Everybody from the high school is going to the big end of the year party tonight and I’m stuck with my bratty little sister. On the weekends I don’t get to look forward to going places with my friends or going to the big games at school, because I have to baby sit! Usually I’m happy to get out of school on a Friday but I dread hearing the bell. I’m not good with kids, not at all! The bell rang and I’m on the bus heading home. I get a text from my dad, “Your not baby sitting tonight. You’re coming to work with me.” My dad just got a new job and hasn’t really told me what he does, but I guarantee its better then baby sitting.

I get home and my mom has gotten off work early. She tells me, “Make sure you wear sneakers. Oh!, and don’t forget a jacket it gets a little chilly out there!” My dad pulls up at nine o’clock and tells me I need to help him load a few things. I get outside and there is rope and wire traps lying beside the truck. I’m now starting to wonder what my dad does, but no questions asked, I load up the equipment. My dad turns to me and says, “Well were here!” We are parked at a dock and there is one boat tied up to it.

My dad starts handing me all of his equipment, and I set it all in the boat. We start heading out and my dad stops in a swampy part of the lake. He turns to me and says, “Hand me one of the traps.” I handed him a trap, and then he asks me to reach into the cooler and grab him a piece of sliced meat. I reached into the cooler and pulled out a giant chunk of meat. I finally got curious enough to ask, “Dad what are we catching?” He turned to me laughed and said, “Were catching alligators son.” Being from Louisiana and all I thought I would be used to this. Well at least I thought I was.

Two hours has gone by and we have finally hooked up all the traps. My dad turns the boat around and tells me to stay in the back until he tells me otherwise. I see around glowing eyes resting in the water beside are trap. My dad yells at me to hand him the shot gun and he shoots the gator! Screaming at me now he says, “HELP ME GET IT IN THE BOAT!” I never thought I would get emotional seeing an alligator get shot but I definitely did. Of course I got an ear full of how I’m a big baby from my dad. We’ve finally finished up the night with three alligators.

The next day my dad tells me I have to help him again tonight. I never thought I would say but I would much rather baby sit! I never want to help my dad kill another gator again. I have to do something about this. I barrowed my mom’s car to drive down to the dock. Once I arrived I pulled out all the screw drivers and pliers I brought. I walked up to my dads boat and unscrewed the cap back on and go out of there as fast I could.

Its 9 o’clock usually my dad is home by now but for some reason he’s late. Forty five minutes later I hear him pull up. He comes though the door and tells me he brought a brand new motor today. There went my plan! We load up everything and arrive at the dock. I told my dad he should let me hook the traps up and he actually let me. He led me through the step when he turned around I re-hooked the meat to were if an alligator did take it he wouldn’t get caught. We arrive at the first trap and he’s madder then a hornet, “The alligator stole the bait!” We come to the second trap, “NOT AGAIN!” screamed my dad. I was enjoying this not one trap had an alligator or bait. He turned to me and said, “you must of hooked it up wrong!” I responded by saying, “Dad I did everything you told me.” He was very upset but it was getting late so we had to head home.

The next weekend roles around and dad hasn’t been doing very well catching the alligators. No alligator means no pay. I probably should think of my family with the money thing and all but I love alligators and think its cruel what my dad is doing! All my plans are definitely paying off though. Tuesday I left the meat out and it spoiled so he couldn’t go. Wednesday I “accidently” left the tailgate open and all the traps fell out and all the traps fell out and it was late to find them, so he couldn’t go again. Yesterday I cut the ropes when my dad wasn’t looking and all the gators got away. Today he has decided to go onto a new profession, hopefully not killing anymore animals! I know a lot of people hunt alligators and I can’t stop them all but at least I can stop one person from doing it, especially my dad.