I would have liked to have spent more time with Meek and Pepper. Despite Peppers initial excitement at meeting me, he turned out to be a really cool guy. I also wanted to spend more time playing with Joey and Jacquelyn. Besides, since they live closer, it was more likely that I would get to see more of Meek and Pepper than I would Joey and Jacquelyn.
It took some doing, but I managed to talk Joey into letting me take him on my surfboard. The way I got him to try surfing with me, was to tell him that if he would do it, then I’d help him build a big Sand Castle. However, he only agreed to try once and when I got him out there, he was so scared, that when the wave came, we wiped out while trying to stand up. After that, there was no chance of talking him into trying it again.
When Joey’s head came back out of the water, he spat out a mouthful of water like a human water fountain, swam to the edge of the pool, pulled himself out, and said rather unyieldingly, “Now we got to build a castle.”
“But we didn’t surf, we just wiped out.” I argued.
“Alvin!” He stomped his foot, “You promised!”
“Oh alright!” I surrendered and made my way out of the pool.
What was so cool about building the sand castle was that at first it started out as just Joey and me, but after a while Jacquelyn came and joined us. Then some other kids started helping too and before long there were more than a dozen of us building, digging, and forming the castle. We had bridges, a huge moat, and lots of tall towers. Our castle got so big, that we were running some of the adults off, so that we could have the sand under them.
We played in the sand for nearly two hours, prior to deciding that we wanted to go swimming one more time before our wonderful day at Aquaboggin Water Park was over. I even got to surf a few more waves before Daddy Phil and Mommy Beth announced that it was time to leave. All three of us must have been tired, because not one of us objected in the least about having to go home. However, there were two more memorable events that were due to take place before we left the park.
Mommy Beth and Jacquelyn slipped away to the girls changing room while Daddy Phil and Joey stood by the pool holding my surfboard and waiting for me to come down the big slide one last time. In hindsight, I should have left without that one last trip down the slide.
When I reached the top I found that same little kid that I’d seen with Meek earlier. He was too scared to go down the slide by himself and was carrying on, making a scene. From that high perch I scanned the entire park for Meek but couldn’t spot him among the throngs of people. I then turned my attention back to the boy. At first I couldn’t remember his name and had to ask him.
“Do you remember me?” I asked.
Sobbing with a big snot bubble hanging out of his nose he nodded his head.
“What was your name again?”
“Sheller,” he whimpered.
I looked up to the slide attendant who looked both irritated with the sobbing child and longingly hopeful that I might take him off his hands. I returned my attention back to Sheller.
“Sheller, would you like to go down the slide with me?”
Sheller hesitantly nodded and the snot bubble popped.
I looked back to the slide attendant whose eyes expressed genuine relief that someone was getting rid of the problem child for him.
I lowered myself into position and without telling him to do so Sheller jumped down onto my lap. For a dreadful split second, as he seemed to hang in the air, I feared that my poor balls were about to suffer from the sudden impact. Thankfully he missed them and instead my legs took the full brunt of his weight.
“Hold me tight!” he grunted and I wrapped both arms around his middle.
“Tighter!” he squalled as we started out decent.
I’m surprised his head didn’t pop off, that is how tight I held him all the way down the slide.
“Weeeeeeeeeeeee!” he squealed as we flew down the tube.
When we reached the corkscrew part of the slide we actually made a complete one-eighty spin so that we were going down backwards. Sheller screamed and I’m not sure if he was screaming because he was scared or if he was having fun. We emerged from the slide like a couple human cannonballs and went airborne. My back hit the water first in a sort of skimming backward flop. We had been going so fast that, when we entered the water, the force of it pulled Sheller out of my arms. Thankfully he was a good swimmer. The instant my head came out of the water I knew something was wrong.
My back was stinging almost the way it might if I’d scrapped it across a coral reef. That is when I noticed that floating all around me were fragments of something whitish. Have you ever tried to flush the toilet only to have it just swirl around and shred the toilet paper without sucking it down? Well that is what it was like; it was as if someone had tossed in wads of toilet paper or something. Others in the pool started panicking and swimming for the sides because they didn’t know what the white stuff was either. Sheller pointed at me and exclaimed in a very loud voice, “Your diaper came apart!”
I became instantly aware that below the water’s surface I was completely nude; both my board shorts and the swim diaper were gone. The force of the water had not only pulled Sheller out of my arms, it had also pulled off what little I had been wearing.
Back in Chula Vista, running around naked wouldn’t have bothered me in the least and had I not just been identified as a diaper wearer, I probably wouldn’t have cared that I’d lost my board shorts. But Sheller was laughing and pointing while those around me looked at me with a mixture of horror and disgust.
Someone else came down the slide and when they hit the water, it scattered the bits of what was left of the swim diaper.
I spun around while treading water, trying to find my board shorts. That’s when yet another girl came out of the slide and nearly collided with me. Unfortunately it had caught me by surprises. The splash the girl made threw water over my head and I gasped in a lung full of water; I think maybe even some of the shredded diaper fill stuff had come in with the water.
“Alvin!” I heard someone shout my name.
I am so thankful that Daddy Phil had been there because I sure did swallow a lot of water. The instant he seen that I was in trouble he had dived in to help me. Once he had me at the side of the pool I coughed and choked up water in an attempt to clear my airway. It seemed like forever before I was able to get a halfway decent breath of air into my lungs again. By then a crowd had formed around us as well as several park attendants and two lifeguards had come over.
I don’t know who had thought to cover me with a towel; it wasn’t one of our towels but I am so glad someone thought to cover my shame. You know what is funny? I never did get my board shorts back. No kidding!
When I was able to get up, Daddy Phil had secured the towel around me and we walked to the changing room together with Joey worriedly holding my hand as I continued to cough and clear my throat.
“Thirsty?” Daddy Phil tried to tease me.
I gave him a dirty look as I coughed again followed by a small burp that tasted like pool water.
“That was so embarrassing!” I lamented.
He raked his fingers into the back of my hair and massaged my head, “Embarrassment is just a part of growing up.”
“You should have got changed when I did!” Joey commented.
“I am sorry but I didn’t even think about it.” Daddy Phil began as we neared the changing room. “After about four or five hours the chemicals, which some pools use, begin to break down the glues used in the construction of disposable swim diapers.”
Of course that had been news to me. I do, however remember that, when we had first entered the water park, I had noticed the distinct lack of chlorine in the air. I guess whatever Aquaboggin Water Park uses to keep the pool clean and germ free also dissolves swim diaper glues after several hours of continued exposure. I would think that the makers of swim diapers would be aware of this flaw in their design and come up with a solution for countering such potentially horrifyingly embarrassing situations for their customers. Or at the very least, put some kind of warning on the package. Then again, I have never in my life looked closely at the packing for swim diapers. For all I know there is just such a warning present. I will have to make it a point to check this out.
While Joey and I headed for the center of the changing room to shower off, Daddy Phil leaned my board against the far wall and then went to retrieve our clothes and things.
As soon as we finished washing, we both wrapped towels around ourselves and went over to sit by my board while we waited for Daddy Phil, who seemed to be taking an awfully long time.
“You feeling better?” Joey asked me.
“Yeah, I just forgot for a minute that I wasn’t a fish.” I joked while trying not to remember how embarrassing it was to have everyone looking at me and knowing that it had been my swim diaper that had disintegrated in the pool.
Joey made a weird sort of face, then asked, “Didn’t you say you have a friend named that?”
“Named what?” I asked.
“Fish,” Joey said while making a fish face.
Wow, Joey’s mind sure works fast! I hadn’t even picked up on that.
You know, I just had a disturbing thought. I wonder if they had to close the pool after my swim diaper fell apart, until they got the gunk cleaned up. Yeah, I bet that would make me a real popular guy if I were ever to return to the park. I can just hear them now. “Hey look, there goes the diaper boy who ruined our fun!”
Joey and I were sitting, minding our own business and talking about the sandcastle we and many other kids had made.
“Then two boys came and stomped it all.” Joey said. His upper lip curled up like a snarling dog as he said it too.
I felt a twinge of irritation at hearing that.
“Really?” I replied.
Sure, it was only a sandcastle and I know they are supposed to be a temporary thing but even still, I hate jerks that stomp on sandcastles just for the fun of it. My good friend Gary back in Chula Vista, felt the same way and would chase off anyone he seen doing that sort of thing.
Speaking of Gary, I hadn’t talked to him on the phone or wrote to him since before my dad passed away. I’d tried calling but hadn’t got through. While sitting there on the heated concrete bench I decided that when we got home, I was going to try calling again.
While Joey and I continued talking, I noticed that Daddy Phil was talking animatedly to the guy in charge of guarding everyone’s clothing and other personal effects. Though we couldn’t hear any of the conversation, Daddy Phil’s body language told us that he was upset about something. At the time, I wasn’t sure why, but I started to get a bad feeling in my stomach.
My attention was suddenly diverted away from Daddy Phil when a frantic looking and winded Meek came skidding to a stop on the wet concrete floor after running into the changing room. He positioned himself near the middle of the room and bent over. With hands on knees he panted for air as he quickly scanned the room.
“Oh, there you are!” Meek wheezed when he spotted me. He crossed over to where I was sitting, still wearing nothing more than the towel.
“You alright?” I asked him.
“Me?” he grunted with mild shock, “Someone told me you nearly drowned.”
“Drowned?” I laughed half amused, “I only choked on a little water is all.”
Meek stood erect, sucked in a deep breath and punched a fist into his other hand. He groaned out the words through clenched teeth, “I am going to pound Sheller.”
“Who’s Sheller?” Joey asked.
“My lil’ dweeb of a cousin.” Meek churned while looking toward the doorway he’d only just entered through.
Meek then turned back to me and asked again, “So you are okay for real?”
“Yeah,” I answered with a mild gesticulation.
“Little Gitt had me believing you were bad off. He even said that you lost your trunks and dia…” he stopped before finishing the word. He had seen me wince at even the near mentioning of that word. “Sorry,” he said and continued, “that just slipped out. I mean the, ‘You know what’.”
“Yeah, his diaper exploded all over the pool!” Joey said totally missing the whole idea that I didn’t want that word blabbed out. I think I must have turned volcano red!
“Oh,” Meek purred, showing the same signs of discomfort that I was feeling.
“Uh, is he your little brother?” Meek asked gesturing to Joey.
“Nah, Joey is my best friend, but we are almost like brothers.” I said and Joey seemed to glow at this distinction.
I didn’t notice Daddy Phil come back over until he was right there with us. He was holding his own clothes but that was it.
“What?” I asked when I saw how upset he looked.
“They seem to have misplaced your clothing!” he said and I could feel the fire inside of him as he spoke.
What he had said didn’t register right away. Actually Joey and Meek got it before I did.
“We don’t got no clothes?” Joey asked almost sounding glad of that fact.
“They lost someone else’s clothes again?” Meek barked in disbelief.
Daddy Phil looked at Meek as if to say, “Who are you?” but he didn’t actually say anything.
“Daddy, this is my new friend Meek. He’s a surfer like me.” I said.
“Ah yes, I saw you two surfing together today.” Daddy Phil said while extending his hand to shake Meeks.
“Nice to meet you Mr. Holloway.” Meek said politely.
“No—no!” I quickly interjected, “He’s not my real dad. I just call him daddy.”
Still shaking his hand Daddy Phil said, “I am Joey’s dad.
“Oh ok, now I get it!” Meek said with a grin.
“So you said they have lost other peoples clothing?” Daddy Phil asked.
“Yeah they totally lost Peppers’… I mean my friends clothes last month.” Meek said.
“Wait,” I said finally realizing what we were talking about, “I don’t have anything to wear home? I can’t go home naked!”
“Don’t be silly!” Daddy Phil said in a fatherly tone, “The attendant is getting the manager now. I am sure he’ll find your things.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it.” Meek said and I don’t think he even knew that he had said anything at first.
All three of us looked at him concernedly.
“I mean, they didn’t find my friends stuff. Instead they gave his mom a check to go buy him some new clothes.”
Suddenly I became very concerned of the fact that all I had to wear was a towel. The idea of going shopping for clothing while wrapped in a towel when the weather was still not all that warm was not very appealing.
About then this short, brown-haired guy wearing a brown necktie, white shirt, pressed chocolate brown slacks, and scuffed black dress shoes walked up to us. The guy didn’t look old enough to drive, let alone be the manager of the entire water park. One look at his name tag revealed that he was in fact not a full-fledged manager. He was only an Assistant Junior Manager — whatever the heck that means. His name tag read,
David Mauston
Asst. Jr. Manager
Aquaboggin Water Park, LLC.
His face was literally covered in pimples and blackheads and was so greasy, that it looked like someone had smeared Vaseline all over his mug. I wanted to ask him if he had ever heard of this cool invention they call ‘SOAP’, but there was no way I would ever say something like that out loud.
“I am Mr. Mauston, how can I help you today?” The guy asked and he sounded as young as he looked.
I was sure Daddy Phil was going to bust out laughing when he saw that Assistant Junior Manager guy. How he managed to hold it together, I will never know.
Daddy Phil explained the situation and then they went back over to the… What do they call that room anyway? I mean shouldn’t it have an official title like “Clothing Booth” or ‘Clothing Keep’ or something clever like that. Okay, so anyway, they went to that place where people’s clothes are kept to talk to the guy in charge of guarding the clothes. That was when Meek had an idea.
“You know what?” He said in a half whisper, “I bet that one guy that was in there before took your stuff. Remember he thought you might be someone famous?”
Before the thought had time to settle in my brain he added, “Maybe he figured out who you really are and is going to try to sell your clothes on eBay or Craigslist or something like that.”
As ridiculous as that sounded, it was the only explanation that seemed to make sense. The three of us dashed over to Daddy Phil where Meek repeated his allegations. The Assistant Junior Manager asked the guy currently in charge of guarding peoples belongings who had been working before him. With that information the Pimple faced Manager left the changing room with Daddy Phil following after him. Before he left, Daddy Phil told Joey to go out front and tell his mom what was taking us so long.
I was glad that I didn’t have to sit and wait by myself. Meek kept me company, talking about surfing stuff which really helped to keep my mind off the violated emotions I was experiencing.
While we sat there several guys came and went, but one stood out because of his t-shirt. I don’t know why we thought it was so funny, because it really wasn’t; yet we still laughed a lot over it. The guy’s shirt read, “Just because you have one doesn’t mean you have to act like one.”
“That sounds like something Pepper would say.” Meek mused comically.
“Seriously?” I posed.
“For sure; he’s crazy like that.”
“You know something?” I pondered thoughtfully.
Meek pulled his left knee to his chest, wrapped both arms around his leg and rested his chin on his knee.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I like Pepper. I think you are lucky to have a boyfriend like him.” I told him.
“You really think so?”
I nodded, “Yeah.”
“It must be tough; living so far away from your girlfriend.” He said sympathetically after I told him that Jacqueline living in Ohio.
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“With my Pepper,” he began and I thought it was cute how he called him ‘my Pepper’, “I get hugs and kisses anytime I want…” he faltered for an instant, “Well, not anytime, but you know what I mean, right?”
I nodded without making a sound because in that ever so brief instant an image had formed in my mind of him and Pepper, lying side by side, locked in a passionate embrace. Their lips pressed tightly together, their arms and legs wrapped around each other like two intertwined octopods.
Meek continued, “That’s because he only lives ten blocks away.”
“Oh,” I said as I began to understand what it was he was trying to tell me, “Yeah, that part is hard.” I confessed, “But we get to talk online almost every day and sometimes for hours and hours. I like that a lot; but you are right. It isn’t the same.”
The erotic mental image of Meek and Pepper abruptly vanished only to be replaced by another piece of erotic imagery. This time it was an image of Jacquelyn and me, sitting beside the Lap Pool in the basement of my grandparents’ home. However, this time neither of us was wearing any clothes and like Meek and Pepper, we held each other passionately kissing and exploring one-another’s bodies with our hands.
Thankfully my mental sexcapade was interrupted before Meek had realized I wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. Joey had returned only a minute or two before the pimple faced Assistant Junior Manager came back with Daddy Phil.
“What took you so long?” I asked when I saw Joey strolling back in as though he was simply walking along some beach on a sunny afternoon.
“Wha?” Joey said and I realize he had a mouth full of something.
“Are you serious? Someone stole our clothes and you stopped to eat?” I said accusingly.
“Ith noth fud!” he tried to say.
“What is it then?” Meek and I asked at the same time.
“Gaum”
“Wow! How many pieces of gum do you have in your mouth?” Meek asked with a chuckle.
Joey held up seven fingers and tried to smile.
Right then the Assistant Junior Manager and Daddy Phil walked in and somehow I had expected them to be dragging that attendant guy back with them, but they were alone. However, it didn’t go unnoticed that in Daddy Phil’s arms were all of our missing things.
“You found them!” Meek exclaimed.
“Thanks to you.” Daddy Phil told Meek.
“So it was that guy?” I asked.
The Assistant Junior Manager nodded and said, “He has been fired. I wanted to call the police but your father here wouldn’t let me.
He sounded upset that Daddy Phil had done that. To be honest I didn’t see why he hadn’t tried to press charges.
That manager guy turned out to be a pretty decent guy. He gave us a ton of free passes to the park and a fist full of Aquaboggin Bucks that can be used for food or at the souvenir shop.
After the manager guy left us Daddy Phil gave half the passes and Aquaboggin Bucks to Meek. At first Meek wouldn’t take them but Daddy Phil has a way with people.
“If it hadn’t been for you, we may never have got the boys clothes back.” He had told Meek.
Reluctantly Meek took it but not without saying, “If you ask me, that guy should have been put in jail.”
“No, he is just a young kid who did something stupidly impulsive.” Daddy Phil said, “We all make mistakes.”
“I don’t know,” Meek said, “I bet Jesus would have slapped the crap out of him.
Meek again thanked me for the surfing points I had given him before running out of the changing room. Daddy Phil gave Joey and me both a pair of Pull-Up diapers to put on before we got dressed.