Sharks and Shivers

So many wonderful things have happened at the movies over the years: movies we saw with family while growing up, movies we went to on first dates (at least the movies were good!), good times with friends, date nights with the ones we married... the latest family offerings with our own children. But, hands down my absolute favorite moment in a movie theater was when I was a mere nine years old, and my brother had dragged me to see JAWS.

I was always prone to nightmares, and really did not EVER want to see anything scary - I'm the same way now! A film about a crazy big shark feasting on people was definitely not something I'd willingly go see, BUT, big bro was in charge, and that's what he wanted, so... yeah. I sat in my seat, nervously shaking my legs up and down. I ate my popcorn, and when it was gone, slurped up the last of my Coca-Cola; my gaze alternating between what happened on the big screen and the back of the seat in front of me. To distract myself, I took the plastic cover off my soda cup, and fiddled with the ice (which filled at least 3/4 of the large movie-theater cup), sipping the soda-flavored melt-water at the bottom when there was enough to get through the straw. Though I didn't actually keep my eyes on the screen all the time, my internal tension was mounting along with everyone else's - the sounds and music ensured that. And then it happened - I looked up at a critical moment, and YIKES!!!! That huge shark came up out of the water right behind Richard Dreyfuss, and I screamed, jumped, and that bunch of melty ice in my cup flew up and out and right smack in my brother's lap! Then he jumped too - for reasons other than big screen sharks! Good times... good times!

Served him right - I TOLD him I didn't want to see that movie!