Page 42 of The Art of Loving Lacy
“That body of water is Aunt Lydia’s Cove, and see that little island? It’s Tern Island Sanctuary.” He took her hand in his. “Come on.” As they climbed the steps to the second-story deck of the fish pier, Dane let go of her hand, not wanting to push the limits.
It was harder than he thought it would be to not reach for her again. He had to remain strong.No pressure.He pretended not to notice the questioning look in her eyes.
She went to the far side of the upper deck. “Seals,” she said, pointing to the little dark heads popping in and out of the water by the island.
“Yup. That’s why they called the Brave Foundation. In the last decade, this area has gone from a seal population of two or three thousand to more like fifteen or sixteen thousand. Seals came, sharks followed,” he explained.
“To eat the seals,” Lacy said.
Dane shrugged. “They have to eat.” They descended the stairs and walked toward the beach. “Are you okay to go out on the floating dock?” He watched her for signs of nervousness.
“Yeah. I should be fine,” she said.
A fisherman stood on the edge of the dock with a bucket. He tossed fish into the water as Lacy and Dane approached, and within seconds, there were three seals arching their slick backs out of the water, then poking their enormous heads up and looking at the man with the bucket. He tossed a few more fish into the water, and the seals dove under the water to catch them.
“They’re so cute!” Lacy said. “Look how big their eyes are. And look at that one over there. See how it’s staring at us?” She moved closer to the fisherman. “Can you toss him one, please?”
Dane loved her enthusiasm, and as she moved toward the edge of the dock, he stood protectively by her side. She crouched down, and he knelt beside her.
“Dane, by saving the sharks, you’re allowing these cute creatures to be their meal tickets,” Lacy said.
“Lace, what’s in the bucket?” he asked.
“Fish?” she said.
“Right. Are fish more important than seals?” he asked.
“Well, no.”
“It’s the natural food chain, babe. Seals eat fish, and sharks eat seals. We eat cows and chickens. It’s the way nature works. Oceans are the most important ecosystem on the planet and our best defense against global warming. Sharks play a vital role at the top of the food chain by maintaining the oceans.” He dipped his fingers in the water. “Did you know that oceans absorb most of the carbon dioxide that we put into the atmosphere?”
Lacy shook her head.
“The oceans convert that carbon dioxide into a large percentage of the oxygen we breathe. Destroying the sharks could destroy our oceans and our life support system,” he explained. “That’s just one example. There are a million reasons to save sharks, just as there are a million reasons to save seals.”
“Thanks, Caleb,” Dane said to the fisherman. Caleb waved, and Lacy and Dane headed back up the hill to the car.
“Don’t you ever feel guilty saving sharks when you hear about shark attacks?” Lacy asked as they climbed into the car.
“Nope. I feel horrible when someone gets bitten by a shark, but sharks are not looking for humans to eat. If they were, there would be a lot more fatalities,” Dane explained. He drove around the corner and into Chatham.
“So you buy into the whole thing about sharks thinking humans on surfboards are seals?” she asked with a touch of sarcasm.
“Not at all. If sharks thought people were seals, they’d attack with torpedo-like speed. They’re curious creatures. When they appear in stealth mode, their goal is not predation. They use their teeth like we use our hands. When they bite something unfamiliar, whether it’s a person, a surfboard, or a license plate, they’re looking for tactile evidence about what it is. It’s like a test, a sniff from a dog. When they attack seals, they attack fast and hard, tearing them to shreds. It’s a different approach. So, yeah, I feel terrible when someone gets bitten by a shark, just like I feel terrible when a person gets bitten by a dog, stung by a bee, or hit by a car, but you don’t kill all dogs, snuff the bees, or dismantle the cars, right?”
Lacy nodded. “I guess I can see your point.”
“I sound like I’m lecturing. I’m sorry. I get a little passionate about what I do,” he admitted. “Rob and I spend a lot of our free time convincing people of the innocence of sharks. It’s a tough business.” Dane parked the car and they walked through the parking lot to Main Street.
“Where is Rob? I thought he was arriving Sunday,” Lacy said.
“He’s going through a hard time with his wife right now. To be honest, I’m a little worried about him.” Dane thought about Rob’s behavior on the boat. He’d have to remember to call him again later and see if he could get him to open up a little more about what happened between him and Sheila.
“Gosh, you’ve told me so much about him over the last year and a half that I feel like I already know him and his wife. If you’re worried about him, maybe you should be with him instead of me.”
“The enormity of your heart never fails to amaze me,” Dane said. “I’ll call him later. I left him a message this morning. You’ll get to meet him when we go out on the boat later this week.”
Lacy’s eyes widened.
