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A restored section of McFaddin Beach features a breadth of sandy beach leading to vegetation filled dunes. Photo made Monday, November 15, 2021 Kim Brent/The Enterprise
Kim Brent/The Enterprise
I spent much of my childhood on a tiny island in the Philippines where the waves get dangerously big. One rainy day, my cousin and I sneaked away to the beach, about which our parents had often cautioned us. "The sea is dangerous there, and the currents unpredictable," my mother and aunt warned repeatedly.
Out of boredom, however, we decided against good judgment. Sensing my slight hesitation, my cousin Sarah whispered, "Come on, Heidi! The sea is calling our names." After lying to our mothers, we immediately headed to the beach and found ourselves a lovely spot of sand and foam behind a resting fleet of fishing boats that lined the beach. Filled with excitement and concealed by the empty fishing vessels, we leaped carefree into the sea. However, within minutes, we were screaming. Not only was our lovely beach filled with dangerous waves and hidden currents, but it was also home to armadas of a highly venomous and aggressive type of jellyfish -- the box jellyfish.
My cousin and I got stung at the same time, she across her chest while the jellyfish viciously attacked my left knee. I had to peel a tentacle away from my throbbing skin. The searing pain became a burning memory.
We managed to walk to my cousin's house nearby without being seen and hide in her room. Two hours later, I was running a fever and feeling miserable. As terrified as I was of facing my mother's wrath, I used the little strength left in me and hobbled home. Soon enough, the physical stings of the sea were replaced by the emotional stings of guilt, shame and remorse.
"I am truly disappointed in you, Heidi. How can you lie to me like that?" My mother's voice was calm yet full of hurt. "I do not know if I can trust you again," she added, each word piercing through my heart like a dagger.
"I am sorry, Mama," was all I could say.
The spanking that I dreaded as punishment did not happen. Instead, my mother proceeded to lecture me about trust. She told me that a person's confidence is like a delicate vase -- once broken, it will never be the same again, no matter how hard you try to fix it. By the time she was finished, I felt so horrible about what I did, as if I had committed the crime of the century. I wished I had gotten a spanking instead.
In retrospect, the jellyfish stinging my cousin and me that day was perhaps God's way of saving us from the dangers of the waves and currents we so carelessly ignored. The ugly scar on my knee serves as a constant reminder of how a simple lie can needlessly hurt a person and ruin their trust completely.
And much like the scar, I will always carry with me my mother's words as I navigate through life.
Heidi Roy of Lumberton is a mother of three and a full-time student at Lamar University, majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences. If you have a possible guest column for The Enterprise, email your idea or the column itself to Opinions@BeaumontEnterprise.com. If you have something to say, we want to hear from you!
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October 16, 2022 at 05:29AM
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GUEST COLUMN: Jellyfish sting provided lasting lesson - Beaumont Enterprise
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