Write On: A First Time for Everything

by Peter VandeWege, College English 12, Mrs. Didrikson

Standing calf-deep in the lukewarm water of Bass Lake I squeeze my foot into the rubber boot and reach down to fish the rope handle out from beneath the surface. My family has been coming here for a reunion every year for generations, I could think of no better place to learn to hop start. My brothers walk over to help instruct me, just as my dad and uncles did for them. But instead of a look of excitement, my brother Micah has a devilish grin on his face. Before I get a chance to ask anything about his smile he slaps a cold, wet lifevest...