Stories from My Youth: IX - The First Swimming Lesson

One sunny summer afternoon, Father decided to teach Johnny how to swim.

"Johnny, today you are going to learn to swim. Swimming is important because in times of war, the weak gets eliminated. I would not allow my sons to be the weak ones.

"You will first listen to my instructions, then watch me demostrate. After that you will dive into the water and swim. It is time you learn to swim the way Nature taught me - just jump into the water and float."

Johnny gulped. His legs started to shake.

"Father - "

"You are not backing out of this - not when I am the Man of the household."

"Yes Father."

"There are three things you need to know. One: when you dive, hands first, then your head and body follow through. Two: after you dove, you keep your fish-like position until you feel that you are floating. Finally, when you are floating, lift up your head above the surface to get a breath. Now watch."

Father stood at the deepest end of the pool. He bent down with his arms above his head. Then he jumped and dove into the water. Very gracefully he surfaced, took a breath, and finished off by floating on his back.

"Questions?" He asked as he got off the pool.

"Do I have to start from the deepest end?" Johnny asked.

"Yes." He sternly replied, like a military officer. Johnny looked at the deep end. It was ten feet deep. He was only five feet tall. It was like a shark's mouth, ready to eat him alive.

"Now go!" He commanded.

Johnny slowly took his position. Weakly he put his arms above his head, bent down and looked into the water. The water wrippled after the wind like the mouth of a great white shark. Fear overtook poor little Johnny.

"Do I have to jump?"

"Yes!"

Little Johnny's bony legs started to shake again. His teeth was rattling. He thought he was staring Death head on.

"Overcome!" Father yelled. Johnny was in tears. Mesmerized by Death, he could not hear the voice of the living.

Fathr marched to his side. Instead of a word of comfort, he said, "if you do not jump, no one is having dinner tonight. You must overcome fear."

The tears now dropped into the pool and disappeared without a trace.

"Jump now!"

Johnny jumped, but definitely not like Father. There was a great splash, and Johnny was not floating. But then again, he was not being eaten alive after all.

Johnny then struggled in the middle of the pool, trying to float. Father kept on yelling, "relax and overcome!" as Johnny finally hang onto the edge of the pool.

Father pulled Johnny up.

"Now do it again."

Having done it for the first time, Johnny was now not as frightened as before. The process was repeated over and over again that afternoon, until Johnny finally learnt to float on water on his back like his Father after a dive.

* * *

Overcome. Since then it had always been the word of my life.