Guest Post

Above Me

By Franchesca James

 This is about my family, our problem, and how we had fun even though our outing ended up, well, cut short. The sun shone brightly on that day, July Fourth. The sky was unique: a rich blue color with nary a cloud in it. Birds floated aloft in the pleasant breeze, which held the familiar scent of summer. The sun beat down mercilessly, but it was welcome. Horses stood and munched hay peacefully, swishing off the relentless flies. A truck sat stolidly in the gravel driveway, with a speed boat in tow. All remained tranquil, silent; and then we, the James clan emerged from our abode.

My family trooped out the door, some of us dashing back inside have forgotten something of utmost importance. Eventually, we all gathered by the truck, talking and laughing. The other kids and I threw armloads of items into the boat and back of the red four by four, including masks, flippers, and towels. After checking to make sure all was secure, Dad slid into the driver's seat and off we drove. All of us felt thoroughly excited as we sped along the road, engulfed in the wind and sunlight. We stopped to pick up food and drinks, and of course gum, which my little brother and sister started squabbling over, but that's another whole story in itself. On my dad drove, the sun only growing warmer as our F-250 drew closer to one of my favorite places: the lake.

The boat launch appeared small, with an old wooden dock alongside it. A few people milled about in the shallows, yet we had no trouble putting the boat in. My mom, siblings, and I settled down in the cushioned seats of the craft while Dad drove it for the half hour ride out to the lake, but the heat did not become any less scorching; by the time we reached the last corner, sweat dripped off all of us. When everyone spotted a quiet uninhabited stretch of beach, Nate, the oldest of us kids, anchored the vessel, and we darted to the end of the craft and jumped off into the blue gray, refreshing water. After everyone had cooled off, Solomon, my little brother, and I floated the coolers and other items ashore, and Mom remembered the pair of water skies in the back of the boat so she suggested that she and Nate could try it. The two had been in the water for only a short time with the skies before we decided to pull out the tubes and everyone take turns tubing instead.

Realizing that our vessel had drifted, Dad headed over to the ignition and attempted to start up the craft, but the boat had a mind of its own and denied the request: it would not start.

It was now early evening and the sun began to seemingly recede into Lake Michigan, leaving behind an empty blue sky soon to be filled with silvery iridescent stars. The leisurely waves still rocked the boat as Dad ran his calloused hand through his hair, and pulled up the seat concealing the motor to try to find and solve the problem. While my father expertly checked a cluster of wires and the motor, the rest of us rummaged around for a screwdriver; apparently the problem was in the ignition and Dad needed to cross the ignition wires. As I fumbled around in the side compartments, I found a small, orange box containing flares, and spontaneously all of us kids started joking about how it could be beneficial to have those with us. There we sat stranded, half an hour away from the dock with fortunately one phone, unfortunately we had a boat but it wouldn't start, and we were not desperate enough to row...yet. We all sat there, not quite sure what to do when Nathan pointed and exclaimed "Is that a trail over there?" and upon exploration of the area, and evaluation of the signs that stood near, we realized that the trail, a State trail, would lead to a road. So Mom and Nathan waded into shore and began jogging the trail to the road, where our grandpa would pick them up, then they would retrieve our motorized fishing boat and tow the other vessel, and us, back with it. As soon as Mom and my brother left, I scrambled out of the craft and helped Dad drag the boat through waist deep water back to our original location, and sat down to wait.



Eyeing the spectacular sunset, I helped bring the coolers back to the boat. Fortunately, we still had quite the sufficient food so Dad and I sat and munched on M&Ms and chips watching the vivid setting sun over the still lake. I gazed at the irreplaceable scene before me; the two silhouettes of my brother and sister facing each other, looking down into the rippling water, with the stunning backdrop of pastel blues, purples, and the center of it all, the yellow orange brilliance of the sun. I glanced over to find my father on the phone; Mom, Nate, and my grandpa had reached the dock with the fishing boat and would arrive to pick us up in about forty five minutes.

After multiple false sightings, dad recognized the small angling craft approaching and he and I rounded up, or tried to round up, the other two younger family members on board the inoperative ship.





By the time we all reached the dock, pulling the malfunctioning boat behind, dark had fallen but we didn't miss the fireworks. I sat holding the vessel while Dad ran to retrieve the truck, and watched as the components of fireworks burst into life, creating bizarre yet beautiful colors and shapes. I sat in the cool, somewhat stillness of the night with my spectacular family, and realized that this was an outing I could definitely remember, sitting with the water beneath me, and the open sky above. And I absolutely loved it.