Page 66 of Total Ship Show

“With every fiber of my being I know you’re not going to want to leave once we get there.”

Wow. He’s that sure of himself.

Now I’m intrigued.

“Umm, okay. I gotta pee. Give me three minutes and I’ll be ready.”

A nervous excitement flows through me at what Aris has planned for us today. I can’t even imagine what it could be, nor can I remember what excursions were available for today since I knew I wasn’t planning on going on any of them. I couldn’t guess even if I wanted to.

I brush my teeth and run a brush through my hair, pulling my long blonde locks up into a knot on the top of my head. Since Aris said this is a casual day, I don’t even bother with makeup. I change into a simple pair of shorts and a tank top, grab my sunglasses and bag and I’m ready for the day.

“Quick selfie before we go?” Aris asks, holding his phone camera out for us to look at.

“Of course!” I lean into Aris and he puts his arm around my shoulder. We both look into the camera and smile as he shoots the picture.

“That’s a keeper,” he says, kissing my head. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

* * *

Meeting up with a small group of people, we load ourselves onto a tour bus. The tour guide on the bus is part of a team that works with the marine biologists who spearhead a program to save endangered sea turtles. As we take a tour around the island, she explains what the team does and the reasons the program is necessary.

“Cozumel currently holds the highest number of sea turtle nests per kilometer than anywhere else in Mexico,” the tour guide tells us. “There are many aspects of turtle conservation and protection here in Cozumel, and today you are going to help us save a great number of baby sea turtles in hopes they’ll be able to one day continue the circle of life for their species.”

I turn to Aris, my jaw practically on my lap. “Seriously? Are we seriously doing this? I’m going to save sea turtles today?” I’m nearly jumping out of my seat and definitely squeezing Aris’s hand tighter than I ever have.

He beams back at me. “You bet your ass we are, sweetheart.”

I throw my arms around Aris’s neck. “Thank you, Aris! Oh, my God, I can’t even believe we’re about to do this.”

“I had a feeling you would love it,” he chuckles. “And I can’t wait to experience it with you.”

Along the way, our tour bus stops at a small marketplace where we can pick up a few souvenirs and take pictures.

“I think you need this.” Aris holds up a delicate gold ankle bracelet with a baby sea turtle charm. It makes me smile.

“That is adorable.”

“It’s yours,” Aris says.

“Aris, you don’t have to keep buying me gifts.” Guilt seeps through me when I think back to all the nice things Aris has done for me during this trip. I was supposed to be on my own here, but since I’ve met Aris, he’s taken care of me in ways I never imagined or expected.

He lifts my chin with his finger so I’m looking at him and softly presses his mouth against mine, his tongue poking through my lips. “Adrienne, it’s been a hot second since I’ve been able to spoil a special woman. Consider this your gift to me if you want, because I enjoy making you happy.”

I take his face in my hands. “As long as you understand that these…things…they’re not what makes me happy. I mean, do I like sweet gifts? Sure. But it’s you I enjoy, Aris. Spending time with you and getting to know you…that’s something I’ll never forget as long as I live.”

My gut twists at my own words because the last thing I want to do is think about having to leave Aris once we’re off this boat. I wish I could tell him we could make this work between us and then live happily ever after, but I’m just not confident that can happen. Not with the way our lives are right now.

Aris nods and then kisses my hand. “I understand completely. And thank you for that sentiment. I enjoy your company more than you know.” He places his hand over mine and leads me to the checkout counter. “Come on. Let’s get this and get back to the bus so we’re not late.”

Our bus drops us off on a long stretch of protected beach with markers spaced out and planted in the sand. We’re introduced to one of the marine biologists working in the program who tells us about the female sea turtles making their way up the beach each year to lay upwards of two-hundred eggs in the sand, buried over one-meter deep.

“That’s a little over three feet for any Americans in the group.”

Those of us who are indeed from the States, chuckle amongst ourselves.

“Every evening some of the turtles hatch and make their way to the ocean. But with all the chaos and frenzy of the hatching process, only about eighty percent of the baby turtles have the stamina to climb out of the nests and find the ocean. So, what we do is backtrack the previous night’s events and try to go in and rescue the remaining twenty percent of babies who were just not quite ready to make that journey until their inner organs are mature enough for them to try. So, the markers you see in the sand contain information about when the eggs were laid in the nest, and which ones have already hatched,” she explains, coming to a stop near a grouping of umbrellas. “Today, you’re going to help us dig up the stragglers that’ve had three days to try to make it out on their own.”

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