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 unprepared for their antics.
Raising two sons so close in age (4 and 5) is giving me gray hair quicker than I anticipated, but I am bald, so I am only assuming. Even if I am bald, I know the gray is there! Thankfully, they are keeping their father on his toes. Rough and Tumble can interchange depending on what's happening 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 could 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 happy to get off the boat and onto dry land. The first thing they want to do is pee on the first tree they see. Unfortunately, the dogs were nowhere near the brush. Champ, my lab, frantically looked for a place to potty, but there was nothing around. The only trees 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 his 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.
SPLASH
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 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 himself, and his loud barks of joy mingled with the laughter of my boys. Ahh, kids at play. It is beautiful sometimes. I looked back towards the docks to see the other half of this master of disasters sitting on the edge of the pier.
"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 wasn't an excellent 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, but there was no audience!
I lay on my back and backstroked to the other side, where the rest of the traveling circus was waiting for us. Once I reached an area where I could regain my footing, I released my son back into the wild to be reunited with his other half. Once I got to solid ground, I leaned back on my knees. Champ licked my face, and Sugar placed her paws on my knees. As for Rough and Tumble? They were using sticks to poke out the crabs from the large rocks resting on the shore. On to the third ring of this three-ring circus, I hope you enjoy the show's stars, Rough and Tumble.
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Christopher Fusaro. The author of Captain Imperfecto.
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