And she was. She had looked huge crossing the beach. Up close, she was immense. Sophie’s flashlight, and then Jack’s, shone down on a reddish-brown shell that was larger than a table. From this shell a huge reptilian head jutted forth. She paid no attention to us. Tears poured from her eyes and she groaned like any woman in labor.

“Damn,” Fred said in awe. But Haley asked if it was all right to touch her.

“Sure,” Jack said. “The Rolling Stones could be playing on her back right now and she wouldn’t know it.”

The turtle groaned loudly. Haley knelt beside her and patted her shell. “It’s okay,” she said. “Push!” She didn’t think it was a damn bit funny when we laughed.

“She’s pushing,” Tammy said. “Show them, Jack.”

“Okay. Come on, Sophie. We forgot to count the eggs.” The two of them knelt behind the turtle and shone their flashlights into the surprisingly deep hole the turtle had dug in such a short time.

“I count nine, Daddy. She’s just started.”

“Y’all look,” Jack invited us. “Keep counting, Sophie.” He got up and I knelt in his place. Eggs the size of Ping-Pong balls were dropping into the nest.

“Oh, my,” I said, pulling Fred down beside me. “Look at this.”

“Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,” Sophie counted.

“Let me see.” Haley pushed between Fred and me. Frances was right behind her. “Lord have mercy,” she said when she saw the size of the eggs and how they were popping out. “Now this is the way to do it.”

“Nature trying to beat the odds,” Tammy said. “The babies that hatch and find their way to the water still face all kinds of survival problems.”

“But we’ll be back in two months to see they get to the water,” Jack said. “We can do that much.” He held up a small strip of metal. “I’m going to clamp her tag on now so we’ll know if she comes back.” He turned the light on the metal. “She’s number 349, Sophie.”

Sophie nodded. “Forty-one, forty-two.”

“Where do you tag her?” Fred asked, getting up to see.

“Front left flipper. It doesn’t hurt her. It’s like piercing ears.”

Which hurt like hell, I remembered, but I didn’t say anything.

“Who keeps up with all this stuff?” Fred asked.

Jack knelt to his job. “The Florida Department of Natural Resources. Millicent was the Okaloosa County volunteer coordinator and she handled the information and gave out tag permits. You’ve got to have control over the tagging or it won’t do any good. I guess I’ll have to find out tomorrow who to report Miss 349 to.”

Miss 349 had not flinched when Jack put the tag on her flipper. The Ping-Pong-ball-sized eggs were still popping out, forming a white mound in the nest.

“How many?” Haley asked Sophie.