Free Encompassing Love by Richard Lord Page A

those gross clothes and jump in.  You’re beginning to smell.  Later I’ll show you how to wash clothes, properly, in it.”  He began to take his clothes off.
    Tomorrow looked at him.  “What if it’s gone by then?”
    “It won’t be.”  Adam jumped in the water and began rubbing it all over himself as he enjoyed the sensation of the filth of the last few weeks washing off of him.
    Tomorrow watched him, not sure she understood, but she took all of her clothes off and jumped in.  She let the flowing water rinse her hair and when she raised her head up she looked at Adam with a huge smile.  “It feels good.  It’s cold!”
    “It is good.  Just a warning.  Watch for snakes.  There aren’t many that swim, but some do.  You’ll see them on top of the water.  Here, the water is moving too fast for them, but in other areas, they might be around.  Just avoid them.  Don’t try to catch one.  All water snakes are aggressive and will attack you first.  A large number of them are very poisonous.  They aren’t shy like the rattle snakes in the desert.”
    Tomorrow replied, “Okay, but explain swim?”
    “Get, this is a good spot to bathe in.  Then we wash the clothes.  After that, we’ll follow the water until we get to a good spot for me to teach you how to swim.  Basically, it’s moving in the water without drowning.  You can even move under the water that way.”
    Tomorrow thought about that and it sounded neat, but she kept thinking the water was going to get away.
    Adam said, “Also, in fast moving water it’s safe to pee.  It will go away, just be sure to do that upstream where the water runs faster.  Also, you can do the other thing in the water.  As for your actual womanly thing.  Don’t stay in the water too long.  Skin doesn’t like being wet that long.”
    Tomorrow peered at him and said, “It was just a few days.  Stop teasing me about it just because it doesn’t happen to you.”
    Adam laughed and grabbed a scoop of water and thrust it at her.  Tomorrow saw how he did it then she clicked behind him and did the same over his head.  Then she grabbed onto his shoulders and whispered in his ear, “Is this the place where there are more animals to eat?”
    Adam, could feel her hot breath on his neck and could tell she was excited to try new meats.  “Yes.  It’s also a good place to learn what plants you can eat.  Just memorize the leaves.  I’ll show you what tastes good and I’ll show you what has defenses you won’t like.  As I said, memorize the leaves.  Some we can even use for medicine.”
    Tomorrow replied, “Okay.”  She started rubbing water on his back.  “You look good clean.”
    “Thank you.”  Adam turned towards her.  As he started to speak his voice broke a bit, then he got out, “You look pretty good clean too.”
    Tomorrow looked down through the water and then at Adam’s face.  She kissed him quickly and then pushed against his chest.  Her legs went up in the water and she noticed she was floating. She was thoroughly enjoying the sensation when she saw Adam leap out of the water and then into it and disappear.  He came up under her and grabbed her ankles.  Tomorrow smiled until she noted the look of concern on Adam’s face.  She said, “What’s wrong?”
    “Don’t do that before I teach you how to swim.  You could have floated like that for a long time, but we don’t know what’s down there.”  Adam pointed down the river.
    She noticed he hadn’t let go of her ankles and she looked at him with a pleading in her eyes.  What she felt was not something she could help.
    Adam let go of her, pushing downwards on her ankles and said, “Come on, let’s get the clothes washed so we aren’t putting back on the same dust and stink we just got off.”  He turned and headed to the land.  Adam could hear Tomorrow’s thought from behind him.
    He tried to blink it away.  Then he heard her in his head.  “Now I know. I don’t