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Especially This One

Catherine pushed up from paddling and sat astride her surfboard as she reached deeper water to wait for a wave. She could see Steve almost at the shoreline hoisting his board up to re enter the surf.

Deciding to wait for him to join her, as she floated she reached up to re-tie the halter string of her bikini top a bit tighter. Seconds later she turned to her right when she heard a distinctive, almost dog-like 'sniff'. Knowing the water was far too deep for Cammie and that she was safely on shore, she looked around nonetheless. Nothing.

'Sniff'

Steve was paddling out in her direction and she was about to wave him in closer when the source of the noise surfaced a mere two feet away.

"Oh!" she said softly. "Ohhh, look at you. Hello."

The beautiful dark eyes that blinked up at her belonged to a monk seal and she smiled at the animal as it regarded her curiously.

"Aren't you pretty?" she cooed softly, wishing she had her waterproof phone. Seeing Steve approaching from a few yards away, she held a finger to her lips and gestured him over just as a wave rose and fell beneath her.

When he reached her side he swiveled so they were parallel. "What?"

"There was a monk seal…" She was interrupted by the sudden shift of her board as it tilted heavily behind her. Looking back, she startled at the whiskered, large eyed passenger who had hoisted itself up and joined her. "Oh Steve, look at him," she whispered. "His eyes remind me of Cammie's."

The seal sniffed and relaxed; his chubby, wrinkly neck and chin resting behind her as Catherine shifted her weight to counterbalance the surfboard.

Steve came closer with slow, measured movements. "Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua translates to dog running in rough seas," he said quietly as another wave lifted the trio up and back down. "He's tagged. R257," he read off the orange tag on the hind flipper that draped into the ocean.

Monk seals were protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

"I'll call the The Monk Seal Foundation," Catherine said as she gently turned around to face her visitor, who was lounging across the surfboard like a beach-goer on a chaise. "Hi, sweetie, are you visiting from Maui?" Most of the seals congregated there.

Steve shook his head with a grin at how his beautiful wife's kindness extended to everyone, including the animal that would probably have startled most surfers off their boards.

While she knew not to try and touch the seal, she took the opportunity to enjoy its presence as the waves became more gentle with the receding tide.

"Grab a last wave or two," she told Steve. "Before the tide's out." She glanced his way, but returned her eyes to the resting seal who was making little snuffling noises of contentment as he relaxed close to the human who had an aura of safety around her.

"You're not coming? You're done for …" Steve grinned. "You don't want to disturb the seal."

"He's so sweet, and I can't exactly shove him off, can I? Besides, look at those eyes. I wish Angie could see him"

"Okay, buddy, wait right there." Steve pointed at the grey mammal. Looking up at Catherine, he said, "Be right back." And not waiting for a wave, lay flat and paddled for shore.

"Where are …" she began, but he was too far away and the surf sound carried her voice out to sea. Shrugging, she smiled at the grey creature with the big, soft eyes and said, "You're a little far from Maui, I hope you're not lost." Studying him, she thought he looked smaller than the other monk seals she'd seen while out kayaking or at the aquarium. Those seals were quite a bit larger than this one and she worried her lip as the thought he might be a pup separated from his mother crossed her mind. "We'll call the foundation and they'll pick you up on sonar. If you're lost they'll get you home," she mused out loud.

Steve was back in minutes, paddling their kayak with powerful strokes and expertly stopping to drift a yard away. Putting the paddle down, he pulled out his phone and snapped photos, texting several with a short message before beginning to film.

His voice low, he narrated as he held the waterproof device up and zoomed in. "Here's your mommy and her new friend, Angie. She wanted you to see him so here he is. It's January 2019 and you're eighteen months old. Mommy and I were surfing and she stopped to wait for a wave and a monk seal hopped onto her board." His smile was bright even while the rest of his face was obscured by the phone. "We wanted you to the see the seal, but Daddy also wants you to see how even animals recognize how incredible your mommy is, sweetheart. We're pretty lucky, huh?"

As he continued to film for another few seconds, Catherine shook her head and said, "I'm just as lucky, because I have you and your daddy and Cammie." She waved at the lens until Steve stopped and carefully passed her the phone.

"Say cheese, cutie," she said and snapped some closer images.

"I called the foundation," Steve noted. "There's been a few sightings around this area, so a pod's just branching out a little further from their normal area than usual."

Catherine's eyes were soft. "He's not lost? 'Cause look at him. He's definitely not an adult."

The seal opened his mouth in a silent yawn and lifted his head. Moments later, another seal broke the water's surface, then another, both bobbing with the current. When the little seal heard the others vocalizing, he raised his head and stretched. Spotting the members of his family, he slid off Catherine's board and back into the ocean.

Catherine took several more photos, waved at the pod of seals and handed Steve the phone. "Let's go show Angie."

Back on shore, Steve lifted Angie from Joseph's arms and kissed her cheek.

"Dada ah bah!

"Really?" Steve smiled and carried her to the deck while Catherine and Joseph followed behind.

"Let's see this seal who was visiting my girl." Grandma Ang, who was on the deck with Elizabeth, grinned at Steve "Hey, that sounds familiar…"

Catherine laughed as they showed the photos and video to the adults before settling Angie on her lap and holding the phone so she could see. "Look, sweetheart, isn't he cute?"

"Dada." Angie flapped both hands and tilted her head at her daddy's recorded voice. "Mama!" She pointed at Catherine's image and squealed, "ohhh," when the seal's face filled the screen.

Steve leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Look at the monk seal. He came to say hi and mommy wanted you to see him."

"So your daddy came back for the phone and kayaked out to video us." Catherine reached to squeeze his arm.

"We should have known," Grandma said with a wink. "Of all the sea life that little guy would like Catherine. Angie, looks like your mommy has a way with seals."

The others laughed as Steve leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek. Addressing their daughter with a smile of his own, pointing to himself, he confirmed, "Especially this one."

# End. Thanks for reading!

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