I remember the excitement I felt as my mother pulled the car into the parking lot. My big brother acted as if we were just going to an everyday event. Not me. This was something I had been looking forward to. This was the event that had been keeping me up at night. We were going to the water slide! I was anxious to get in that giant tube and slide down. Being at the water slide was definitely something special for a five year old. We went inside and into the locker room. My swimming suit was glittery and I planned to gladly show it off. My mother finally got me to stand still long enough for her to put a life jacket on me. Life jacket? Life jackets are for babies! I don't need a life jacket. I'm a born swimmer. Well, it was fastened pretty good and wasn't going anywhere. So I decided to deal with it. Nothing was going to ruin my fun.
I walked out of the locker room with only the bottom of my feet wet. I was anxious to get the rest of me in that water. I met my brother outside of the locker room. He grasped my hand and I took off towards the steps, dragging him behind with a look on his face as if it was his line of duty to entertain me. I didn't think those steps would ever come to an end. When they finally did, I realized that those tubes were huge! I ran to the big opening and my brother sat me in the powerful water. The next thing I knew, I was gracefully sliding over the smooth plastic and warm water was pushing me. I let out a squeal of excitement. But just as soon as I had got in the tube I was being spit out. I couldn't breathe. The forcefulness of the water was pushing me under! What was happening? Where's my brother? I was panicked and my chest felt heavy. I felt a hand grab onto my sparkling swimming suit. I was brought to the surface and I gasped for air. Then a concerned voice came from a big kid I had never seen before.
"Are you okay?" the deep voice asked in a gentle and worried way.
"Uh-huh," I said with a hesitant nod. Didn't he know that I knew how to swim?
I got out of the water, shivering. I looked around to see if anybody had been watching. Then I saw my brother holding out his hand to go up the slide again. Reluctantly, I took it. He wasn't going to know that I had had a problem. We went down a few more times. But for some reason, he went down with me each time after that.
*Author's note: So yes, this really happened. I went to the water slide as a small child and got pushed under the water, back behind the water slide. I couldn't get out and the water kept pushing me under. Some stranger pulled me out! To this day, I think about it. Some guy randomly saved my life! Am I being melodramatic? I think not...who knows what would have happened if he hadn't seen me.
2 comments:
Funny thing - I remember throwing apples with you into my grandma's pool. We were only probably 4-5 years old. I fell in, looked under the water and saw everyone splashing around, completely oblivious to the fact that I was drowning. It felt like I was under there for about five minutes. Finally I felt myself being pulled to the top. And who pulled me out? Your brother, Danny. I remember him carrying me into my mom wrapped in a towel. I still had the apple in my hand.
Awww...that is so sweet! Kids drown all the time in the summer...so sad.
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