How I met Doug
The first time we met I was about 7 and he was around 12. I remember lying on the warm cement by the side of the city pool in Delta. It was the most wonderful place to be in the summertime. The cement was warmed by the sun and it felt great to just lay there and soak it up, even as a 7 year old. The only thing I didn’t like about going swimming at the city pool is that the lifeguards all took note when the Lyman kids came in because they had to keep an eye out for Robin. He had a cork in his tracheotomy tube and could drown if the cork came out. (Puts a new twist on the phrase, “put a cork in it”, doesn’t it?) Knowing that the lifeguards were all very aware was one thing, but having to bear the embarrassment of a whistle blow and yell, “Everybody out of the pool! Robin Lyman lost his cork!”, was something else in deed.
I remember the mix of emotion as I watched Robin and the lifeguard look for the black rubber cork. On one hand my beloved bro could DIE by getting water in the hole in his neck and on the other hand I could die of embarrassment.
But that’s another story.
In the end I decided I would much rather have Robin and the embarrassment wasn’t really that big of a deal.
The city pool was one of the few places where kids could play at adult social interaction. Mostly, I observed. But I learned a lot in my observing. One day, I noticed a group of boys who were older than me. They had taken over the diving board and were having a ball showing off and doing flips and dives that put us home folk to shame. I was impressed with their athletic ability but completely turned off by the audacious way they acted. They shouted and walked and dived in a very cocky manner. But they were interesting enough that I remembered watching them and wondering who they were.
Years later, Doug would tell me of his summer visits to his Aunt Dorothy’s house and trips to the swimming pool. I have to let my imagination fill in the gaps, but I doubt he gave a second glance to a skinny seven-year old who belly flopped off the end of the board and doggy paddled to the side.
But I can’t help but wonder and I can’t WAIT to see the great video tape in the sky that Heavenly Father keeps in his family room.
1 comment:
What a sweet post! Sweet feelings for your big brother, sweet thoughts about that first meeting of that wonderful man you married and sweet that you miss him...I hope Doug comes home very soon.
Where is Robin now and what is he up to? If/when you talk to him tell him 'hi' for me and that our 30th Class Reunion is scheduled for July 2 at DHS. I hope he can come.
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