My mom and sisters noticed I was trying things when Kevin was around that I never would have done in the past—such as water skiing. I struggled quite a bit putting on the stupid swim goggles, a clear sign this venture would not lead me to a career in water sports.
Kevin’s advice to me the first time I tried to get up on skis was “just stand up.” It’s no wonder I never really mastered the trick. I asked if he could tell me a little more about what I should do, but he instructed me to do one thing and one thing only, and I couldn’t do it without falling over in a matter of seconds. I tried really hard over and over again, and though I did manage to stand up, I was never able to stay up.
In the process, my arms were almost yanked out of their sockets, and I lost a pair of goggles, which at present are likely buried deep under a sand bed in Lake Ontario. It didn’t occur to Kevin until days after my severe soreness had set in that he probably shouldn’t have started out going full throttle since I didn’t weigh much and had weak knees, not just because I was around him.
