Patricia took a final sip of tea, set down the cup, and hurried from the pilothouse, across the deck, and up to the bow. She had just arrived when the first dolphin flashed to the surface and began to prance in the wake of the bow. Within seconds he was joined by another, and out to port and starboard I saw three or four others turn to converge on the boat.

Soon, a whole tribe of those enthralling, beautiful creatures were using Miss Rosalie as a plaything—dashing back and forth across the bow, dancing, leaping, and splashing with what could only be described as the pure happiness of being alive.

Patricia threw her arms wide in excitement at the scene and then repeatedly clapped her hands in delight. She leaned out far over the prow, and her head and shoulders swiveled this way and that, trying to catch it all, as the dolphins raced back and forth, streaming away before dashing back in again at an amazing speed. Patricia turned to call something to me. I couldn’t make out the words, but the look of joy that shone on her face said it all. I waved in reply, and she turned back again to watch the fascinating show.

The dolphins stayed with us until we met the Intracoastal Waterway and turned northward, leaving the open water behind and running parallel with the western shore of the island. One of the animals leaped high into the air and, turning on its side, threw a mighty fountain of water blossoming high into the air as it crashed back to its natural element. And then, as quickly as they had appeared, the dolphins were gone.

Patricia stood watching the water for a while longer, hoping, I was sure, that the dolphins would return. But after a few minutes she came back to rejoin me in the pilothouse. I smiled and said nothing when she entered, and she, too, was quiet, standing beside me and staring out on to the water.

“That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” she said at last in a quiet and reverential tone of voice. Then turning to face me, she said, “Thank you for that. But how did you know they were coming? You sent me up there before they ever arrived.”

“I thought they would come, and then I caught a glimpse of one. Dolphins love Miss Rosalie. I think it must be the sound she makes in the water. But whatever it is, when any are nearby, they come running to frolic around her. I’ve seen them stay with us for hours on end. And I’m convinced the local dolphins know her from all other boats.”

“If we turned around right now,” Patricia said, “this would be one of the best trips I’ve taken in a long while.”

I gave her a smile that said, You’re welcome. Patricia gave me a kiss on the cheek.