Chapter 28Jack
Chapter 28
Jack
It’s a quarter mile, all told, from the Hanu Resort saltwater lagoon to the first lapping waves of the ocean.
The resort staff has organized this ceremony beautifully. The guests have been given little print-outs of blessings and song lyrics, floral leis to wear around our necks, and various instruments, including bongo drums, penny whistles, and tambourines.
At least a hundred of us tourists line the paths and stretch of white sand that the turtles will be guided along.
Hazel, at my side, crouches down so she’s close to the sand. That’s how I know the sea turtles are getting closer.
I lean forward to see past the middle-aged guy on my left. And there they are… the two sea turtles.
It’s wild that I can even tell which one is Chester. He’s shuffling along with an authentic look of determination; he wants to get to that ocean water.
I’ve heard he’s five years old. Akoni talked with Hazel and me earlier when everyone was gathering and getting ready for this. He said most other sea turtle pairs the resort has helped raise have been released after four years.
This pair took a little longer to mature.
My brother and Corinne tied the knot when they were young. They knew.
Me? It’s taken me a little longer to find the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.
This morning, I told Hazel I wanted to be with her for a long, long time.
The truth is, I want to be with her for the rest of my life.
I want to marry her. I want to start a family with her.
I’m sure of that, in the same way Brett was sure when he dated Corinne. I remember being in my late teens when he told me about his plan to propose. He’d just hit twenty at the time. We were out in his motorboat on the only lake in Moab. The man-made reservoir was higher than usual, and the water pushed us up against a dam of rocks.
He was getting all worked up about how close we were to the rocks. I remember telling him to chill out and that he could repair it if it got a little knocked up. “It’d just cost a couple hundred,” I told him.
“I don’t have a couple hundred,” he fired back.
“What are you talking about, dude?” I asked him. “You have savings. I know you do. You scrimp every penny.”
“I spent it all. On a ring.”
I knew what he was talking about that instant. The only ring my brother would spend his entire savings account on was an engagement ring. I remember protesting, with something about how he was young, and he couldn’t know for sure Corinne was ‘the one.’
“When you know, you know,” he said. He cracked a big grin at me, then jumped out of the boat even though he was in long Carhartts. He saved the boat from bumping up against the jagged rocks, and the next day, he proposed to Corinne.
When you know, you know.
For a long time, I thought that was his own deal. His own unique destiny.
But now, I get to have that feeling.
It’s incredible, this certainty.
I know that Hazel is the woman for me. I can feel it in my bones, and in my heart, and in every cell of my body.
Once she's back on her feet, she aims her cell phone at the sea turtle pair and snaps a photo. “For Ophelia and Jasmine,” she says with a smile.
Her arms circle my waist, and she lays her head on my chest. Around us, people are clapping and urging the turtles on. An elderly woman plays an actual tune on the penny whistle, and a teenage boy beside her improvises on the drum.
Everyone’s so happy.
So excited.
These turtles are getting quite the sendoff.
“They’re gonna love that,” I tell her.
“Look at how different Chester looks out here on the sand,” Hazel says.
I watch the turtle swipe at the sand so he can scoot forward. “He does look different now that he’s moved out of the cozy lagoon.”
“Good luck, Chester!” Hazel tells him as he inches past.
“Thanks for everything, buddy,” I add.
Chester swivels his head toward us. He does that bobby nod of his, though it’s probably more about his efforts to move than acknowledging us.
It’s cool, though, to see him nod like that. It's almost like he’s thanking us, too.
I mean, Hazel did give him a lot of carrots.
I snuggle Hazel closer to me. We fit perfectly together when we stand like this. I love the feel of her cheek resting against the fabric of my shirt, right over my beating heart.
Hazel and I took a while to find each other. We needed to go through all the lessons we had to learn to get to where we are in our lives.
I had ups and downs, and so did she.
And now that we found each other, we’ll still have ups and downs. I know that for a fact. It feels good to think that maybe if I’m lucky, we’ll face them together.
The guests that lined the path closer to the resort now amble toward the sea in a slow-moving parade behind the sea turtles. Staff members usher the patient, plodding turtles along with gentle hand motions.
Hazel and I fall into step with the crowd. When others pile purses, cellphones, and shoes in a jumbled fray, we do the same. Hazel drops her purse and kicks off her sandals. I stick my phone in her bag and take off my leather sandals.
That seems to be the way to go in case some big waves come in.
The two sea turtles scoot onto wet sand. A wave swishes up, bathing their fins. The next wave leaves foam on the tops of their shells. Soon, they’re belly-deep in the water.
Wet sand gives way under my feet. I can feel the cool water on my ankles and the tops of my feet. I curl my toes into the sand.
The last glimpse I have of Chester is the top of his shell, just before he dips out of view.
Good luck, buddy, I tell him mentally.
“Wow,” Hazel says. She lets go of my waist to touch the water. “They’re free, out in the big ocean. Hm… water’s pretty nice. Maybe we should go for a swim later.”
“Or, how about now?” I scoop her up, so she’s cradled in my arms and start to walk forward.
She laughs and clings tighter to my neck. “What are you doing?” she squeals. “We’re not even in our suits!”
Waves break over my waist and chest. Her black sundress is now drenched, and my Hawaiian shirt sticks to my body, a cool block against the sun.
“I want to swim with you,” I say as I let a wave lift me off my feet.
“You’re ridiculous ,” she says.
“Ridiculous, but handsome. Or so I’ve heard.”
The next wave tickles my neck. Hazel smiles and then wriggles free from my arms. She dives under the water. It looks refreshing, so I dive in after her.