Tomas grabbed his towel I hopped out of the pool and dried off too As we walked back to the hotel room Mom rattled off instructions You’ll need a hat sunscreen a bottle of water and a snack Mom said Don’t forget the camera Marisol Got it Mom I answered She knew that Tomas and I never forgot the camera but she always felt the need to remind one of us When we met our boat captain later that afternoon Mom and Dad told us that we’d remember this trip for the rest of our lives Marisol Tomas our captain has been tracking whales for 20 years He knows exactly where to find them Dad smiled proudly at us We’re sure to spot them Or it will be just a really long really boring boat ride Tomas muttered in my ear I tried not to burst out laughing Tomas did have a point Mountain biking would have been much more fun The boat chugged out to Banderas Bay Gulls screeched overhead as they dipped closer to us looking for scraps of food The water was rough and choppy as we moved further from the shore Dad looked a little funny Excuse me excuse me Dad grumbled as he elbowed through the crowd of tourists He shoved harder and practically
ran to the side of the ship Dad folded himself over the railing UUUHHHBLEKKK After a minute or two he pulled himself upright carefully He looked pale and clammy Mom rushed to his side Some of the other passengers stared at Dad Honey honey Mom said delicately Did you get seasick Dad nodded and let Mom lead him over to a bench That’s embarrassing Can you believe he did that In front of everyone I said to Tomas Nope There’s no end to our embarrassment Tomas replied Mom wiped Dad’s face with a cool wet handkerchief You’ll get your sea legs yet sweetie Don’t worry she told him Dad didn’t usually travel by boat and the ship’s rocking motion made him sick The captain walked by Dad He stopped and stared at our sad seasick father Señor you look like you need help he said Dad nodded weakly Try these Suck on these candies all day Your sea sickness will go away I promise he said Dad took the handful of candies from the captain He leaned against the ship’s wall and closed his eyes Mom came over to talk to me and Tomas Kids this might be a rough day for your father Try to be
good Take it easy on him Mom patted my shoulder and smiled tenderly over at Dad He still looked horrible like a sick miserable dog in a shelter cage
