Summer Recollections #1

 

A Rite of Passage

It wasn't that he was a bad kid; he wasn't even a troubled youth but there were times Greg just couldn't follow all the rules. He was fourteen years old and there were just a few days left of grade nine. He would be fifteen by the time he started grade ten in September. Surely, he could make a few decisions of his own.

His father was Captain Safety...always thinking of the worst-case scenario. His mother called his dad Gary but Greg called him Captain Safety behind his back. He lived with his father's comments echoing in his head: "oh that would not be safe" or "you better think twice before doing that"  or "what if?" His father took all the fun and spontaneity out of life. There was never a "let's do it!" No siree...everything had to be planned and thought out. His father didn't break rules; he didn't speed when he was driving; he had never even had a parking ticket. He played by the book of rules and he had scribbled additional rules on the back pages.

His mother was the Clock Keeper, also known as Gloria. She played by the rules too but on top of the rules, there were expectations of what time he would be home, how long he would be, who was he with and who were his friends parents. Her rules were written in ink with the exact times on the calendar. No such thing as flexibility or the possibility that circumstances might change. The line in the sand (curfew) was rigid. He had heard the terms micromanaged, hoovering and helicopter parent. His mother was all those and more. It didn't help that he was an only child; actually, it made matters worse.

So, on that third last day of school when the sun shone brightly and the temperatures approached thirty degrees Celsius, Greg didn't hesitate when his friends suggested they skip school and head to the river for a swim. It was too hot to sit in class and the swim sounded like a cool thing to do. As long as his parents didn't find out, he would be fine.

"Where in the river will we swim?" asked Greg, a little excited about being included.

"We go under the railway bridge just past the locks. It's a great spot and we will have it mostly to ourselves. The train doesn't go through till later in the day so we just have to move aside when boats go through or the cruise boat passes," explained Keith. "You will love it!"

Five minutes later, Greg, Kenny and Keith had peeled off their shirts and shoes and were splashing and cooling when Kenny spoke up. "See that jute rope hanging from the frame of the railway tracks? That's our favourite part of this place! Keith, you climb up and get it for us!"

Keith, having climbed many times, scampered up the frame of the railway bridge to where the rope was tied. He swung the knotted end back to Greg and Kenny who were standing on the bank of the river.

"Watch this," Kenny yelled. He grabbed the rope and swung half way across the river before letting go. The big splash caused laughter from Keith and Greg.

Keith, still up on the frame of the bridge, yelled down, "Your turn Greg!"

Greg grabbed the rope and swung across as Kenny had done. The voice of Captain Safety echoed in his head. This might not be the best idea. He pushed off from the cement post under the bridge and half way across the river he let go of the rope. Great fun he thought. Over and over, Kenny and Greg took turns swinging like Tarzan and splashing in the river. Each time, Keith swung the rope back to the bank.

Keith yelled down to the boys, "Here comes the cruise boat Kenny, I dare you to jump after it goes through." Kenny scurried up the bank to catch the knot of the rope. Just as the cruise boat passed, he swung across and landed just feet behind the boat. He heard the laughter and clapping of the passengers.

A few minutes later, the boat had turned around and was heading back down.

"Greg, get ready, you can jump behind the boat on its' way back down!" As Greg caught the rope, Keith jumped from the railway bridge into the river. Greg's feet had left the cement post and he was swinging like a monkey over the river. He glanced to see where the cruise boat was and realized it was too close to safely jump in front of it. He probably wasn't going to be jumping behind it either because the upper deck was higher than he thought. The what ifs of Captain Safety ran through his brain. What if I get sucked under? What if the boat hits me? What if I drown.

As the boat passed under the bridge, Greg realized he was hanging low enough to reach the upper deck where the passengers were sitting out in white chairs. Their was no roof or walls, just a railing to keep the chairs from sliding off. By the time the boat reached where he was dangling, a pair of hands reached up and pulled him to safety.

"Hello, Greg, what are you doing out here?" It was his neighbour, Mr. Snow and his wife and her sister enjoying the lunch river cruise.

"Oh...just cooling off on a hot summer day and having a bit of fun," Greg squirmed knowing full well the Snows would be telling the story to Captain Safety and The Clock Keeper."

"When I was a teenager, I did the same thing with my friends. It is a summer rite of passage for teenage boys. It's probably the original rope!" Mr. Snow reflected. "Your Dad and I always climbed up on the trestle just before the train went through. When we could hear the train or feel the rumble, we jumped into the river. The last one to jump won. It was just a summer thing to do! We're smarter now and play by the rules....safety first!"

"A rite of passage, you say," said Greg. "Maybe my Dad doesn't need to know about this yet, although I think he would understand!"