When You Were Young

Joey lies on the bow of the boat, letting the sun wash over him. The air still has a chill of winter, but after months of gloom and cold, he doesn't care. Mommy lies next to him, her brown skin turning even darker in the sun. Her black hair spreads out like a fan, the wind blowing strands into his face to tickle his nose.

She reaches across the space between them to take his hand. "This was a really good idea," she says. "It's so nice. I can't usually do this, not with all the kids around."

He doesn't say anything, savoring her touch after so long of an absence. Three months with almost no word. A phone call on Valentine's Day and another a few weeks later to announce her return were all Joey had to go on. At times he thought she would never come home. He wants to hold onto her hand forever so that she can never leave without him again.

She pulls her hand from his grasp to roll over. "Can you untie my strings?" she asks. "I don't want a tan line."

He unties the strings of her pink bikini and then brushes hair away to expose her entire back. He runs a hand along her soft flesh as if to verify she's really here and not an illusion. "I love you," he blurts out.

She turns to him, taking off her sunglasses so he can look into her brown eyes. Her mouth opens, but no words come out. "I-" The roar of a speedboat drowns out her next words. The yellow speedboat zooms past the fishing boat, kicking up waves in its wake.

The deck of the fishing boat heaves Joey from his feet. He falls backwards, scrambling to grab on to something, but catches nothing. Mommy's eyes fill with horror as he plunges over the side of the boat, his head striking a railing on the way down.

Joey sinks in the water like a stone. Swim, he thinks. I should swim. But he can't move and continues to sink. I'm going to die, he thinks.

An instant later, he hears a splash overhead. His brain is still in a daze when he sees Mommy above him. She flails about in the water, coming towards him in fits and spurts. At this sight he comes back to full awareness. He thrashes his legs and reaches out towards her with his arms. Her hand touches his and then slides down to his wrist. Her grip is like a handcuff as she pulls him up.

They pop out of the water at the same time. She throws an arm around his neck, almost cutting off his air as she drags him to the boat. She tosses him onto the deck as if he weighs nothing at all and then climbs up after him.