I was a year younger than my mom’s friend’s older son and a few months older than his younger brother. The three of us were close in age but very different visually.
I had brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. They had reddish blondish colored hair and brown-green eyes. Maybe more brown than green though. They also had lots of freckles. The two brothers looked exactly like the boys in the TV show Flipper. I have watched this show many times and loved the idea of swimming with a dolphin.
As my first day with them began to develop, they made me their adopted brother. This helped me begin to adjust, but I was experiencing thoughts of missing my friends.
My mind would wonder from thought to thought. And I questioned everything that happened and wondered why I did what I did. And what did I do. I don’t know what they knew about me or why we were there. But they made sure I was consistently busy, with no time to think.
That day we just hung out at the park which was just across the street from their house. We even played in the sun and rain. Yes, we played in a sun shower. I didn’t know that the sun could be shining so brightly, and it could be raining at the same time. A first for me.
My mom and her friend were gone for most of the day. I didn’t know what they were out doing. And for several days this would be the routine of the day.
A few days after we arrived in Miami, we all got into my mom’s friends’ car and drove to a school that was near the house where we were staying. My mom and I entered the building and met with a man who asked some questions. He then proceeded to give us a tour. He showed us around some of the classrooms, the gym, the sports fields… All of what was going to be my new school.
I remember not liking the school. The hallways and lockers were outside and under an awning structure. It felt strange. It didn’t feel like a real school. And I knew that I didn’t want to be there. This is the day I think I just started to cry in front of everyone. I remember saying that this wasn’t my home. I wanted to leave.
I think my mom was starting to see how unhappy I was becoming. And I know that she felt terrible about our situation, but she was not going back. She was determined in her decision. I think that I hated her for bringing me here.
To try and make me feel better, she agreed to take me to the Miami Seaquarium on Key Biscayne to see Flipper. This is an island out in Biscayne Bay across from downtown Miami where the TV show “Flipper” was filmed. Well, that is what I was told.
So, the next day we all piled into the car and headed out to go to the Miami Seaquarium. Plus, we were going to go to the beach on Key Biscayne afterwards. I was excited to see the shows and to go to the beach which was on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island and was supposed to have clear warm water.
It was a good day.
The next night we went shrimping down on the causeway that goes over to Miami Beach, also known as South Beach. My mom’s friend had an open boat with an engine on the back that you lowered into the water. Nothing fancy. Her older son was very good at driving the boat.
The boat was pulled behind the car on a trailer. We drove to where they said that they would launch their boat to go shrimping. They said they also take the boat down to the keys to go fishing but that is a much longer drive. After we launched the boat, we headed out towards a bridge where he said that you can usually catch shrimp.
It was dark where we were going and the boat had a small light on the front so other boats could see us. When we arrived at the shrimping location, he had me hold the light over the edge of the boat. He dropped a bucket with holes into the water. When he pulled it up there were three shrimp in the bucket. He did this several times and then determined that there was not enough shrimp where we were. We tried several other spots at the bridge without much luck as they say.
We threw the three shrimp back into the water, no need to keep them.
I will say that being on the water was fun and it did relax me a bit. It was the first time I had been on the water in a boat. And I knew that I wanted to do it again. Maybe Miami isn’t that bad if you get to go boating a lot. The thought was short lived since I still wanted to return home. Back to Las Vegas.
We took the boat back to the launch ramp and pulled it back onto the trailer. We then drove back to the house. It was late.
The boys moved the TV into the room where I was sleeping, and we had a sleepover. We watched late night wrestling while eating potato chips and pretzels while gulping on a lot of sodas. I think everyone was doing their best to keep me busy. I think it was becoming obvious that I was struggling.
The days passed by quickly and the new school year would begin soon. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to go home. I said to her, “Miami is not my home. Please let me go home. Please!” I was begging.
A couple of days passed when my mom said that she needed to talk to me. She told me that things were going to change again. She told me that my dad had moved out of the house and that we were going back to Las Vegas. She said that we would be back in time for me to start the new school year at my old school.
I became joyous and celebrated out loud. I didn’t have to go to school here. I would have my room back. I could play with my friends again. I could be the Desert Rat. I was ready to leave right then and there. I was ready. My mom said that we had to stay for a few more days and then we would leave. I was happy again.
Viva Las Vegas…
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