After a late dinner on Saturday night Abi had the idea that we should go for a walk on the pier. Before we leave Bryan suggests we try to get a baby shark to temporarily put into the shark exhibit at the nature center. Abi fears it will be too much trouble and tells him not to get his hopes up. But she secretly brings the cooler. As we stroll along the pier we start to make small talk with some of the fishermen there. Many of them have multiple rods with multiple lures on each. I ask one nice gentlemen (read: redneck) if he has caught any sharks today. He says they've been biting all day but he's had to throw them back on account of them being too small. Just as we are having this conversation the next fisherman over begins to reel something in. Up comes a baby shark! We explain that Abi's husband works for a nature center that is in need of a baby shark for its exhibit. We ask excitedly if we can have the baby shark. He says yes, pulls the hook out and hands me the shark. I stand there not sure what to do when Jill exclaims, "You better run!", which I do. We left the cooler in the car. Either our hopes weren't high for actually getting a shark or we were too dull to think to bring the cooler with us. Either way, I am a good 200 yards from the car and the cooler. As I am walking/jogging with Jill at my side the baby shark (soon after dubbed Neo) is bleeding all over my hand. We finally make it to the cooler and I drop Neo therein. The cooler still needs sea water! I rush to the side of the pier and crawl down the cement blocks and scoop up some water. Neo doesn't look so good. He's intermittently flopping and floating a little.
We stand there. Out of breath. Hoping he won't die.
Abi says what she's probably been thinking throughout the whole fiasco, "I think we should throw him back." My jaw drops. Jill probably laughs. She explains that Neo is probably going to die anyway and that it would be a lot of trouble for Bryan to go back to the nature center that night to put Neo in the shark tank.
I can't explain why, but being a wife and a mother gives your opinion a new level of authority. Abi is no exception, though she is such a new mom.
I threw him back.
The best part is the story and memories we got out of this adventure.
My only regret is that we didn't get a picture.
Abi is going to try to catch Bryan a healthy baby shark in her fishing net.
I bet she will.
UPDATE June 11, 2009: Abi did get a new shark. From another nice fisherman at the pier. 14" long and named Morpheus.
4 comments:
Two comments:
1. out of your three blog posts, two are about fish.
2. i love it when people use dull to mean stupid.
That is all.
someone had to say it--it's the first time i've cussed all year when other people could hear--hopefully it makes up for having to throw it back... a little
~
Neo, he was the one.
"He's dying in my hand, Jill!"
Seconds later after he flops around a bit "No he's not. He's wiggling, he's wiggling!"
Classic.
-Jill
Championship caliber storytale.
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