Over the fence and in
Thanks to the magic of Google satellite imagery, we can visit locations that are otherwise off limits. Today, I’m going back to an earlier time, when my brain still didn’t overanalyse things. Yes, back to when I was about sixteen.
In our neighbourhood, only one home had an in-ground swimming pool. And we considered it as the epitome of luxury. Akin to something we had seen on TV. A cement pond! It was early summer. A clear evening. And me and my buddy decided that this was the moment. It didn’t matter that the town had a lake with a sand beach. That was ordinary. This pool was what someone who had everything else would put in their back yard. Remember, we had already completed our analysis.
It was dark. The fence was low. We had done a cost benefit analysis (which required about ten seconds) and we were over the fence and in. I think we probably retained our runners, as boys will do.
The water was colder than expected, which accounts for any noise (teeth chattering). And then the outdoor lights came on. Floodlights. And the sons of the owner were there, with adrenilin pumping. They didn’t drag us out of the water, but we didn’t dare to flee. A rather large German Shepherd was a member of their party. Our party.
My parents can be proud; I was only brought home by the town police on one occasion. This one. And my parents (mainly my mother) kept her cool, as her only sone was released into her custody.
The penalty, in retrospect, was just and fair. My bbuddy and I had to return to the scene, the next afternoon. Under the smirks of the owners sons (and the dog), we learned about how to clean a pool. Useful life skill. There was no additional penalty.
And the pool is still there, more than a half-century on. And I will not be trying a repeat swim. I’m older, and wiser.
