I almost drowned twice in my life. The first time was between two small plastic row boats, one orange and one blue. I was trying to cross between them and fell into the river because I hesitated out of fear, since at the time I did not know how to swim. My brother reached in for me screaming as I sunk downward. The silty river water filled my eyes and a million bubbles danced around me to the light of day above. Someone jumped into the river and grabbed me out of the water. I coughed and sputtered on the dock, embraced by my mother.

The second time I fell between a large boat and a dock. The boat swung out on its ropes as a wave hit and listed back towards the dock. I went into the small gap of water plunging almost below the boat. Again I watched the daylight disappear and the bubbles rise around me. A hand, my uncles lifted me out of the water just before I was crushed by the hull of the boat against the dock. There was barely an inch of space left, enough to get my slight child body through.

Another memory from today, was of my grandfather. He was a large man full of raunchy jokes and he would often curse in regular conversation. He was a tough man to convince that I had as much gumption as a boy my age. I set about this task with great passion. I was rowing around in the plastic rowboat. A large group of my grandfather's cronies and my uncles were sitting out at the picnic table drinking, and generally being their rowdy selves. My grandfather thought it would be funny to throw a live river eel in the boat. It was huge and slimy with large eyes and gaping mouth full of tiny sharp teeth. They all stood laughing and taunting on the rocks above me. I stared at my grandfather, reached down around the giant eel and hauled it over the edge of the boat. They gasped and started to yell. My grandfather smiled at me as the taunts turned to him. Blondie as I was called then, had earned his respect, even though I was a girl.