I tried to speak with what little air I could spare.
Sounding almost is if a gasp I said, “I slipped.”
I’d cracked my jewels before while surfing with John. This was before he had lost his job and I had lost all respect for him. I’d taken a big hit from a wave and was thrashed about for a few seconds underwater before I made it to the surface again. However, no sooner had my head come up out of the water then my board came up right below me and nailed me right in the crotch. Had my dad not been right there I probably would have drowned. As it was, the impact had caused me to breathe in a lung full of water. John had to drag me back to the beach while I coughed and spat out the salty water.
As ghastly as that time in the ocean had been, this one seemed worse. I mean, it was bad enough to have Micah see me curled up in the fetal position holding my jewels and carrying on the way I was, but to also have my grandfather witnessing such a spectacle was wholly mortifying. My jewels and legs hurt so bad, that all I could do was clutch at my aching crotch and moan like a miserable old hound-dog.
Micah leaned over me and asked, “Al-ben hurt pipi?”
“Oh dear merciful God, kill me now! PLEASE!” I screamed. No really, I screamed that right out loud.
Funny thing about doing the splits and cracking my jewels on the floor, after about three minutes the pain was nearly gone and I could breathe again. After five minutes I was able to stand, but not fully and after ten minutes it was as though it had never happened… well, at least as far as my cubes were concerned; my pride on the other hand was still mortally wounded.
Grandfather had done something really peculiar while I had been sprawled there on the floor moaning and carrying on. He had rubbed and massaged just above where my legs connect to my sides; right below my rib bones. At first it felt weird having him touch me like that, but after a minute or so I found that it was helping to ease some of my groin discomfort.
Grandfather cleared his throat. “My boy, I had the same thing happen to me when I was your age.” He cleared his throat again, “Except when I did it, it was in front of about three hundred people and I ripped my pants in the process. What-What!” Grandfather told me, all the while rubbing my sides.
Micah went to the refrigerator and filled a hand towel with ice. She tried to get me to put the ice bundle down my pants, but I told her there was no way I was putting ice down my pants.
“Al-ben no worry, Micah see Al-bens special pants lots.” She said and I choked on my own tongue.