FIRST SWIM

One day 72 years ago, when there were swimming holes and nobody could do anything about pollution, my dad said to my three brothers, "Boys, it's HOT, let's go swimmin."

"YAY, let's go, YAY!" we all shouted. Trouble. Dad and my 3 brothers looked at me, the little one who'd never gone swimming with them yet. Big decision. I was ready to scream and turn purple with rage if THEY kept on leaving me behind while THEY went to the swimming hole without me AGAIN. Long slow looks at each other and at mom. Agreement. It was time, like it or not. Phil can go. "YAY!" a single voice piped out.

At the swimming hole, a deep spot in the local canal where several kids were already splashin 'n yellin, I was told firmly to sit and watch, this first time, while dad and 3 brothers shucked their clothes and splashed delightedly into the cool water. That looked SO good. In moments my clothes were shucked and I ran to the canal bank and leaped in, forgetting that I'd never learned to swim.

Possibly I didn't care, how hard could it be if dad and brothers were splashing happily?

Wow, what an interesting sight looking up from the bottom

of the deep,

deep

water...

an

occasional bubble...

spiraling

up

from

my nose

to the sunlit,

wavy surface

far above....

I'd never been

this deep before

in my bathtub,

and the sparkling light

far above

was fascinating....

Suddenly! A great hand smashed down from the heavenly light, seized me and flung me up and back onto the bank!

Next memory is of being toweled off on the dresser bureau, watching dad stammer explanations to mom standing with arms folded, grimly listening.

This became yet another family tale, told and retold with little shifts in the stories over the years, until there were separate tales from each involved: Dick, Jim, Harry, mom (but not dad - HE never talked about things like that).

Phil had his own tale, undoubtedly more accurate than the others.  After all, HE was the one who jumped in, skipping the swimming lesson,

HE knew what happened to HIM.

Dick, Jim and Harry each said he was the first to see the empty spot where they'd left me to watch while they enjoyed the delightful, cool swim.

Each brother said HE was the one who pointed dad to where the spreading ripples were from my splash into the deep water.

Each said in later years with various embellishments, NEVER before had they seen dad LEAP 'n SPLASH so FAST several feet to the subsiding ripples and ram his hand down, down, and come up slinging the astonished Phil back onto the canal bank, where Phil scrabbled back to where he was supposed to sit and wait for his first swimming lesson.

As for me, Phil, I enjoyed learning to swim and splash and laugh and enjoy the water, whether swimming hole, pool, river, lake or ocean.

It's SO much fun!

PR Drumm 2008

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