Uncertain Waters

My mother was six months pregnant with me when the carnival came to town. My parents went to see what it had in store. They came across a fortune teller's tent and, they went inside for a prediction about me, or at least that was my mother's intentions. The fortune-teller went through the typical " I was expecting you" schtick went they came inside. She asked them what they wanted to know and, my mother answers, " I want to know my child's future," The woman put her hands on the table and sat for a moment quietly. She told my mother terrible news 

" Your child will drown by the age of seventeen," This horrified my mother but my father was skeptical. 

" How dare you scare my pregnant wife like that!" he yelled. The woman didn't say anything to him. He pulled my mother out of the tent and they went home. You may be wondering how any of that information was relevant well, I'll tell you. My mother turned into a superstitious person after that visit. She demanded that we move out of our house because we had a pool my father said no. They fought about this for the rest of the pregnancy but, eventually before I was born my mother moved back in with my Grandmother. 

When I was born she wouldn't let me near any water I could drown in. So, no baths unless she was there the whole time, no pool parties, no waterparks, and no beach or lake trips. We lived in California it was so so hot there and there wasn't anything more that I wanted than to swim in those awful summer days. I wasn't allowed to go to many places anyway, my mother feared that I would rebel against her and go swim. 

In high school this year I met this girl named Kendra became fast friends. It was the last week of me being seventeen and so far well no drowning. 

  Kendra knows very well about this prediction and doesn't think it's true. But, I could never be so certain. I was always secretly worrying that it might be true. Maybe because my mother has been saying that I was supposed to die by this year for my whole life. I always wanted to go swimming just to see if I would drown. A bit of a morbid science experiment but I guess I would know. 

But, Kendra came up to me on our last day of school saying that she scored tickets onto the ship that goes to Catalina Island. It was her idea of a birthday treat for me by taking me to go A to the beach and B to the island. She wanted me to see that I wasn't cursed and this isn't how I go out. I told her confidently that I would love to go. But, I am really nervous that it's true I have a week left then theoretically I am Scott free right? 

I made up an excuse for where I would be tomorrow and spent the whole night researching how to mess with tracking apps. Armed with the knowledge of how to throw off my mother I laid sleeplessly in bed thinking. I couldn't stop all that filled my mind was hundreds of what-if scenarios. What if I drown on the boat ride over? What if I drown getting on or off the boat? What if I am fine and nothing happens? Eventually, I woke up and it was morning today was the biggest and possibly final day of my life. 

I took my phone and car keys and drove to the boat. There in line was Kendra who was already waiting for me. I walked up fear filled my whole body. But, I tried to calm my nerves. There is nothing that has happened in my life that would lead me to believe that this prediction could be right. Never have I once somehow almost drowned in the bath. Never have I had anything that would suggest that the universe was trying to down me. Not even this entire time that I've been seventeen. 

I've asked my father about it countless times he still stands firm that it was a bunch of magic mumbo jumbo. He let me play in a kiddy pool once but unfortunately, my mother was just arriving early to pick me up and saw this. She flipped her lid so badly the neighbors called the cops on a noise disturbance. They went to court and my mother won full custody and I haven't seen my father since.

That memory was replaying over and over in my head and now I am wondering was I really safe after all? Was my father watching me? Making sure that I wouldn't drown? Kendra snapped me out of it and looked slightly concerned and handed me a small pill and a cup of water. " It's for your nerves," I swallowed it instantly. It took about five minutes but I felt a little better. 

My emotions kept flipping back and forth from being calmer to being entirely panicked. I wanted nothing more than to be completely calm like everyone else seemed to be. But, has anyone else known since they could remember that their mother said they were going to die by drowning?

I could feel the pill finally doing its job and I felt more relaxed. Kendra wouldn't let anything happen to me and besides, she can swim pretty decent so I think she could save me. I am still completely uncertain about if this is true or not but I feel a little calmer about the whole thing. 

I pushed the memory of the kiddy pool away I know my father wouldn't let harm come to me. I glance over to the water which was glittering from the morning sun. I look around at the scenery and looked back towards the water. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as the line started to move forward and we walked towards the boat.