Fate and Friendship

Tear stained

      "So do you run a lot?" I questioned. "I'm surprised i've never seen you before." Normally I'm pretty shy around people that I have just met. But for some strange reason I felt comfortable around Dalton.

   "Oh no, I wasn't exactly running. I was actually being chased... because, well you probably now." Apparently I was supposed to understand what he meant, but I was totally lost. "Know what?" I didn't want to appear confused, but I was curious as to what he was talking about.

    "Um,never mind, just forget it." I could tell by the awkward tone of his voice that something was up, but he said to let it go, so I did. "So are you from around here?" I tried to change topics nonchalantly. "No, I'm visiting from L.A., I'm just on vacation with my family." It wasn't too shocking that he was from one of the biggest cities in the U.S. In Kauai we get tourists from all over the U.S. year round.

    "Ooh, a California boy," i joked," You must be famous or something." He laughed and turned towards the ocean. The awkwardness that was present in our earlier conversation, made its way back to us. "Those waves sure do look perfect. Do you surf?"

    "No," I said watching his shocked expression. "I know, i know. I live in Hawaii, how do i not surf?" He grinned, "My exact thoughts." I wasn't in the mood for explaining so i just left it at, "It's a long story."

"I have time." Now I wasn't expecting that answer. But Dalton was special so I shouldn't have been surprised that he would ask.

    He sank down onto a rock and I plopped down beside him. "It was July 13, 2004 and I had just turned 8. I had been looking forward to that day for as long as I could remember.  When my other siblings turned 8 my dad took them to do something exciting that they had never done before. My brother Sammy got to go bungee jumping and my sister Alexis got to go cliff diving in Hana. So when it was finally my turn, I decided to go scuba diving." I took a deep breath before I continued, and I noticed that Dalton was listening intently.

   "We went on a boat with about 10 other divers and headed out on the North Shore. Once we reached the point where we were going to get in the water, the guide told us to stay together at all times. On the count of 3 we all jumped into the warm, clear water. Everyone else looked nervous except for my dad and I. We both lived for these kinds of things. I was having trouble with the oxygen tank and my dad helped me fix its position. Then we looked around and realized that no one else was there and we had drifted far enough that the boat could not be seen. My dad assured me that we would catch up so we dived under the water. We kept getting deeper, and we were distracted by the amazing different types of fish. It was like being in a completely different world." I stopped to collect my thoughts and Dalton sat there patiently waiting.

"In an instant, millions of school of fish flew past us, which seemed odd. Then from the corner of my eye I could see a massive shark and another, and suddenly we were being circled by 10 sharks. My dad grabbed my hand and we tried to stay calm. I blinked for a second too long and heard my dad's bone chilling scream. I had never heard him make any sound so loud, so I opened my eyes and his lower calf was gone. I tried to pull him up and swim as fast as I could. I caught sight of the "North Shore Divers" sign on the boat and kicked my legs like my life depended on it. The guide and all the other divers helped me lift my dad onto the boat and we raced to the shore. The paramedics were already there and they loaded him into the ambulance." I paused as the tears started to roll down my cheeks. My voice began to crack but I wanted to finish. "I remember pacing back in forth in the hospital hallway and my family tried to comfort me. Then the doctor said we could come into the room that my dad was in. He told me that my dad lost 50% of the blood in his body and..." I couldn't help it, the dam broke. "He wasn't going to make it."

   Dalton wrapped his arms around me and rubbed circles on my back. "It's ok, just let it out." I felt like such an idiot but he made me feel like it was normal to act like this. He was one of the few people that I had told the whole story to and it felt really good to share it. "I'm sorry, I probably stained your shirt with my tears." He lifted up my chin so that I was looked into his eyes once again, "I'm glad you did."