Tom Simpson - Sink

“You really think you hit one Jack?” Billy whispered back. “Our dad’s would be proud of us if we brought home a big largemouth bass our first time out, huh. I don’t know about wading in the water though. These new short and shirt outfits our moms bought would probably stay wet for hours and we’d be murdered when we got back. If we can’t find your fish from the bank, we should probably go after another one. Just look how many we’ve seen in the short time we’ve been here. I just know we will see another easy target and maybe I’ll get lucky this time...

“Okay Billy. I know you’re always right even though you’re only one year older than me. It doesn’t matter though, you know the old saying, there are always more fish in the sea. Yuck, yuck.”

“Gee Jack. You’re a real comedian. Come on let’s get another fish. You never know the lake might dry up. Yea right.”

The two boys had been up since six o’clock and neither was the least bit tired after the long drive to the resort. They hurriedly gotten dressed and impatiently waited for the rest of their family members to get up. They spent the night in one motel room they shared with their older sisters while both sets of parents had adjoining rooms on each side of them. The two girls

had stayed up most of the night giggling and talking about boys and different clothes they bought but the two young boys had fallen asleep shortly after watching a sit-com on the motel room TV.

Jack and Billy finally woke up the protesting girls and while they were getting dressed the boys knocked on both of their parents’ motel rooms announcing they were more than ready to eat breakfast. The two boys were allowed to wait by the large swimming pool until their parents were ready and very excited about being able to spend the day playing around the grounds of the resort and the lake while their parents attended the grand opening. The girls after meeting the parents and the two little brothers had gotten permission to do whatever they wanted after eating as long as they promised not to elope with any of the local boys. The delicious breakfast in the

dining room gave everyone in the group a nice warm feeling in their stomachs and they separated into their own little groups after exiting the dining room.

Darwood Mackenzie was a klutz. He had been a klutz as long as anyone could remember. His feet had grown a lot faster than the rest of his gangling body, he wore size twelve shoes when he was ten years old, and they seemed to be controlled by something entirely alien to the rest of his body. He could trip over an ant if he wasn’t careful and Darwood was hardly ever careful.

In grammar school he had been ridiculed by his classmates.

“Hey Dar, you will always go far but in the wrong direction.”

This harmless joking had no profound effect on Darwood because he took it as a form of adoration from his fellow classmates which, in reality it was. He was well liked but really funny to look at. His scarecrow appearance with ears too large and carrot colored hair with an ample supply of freckles, topped off, or in this case, bottomed off with clown size feet, brought a smile even to the most serious minded teacher at the school. If the children were reprimanded by a scholar to quit teasing Darwood, the children would break out in a series of giggles that would eventually cause even the teacher to start smirking. Yes, Darwood was a real trip but really an enjoyable voyage.

Darwood at age seventeen was still funny looking and just as awkward but, his warm friendly smile put even Dilford Bailey, the manager, at ease. Darwood was the one exception to the manager’s strict employment regulations but, as happens in a lot of businesses, nepotism rules and Dilford Bailey was Darwood’s uncle. No one, except the uncle and nephew knew this and Bailey threatened to fire Darwood on the spot if anyone ever found out. Darwood’s job, in the bright morning sunlight was to clean off the tennis courts at the resort. It wasn’t Dilford Bailey’s responsibility to have this done but with all the guest coming for the grand opening and knowing that the corporation had somehow slipped the ball on this task he had asked Darwood if he would mind doing this job for him and he had immediately volunteered to do it. Darwood knew he was clumsy and cleaning off the tennis courts with an air blower seemed like a perfect task. How could he screw up he thought as he had gotten the gasoline blower out of the maintenance shed where it rested on its own personal hook? He checked the gasoline and oil mix, decided if was full enough and started to walk towards the courts. He got around the edge of the swimming pool and had his first calamity. A water hose, lying in the grass, being used to top off the level of water in the pool would’ve posed no problem to anyone else, but Darwood was Darwood. He stepped carefully over the bright yellow hose, placing his large foot slowly down on the bright green grass. Unbeknown to Darwood, there was a sprinkler head, also bright green, hidden in the grass and it was still slippery from the early morning dew. His size twelve foot landed squarely on the head and slipped just as quickly off. This forward motion of his right foot caused Darwood to fall backwards and his arms went up and backwards as he tried to catch himself. Unfortunately, the air blower was in his hands and the sudden motion caused the air blower to shoot upwards out of his hands and backwards toward the pool.

Mrs. Wilson P. Farnham, of the Pennsylvania Farnhams, solid money and prestige for the last one hundred and seventy eight years in suburban Pittsburgh, was unfortunately walking her very expensive champion white toy poodle near the edge of the swimming pool, telling the dog what a delightful day it was here in sunny Florida, when the air blower left its orbit and splashed down, soaking Mrs. Farnham and her precious Princess Pia of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Farnham’s five hundred dollar summer outfit and Princess Pia’s one hundred dollar grooming couldn’t have gotten much wetter if they had both jumped in, which of course was ludicrous for someone of their social standing. Darwood, after regaining his feet, looked toward the pool just in time to see the mini tidal wave completely soak the lady and her dog. He went running towards the two apologizing in short clipped sentences as he crossed the concrete decking of the pool. Darwood’s large feet as usual got tangled up when he was trying to move too fast and he tripped over the end of the hose that was hanging over the edge of the pool. He tried to catch himself but wound up diving towards the frightened lady and her dog and tackled them so quickly that all three went flying over the edge into the very wet water.

Darwood surfaced, sputtering as he gasped for air and looked straight up into the eyes of Dilford Bailey.

“Young man. Could I please see you in my office after you’re done with your morning swim?”

Dilford Bailey helped the elderly woman out of the pool and reached over and plucked up what looked like a very saturated mop head. When he set it down on the concrete it shook and soaked Dilford like a morning shower.

“You will hear from my attorney Mr. Bailey. I have never seen such foolishness.”

Mrs. Farnham stalked off toward the resort, holding the wet dog in front of her like a soiled diaper and muttered in a tone so low that only the dog could hear her.

Dilford Bailey walked sternly towards his office in the main resort and looked back to make sure Darwood McKenzie was following like a soon to be punished puppy.

Kathy Santos, wearing a not to modest florescent green bikini, stretched out on her stomach in the white vinyl chaise lounge and undid the small fastener on the back of her bikini top. She pulled her shoulder length raven colored hair forward off her golden brown neck to fully catch the rays of the midmorning sun. Her bronze colored back glistened with coconut oil she had hastily applied before she left her second floor room. Kathy, striking looking in her early thirties, was always considered a beauty. She won her high school homecoming queen title, was voted most attractive and most likely to succeed. She was constantly being harassed by her friends to enter beauty contest but, always declined. She felt beauty was only skin deep and it was superficial to elect people to different honors just because of their looks. She had above average intelligence and wanted to make it in life with her brains not her looks. Kathy went through many boyfriends during high school and many more when she went to college. They were always trying to claim her as a trophy girlfriend and once they found out she was smarter than they were they usually bowed out of the relationship with some feeble excuse. She wasn’t interested in a serious relationship but, she would have liked more than one date with the same guy.