day. The funny feeling of wet sand between your toes. The bright lights of the boardwalk on a cool yet humid summer night. The unending horizon that seems to just drop off of the planet’s edge. Watching my younger brother chase seagulls without a clue in the world what he was going to do if he caught one. I remember the time a family member bought me a hermit crab and crying hysterically when it died. I can also vividly remember the stand-still traffic jams on the way to and from the tax-free outlets—okay, so not all of the memories are pleasant, but such is life.
Then there were the trips to our local aquarium. There was the time I had, confusingly enough to my family, convinced myself there would be a mermaid exhibit. There were times I wondered how different a stingray’s sting would feel from that of a bee. I remember losing track of the world, staring at seahorses or wondering if the sharks ever ate the fish swimming all around them. I still remember the silly souvenirs I would bring home and never touch again. The standout memory, though, was the time I got to touch a real, live dolphin! On a trip with a family friend I got to put on a pair of rubber boots that went well above my knees, accompany a trainer to a shallow water platform and have an experience I will never forget. The water left a familiar salty taste in my mouth when it splashed up into my face. The smell of raw fish made me crinkle my nose—it smelled kind of like one of the refrigerators at my father’s restaurant. And the slippery skin of the dolphin was something I can only compare to a wet hot dog. It was amazing to see the funny, yet graceful way she moved around in the water, the powerful way the dolphins made leaping out of the water look so easy, and looking into her big, brown eyes to see someone looking back at me.
IMAGES. Above: Marcus enjoying the beach as a child. Below: Marcus studying at the University of Miami
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