It has happened to many people. It has happened a number of times to him. There were a couple of times in frozen lakes, and one on a cliff climbed stupidly, and one other in a dream he thinks. But none were actually as well worn as the day in the swimming pool.
Don’t talk of nine lives, or near hits, and lives changed by the calamity parade. Mishaps and catastrophe are not on some fate schedule, but rather brewing around corners, rising up when circumstances intersect. Even though nothing but greater awareness can it steer away, we still tend to feel that the fates are the designated driver of any given series of moments.
He had no business climbing that fence. He had seen his brother and friends in the pool. He was younger then, and still an annoyance to his older brother. He waited till they went in the house to make his move from the secrecy of the hedge row. Once inside the enclosure, he wiped the sweat from his eyes that shook loose from his hair as he hit the ground off the top rail. The cool waters were now within his reach.
The weight of water cannot be explained. It forces the air from your lungs and causes you to stroke harder, which in the end forces you down. Not sure now why in his haste he jumped in the deep end. Eyes tightened shut became wide open as he could not figure out why he was unable to reach the wall. The weight of water.
There was a moment of panic, which morphed in to a surprising acceptance momentarily, and then a flurry of will…..to survive. He reached the side but discovered that he was on the bottom, staring up. He dug his nails into the rough plastered wall and tried to scratch his way to the air available just a few more feet above his near tomb. The weight of water.
Stabbing and then grabbing at the top edge, his lips punctured the surface. The rush of air into his lungs caused him to gag and spit up water. He hunched over the edge and puked as tears streamed down his cheeks. He stood and gathered his balance. He walked home. He still felt the weight of the water.
He never told anyone.
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