Breaking the Waves

My head emerges quickly from the waves but is quickly sucked back under. I thrashed and rolled my body, stuck under the water, wave after wave whipping me around. I'm only 6 years old and the little girl who pushed me doesn't know I can't swim. I try pushing my body up again and scream for help before my body gets shoved back down by another unforgiving wave. The water is trying its best to kill me. I don't want to die. A small hand grabs my pony tail and pulls my head above water. The pain in my scalp is nothing compared to the relief of being able to breath again.

"Grab my hand!" she yelled fearfully! Her eyes are wide and her face is draining of color. I start to panic as my head begins to sink under the waves again. Thankfully, she has a tight hold on my hair which keeps me barely above the waves. I flail and pull on her arm. With a huge splash, she falls in from all my weight pulling her down. Panic engulfs me and I'm so afraid I'll never see the stars again. I start to flail and kick my legs but to no avail, I can't think straight because I'm panicking.

She doesn't panic. She swims below me and pushes on my backside, trying to push me up onto the dock. I'm able to grab the edge of the dock but my hands are slippery. I'm barely able to hold on but I do for dear life. She's pushing and shoving, until finally I'm able to get the top half of my body on the dock. I lay there wore out, with my legs still dangling in the water.

She quickly pulls herself onto the dock and drags my tired body up all the way out of the water. She lays down next to me,

exhausted by her own fear. She looks at me and a tear rolls down her cheek, at least I think it's a tear, we are both soaking wet.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim? I wouldn't of suggested we play on the dock and I definitely wouldn't of pushed you in. I'm so sorry! I've never met anyone who couldn't swim before. Are you okay? What can I do? Do we need to call someone? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I was embarrassed... Everyone our age can swim... but nobody has ever had the time to teach me. My grandma is too old and my mom works all the time. My brother is always busy with his friends... So I never learned." I say as I look away from her, my cheeks and ears turning a burning shade of red.

"Psh. Then I'll teach you. I've been swimming since before I could walk. I'm pretty sure it was the first private lesson I ever took. I love swimming. Plus, we'll just start in the pool at my house since it's shallow and it has stairs! I can teach you so no one has to know you don't know how to swim. I'll never let you be embarrassed again."

"Really?" I said doubtfully, not quite convinced, "Are you sure, you could teach me? What if I start to drown again?"

"Listen Stacey, I saved you once already, didn't I? I'm not scared of the ocean or any water honestly."

"Well okay then. But I am not getting in the deep end. No way."

"We'll see about that. I bet you I have you in the deep end by the end of next month." She said with a triumphant smile.

We spent the next 2 months, with her showing me different strokes, how to kick my feet, and how to float on my back when I got scared. When I could master those skills she took me to the beach on the shallow side and taught me about the waves. How they rolled and receded. She taught me what a riptide was and how to swim if I got caught in one. We didn't get into the water until I could recite all the information she said I needed to know. I thought it was ridiculous but she was the boss and swimming in the ocean is not like swimming in a pool.

By 4 months, I was swimming and floating right along with her and we had become inseparable. We spent the whole summer together, swimming, playing, and walking the beach. We bought ice cream at Josie's and pizza at the little Italian place my mom worked. We spent every day together and most nights we had sleep overs.

By the end of the summer I was so comfortable in the water I could swim by myself if I wanted but we always went together. Some nights, when the wind was calm, and the water was as warm as a bath, Joanna and I would sneak out of the house and go swimming. We'd float on our backs and just look up at the stars. We could feel the power of them as the water danced around us. It made us feel strong and only made our friendship stronger.

As the days grew shorter, we knew the end was coming. She'd go back to her fancy private school and I'd start again in public school. Luckily we could still write each other and she'd come back for the summer. They always came back to their vacation home in the summer. When we were apart the stars and the waves were our guides back to each other.

That summer changed my life and saved my life in more ways than one. I could of drowned but instead I learned how to swim and that's how I made a friend I would call a friend for life. Even when we are far, far away from each other, we both just go out into the water. We float, and feel each other through the waves and from the power of looking at the stars.