Ross and the Alligator

Based on a true story.

Two years ago, on the way back from our beach house my Mom decided to take a little detour down one the roads on Ft. Morgan to show us some really big sand dunes. It turns out that the road she turned down had swamps and bayous on both sides, so we went slow hoping to see some alligator or turtles. Then we spotted it, about 2 feet into the water was an alligator. My Mom, being an emotional woman, freaked out and got really excited. She pointed and yelled and jumped up and down. The creature was only about 5 feet from our family's minivan because the swamp was literally right next to the road. My Mom then explained to Ross, Nick, and I about how one could tell an alligators size by the length of the head from snout to eyes (7 inches from snout to eyes means a 7 foot alligator)--also its funny if you imagine my Mom talking in an Australian accent. This alligator, if my Mom was right, shouldve been about 12 feet long. So we stared for a bit. Then it happened. The alligator and my brother Ross met eyes. For future reference if you lock eyes with my brother Ross he freaks out like a rabid dog in heat. So my brother then yelled in a redneck accent, "Them are fighting words!", to the alligator. He then proceeded to open the van door. This is where my Mom and Nick freaked out. I laughed. Ross quickly shut the door, actually never opening it more than 3 inches. I knew Ross was playing. My Mom and little bro didnt. So my Mom fussed at him while I giggled. Nick eventually saw the brilliance in Ross's prank and laughed along too. My Mom, after calming down, laughed also. I even heard a chuckle from the gator. So we all had a big laugh. It was great.

So fastforward 2 years...
This past Tuesday an alligator at Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge was killed on Mobile Street-the name of the street we were on actually. The alligator was 11 feet long and was being fed by vacationers and people passing by. The alligator eventually just sat along the road waiting for handouts. It was witnessed by park rangers that the alligator was becoming more aggressive with people and less scared of them. So they decided to kill it. It was the same alligator Ross almost fought. And now its dead. Moral of the story is don't lock eyes with Ross or you will become moucher and eventually be killed by park rangers.