"Lee, check out those players!" Philip exclaimed as they walked closer to the series of volleyball nets set up along one section of the beach. The players were warming up, tapping the ball back and forth to each other. They found a seat in the sand where they could easily watch two games. Philip pointed out one player in particular, "She has to be as tall as you!"
Lee had to admit most of the players were beautiful statuesque young women, very lean and muscular, wearing small athletic bikini's that offered minimal coverage but enough support in the places it mattered most. The games began and it wasn't long before both Lee and Philip were rooting on teams with the crowd around them. The sun was warm and a cooling breeze off the water helped keep the temperature very comfortable. As the games progressed, Lee discovered that Philip knew more about volleyball than he did. Philip explained a few calls Lee didn't understand and Lee admitted the game had changed from when he'd played in high school gym class.
After the second round, Lee suggested they get a drink at a nearby vendor, but Philip didn't want to lose their spot so Lee went alone. As he waited for their lemonades, a tall blonde woman stepped closer to him. "Hi, I'm Tara. Are you enjoying the games?"
Lee smiled back politely as he answered, "Hi, Tara, I'm Lee. Yes, I'm impressed with how competitive the players are. I wasn't expecting this, I guess."
Tara smiled back, her blue eyes wide, "I'll be playing this afternoon. You should watch. It can be quite…educational." She leaned close to Lee's ear and whispered, "Maybe we can get a drink later."
Politely, Lee leaned away and looked over at Philip who was intently watching him. He waved before he turned back to Tara, and said with a smile, "My wife and sons may not like that very much, but I'm sure my oldest there is going to enjoy watching you play later."
Tara wrinkled her nose as she stepped away. "Oh, I didn't realize, you aren't wearing a ring, so I just thought…" she stammered.
"It's being sized," he replied sarcastically. He collected their drinks from the vendor and without another word he walked back to Philip.
"Who was THAT?" Philip asked, confused.
Lee just laughed and said, "She thought I was someone else, I guess. She's playing later this afternoon, though."
Philip took a sip of his drink and replied, "Too bad I'll be with Mom and Grandma this afternoon. I'll bet they won't want to watch volleyball."
Lee shook his head and said, "Maybe not, but I'm sure you'll find something to do you all will enjoy. I think I saw something about an ice cream fest too, not to far from the boardwalk. We could all start there after lunch and Jamie and I can make our way down the boardwalk."
"That sounds like a great plan to me!" Philip exclaimed. His attention was quickly drawn back to the match when the crowd around them cheered. He and Lee began cheering right along with it as the close match was on game point.
While Lee and Philip were engrossed in the volleyball games, Amanda, Dotty, and Jamie were wandering through the displays in the makeshift outdoor art gallery. They were mesmerized by the beautiful paintings, sculptures, and photographs at every turn. Jamie stopped every few minutes to examine one of the displays, looking at it from every angle he could. Dotty smiled at some of the sillier artwork stating, "Amanda, we should have pulled out some of the boys' old arts and crafts projects. They look pretty much the same as these do." Amanda replied with a smile, a laugh or a simple eye roll and head shake.
They turned toward the final aisle when Jamie shouted, "Mom, Mom! I can't believe it!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
"Jamie, what has gotten into you? Lower your voice," she reprimanded him as she tried to pull her arm loose.
"But Mom, It's here! I can't believe it's here!" he stated excitedly as he pointed at something near the far end of the row.
"Amanda, you might as well follow him," Dotty suggested. She knew when her grandson got that excited over something, nothing would calm him down until he got it out of his system.
"Okay, okay," Amanda replied. "Now, what did you see, Sweetheart?"
"Follow me," Jamie tugged on her arm again and grabbed Dotty's hand with his free hand. "Come on, Grandma, you too."
Dotty laughed as Jamie pulled the two of them along until she spotted what he'd already seen. She stopped in her tracks, tears immediately filled her eyes. She gasped then covered her mouth with one hand. Amanda, confused, followed her line of sight until she saw what they had seen. It was a framed poster-sized image of the photography Mrs. White had taken of them on the break wall. It was just after Lee had spun her around, his body angled away from the camera and Amanda's face mostly hidden by her hair, but the wave was frozen above them, the sky ablaze with the sunset and in the distance the dolphins could still be seen
There was a small group of people standing close by, all commenting on the photo as they approached. "Mom, do you think the photographer is here?" Jamie asked.
Amanda scanned the area, but didn't see Mrs. White anywhere. She shook her head, pursed her lips together before she said, "I don't see her. Tell you what, if I do see her, I'll be sure to introduce you."
When they stepped closer to the picture, Dotty sighed. "Amanda, I hope you can get a larger print for the house. This would look beautiful in the…wait, what am I saying? I was thinking in the den, but this would look beautiful in the new house. Maybe not this big, but a bigger print than the one in the book."
Amanda put her arm around her mother's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I agree, Mother. Mrs. White gave us the negative so maybe I'll have someone print us one. Not sure where we'd put it just yet," she agreed.
"Well, I know we weren't in the house all that long but there was that wall in the living room. What if you hung all the pictures there?" Dotty suggested.
Jamie moved closer to the image and was studying it intently when a woman's voice caused him to jump back. "It's a once in a lifetime shot," the voice said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so close. It's just… I was trying to figure out how you got everything so clear," he stammered.
"Mrs. White!" Amanda exclaimed when she realized who was talking to Jamie.
"Mrs…" Mrs. White started, but Amanda cut her off, "Amanda, please." Mrs. White nodded with a smile and continued, "Amanda, I'm surprised to see you here again so soon."
Amanda took a deep breath as she thought about how she was going to explain Lee without raising any red flags. "We're here on a family vacation. This is my youngest son, Jamie, and my mother, Dotty."
Mrs. White offered her hand to Dotty and said, "It's very nice to meet you. I hope you enjoyed the photographs. I tried to explain to Amanda the last time they were here, that I have never seen anything like it. And this," she waved her hand at the photograph, "this will never happen again, I'm sure. It's as though King Neptune himself was blessing them."
Jamie looked at her, puzzled. He looked back at the image and then at Amanda before he said, "I don't get it."
Mrs. White smiled, "Well, you see, King Neptune is the Roman god of the Sea and it is said he blesses those he deems worthy. Dolphins are considered the symbol of love as Aphrodite herself would take the form of a dolphin. So, with the wave and the dolphins in the distance, it seems like your parents have a very special love that is blessed by the gods."
Jamie blinked several times as he let the information sink in. He opened his mouth once, then closed it and opened it a second time before he finally managed to say, "That's pretty cool."
Amanda smiled and put her arms around her son to hug him. "Don't worry, Sweetheart, I still love you, too," she teased.
"Mrs. White, do you think you could show me how to get the image this clear? I'm still learning…Lee…my…" Jamie stopped as he tried to figure out exactly how he could define Lee.
"Stepdad?" Amanda offered and hoped her mother didn't correct her.
"Yeah," Jamie nodded then continued, "he's been teaching me about the camera settings and I've gotten pretty good at some of it, but it doesn't even come close to this."
Mrs. White took Jamie by the elbow and moved the small group out of the tent and into a small area away from the crowd. She removed her camera from the bag on her shoulder and showed Jamie the settings dial on the lens. "It's all here. If you can adjust it just right, the magic happens," she explained.
Jamie looked at the camera intently then pulled out the camera Lee gave him to practice with. "So if I just turn this," Jamie tried to show her the dial he was touching.
"Not that one," Mrs. White moved his fingers to the next dial on the lens, "this one."
Jamie held the camera up and focused on a person in the crowd. Slowly he turned the dial she indicated and looked up at her. "Thanks," was the only word he could breathe out.
"Glad to see I can be of some help," she smiled and touched his head.
"I can't wait to take pictures this afternoon with Lee and show him this!" Jamie exclaimed as he looked through the lens then over the camera again.
"Here, let me show you how to get back to the boardwalk," Mrs. White said as she led them toward the crowd slowly moving along. "Will you be here all weekend?" she asked.
"I believe our plan is for Jamie and Lee to spend time together this afternoon while we spend time with Amanda and my other grandson," Dotty said with a smile.