No, Really, She Likes It
I remember going to the beach with my Mother, Aunt Lucie and big brother Daniel. My Mother always wanted me to wear a large brimmed straw hat that I somehow lost (darned wind), to protect me from sunburn. The beach was always so much fun, building sand castles and playing in the waves.
Once my Mother and Aunt started talking, Daniel and I knew we could make our get away. My brother is six years older than me, and at the time I was very young, about four or five. I grabbed my tube and we were off!
When we were sure our Mother could no longer see us, my brother would put the tube around me and instruct me to "hang on tight." We began to move out into the water about even with the breaking waves. I would stand sideways and Daniel would stand behind me. Daniel would grab the back of the tube and scream, "Ready?" I would shake my head "yes" quickly, squish my eyes shut, tighten my grip on the tube and stiffen my body. As the wave crested, my brother would throw me straight into it! What a ride! The tube always wound up bringing me back on top of the water and Daniel would fetch me.
I remember my brother calling over other kids to watch and when the look of horror came over their faces he'd say, "No, really, she likes it."
© 1998-2002 Claudine M. Jalajas