re welcome. Now, come on. Let’s go inside and see all the fish! Maybe we’ll even be able to see a dolphin show!”

At the mention of possibly seeing a dolphin show, Juliana got even more excited.

We got out of the car quickly, I paid for our parking, and then we headed into the aquarium. Juliana practically pulled me to the entrance because she said I wasn’t walking fast enough. Thankfully the lines to buy tickets weren’t too long, probably because it was Thursday.

Juliana held my hand the entire time we were waiting in line. With each step we took, she would squeeze my hand. It touched me that something as simple as going to the aquarium could make her this happy.

Finally, we reached the ticket stand and along with our admission, I got us two tickets to the dolphin show that began in two hours, at eleven. Once we had our tickets, we headed off and started looking at all of the different fish.



* * *



“That was so cool! Did you see that shark?” Juliana asked, as we walked hand in hand to the dolphin show.

“Yes, I did. He looked pretty big and like he was hungry.”

“I’m glad that I’m not in there with him. He would have eaten me!” she said just as we found our seats at the front of the audience and sat down.

“Let’s be thankful that you aren’t in there with him. What did you think of those jellyfish?”

“They were so pink! I bet Samantha would like those the best! Pink is her favorite color! Joey would have loved the beluga whales!” she said, a smile crossing her face as it always did when she talked about her two best friends.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the dolphin show is going to begin in five minutes!” a voice said, over the crowd.

She visibly shook as she watched the trainers get into the water and warm up with the dolphins. She was so excited about the show. I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

“Thank you for bringing me here. Daddy,” she whispered so only I could hear her.

“You’re very welcome, baby girl.”



* * *



Deciding to surprise Juliana with the trip to the aquarium had been such a smart plan. She had absolutely loved it. After the dolphin show, where she’d been kissed on the cheek by a dolphin, we walked around to see the rest of the exhibits. After we saw every one, we went to get a late lunch at the Jellyfish Cafe.

We’d just finished lunch and were about to leave the aquarium, and I could tell that Juliana was tired and was betting she would fall asleep on the car ride home. As we were walking out, she tugged on my arm. I looked down at her and asked, “What’s the matter, sweetie?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay. There should be one around here somewhere.” I looked around at the signs and when I noticed one for a woman’s bathroom, I steered us that way.

“Okay. I’ll be standing right outside waiting here for you, sweetie,” I said.

“Alright.”





Chapter Twenty-Two





I’d just finished using the bathroom and was washing my hands. I couldn’t believe that Robert had surprised me with a trip to the aquarium! I hadn’t been here since I was a little girl. I had always loved fish, which made this trip even more fun. The thought of being free in the open ocean, to swim and play, always sounded like so much fun to me.

As I was washing my hands, I thought about all the colorful fish I had seen swimming. I wished I could have gone into the tank and just swam with them.

“Hey! This is the woman’s bathroom!” someone shouted as I was drying my hands. Just as I went to throw my paper towel out, I came face to face with Boyle.

“Not a word, any of you, or else it will be your last,” he said, pointing a black gun at me and at the three other women who were in the bathroom with me. I froze, not sure what to do.

“Hello, Juliana. I’m sure you weren’t expecting me, were you?”