"The Sandbar" a swim into manhood

     "The Gulf looks sorta disgusted. Whadya you think Jared?" "I don't know dad?'' "Maybe the rip current is not stronga 'nough to make for a perilous swim."  "At least I hope it isn't."  "Son, boy, when I was your age I swam to the sandbar with pops Newman".  "He showed me that it was the thing to do if I wanted to prove my manhood!"  "But, yer dad grew up in South Carolina."  "Yep, he knew the shoals and currents like the back of his hand."  "Jared, good try son but you're not gettin out of this so easy 'cause I see lotta you in him.  Besides, he swam in the Atlantic."
      "We are in the Gulf.  The Atlantic has bigger waves and sometimes stronger currents.  If he can do the Atlantic then you can do the Gulf!"  "Yeah, but the Gulf is still bigga 'nough fer me and my geography teacher told me it's even part of the Atlantic."  "O.K. dad, I will give it a try, but I will grab onto your back if I feel tired or if the summer sea lice sting me."  "Deal, Jared, you have a deal.  But head up at all times with eyes front and center like a marine at Normandy.  Try to be tough.  You know how all the young girls love tough boys.  Some are on the beach probably admiring you right now."  "Yeah, but mom doesn't like the idea."  "Sport, she is a mature women not impressed with the wiles of adolescence.  Itsa young girls you are trying to impress.  Remember, just like my first trip was; thisa be your right of passage into manhood."
      "Dad, dad I can't stand up anymore,  iba, ima gonna guess I gotta use ma arms more."  "Jared, just imagine that your are in a pool, like at the Sidmores last July 4th.  That's right a big salty pool."  Wuaa, was that underneath us?"  "Well, son I did not see it.  Wad did it look like?"  "It, um, looked like the homeplate back at Kemp field."  "Did it have a tail streaming out of the back?"  "Yeah, it's body was black anda so was the tail." "Sport, that's called a stingray."  "Then it musta um...a, sting right dad!"  "Only, if you try to grab it.  We're alright! We are in ten feet of water and it is at the bottom on the sand."
     "Now, Jared, let's stop and feel the bottom with our feet."  "But, the thingy, I mean the stingray is down there."  "Ah, sport, it's a gonner. By the way I'll be here, right here next to you."  "Wha, why is the water getting colder, the sand feels soft and squishy between my toes.  Whew! Hey, I did it, I did it.  I even stayed under for five seconds."  "Felt, good didn't it Sport?"  "Ya.....um but I can't touch anymore and I'm getting tired."
     "Justa few more feet sport and we will be there, Ah, here it is, this is it, the sandbar.  Son, this is that green line you can always see.  You can see it from 98 that runs from Destin to Panama City."  "But, I can't stand up and I don't see what all the commotion is."  "Now, sport, here sit on my shoulders.  How is that?"    "Wow, I can see to the horizon.  Cyan blue as if the sky gifted the water with a multitude of melted blueberries.  Where does the water stop?  Hey, dad turn towed the beach!  Boy, the people look like ants.  Like the ones in Miss Jensen's glass container in school.  I bet we look the same to them.  I bet they can't even see us."
     "Hey pa, what's that greenish brown triangle swimming 'tween us and the first sandbar?  Dad, what's wrong? Dontcha know what that is?  You always point out all the fish.  Just like you'd seen the chart in Miss Jensen's room.  So tell me, what kind of fish would have a tail like that?  Dad, why are you so quiet?  Yer, being weird and itsa starting to annoy me!" "Whatdya, whatdya ask me son?  I don't think I saw the fin that you were talk'n 'bout." "Ya know dad, ya know dad ' member  ya named all of them that day you brought me lunch at Miss Jensen's class.  What type of fish has a greenish brown fin?"  "Son, I dunno!  When we get back to the beach cottage, I'll look it up in Rutherford's Saltwater Almanac on the breakfast table."  "I bet Ruthafud doesn't have the pictures that Miss Jensen's poster does."
     "For now, son let's just tread water here on the sandbar." "But dad, Ima....t...tired and I want to go back to the beach and I'm startin' to ich around my arms and neck."  Yes, sport , sea lice are the smallest yet largest annoyance from Navarre to Sarasota."  "But, I'm tired and I want to go back to the beach!"  Ah, come on sport Pops Newman would be proud of you if he could see ya treadin' water this long."  "But, my side hurts and I want to be were I can stand again!  Cum...on dad!"  "Dammit, son it's not that hard. just a few minutes longer!  I can't I can't!"    "Look, Jared I'm sorry!  I know yer tired.  Just five more ticks 'round the clock.  Grab ma hand if you get tired!"
      "Well, five ticks have passed sport.  Let's go!"  "Hey, dad we've gotten closer to tha beach and the people look bigger.  Bigger, just like the cock roaches in Mrs. Jensen's class.  Ouch, something keeps stinging my leg.  Ahh...Owww! my shoulder, it all hurts.  What's it dad? What is stinging?"  "It's the tentacles of the jelleys that have broken off of their bodies.  Keep swimmin' we will be out of it in a second."  "Hey, dad there is that rectangle again, it's itsa behind us now."
     "Junior, race ya to tha beach.  First one in  get's the most ice cream tonight!  Last one eats the cockroaches in Miss Jensen's class."  "But, I can't. I'm Ima tired."  "Dammit Junior, dontcha want ice cream?  Now swim son, swim faster!"  "Hey, dad I can stand up again."  I told ya boy you can do anything ya set yer mind to. You did well out there and Ima proud of ya.  Although, we tied you still get the ice cream."  "Does that mean ya still gotta eat the cockroaches from Miss Jensen's class?" "We'll sport if she still has...um...September I'll take a chance.  Alright, son last one to tha beach house is an ole skinny skeleton."  "Ya, mean like the one in Miss Jensen's class!"  "That's right son."  "Hey, Mr. Newman ya' dropped your father's family pendant.  Here I scooped it up right by waters edge.  It must've made it's way offa your neck chain."  "Thanks, Davis.  If it wasn't for eagle eyed life guards like you I would make a pauper rich with all the important things Iva lost on this beach.  I have been waitin' 3 summers to give this to Jared.  Looks like he finally earned it.  Davis, want to join me and sport for an ice cream cool down."  "Sure!" "last one to the house is a sumabitch."  "That's right Mr. Newman, just as a father who doesn't tell his son he just saw a tiger shark is one as well."  "We'll Davis ya got me there."  "Yessir, yours was the third sightin' this week.  Yessir, the third sighting this week.  I hope you have coconut and cherries.  Im starvin'!"