Come, Josephine

Chapter 28

1928

   On that Monday morning, in the early spring, Nick and I went back to the lake. It was a spring day so bright that the sun seemed to thaw away the lasting affects of winter. The snow and ice had long since melted, the lake no longer concealed, and the last nip in the air had vanished.
   "Should we go to the lake?" Nick had asked, "I suppose it's warm enough now to go for a swim."
   So, off we set, ready to take the first plunge of the year. Nick ensured me that it would not be too cold, but I eyed him with suspicion. Nick tended to be optimistic, but I decided I would allow him to go in first; he felt the cold terribly, and if he flinched, I would know for sure that the weather was still too icy.
The walk was a brisk one. Nick pulled ahead, dragging me by the hand and ensuring I kept up with his jolly pace. Towards the end, we were almost jogging.
   When we reached the water's edge, Nick smiled over his shoulder at me and began undressing. He pulled off his shirt, boots and work trousers, leaving his undergarments on. He dove into the water, a deep trench under the base of a tree, and fell out of sight.
   I waited for a moment, and my pulse quickened. His shape did not loom in the darkness, nor did his head break the surface. My skin crawled, my head pounded. My body seized, my limbs stiff and numb. For a moment, I was sure I would faint.
   Had he dashed his head on a rock, or else been rendered unconscious? Had the cold shocked him and stolen his breath? Why else would he not return?
   I began unbuttoning my dress with fumbling fingers, and discarded it on the grass. My boots too, were kicked off in haste. I stalled, leaned over the edge, and prepared to jump.
   His head broke the surface and he let loose a gasping, joyous laugh. I had not known that I had been crying, but the look on his face was telling. I dried my eyes.
   "Nick!" I screeched, "what on Earth? Do you not know how much that terrified me? What were you thinking?"
   He looked at me in surprise, and his face fell completely, "was I under that long?"
   "Yes!"
   "Oh- oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think!"
   "You never do."
   He frowned, then smiled, "well, come on in then." 
   "What?"
   He swam forward, closing in, and reached out a hand. I took it, cautiously, and sat down on the water's edge. I dipped my toes in, squealing at the cold and hesitating. Nick laughed, and I made a remark about how I could not understand how he was not rushing out of the cold as he was so sensitive to it.
   "It's fine once you get your shoulders under," he said.
   I slipped in, aware of how deep the water must be. Despite my strong swimming abilities, Nick grabbed my waist as I did so, giving me a moment to grasp the concept of swimming.
   "You got this?" He said, and I nodded.
    He let go slowly, as if he was scared I would drown. He looked down, as if concerned over the deep nature of the water. His eyes gleamed, however, and his concern was short lived.
   "Follow me," he said, and he was gone. I looked down into the deep where he had disappeared, hesitated, and then dipped my head under.
   I kicked down, forcing my eyes open as I did so. The depts were clearer than I had expected. Dark enough that it was hard to make out Nick's figure completely, but visibility was not poor.
    The trench was close on both sides so that they grazed my fingertips if I reached out. As we went deeper, it began harder to stay under. My head pounded.
   My lungs eventually burned with the effort of holding my breath, and at the same moment, Nick turned around too. We swam back up, both giggling as we broke the water's surface. I smiled over at him.
   "That was amazing!" I shouted, loud enough for the whole world to hear.
   "I told you it would be worth it!" He called back, mere feet from me. We swam back to shore then, took a pause, and then returned to the water. We went back and forth all day until our arms tired and the sun set. It was then that we walked home.
   On reflection, I wish that we hadn't.