The water seemed to drop away beneath us. The boat seemed airborne for a moment, then it splashed back down into the water with a bam, jerking the boat. Squeals of joyful laughter echoed over the wide clear bay. Crossing into the wake of another boat, our boat had hit the small waves like a ramp. Bam! The boat splashed through another wake. The kids laughed and hollered again. We were shooting through the water on our Grady White, a type of motor boat, and we were on our way to the best little bay for tubing. There was one reason, there were no jellyfish to ruin our day there!

    The boat started to slow, earning disappointed moans from all the kids piled in the front of the boat. Though we had slowed to a total halt, but no one was still sitting. Everyone raced around, tightening their life vests and arguing about who got to first. My father tied the rope to the pole, screwed into the back of our boat, so we could tube without getting the rope caught in the motor. I pulled the straps of my life vest and fixed my pigtails. I was excited and ready to go, and I knew I wasn’t going to fall.

  “Who wants to go first?” My dad asked tossing the kneeboard over the side of the boat.

A chorus of ‘I want to!’ and ‘Me!’ came only a moment after the words left his mouth. Eventually it was decided that my brother, James would get to go first. After a minute or two of splashing and laughter, James was ready to go.  My dad started the boat. The motor came on with a loud growl, and the boat shot over the small rolling waves. James was up on his knees, sliding along the wake.

I got the job of watching James and warning my dad if he fell. So when he flashed me a thumbs up, I told my dad James wanted to go faster. My dad turned up the engine, and James continued the ride. I sort of wanted him to fall. Though soon his turn was over, and he was back on the boat, dripping with water. Being closest to the back of the boat, and the kneeboard, I got to take a turn next. I climbed onto the little ledge on the back of the boat and slid into the water. the warmth of the bay surprised me, compared to the cold air whipping at my face when I rode on the boat. I clambered up onto the kneeboard, tightened the strap around my knees, so I wouldn’t fall, and shoved a thumb up into the air, symbolizing that that I was ready to go. The boat rumbled to a start and shot forward, carrying me with it.

I was up onto my knees in seconds, clinging the the handle attached the boat by rope. As we roughly started, I was scared that I would fall, but we settled. I slid over the water, gliding more like skis on snow then board on water. I laughed, feeling the thrill of the ride, and confidently let go of the handle with one hand and let the other trail in the water, my fingers splashing through the wake of the boat. I wouldn’t fall. Another boat has passed by earlier, and the wake of their boat was still rolling. I gasped as the board rocked over the waves and quickly placed both hands on the handle again. I tightened the knee strap so I wouldn’t slip off.

“Laney!”

I heard my brothers yelling my name to tell me that the boat was stopping, dragging their hand over their neck, the sign for stop. I nodded and showed them a thumbs up again, to say I understood. The boats engine sputtered as my dad turned it off and started to stop. I tried to slide down onto the board, but my knees were stuck in the strap! The unbalanced board flipped over, dragging me with it.

The warm, thick water was all around me, and I couldn’t breathe. I struggled against the velcro strap, panicked. My thoughts were hazy and full of panic and all I knew was that I needed to get my legs out. I kicked once more, thinking, I’m going to drown, but my legs slipped out and I floated up to the surface, coughing. As I burst above the surface and took a big breath of the salty bay air, relief was my only thought now. I climbed up onto the boat, dripping with water, and wrapped myself in a towel. I never wanted to kneeboard again.

I went over the terrifying scene again it my head as someone else started their turn in the water, but all I wanted to do was go home. It was the only time I could remember almost drowning, and I am overly cautious with the kneeboard strap now. I worry the same thing will happen to my little sister. When people ask why, I have a good reason. I would rather have been stung by a jellyfish, but that the only thing I was afraid of in the first place.