Fire and Forget by Matt Gallagher

passengers watch the fins rise up as if summoned.
    There are suddenly so many sharks, long slabs of shadow under the boat, the gash of white rubbery mouths occasionally breaching the surface. Evie recoils from the edge while Colin eagerly takes photos, chatting with the pierced boy who keeps pouring fish chunks overboard.
    â€œGalapagos,” says the boy. “They recognize the sound of our motor.” He grins with crooked teeth and Evie wonders if he pierced his lip to distract from the mess inside his mouth. “They range from six to twelve feet.”
    Ishmael cranks down the large steel cage suspended off the side of the boat. The cage is for humans. Evie supposes there are windows of Plexiglas within the bars to make for clearer underwater viewing, but from where she stands, it just looks like a lot of big holes.
    â€œWho’s going first?” the boy asks.
    Of course Colin raises a hand, putting the other on Evie’s elbow. “We will.”
    Evie takes off her T-shirt and sarong, then slowly slips on flippers and snorkel gear. She follows Colin down the ladder into the cage. The water is ice cold and she treads frantically, as if about to drown. She is too afraid to put her face into the water. The fins circle the cage and her breath comes in hissing gasps; she gags on the salty mouthpiece. Colin emerges next to her. He points down but she shies away. He pulls the mouthpiece from his lips and offers her his hand.
    â€œTrust me,” he says.
    She hesitates, and they stare at each other for a moment, their view distorted by the slowly fogging plastic of the masks. He reaches for her and she pulls her hand loose. He reaches for her again, both hands this time clutching hers, and she fights an impulse to kick him. She takes a deep breath, tells herself the hands gripping hers belong to the man she loves, but she looks back at the boat, looks frantically at the people watching, and wants them to save her. She can feel the sharks underneath, feel their snouts and serrated teeth brushing along the side of the cage.
    The cage shakes with a bump and she rips her hands free, grabs the boat’s ladder, and pulls herself up. For a moment Colin treads water alone in the cage, watching her. Then he too climbs up into the boat.
    Evie looks down at her flippers. “I’m sorry, Colin. I just can’t.”
    He stands there in his mask, the mouthpiece flapping against the side of his face. “It’s safe, Evie. It’d be safe if we weren’t even in the cage. Galapagos sharks are harmless.” He takes off his mask and looks to the pierced boy for backup, but the kid is sneering, as if pleased Evie is such a coward, as if the whole purpose of his job is to terrify at least one tourist a day. Then Colin’s eyes lock on her, and calm suffuses his face. “I’ll prove it,” he says softly.
    His eyes still on Evie’s, never hesitating, he climbs up on the boat railing and, before anyone can even think to stop him, he steps off, right into open water, sinking into the center of the feeding animals.
    Evie screams, rushes to the edge, feels Ishmael wrench her arm as if he thinks she will follow her husband.
    Colin surfaces, still facing the boat. He keeps his eyes on his wife as he reaches out to pet a shark, his palm running easily along its shiny back.
    Both of you may need to discuss any issues you’ve had involving trust or jealousy, even if infidelity was not a problem. It takes time to re-establish or develop a trusting relationship. Be appreciative of each other, and make time for each other. Marriage requires continuing commitment.
    John from Austin called her once a few weeks after they met, still long before Colin’s return. He left a message: “I finally convinced Florence to give me your number. Said I couldn’t live without the recipe for your tartlets.” Then the easy chuckle of a man who does not often go to such lengths to track a woman