Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Rough and Tumble

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Front: Nico Rear: Christopher swimming at a local boating island 

February 13, 2014


My sons are like acrobats. Rough and Tumble, is what I would call them if they were a traveling circus show. They keep me entertained every moment they perform their little acts of unskilled rolling and tumbling. But they also give me a minor heart attack when I’m not prepared for their antics.

Raising two sons so close in age (4 and 5) is giving me gray hair quicker then I anticipated. Even if I am bald I know the gray is there! Thankfully they are keeping their father on his toes. The names Rough and Tumble can interchange between the both of them depending on what’s going on throughout the day.

The boat docks are a fun place to stroll. But when the boys are in the bathing suits all bets are off. One particular day we were walking the docks in a small boat inlet, a cove of sorts, where I can moor our boat to get out and walk around the island.

“Come on guys!” I said

We all filed off the boat, the yellow lab, the white Bichon Frise, and last but not least Rough and Tumble.

The boys chase after the dogs. My dogs are just happy to get off the boat and on to some dry land. The first thing they want to do is pee on the first tree they see. Unfortunately, the dogs were nowhere near brush. Champ, my lab, frantically looked for place to potty but there was nothing around. The only tree's are across the lagoon just off the docks about 50 yards away. 

“Champ, don’t you do it.” I commanded.

Champ began to bark as he stretched he long body close to the wood planks of the dock.

“Ahh whooo” the dog exhaled.

“Do it Champ! Do it!” one of the Rough and Tumble boys said.

“Do not egg him on,” I said.

“GO, Champ, GO!”

Without another word said, Champ dove into the slightly chilled ocean water. He swam the distance to shore for a quick relief.

“YEAH!” Rough and Tumble shouted in unison.

“Don’t you do it, boys!” I said knowing one of them was about to jump in after him. “You can’t swim very good!”

SPLASH

One of the Rough and Tumble duo jumps into the calm bay. I didn’t even think.

SPALSH

I jumped in after him.

SPLASH

The Bichon, Sugar, jumps in.

I grabbed Rough or is it Tumble? And like a lifeguard swimming to shore with his saved victim, I backed stroked towards land with him under my arm. Champ was so excited to see us all playing in the water that he couldn’t contain his loud barks of joy and he jumped back in the water.

I looked back towards the docks to see the other half of this master of disasters sitting on the edge of the dock.

“Don’t move,” I said. “I’ll be over to get you.”

I swam back over to the other side. Champ swam with me. I made it to the other side. The dock was a good 4 feet (1.2 meters) above me. I couldn’t climb out because there just wasn’t a good spot to pull myself out of the water. The long wooden pillars driven in the seabed were embedded with barnacles. There was no way I could place my feet on them for leverage.

“Okay, Rough, you’re coming in,” I said.

“No daddy. No way,” he said.

Without giving him much notice I sink to the bottom of the bay and push up into the air. My body rose to the height of the dock. I reached out my arm and pulled my son in!

“Got ya!”

Champ started barking loudly while he swam side to side. Tumble was on the shore throwing rocks in the water. Sugar was running along the sandy beach waiting for me to return. It was poetic chaos. Rough and Tumble created a big scene for all to see only there was no audience there!

I lay on my back and backstroked to the other side where the rest of the traveling circus was waiting for us. Once I made it to an area where I could regain my footing I released my son back into the wild to be reunited to his other half. Once I managed to get to solid ground a leaned back on my knees. Champ licked my face and Sugar placed her paws on my knees. As for Rough and Tumble? Well, there were using sticks to poke out the crabs from the large rocks resting on the shore. On to the third ring of these three ring circus starring Rough and Tumble.










Christopher Fusaro. The author of Captain Imperfecto.

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