“I have to say that to everyone who buys reserved seating, but seriously, these are the best seats in the house. You’ll be up close and personal with the dolphins, and I’ll tell you something, even as someone who works with these beautiful creatures every day, it’s moving being so close to them. It’s their eyes, man. You can see the intelligence there.”
“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” I say. “Such beauty and grace, and they’re so gentle and affectionate.”
He smiles at me.
“You’ve been here before then?” he asks.
I nod.
“Yes, but never this close. And it’s Mac’s first time.”
He claps Mac on the shoulder.
“You’re going to love it, bro. And at the risk of sounding totally lame, it’ll change you. Humble you.”
He turns away from us and points to two seats right smack-dab front and center of the huge pool.
“There you go, guys. Enjoy.” He lets out a little laugh. “Oh, and prepare to get a little wet.”
I blink hard. How does he know? Do I have a wet patch on my ass?
“We perhaps should have bought umbrellas.” Mac laughs.
I feel myself blush as I realize my mistake. Of course he doesn’t know I’m wet already. He meant us getting splashed during the show. He laughs again and walks away as we take our seats.
“Are you alright?” Mac asks. “You went quiet there and you look flushed.”
“Oh, I’m fine. Just excited,” I say.
And I am. In more ways than one.
The time flies as the show area begins to fill up. There’s an air of excitement about the place as the clock ticks around. Blaring music fills the air and the crowd gasps as one as five dolphins burst from the water and into the air, landing back down with big splashes. A trainer runs out onto the speaking platform and begins to tell us about the dolphins, their back stories and their personalities.
During her talk, the dolphins keep leaping from the water, powerful and beautiful. The other trainers appear. The five of them dive into the pool. The show that follows is spectacular as the trainers and dolphins show off for the crowd.
I feel tears of joy fill my eyes, the same reaction I always have when I watch the show. I don’t think about what I’m doing when I reach out and put my hand on Mac’s knee. He rests his hand on top of mine, and I glance at him. He’s mesmerized by the show, his mouth hanging open at the tricks.
One of the trainers gets out of the pool and she runs along the front of the crowd. She stops when she reaches Mac and me. She crouches down beside us.
“How do you two feel about getting up close and personal with Albany, our young female? She’s very friendly.”
I suddenly know what the attendant meant when he said we really did have the best seats in the house. The trainer was going to pull Albany up to the side of the pool, and we’d get to touch her, to feed her.
I am so overcome, I can’t find my voice. I just nod. The trainer can see the look of awe on my face and she grins at me. She takes my hand in one of hers and Mac’s in the other and pulls us to our feet. She turns us to face the crowd.
“What are your names?” she asks.
“Mac and Zoe,” Mac says.
She raises our hands in the air.
“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Mac and Zoe.”
The crowd cheers. She turns us back to the pool and taps on the side. Almost instantly, Albany breaks the surface of the water and puts her head on the edge.
“Don’t be shy, guys,” the trainer says. “She loves attention.”
Right on cue, Albany squeaks at us, flipping her tail and showing off. The trainer throws her a fish, and I move closer. I fall to my knees, not caring that the ground there is wet. I reach out and stroke her head. She nuzzles into my hand, and the tears that have been in my eyes since the show started fall freely down my cheeks.
I reach my other hand up and rub the other side of her head. Mac is crouched beside me and he’s stroking Albany too. The trainer throws her another fish and makes a signal and she slips back below the surface.
“She’ll be back in one minute, folks,” she shouts. She turns to us. “And when she does, how about a little kiss to show how much you like her?”
I gasp.
“We can do that?” I say.
“Sure.” She grins. “She loves people.”
She taps on the side of the pool again and Albany jumps into the air, flips, and splashes back down. She swims to the side and comes up to us again. I look at the trainer, and she nods. I take her face in my hands and lean forward and kiss her nose. She nuzzles against me, and I feel more tears come to my eyes. I watch as Mac kisses her too.