Bondi Rescue Imagines

Jesse Polock - Whale shark drama is no drama

Jesse Polock

"Uhm...Hey Jesse?"
"Yeah, what's wrong my darling?" Said I to the 4 year old little girl who was looking at me with big hazel eyes. I really loved her. I am a single father and decided to adopt her two years ago. The adoption process was painstakingly long, but in the end she was mine. She had been living with me for only three months, so we were kind of still getting to know each other.
"Can I call you daddy?"
"You can call me daddy anytime you wish, darling. Daddy always loved you, still loves you and forever will".
"Daddy I is scared... Big fish." She looked to the ground very sadly.
"Big fish what darlin'?" said I whilst putting her on my lap. She had reached out to me with her arms, this meant she loved me and also, she needed me.
"Big fish yesterday eat you... Ugly."
I immediately remembered. The evening before we had watched a natgeo documentary about fish and sharks, and there was the whale shark. I took her in my arms after having kissed her head and took her in her play room. I found a coloured book with the species of fish and sharks that I had given her the second day she was with me. I started showing her the pictures, with her leaning against me.
"Which one is the big fish you don't like darling?" "I don't like... This. And this. But this a bit less."
She didn't like at all the whale shark, but she liked a bit more the man eater.
"Darling don't worry, shhhttttt... relax in my hug. Dad's here. And keeps the bad things away. The big fish you are worried about is called whale shark. Because it is very big big fish. But he is a fish as you said. You know what he feeds on?"
"Nope daddy"
"On very little things called plancton."
"Plan...plan..."
"Yes... You are very intelligent. He is not interested in us, he is a fish. Like these, here look." I swiftly changed the page to that of the angel fish, and other tropical species. She liked them more to be honest. Loved bright colours.
"Small... fish."
"Yes, these are small and very coloured."
"I like this!! Beautiful fish!" her curious eyes danced in between the many coloured fish species, in particular a guppy and a platy. But she indicated that she also loved the angel fish.
"I is still scared of big fish. I no swim. I no like daddy" she said it very sadly, and it killed me.
"Daddy no die!!... Daddy!! Daddy!!" She was crying.
"You can cry darling. Keep crying, you need it. You are a strong little girl. Dad is here, dad is big and powerful, he keeps all bad things away from you. He protects you because he is strong."
"Protect? Daddy..."
"Yes, darling. Daddy can teach you to be like him. Strong. He will teach you to swim. Do you want to try?"
"Like daddy?"
"Yes! He has three surprises for you. One is here, come with me!" Said I excited. I plucked out of her closet a two piece bikini with striped motive, it was blue, like lifeguard blue. She tried it on excited, well... with my help. Then I rubbed on her the Nivea Kids sun cream. She liked being massaged.
"I learn to swim!"
"Yeah, you learn to swim! Dad is with you!" We went to my little pool in the garden. I put her inside, slowly.
"Come on my little delight, move your arms and legs, move them... Good! You're a pro!"

Time passed in the water. I gave her a billabong life vest of those we use as lifeguards. And showed her that she could float. She was in awe.

The next day I bought her two aquariums, one for the angel fish, the other for guppy and platy.
She loved me even more; she kept being in awe of the many wonders of the ocean.
And even accepted to come with me on a shark whale spotting trip. Touching them. And understanding they were just "big fish".

I never left her side, always there. Always me.