A Quick Dip

“Try and hold your breath for as long as you can!”

The teal water below the two boys glistens in the sun. A dragonfly zooms by and in a nearby tree a bird cheerfully tweets. It’s the epitome of summer. The temperature is a comfortable 82°, and the two are halfway down the center of a dock about to make a feverish dash to jump off of the end.

“I bet I can beat you to the end and hold my breath longer than you can,” The taller of the two confidently states! He places his hands on his hips for added justification.

“Betcha can’t!”

“On three I’ll prove it to you!” Both of them place their hands in the air and begin to count together.

“1…” One finger shoots up on both hands.

“2…” a second follows; the shorter of the two stifles a laugh.

“3!” 

They take off in a steady sprint and jump off of the dock mimicking leaping frogs; one last heavy breath sounds from both of them before they touch the water. They land, sending up sprinkling reports as the water is displaced and abruptly interrupted.

Within seconds of disappearing they both return to the surface gasping.

“It’s soooo cold!” The taller one sputters.

“Ugh,” The shorter boy begins hysterically coughing. “It took my breath away! Did it do that to you too Sam?”

“Yeah!” They both doggy-paddle to the ladder on the dock extended into the water. Sam beats the other brother and climbs up.

“Alex, when we’re done later, wanna play catch?” 

Alex grunts loudly as he struggles to pull himself out of the water.

After finally getting a foot up he says “Yeah, sure. I’ll only play if you play fair this time.” The foot he placed on the first rung of the ladder suddenly slips on the growing algae and he finds himself back in the water.

A loud, playful laugh erupts from atop the dock, “What’d you do that for?”

“I didn’t mean to! The step was slippery!”

“You’re clumsy!”

“Hey! At least I’m not weird!”

“Keep telling yourself that little bro!” A wide smile spreads across Sam’s face.

Alex attempts the ladder a second time, this one being successful. Breathing heavily, Alex collapses on the sun-warmed, wind-worn dock at their perfect summer lake cabin.

Every summer the boys and their parents come here to spend a month. It’s the stereotypical summer all kids grow up dreaming about. There are no worries, and not a care in the world. The most important thing about the lake cabin is that the house doesn’t require any homework.

Sam lies down on his stomach next to Alex in the mid-day sun. Water glistens on both of their bodies like tiny diamonds. From the shock of the water goose-bumps erupt on their skin like tiny volcanoes.

“That was so cold,” Sam wails!

“Yeah! We can call it a tie. Clearly I won though!” Alex puffs his cheeks slightly with pride.

“You did not!”

“Did to!”

The boys get quiet for a moment, the sound of minute waves lap under the dock and fill the silence. A very brief time passes and the boys exchange looks. Slowly a face-splitting grin breaks Alex’s face. His eyes sparkle, and he lifts his eyebrows. A drop of water drips down his cheek, leaving a small trail behind. Alex leans in, closing the gap between him and his brother. He hushes his voice to an almost inaudible whisper, lowers one eyebrow and says:

“Let’s do it again!”