over his head when we reached the center, and I remember feeling the weight
of his breath grow with the depth of the water as I rose and fell on his heaving
shoulders.
Mom was more interested in teaching me how to skate when the lake
froze over. She would have Dad carry me out to the center of the lake during the
winter, and leave me there until I managed to skate to where they stood at the
lake’s edges. I hated the cold and the snow and the bruises from falling down so
often, but I always knew that when I reached them, Dad would be waiting to lift
me up in his arms and Mom would be beside him to kiss me and wipe my tears
away.
“You’re a g