A Proud Moment

One afternoon I stumbled upon a large turtle laying on its back in the middle of the playita near the Yacht Club. At the exact moment I spotted it, coming from the opposite direction toward me was my friend who shall go unnamed. I could see that he was as stunned as me to find a turtle that was going to become turtle soup. Turtle steak and turtle soup were served at the Yacht Club often. Without saying a word to each other, our knowing eyes locked and we met at the turtle that was trapped upside down by its own shell. It was obvious a fisherman put it there for safe keeping til he could kill it and sell it. My friend and I looked around quickly and not seeing anyone nearby picked up the poor creature and ran to the water's edge with it as fast as we could. We heaved it into the sea and heard it take a huge gasp of air before it disappeared beneath the surface. Then we disappeared. No one ever caught us and we never talked about it to anyone, but it's one of the proudest moments in my life.