The Lake

           And there we were, walking down a gravely road barefoot in bathing suits, swatting at mosquitoes and carrying our big red canoe. 

            We’d had perfect day. Sleeping in well past ten, we’d woken up to a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon. My cousin Sarah and I were on dish duty today, leaving my sister Meg and younger cousin Kalen to get the boats ready. The four of us were up at our family cabin, along with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and several other little cousins. As by tradition, and our little group spent the entire day proceeding the 4th of July out on the lake “fishing” on our red canoe, an escape from the hectic cabin.

Each year we did a little less fishing and a little more sunbathing, and by this year we didn’t even bother bringing along a tackle box. We packed a lunch, suntan lotion, and a few People magazines before we pushed off our boats off onto the lake.

            As planned, the day went beautifully. The four of us were draped out across the bottom of the boat, and as we lay out in the sun, my cousin Sarah told us about her big career plans and about her excitement for graduation. We gave advice to little Kalen, who was having some problems with her third grade love life, and my sister Meg entertained us with her silly stories and impersonations. I just took it all in. We were as far from our usual cares as we could get.

            Time had slipped away from us, the food was gone, the smell of banana suntan lotion only lingering, and the sun was setting just past its three o’clock glory, preparing itself for a vibrant twilight. The sun’s reflection off the lake was so bright that, for a moment, we lost our sense of direction, until a cool breeze sent ripples through the water, reminding us which was water and which sky.

            We opened our eyes to see massive clouds rolling in, the sky that had just been a lovely shade of pink turned a nasty dark blue, and our peaceful afternoon was gone. The sky evolved so quickly that I felt like we were on the ominous set of a horror film, the weather cueing the entrance of the bad guy. The waves and the wind became so forceful that are canoe was being pushed further and further away from our cabin, and even when paddling with all our effort, we couldn’t get any forward momentum.  After a brief and frazzled conversation we decided to land as soon as we could and walk the rest of the way back to the cabin.

           Great idea. It was about a two mile hike back to our cabin, and we had no phones, no shoes, and no bug spray. We were stuck walking down a gravely road barefoot in bathing suits, swatting at mosquitoes and carrying our big red canoe. Little Kalen started crying because her feet were hurting, so we took shifts, with two carrying the canoe and one giving a piggy back ride. We walked in bitter silence, all a little mad at each other for not thinking this through.

           At the wrong moment, the sky opened up and within seconds the downpour had turned the dusty road into mud. I braced myself for more tears, but instead all I heard is my sister Meg hysterically laughing. My cousin Sarah and I just stood there staring at her, failing to see the comedy in the situation. But Kalen’s pursed lips quavered, and curled into a smile, causing all of us to lose our angry composure and fall into a fit of giggles. By this time Meg was rolling around in the mud laughing, gasping for breath. We looked absolutely ridiculous, but the thought didn’t cross our minds.

            This is the true beauty of family. Sometimes we love each other, sometimes we drive each other crazy, but the end of the day we are always there for each other. Just for this moment I didn’t have to worry about anyone watching me, anyone judging me, because I knew I was with my family, the people who love me unconditionally. Even in the rain, even in the rain this is as close to happiness as I could ever get. We finished off the last half mile of our hike, singing and laughing the whole way.