Page 140 of Daddy's Pride

“I’m sorry, my love. I will stay here right beside you where I belong.”

He visibly relaxed and returned to his digging.

“What are you looking for?”

“I dunno. Just seeing what’s down there.”

Eons of sand but bursting his bubble I would not be held responsible for.

“Are you getting hungry? I saw a wall of food trucks by the shops.”

“Think they have tacos?”

“Not sure, but why don’t we go see?” I gathered our towels, and we headed toward the trucks. Sure enough, my boy got his tacos and I opted for a burrito then we found a place to sit and dug in.

“It’s so pretty here, Daddy.”

“Yes, it is. Are you excited about SeaWorld?”

His head bobbed up and down. “Yes, I get to see the Sloffers.”

“Yes, and a lot of marine life that comes from this very ocean.” We finished eating and disposed of our trash. “Anywhere else you want to go today?”

“Can we put our stuff in the car and go into the shops along the boardwalk?”

“You bet.” We spent a couple of hours popping in and out of shops and picked up a couple of trinkets before we called it a day.

Jamie collapsed on the bed as I sat the bags down. “What a fantastic, relaxing day. You scheduled everything perfectly, Daddy. Is it okay if I go shower?”

“Silly boy, of course it is.” I’m sure he had sand in places he’d rather not mention. As I unpacked the shopping bags and repacked them in one suitcase, I was glad we each brought an extra one, though one of them was now filled, and we still had two more parks to hit. I set it aside and stepped into the shower as Jamie came out. As much as I loved the ocean, it was nice to wash it off.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, sweet boy?”

He had curled up with Sloffers in one of the hotel robes. Remote in hand, he flipped through the TV stations. “Tonight, do you think we could order dessert and watch a movie and relax?”

“That sounds wonderful to me.” With the sweet treats ordered, I locked the balcony door and once it was delivered, we started the movie. Halfway through we both passed out.

Vacations were meant for resting so falling asleep at eight thirty was justified.

Right?

* * *

“What time does SeaWorld open, Daddy?”

“Well, good morning to you, too, sunshine.” I tickled him for emphasis. “Is somebody excited?”

“Very, Daddy. But I’m hungry, too.”

“Let’s get dressed and eat in the café before we head out, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.” His little ass darted over to the dresser, humming as he got dressed. Once the sloth backpack was in place he was ready to roll.

We had a wonderful breakfast and were more than ready to walk it off. Our first stop once we entered the park was to check in for the sloth encounter. By the time we arrived Jamie could hardly stand still he was so excited.

“Hello, everyone, and welcome. My name is Carrie, and I will be your SeaWorld Ambassador today for the sloth encounter. Who’s excited?”