I painted my toe nails, cut my hair, trimmed off the unwanted body hair – too much info? – hauled out the bikini and all that was form-fitting and went off to meet my best beloved.
He’s a keen snorkeller, spear fisherman, surfer and I believe water is for washing dishes, clothes and self. I’ve hidden behind the childhood trauma excuse and blame the fear of sea, lakes and swimming pools on a near-drowning when I was young.
We set off with some friends along a beautiful rocky shore on the African Coast with a posse of children in tow who found us most entertaining. They jabbered in Kiswahili and we jabbered in English. After some breathtaking vista’s as we rounded bend after bend we found our spot. We put everything down and whipped out the snorkeling gear. I was blasé about it all, pretending I’d done this a thousand times – trying to impress the new friends of course. Best beloved knew I was a wimp. My heart was in my throat, I thought visibly, pounding. I was about to come head-to-head with all the dangers of the sea –
We got into the shallows and tore off at speed – me hanging onto his calves sucking my stomach in, hoping I wouldn’t come into contact with nasty stuff. And then I lost my grip – I was left to my own desperate devices. I began to pick my way through and before I knew it I was in the middle of urchin city with no place to go. I found a spot for two fingers of my left hand, then two fingers of the right, and the toes of each of my flippered feet. I was perched precariously in a crazy downward dog facing down the enemy. “Darling, honey, glug, gasp, sweetie, love of my life,” I called with growing desperation. Would he see me before he swam all the way to Nosy Be I wondered? And he did, he heard me!
My best beloved dashed up the beach and brought his thick size 8, or is it 9 or 10 boats, I mean boots, to my rescue. He stood behind my shapely sizable behind – not my finest hour – and I raised first the right leg. Balancing on 3 limbs as he took off the flipper and put on the boat err boot. I thanked the yoga gods for granting me balance. Boats on he put his hands on my hips and heaved backwards until I was upright. I had a new perspective!
My hero and I went off into the water on foot this time until we reached the edge of the reef – play music, sun on horizon, light playing on the water, holding of hands, snorkel snorkel, and….. cut! Do they still say that in the movies?