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THE BIOLUMINESCENCE OF GRANDPA
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A multi-generational family adventure on the island of Puerto Rico
by KYLEE MCCAULEY
The boat was bobbing as my grandpa, mother, siblings, and I climbed aboard and spaced ourselves out for balance. Settling in, we listened as the captain described the tour. Then my brother made a joke in Spanish, and we all cracked up, including the captain. It sounded terrible! His Rs were fl at and his cadence awkward. But it was the fi rst of many laughing fi ts we would have on our excursion.
Convincing my grandpa to come hadn’t been easy. But we urged him to experience the world while he could, and he fi nally agreed. We had chosen Puerto Rico for our mid-December escape because it was warm, aff ordable, a short fl ight away, and no passport was required. To make sure everyone had a good time, we each picked an activity.
Grandpa wanted to explore San Juan and taste chicharrones and empanadillas. My brother chose an awesome, if muddy, ATV ride in El Yunque National Forest. My sister liked snorkeling, and I was sure the bioluminescent caves at La Parguera, near Lajas, would be the perfect highlight. The private boat tour included both, so we decided it was ideal.
At our fi rst stop, the sky looked like it had a fi lter on it. Shrugging off the strange hue, we grabbed the snorkeling gear and dove in. Out there in the crystal-clear ocean, the only sounds we could hear were each other’s excited yells. Then, out of nowhere, heavy drops of rain began to fall and we scrambled back on board.
As the captain quickly sped toward La Parguera, I noticed we were no longer neatly spaced out, but all huddled together. All except my grandfather. Grandpa was sitting at the front of the boat, out in the open—his head held high, his shoulders broad, facing the world as it came to him. Despite the stinging rain, this 75-year-old man had the widest smile I have ever seen.
I pointed him out to the others and our stress instantly washed away. In that moment, I realized, life doesn’t need to be perfect. That night, the bioluminescent waves were really beautiful and we were fi lled with awe as we swam and stirred up the water to make the dinofl agellates more active. Sometimes, it’s the chaos and twists of fate that make it all worthwhile.
A friend off ered to teach me to scuba dive someday. I’m not going to hold my breath.
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