Free Firestorm by Ronnie Dauber Page B

over
there.”
    “I’m a good
swimmer, you know, James. I’m just a little tired right now but
I’ll try to swim as much as I can.”
    “That’s great.
Okay, here we go.”
    I fell back
into the water and swam out slowly, and soon the rope was tight and
I could feel the pull on the line as I led the way. The shore
seemed further away than I remembered but I kept going. Brad had
the greater task because he was practically carrying Don, but I
knew that as soon as I got to the bank I would be able to help pull
them in which would at least give him that much relief. And besides
that, Brad was not only a great swimmer but he’d had lots of water
rescue training.
    I kept turning
around in the water to look back and see that they were still doing
okay, and it didn’t take as long as I’d thought it would to get to
the shore. Once I climbed out of the water I was able to pull the
rope a bit at a time and a few minutes later Brad and Don were at
the edge. We lifted Don out of the water and onto the bank where we
all collapsed for just a few seconds. Brad was really exhausted
from carrying Don through the water and he lay on the ground like a
snow angel facing the sky.
    “Hey, Pete, we
made it.”
    I could hear
the sarcasm in his voice and I knew that he was enjoying this
little game, and I also knew that I was probably going to keep on
hearing about it long after we got back home.
    “Yes, James, we
made it.”
    Don began to
move around and I opened my eyes to see what he was doing.
    “Where’s the
boat? I don’t see the boat. James, where is it?”
    Brad sat up and
was lost for words as he looked around and then stared at me.
    “Yeah, the
boat. Where’s the boat, Pete?”
    Before I could
respond, Don tapped my leg and his voice was excited.
    “Pete, we made
it this time. We’re together. We both made it.”
    Don really
thought I was his brother and he looked so happy. He was smiling
from ear to ear and his face was radiant with joy. What could I say
that wouldn’t ruin this moment for him? What could I say that would
keep him happy and co-operative?
    “The boat? Oh
yes, the boat is uh, it’s over there. We have to go up through that
path to get to it. The water here was too shallow so we had to park
it in the deeper water over there.”
    I was shaking
inside and it all felt so foolish to talk this way but Don believed
me and we needed that right now to keep him moving. He had such a
trusting look on his face that it made my insides melt with passion
towards him. He had suffered for so long over his brother’s death
and for these few minutes he was relieved of that burden, and
whether it was right or wrong of us to do it, for these few minutes
he was happy.
    Meanwhile, Brad
was hanging on my every word.
    “You parked the
boat, eh Pete? Have any problem finding a parking spot over there
that says, ‘Parking for boats only’?”
    “Very
funny.”
    “How much time
did you put on the parking meter, Pete? I don’t want a parking
ticket put on my boat.”
    “Just get your
boots on, James. And don’t forget your shades because soon you’ll
be the Bradster again and I want to remember this moment.”
    Don just sat
there with a very peaceful and happy look on his face, and as he
kept looking over at me he sniffed and wiped the tears from his
eyes. I felt so sorry for him.
    “I really
thought you were a goner, Pete. Hurry up and get those boots on. I
want to get back on the boat.”
    I stood up and
wrung the water out of as much of my shirt as I could without
taking it off, and then I did the same with my shorts. It was
actually refreshing to be wet since the air was so hot and dry.
Brad pulled his shirt off and wrung it out as he continued to crack
little jokes under his breath, and then we both sat back down and
pulled on our socks and boots. After he’d rolled the rope back into
a coil we gently lifted Don to his feet. Brad squeezed the water
out from Don’s clothes and then patted his shoulder.
    “Okay,