Remembering my youth

Long ago in the land of my birth I read a good book called "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. I think my father saw something in my eyes about that book and on that weekend he took me to the beach, an isolated town at the coast where the sea gives life to the village. My father and I were able to go early that morning and my mom and siblings were coming later. The Ocean has an effect on me, it brings me to love the sea breeze, the waves invading the shore, the sounds and smells of times never changed. We stayed in a hotel overseeing the village and the shore. Many fishing boats were already coming in to sell their catch. My father and I went down to the where the market was and saw about 50 trucks that were coming to buy the catch of the day and take them inland. One of the boats had some fish still in the net and I wanted to see what was in it. One of the fisherman, an older gentleman just out of the book I had just read, was untangling the net ever so gently so not to destroy it. As I was to ask my dad what that was, the net was let loose and a big ass shark came out. I was so happy that for the first time I had seen a real shark. It was a beautiful animal, that famous dorsal fin was the first thing that caught my attention, the teeth, the gills were pulsating trying to breathe, the animal was dying. It was about noon by the time all the fish was sold, but the shark. It was bad luck for the fisherman that the net had caught a shark and not more profitable fish. My father asked me if I ever had shark, I told him that I didn't even know we could eat shark. He laughed and went to the older man and asked him how much would the shark cost. After a few minutes, I heard a loud cheer and saw some younger kids running to the shark. My father had bought the shark and had made a deal that if they would cook it anybody that wanted shark would be welcome.
The sun was about to touch the horizon when my Mon and sister and brother and little, little brother (later to become a 230lbs Police Officer) got to the beach, my mom heard the plans and loved the idea. About two decades later my father told me that he had bought the fish for about 10 USD, which was about what they make in one day's catch.
The fire was going hot, music was being played and a lot more people from the hotel had heard about the shark and they had come to check it out. The fire was beautiful, there were two fires, one for the cooking and one for the dance. Yes, there was a dance, the sun was going down, the music was growing louder, the stars were coming to see the Shark and that was the first time I saw my mom dance. She had a knee high white dress with her black hair reflecting the last rays of that Pacific night. I remember that the shark was the best thing I had ever tasted, I remember watching people thanking my dad for the shark, I remember people calling me to join them for the feast. After the meal the music took center stage, there were songs about lost loves, boats, lost friends and the hope of tomorrow. One of the songs brought out the children to dance, one girl, about my age, came over where I was sitting with my mom, she was from the village and the scars of the future were not yet visible on her childish face. She asked me to dance, I was NOT going to dance with a girl that was not of my social status, and I said, cordially, "no, thanks." Her face was of rejection, that will teach her a lesson. I felt so insulted when I turned to face my mom because I felt something burning on my neck; it was my mother's look of absolute "I am going to cut you and make you bleed for the rest of your life if you don't go find that little girl and promise marriage or jump off the highest cliff you can find." I pick the one that requires an apology. She was just a few steps away from me when I asked her if SHE would give me the HONOR to have a dance with HER. She smiled and said yes. I don't remember her name and I have never forgotten her. She was wearing a long dress, no shoes and her hair smelled as the ocean. It was soft to the touch, her body was very strong, her eyes were black as the ocean night. , We danced a lot that night, the fire on the beach, the smell of food and the belief of eternity were the great ingredients for a memory that had become more than that, it has become an escape. That little girl has evolved to a beautiful woman that still dances with me.

Thanks for reading.