Florida

I went to a restaurant where they had dolphin on the menu. My friend Morgan says dolphins are endangered.

One time I saw an article about a bunch of men who ritualistically enclose themselves in a tank with nearly 100 dolphins. When the dolphins start to play, the men stab the dolphins with harpoons. The impulse that drives a person to harpoon dolphins must be the same impulse found in trainers that exploit a pitbull's loyalty, training them to kill. Why would a person sell endangered dolphin meat? And why would a person decide to build a single family 10-room house right next to a hurricane producing ocean, which will require rebuilding every two years?

When I was a little kid, I caught a bumble bee under a glass. I was so scared of bumble bees because months earlier, I had walked into a wasps nest while playing follow-the-leader with my best friend. I wanted to see the bee die, so I put a piece of gasoline covered tissue under the glass, and watched the bee move from frantic to nothing but a slight twitch. As it was dying, I started to cry. I took the bee outside, tried to fan air on it to bring it back to life. I was so upset ... watching the bee try and flap it's wings. So I stepped on it, and it died.

Another story: wasps nest best friend knocks on the door. I'm convinced she is here to snitch on me because we'd peed in the bushes again. I open the door, slap her in the face, and she stares in surprise. I think, "Good, she deserves it," until she drops a bottle of vanilla extract on the ground. She was returning borrowed cooking ingredients ... from her mom back to mine.

Another story: salt and slug.

As it goes, my best friend later threw dirt in my face after I tried to console her after a fight with her parents. Which was quite the relief.

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But, the water sure was warm and it was great to see my family. The clouds burst into rain while my father and I walked along the beach. We sought cover at the gates of a retirement community, who kicked us off their property after we washed off our feet using their hose. I sank into my mother's arms and laughed at my dad's terrible jokes. My dad said, "Man, sure is sad that we're leaving now that we have a routine going," which makes sense for a man who has eaten the same lunch for most of his life. Four oreos, sandwich, fruit, juice.

My mom made me two dresses. I understand her so much less than my father but this fact makes her the queen. Being with her feels like cement. Most of her friends are men. She casually uses words that I memorized for my SATs. I casually misuse them.

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Dolphins. Bees. Retirement. Gettin' older. Old enough to stab, pillage, and throw the dead into the ocean.