7:19 p.m. - 2004-11-15
Swimmers run for the shore when barracuda come near

Attack of the Great...well..OK.. Mini Barracuda

Last Friday night, I was out impulse shopping (remember the turkey roaster) when upon my return my husband said, "Michelle just called from Cancun."

"Homesick already?" I asked rolling my eyes. She had left earlier that morning with her boyfriend for a 3 night/4 day all inclusive trip.

"No, she said she was in the ocean and something bit her. They had to put her in a wheel chair and take her to the doctor and they dug a tooth out of her...they think it was a barracuda."

The mommy questions started to form in my brain while I imagined my sweet babys beautiful leg with a chunk taken out of it. "How big a tooth?"

"I don't know.", but I guess the doctor gave her some antibiotics.

My mind went back 15 or 16 years ago and my sisters wedding. The best man, on his way to America from Australia, stopped over in Hawaii and got bitten by some sea creature. His foot swelled up 3 time it's size and he had to walk down the aisle in great pain with one shoe and a sock on the giant foot. I think he almost lost the foot to infection from the venom.

"Is it infected?" I asked.

"She didn't say".

"Was it a big Barracuda?"

"I don't know."

"How big does a barracuda get?"

"I don't know."

"Did she save the tooth?"

"I don't know."

"Well, what else did she say about it?"

"Nothing"

"That's it?", I said, not believing that he wouldn't think to ask more questions.

"That's all I know." he replied not seeming to be alarmed at all.

For the next three days I imagined my daughter sitting on the beach in Cancun, in a wheel chair, with a grossly swollen, bandaged leg with a chunk taken out of it. I thought "Gee, the Montezuma's revenge she got last time is nothing compared to losing a chunk of leg to a barracuda."

I started getting my "nagging Mommy speech" ready..."Call the doctor, you have to go see your doctor, you can't let that thing get infected...MY GOD YOU COULD LOSE YOUR LEEEEEEEG!!!!!"

Mike picked her up from the airport this evening. I was waiting on pins and needles for him to get home. Finally he walked in the door.

"How bad is it? does she have a big bandage? Did she keep the tooth?"

"Oh, she's fine." he said "she didn't keep the stinger."

"Stinger?...no tooth?"

"No, I guess it was just a stinger."

"A stinger from what?" Here we go with the millions questions again....Doesn't it ever occur to a man to ask questions.

"I guess it was just a little stinger." he said.

I quickly dialed my daughter's cell phone. "So tell me about the barracuda....why didn't you keep the tooth?"

"Oh, it's fine. It was just a tiny little thing like a stinger."

"What kind of a stinger...why didn't you keep it to show us?"

"There wasn't really much to keep...it was about the size of a crumb."

"The size of a crumb?....Barricudas are 4 feet long with big teeth, they don't have stingers."

"Well, I guess there are mini barracuda's Mom....It was fine two minutes after he took it out."

"Then it was just like a sliver?"

"Yeah, no worse then a splinter, you can't even see where it bit me anymore."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes Mom."

"OK...glad you're home safe and sound honey."

For three days I have been going around telling people that my daughter was ATTACKED by a GREAT BARRACUDA. All along it was a mini barracuda at best....maybe not even a barracuda...maybe just some kind of a shell fish or sea cucumber or something.

Maybe if her father had asked more questions, I wouldn't have made a fool out of myself.

P. I. Yarnsmith

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