Getting My Money's Worth

TW and I went to the aquarium last weekend because I wanted to get the most value out of our yearly membership.

As we walked into the aquarium we stopped at the sea otter tank. On that day, a beautiful spring day with temperatures in the low 70’s, the crowds at the aquarium were vast. When we reached the tank, we pushed our way through the crowds of mothers holding their children, elderly people in their wheelchairs, and children in their strollers. Then we planted ourselves directly in front of a couple of toddlers and marveled at the animals. As the sea otters lounged in the sun, they looked like animatronic stuffed animals.

As we continued to watch the sea otters, two of the three of them moved toward each other. Then the limbs of the two sea otters became entangled and they began to roll around in a bear hug. Given the quaint hallmark moment, I looked at TW and said, “Isn’t that cute. They’re cuddling.” She nodded her head in agreement. As we continued to watch them cuddle we both smiled broadly at their cuteness.

Then, without any warning, as the otters continued to cuddle, I spotted a four inch pink appendage pop out of the water. I whispered to TW and pointed at the appendage in an effort to hide the truth of the “the birds and the bees” from the children surrounding us. I failed. Soon after pointing out the appendage, I heard a four year old girl behind us yell, “Look at his pee pee.”

Immediately parents gasped and tried to cover the eyes of their children but other children – those children who slipped through their parent’s grasps – barreled through the crowds and moved to the railing surrounding the tank to get a better look at the sea otter’s “pee pee.” The wily children pointed, giggled, and pointed some more.

I turned to TW and said, “Finally, I think we got our money’s worth.”