Her one piece is purple with pink trim, her blond hair's been braided into Bahamian corn rows and she claps at the rising sun doing a funny little dance in the sand.
Her Mom's been sleeping in a hammock since I've been sitting here sipping coffee but I see her hands rise and clap for her daughter.
Dad stumbles out wiping his eyes and cursing the brightness of a new day.
Mom pulls herself out of the hammock only to face plant in the sand under the Palm Trees wearing a white tee shirt reading "Key West" and pink panties.
The little girl squeals in delight.
I spew coffee laughing.
Brushing the sand from her face, Mom looks at me and laughs too as her daughter continues in delight and Dad seems oblivious to everything.
"Why don't you like fireworks Micheal?" Cassidy the nine year old asks last night as we lounge in the salt water pool after watching the sunset in Mallory Square.
"When's the last time you watched a sunset?" Sarah asks Maddie, the clueless 14 year old who knows everything.
"I dunno ... five or six years ago," she answers staring at her I-phone.
"I'm not big on celebrations," I answer Cass over Sarah's shoulder who's sitting in my lap in the water.
"Steer clear of royal welcomes," the Major Prophet James Taylor warns, "avoid a big to do ... a King who'd slaughter the innocents, will not cut a deal with you."
"Race me Micheal!" Cass asks obviously disliking my answer ... so we do.
"I'm going to stay outside with you tonight," Maddie says forever surprising me again.
Sarah bristles when I kiss her wet back.
Fireworks are funny things.
You can try to make them or you can wait for them to come to you ... buy them from a store or watch them naturally unfold.
Mom hugs her daughter, picking her up and they share sandy kisses.
She wacks Dad beside the head as he continues to stand there oblivious to everything happening around him.
I return to the brilliant rising of Earth's greatest light.
