Yes, little darlin, tomorrow.
My neice, 3 years old, who has never been to the beach was all excited about going.
Her sister (who is about 13)was telling her
"there are sharks out there, they will get you!
Mama! Mama! de sharks fina bite me?
We were all laughing, the other kids would chase her like they were sharks,
AYYY, AYYY, you not gonna get me.
Bite! Bite!
MAMA! MAMA! the Shark gonna get me?
No, darling, i said.
Look baby, I will be with you and your aunt too.
I swim like a fish....and....
But, the shark swim good too? Right?
(she had me there)
well, they don't come in close, they like the deep water.
So next morning, after breakfast i was just sitting at mom's place on the beach.
The water was super calm, like glass. I was about to fall into that sand gravity mode.
Uh Oh, today is the beach day!
I gotta go! So i payed up the bill, left the tip with the waitress and jumped in a rout mobile.
When i got to my In laws house, they were still getting ready.
Nick was laughing.
Yeah, mon. de pickney dem, nuf fraid of de wata mon.
So, we jump in the car and head back to my hotel to get ready for the swim.
My wife and Renique went in the room to change into swim suits and get their towels.
They came out the hotel looking like a picture.
Shantay had on a very colorful one piece bathing suit.
My wife, of course was showin off her bikini body.
Uh, here baby, put this towel around your behind.
She just grabbed my nose and said "jealous?'Silly rabbit.
Any way, lets go.
Shantay can run like the wind, i swear i'm gonna find some track club for her one day, but today, she was draggin.
Come on Shantay, my wife said.
Dont'worry.
I reached down and swooped her up with one arm.
She is light as a feather.
So we get to the road,
"make sure you always look both ways, and make sure no cars are coming.
So, we crossed the road and head to Bar B Barn Hotel on the beach.
Hey mon, you got your dawta wid you Mon?
LOL
My wife tells everybody that Shantay is her daughter.
So, we pass the bar area and dining area and here it comes.
Tears, Waayhhh, Waayhhh, The sharks!
i don't want to go in the water!
So i put her down and she and my wife have a seat on a beach towel.
I'll show you how to do it.
I walk off into the water, get about 2 feet deep and have a seat.
See! It's ok, no wories mon.
The little tears looked like tiny diamonds rolling down her cheeks.
I mean she was "really" crying.
It took about 1/2 hour, of me playing and swimming and splashing and looking like a nut,
but eventually she calmed down and the 2 of them slowly walked into the sea.
My wife was still holding her, or should i say she was holding on to my wife, like a baby monkey on Nature programs.
They sat down in the water and slowly the tears went away.
See Mark, see how much fun he is having.
I went back on shore and had an idea.
I know, don't feed the fish, but i just wanted to show Shantay that some fish are harmless.
I broke off a little bit of cookie (they say biscuit) and sure enough, here come some little silver and yellow fish.
EEEEHH! EEEERHHH! Look, do they bite?
No No darlin, just good little fish!
Look.
I started to break little pieces off and the fish went for them.
Let me! Let me!
Now her courage was up.
She would try and throw the food.
No, no, just let it float, the fish will get it.
I played and splashed with Shantaye for a good little while.
We i was coming out the water the staff at Bar B Barn were all laughing and talkin about us.
Man, she was scared out there, they said.
Yeah, but i taught her not to be too scared of the water anymore.
It was a nice day of swimming and playing in the wonderful Caribbean Sea.
