The Reverie of Bobby Martinez

Chapter 4: The Silent Bangka

Whoosh.

Bobby could hear the soft waves of the ocean splashing against a hard surface. His eyes were closed but he felt that he was on his back, lying on some very damp wood. He breathed in and smelled salty air enter his lungs. He heard more waves and felt some water splash on his face.

Bobby opened his eyes and all he could see was the sky. It was the kind of blue the made you feel calm. There were no clouds, there was only a big mass of blue. He scanned the sky in awe, sitting up slowly while rubbing the tired out of his eyes.

He winced as the saltiness of the sea had dried on his fingertips. He heard some humming on the other side of the bangka. He focused his gaze at the person and smiled. 

"You're up?" Tommy looked back at Bobby and waved at him. "I think I spotted Marina!" Marina was a popular teleserye about a mermaid. Bobby rushed to the other side of the boat, he had the biggest crush on Marina and had always dreamed of meeting her. The small boat rocked sideways as Bobby almost hopped towards Tommy. 

"Where is she? Where is she?" Bobby's eyes glimmered as he stared at the crystal clear waters. He saw something big move under the boat. "Marina!" Bobby yelled as he tugged on Tommy's shirt. "It's really her!" 

Tommy patted Bobby's head. "Do you want to see her up close?" Tommy grinned and dangled some goggles over Bobby's head. He jumped up trying to reach it and made the boat rock even more. Tommy leaned back and almost fell into the water. He placed the goggles on Bobby and as soon as they were secure, Bobby almost ripped his shirt off and jumped in the water.

The sound of bubbles rushed in Bobby's ears. He looked up and could see a wavy image of Tommy watching him above the water. Bobby was a great swimmer, he used to swim in the ocean all the time during the summer. He would swim for hours with his father and they would follow little fish into the seaweed or even collect little shells to show his mother. 

Bobby felt at peace in the water, it was where he could hear his thoughts best. He looked under the boat and tried to look for Marina but she wasn't there. He swam and swam but oddly enough there was nothing in the water except for some small silver fish whipping by. It was only then he realized that they were in the middle of some islands. The water was deep but you could still see the white sand below. They were near some rocks but the waters were calm and he wasn't too worried about crashing into them. Bobby raised his head from the water.

"She's gone Tommy!" Bobby frowned.

"She's probably just shy, Bobby" Tommy smiled. "Maybe she hid behind the rocks." Suddenly, Tommy's eyes widened. 

Something smoothed touched Bobby's back. "Marina!" Bobby yelled again and spun around. Bobby's smile faded as soon as it came. In front of him was a very big dugong. The mammal rubbed his nose on Bobby's outstreched hand. Tommy started laughing on the boat, he laughed so hard tears came out of his eyes. He had a deep and warm laugh just like Bobby's father.

Bobby pouted as the dugong swam around him. He swam back towards the small boat and Tommy helped him up. He was a little disappointed. "Looks like Marina gained a few pounds." Tommy chuckled as he removed Bobby's goggles and dried him with a towel. 

Bobby looked down in the waters and the dugong had started swimming on its back near the boat. The creatures tail moved in the water gently and for a little bit, it did look like a mermaid. Bobby felt disappointed but Tommy lightly placed his hand on Bobby's head.

"What we want to see doesn't always align with reality, Bobby. Never forget that." Tommy's voice softened as he removed his hand from Bobby's head. "You just need to learn how to enjoy both your imagination and reality."  

Tommy warmly smiled but Bobby could sense a tiny bit of sadness in his voice.