Don’t Swim on Good Fridays

Julie! Julie! Help! I screamed like crazy.  I waved my hand up in the air as she didn’t seem to notice.

Jul! Jul! Come over here! I was slowly moving away from her and from the shore. She did not have the faintest idea I was calling for rescue. In fact, she just waved and smiled back. I was scanning the shoreline for JR but he was too far. He seemed to really not care about anything else except for what’s underwater.

Feeling helpless, I took in enough air, and shouted, “I am drowning!” I need help.

Julie is a fairly good swimmer.  She moved, really fast. Or perhaps she saw I was moving away faster.

Julie, JR, and I took our lunch in one of islands of Gigantes. That was Good Friday. After the seafood treat, we allowed our bodies to rest and spread carefree in the shoreline like we owned it. The sun was up showing its might so we chose to stay under the generous shade of palm trees. “It’s 3 o clock”, the boatman announced.  We rolled up our bodies soaked in white sand and ready for our last dip in that island. We readied our snorkel, which by the way, were all new. Haha. It got its first test of waters in Gigantes.

That day seemed ideal for swimming. We rushed to the sea before we rush to the next island. I floated like a log, face underwater, carefree, and directionless. I just let the water took me to the wonders underneath. “I was like saying, “Take me, I‘ll follow.” There were times that I get a glimpse of Julie and JR when I removed seawater from my snorkel. Didn’t I say, it was new? I was still getting the hang of it. It seemed like a fair day for the three of us.

Thirty minutes past three, I noticed I was already the farthest from the shore. Feeling uneasy about it, I made a U turn, and tried to swim like an authentic swimmer. I spread my arms and kicked my legs, spread them again and kicked, spread and kicked. But I noticed, it made no little difference. Donned with an orange life jacket, I calmed myself. I floated for a while. Gathered some strength. Then swam. And kicked. I moved not closer but father from the island. That was when I knew, I needed help.

So I looked around and saw Julie. JR maintained a closer distance to the shoreline. I shouted at Julie.

Julie! Julie! Help! I screamed like crazy.  I waved my hand up in the air as she didn’t seem to notice.

Jul! Jul! Come over here! I was slowly moving away from her and from the shore. She did not have the faintest idea I was looking for rescue. In fact, she just waved and smiled back. I was scanning the shoreline for JR but he was too far. He seemed to really not care about anything else except for  what’s underwater.

Feeling helpless, I took in enough air, and shouted, “I am drowning!” I need help.

Julie is a fairly good swimmer.  She moved, really fast. Or perhaps she saw I was moving away faster.

When Julie reached my side, she held me like a child with one arm, and swam like a fish. But we were not moving, at all. She made all mightiest attempts she learned in swimming but failed. The current was  too strong to counter. I was thinking of drowning and dying. “Julie, we will be headlines tomorrow!”, I said to her like I mean it. She did not mind me. She instead taught me how to swim on my own. And I obeyed. But I seemed to swim backwards. Being dramatic again, I said, “ Julie, we are going to die!” She answered back, “Shut up!” I can feel she’s mad. I don’t know if it’s me or the situation.  Maybe it was me. She made a tall order that we swim far from the island because that’s where there is less current.  As always, I obeyed the order and was very quiet this time. I let her be the captain - Captain Julie. But all our efforts went for naught. I gave up swimming. I just stayed in the waters. And yes we are still moving, moving away from the shoreline.

Julie and I decided to part ways. I told her, I go to the island, and move sideways, getting hold of the rock formations until I get to the other side of the island and call for rescue. She will remain in the seas on the lookout for boats that could possibly rescue us. As I parted from her, I can see Julie waving her hand to signal help from the passing boats. But the guests just waved back.

I reached the sidelines. I felt safer. Not until I saw the bigger waves hampering me. And the rocks were pointed in formation, it can lash out your palm anytime. Plus of course, I need to hold firmer on the rocks to keep  me steady. And there were crawling sea creatures, not so friendly-looking, which competes for the space in the rocks you’re holding on to. But I ignored them all. Steadily, I moved inch after inch. I can see I’m near. I felt my breath getting back to normal. I felt safer now. Until, I saw, from a distance, our boat with JR and Julie already in it, waving their hands at me. How should I feel? Relieved or embarrassed? I think both and in that order.

Don’t swim on Good Fridays!