Season of Change

by Lisa Williams Kline

  “Do you want to feed them, Stephanie?” Grandma asked.

  “That’s okay,” I said.

  “She’s been sitting on the eggs for almost a month,” said Grandma.

  “Wow,” Diana said. “I would be so excited if they hatched while we were here!”

  “Geese mate for life,” Grandpa Roberts added. “These same two geese have been coming back to lay their eggs right around here for years. But this is the first time they’ve chosen our boat cover as a nest!”

  The geese never took their beady dark eyes off of us. I could see just the edge of one of the eggs beneath the mother’s gray feathery breast.

  “How do geese know who to pick as their mate?” I asked. What did geese know about staying together that people didn’t know?

  “Haha, yeah, do they ever fight with each other?” Diana asked. She got what I was talking about.

  “I see them try to attack anything that comes near the nest, but I haven’t seen them fight with each other,” said Grandpa Roberts.

  “Yeah, wonder if geese ever have to get marriage counseling.” I gave myself a high voice, pretending to be the female goose. “I am so sick of sitting on these eggs. I never get to go anywhere.”

  Now Diana joined in, pretending to be the male goose, using a low voice. “I’ve been getting food for her for three weeks. She never even said thank you.”

  Grandma Roberts gave us a sharp look, but Grandpa Roberts laughed. “Well, sometimes the male does sit on the eggs, in fact, to give the female a break. I’ve seen him do it.”

  “Aww, sweet,” Diana said. She glanced at me and got out her phone and sent a text. My phone dinged. I opened it and it said:

  Wonder if the geese ever have to go talk to Jon and Olivia?

  I smiled at her. It felt good to kind of joke about it with Diana in secret. It felt good to joke with Diana, period. Even though we made up after the whole “annn-i-mal” thing, I still sometimes got the feeling that Diana wished I wasn’t there.

  “Next summer Grandma Roberts and I will be celebrating our fiftieth anniversary,” Grandpa said. “Can you imagine that? Fifty years together?”

  “No,” Diana said. “That sounds like forever.”

  I couldn’t, either. Gosh, that was more than three times longer than my entire life. This spring, Colleen had a boyfriend named Clay for two months and that had seemed like a long time for high school.

  “Do you all ever fight?” Diana asked.

  “Oh, no!” said Grandpa Roberts jovially. “As long as I do exactly what Grandma tells me to do!” He put his arm around Grandma Roberts and laughed.

  “Now, that’s not true, George,” said Grandma.

  Another boat went by, and this time a boy was riding a kneeboard behind the boat. He swung out and jumped the wake with a splash just as he passed us. A rainbow-colored wall of water sprayed out beside him. The wake from the boat made our floating dock rock, and Grandpa Roberts took hold of Grandma Roberts’ elbow to steady her. I thought that was so sweet.

  “Yep, we’ll have you jumping the wake just like that in no time at all, Miss Stephanie,” said Grandpa.

  5

  DIANA

  Stephanie and I lay out on the dock in our bathing suits, enjoying the way it rocked every time a boat came by. It was hot and the sun beat down on us. Stephanie rubbed suntan lotion on her legs, and the smell floated over. I loved that smell of summer.

  Every so often I’d dive in the water to cool off. “Come on in!” I said to Stephanie, swimming up to the floating dock. “The fish that bite you are really small, and it barely hurts at all!” I loved teasing Stephanie.

  “Fish bite you?” Stephanie’s jaw dropped.

  “Yeah, sometimes little ones will see a mole or a freckle and think it’s food and swim up and bite it. Grandpa Roberts says they try to bite his nipples.”

  “I’m never getting in!”

  “Okay, I’m just kidding.”

  “Diana! Are you kidding or not?” Stephanie stood up and put her hands on her hips. She was wearing a pink and white striped bikini that her mom had just given her. More guilt-offerings from her mom.

  “It doesn’t hurt,” I said. “I swear.”

  “Are there any snakes?”

  “Only one or two,” I said, with a grin.

  “Just stop, Diana!”

  Finally Stephanie got so hot that she decided she had to come in, and she kind of tiptoed down the wooden stairs that led into the water. When she stepped onto the lake’s muddy bottom, she let out a squeal.

  “Diana! It’s muddy!”

  “What did you think, that it was concrete under there?”

  “It’s all squishy in between my toes.” She made a face, and swam deeper and started to tread water. She stayed in the water for probably thirty seconds, a minute tops, and then climbed out.

  I dove a few times, opening my eyes under water. Two little fish with black dots just behind their eyes floated up to me curiously, then darted away into the watery shadows. I turned a couple of flips under water, which I love to do. Then I pulled myself up on the floating dock, letting the water stream off me and darken the gray wood surface.

  The geese had adjusted to us being there. Occasionally they talked to each other, a soft honking. I tried honking at them to see if they’d honk back at me.

  “It would be so cool if the geese hatched while we’re here,” I told Stephanie. “Did you see Fly Away Home? That’s one of my favorite movies. The baby geese hatched while a girl was watching and they imprinted on her and followed her around in a line.”

  “Oh, yeah, they thought she was their mother?”

  “Uh-huh, and then she learned to fly that glider plane that looked like a goose, and they followed her down the coast to the place where they were supposed to migrate.”

  “That was a great movie,” Stephanie said.

  “Hey, I’m going to text Noah and see if he can come over,” I said, wrapping my towel around me. “Grandma and Grandpa Roberts won’t mind.”

  “I think you have the hots for him,” Stephanie said.

  “I do not! We’re just friends!”

  “Ha. You know that I don’t think you should invite him,” Stephanie said.

  “Why not? You’re always so worried about stuff, Steph.”

  “All I know is, every single time I’ve gone along with one of your ideas, I’ve gotten in trouble!”

  I started laughing. “I have gotten you in trouble a lot. Sorry!” I added, in a voice that I know didn’t sound sorry at all. I didn’t care what Stephanie said. I texted Noah.

  Hey, we r at the lake at my grandparents’ house. Want to come up and go tubing?

  He answered right away.

  Sure. Got a wakeboard?

  Just a kneeboard and skis. Bring one. When R U coming?

  Not sure. Tomorrow?

  I texted back and gave him directions. Stephanie narrowed her eyes at me as I was texting.

  “You just invited Noah, didn’t you?”

  I sat up straighter. “Yep.”

  “You are unbelievable!” she said. “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re just going to do whatever you want.”

  “Yep.” I lay on my towel and closed my eyes, letting the warm sun dry the lake water from my skin. Stephanie would just have to deal with Noah, that’s all.

  A few minutes later, Grandpa Roberts came down to the dock carrying a tray with slices of watermelon on it. “Hey, girls, how about some watermelon? Grandma cut some up just for you.”

  We sat on the wooden bench and ate the sweet cold watermelon, letting the pink juice drip on the dock. The sun dropped lower in the washed blue sky and we listened to the waves lapping against the pilings.

  “Look, the boat traffic has calmed down,” said Grandpa. “Ready to kneeboard, Diana?”

  “Sure!” I said.

  “Stephanie, are you ready to learn?” Grandpa Roberts asked.

  Stephanie studied her feet. “No.”

  “Oh, come
on! You know you want to be able to do it!” Grandpa leaned over and squeezed Stephanie’s knee. Stephanie flinched.

  I helped Grandpa take the cover off the ski boat. Then we went up to the house and from the storage porch retrieved the skis, the kneeboard, the ski vests, and the tow line, and brought them down and loaded them into the boat.

  I knew Stephanie was scared, but I also knew that she would be proud of herself if she learned how to do it, so I didn’t try to talk Grandpa out of making her. The blue Wellcraft started up with a putter, then a roar as Grandpa turned the key, and I hopped in.

  “Come on, Stephanie!” I called over the sound of the engine. Gas from the boat had created coin-sized rainbow slicks of oil on the surface of the water behind us. Reluctantly, she climbed in, holding onto the windshield, and then curling up in one of the seats in the back.

  Grandpa headed out to the middle of the cove, and then cut the engine.

  “Hop in the water, Miss Diana,” he said.

  “Okay!” My heart raced. I put on the ski vest, then tossed the knee board into the water and dove after it. Out in the center of the cove the water was a deeper green, and felt cooler. I floated, holding onto the board, and then Grandpa tossed me the tow rope with the handle. Grabbing the handle, I lay on my stomach on the board. It had been awhile since I’d been knee boarding, and I might be a little rusty, but it was like riding a bike. You didn’t forget how. And I wanted to show off for Stephanie.

  “Straightening up,” he called, and gave the boat a little gas to pull the line taut.

  “Ready?”

  “Ready!” I gave him the thumbs up signal.

  He hit the motor and the boat leaped forward, pulling me up out of the water. Pressure tightened my shoulder muscles. As soon as I felt stable, I folded my knees up underneath me so I was kneeling on the board, and pulled the strap tight over the tops of my thighs. Grandpa looked back, gave me the thumbs up. I was skimming on top of the water, whizzing past the docks, flying through the air!

  “Yee-haw!” I stayed directly behind the boat for a little while, then leaned right and jumped the wake and landed in the smooth water outside the wake. After riding along beside the boat for a little while, I swung back to the left, and jumped both wakes. Let myself swing all the way up beside the left side of the boat.

  The wind rushed by and I skimmed the gleaming surface of the water and the air was filled with the roar of the boat. I grinned my biggest grin at Stephanie, who was turned around watching me. Grandpa gave a lasso movement of his arm above his head, letting me know he was going to turn around, and I let the action of the turning boat swing me wide and I jumped both wakes again.

  I leaned back and enjoyed the scenery as it flashed by. Houses and docks, groves of sun-dappled trees, the grassy shoreline. Then I did my best trick: I put the handle behind my back and twirled around, doing a 360, stopping to kneeboard backwards for a few seconds. Then I twirled around the other way. What a rush!

  After five trips up and down the cove, I was out of breath and my shoulders and knees were shaking. I gave Grandpa the finger across the neck motion to tell him I was going to drop the line. Leaning back, I threw the rope high in the air, and felt myself sink down into the water.

  Grandpa drove the boat around to pick me up, and I clambered up the ladder on the back of the boat.

  “Whew!” I collapsed, shaking, water streaming everywhere, into the back seat and wrapped myself in a towel. “My muscles feel like jelly!” I saw Stephanie’s face, though, and I knew I’d impressed her.

  “That was some good knee boarding!” Grandpa said. “Great job!” He pointed at Stephanie. “Now it’s your turn, big girl! Let’s go. No time like the present.”

  I looked over at Stephanie and her face was white as a sheet.

  6

  STEPHANIE

  I guess I wasn’t going to get out of this. The ski vest felt wet and clammy when I put it on and fastened the clasps. My mouth just went completely dry.

  Grandpa and Diana were both giving me instructions at the same time.

  “When you get out there, lie on the board on your stomach,” Diana said.

  “I’ll pull the boat up a little to draw the rope taut,” Grandpa added.

  Diana: “Get the handle positioned.”

  Grandpa: “I’ll drive along really slowly so you can pull your knees up under yourself and get balanced.”

  Diana: “Right, just as you get going, pull your knees up and under so you’re kneeling on the board. And then pull the strap tight over the tops of your thighs. Keep the handle centered. Got it?”

  My ears were buzzing. What’d she just say? I looked back and forth as they both tried to tell me what to do. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Sit on my knees? Pull my knees or pull the strap? Balance? Yeah, right!

  “Okay! Hop in the water!” Grandpa said.

  I sat on the side of the boat as we bobbed there for a minute, taking a few deep breaths, telling myself to be calm. “Here goes,” I said. I let myself slide in.

  The water wasn’t chilly, but my teeth were chattering anyway. The vest kept me riding high in the water. Diana threw the kneeboard onto the water’s surface beside me, and it skimmed along the top.

  “Grab it!” she yelled.

  I swam over and got hold of it and struggled to pull myself halfway up the way I’d seen her do. Grandpa drove the boat around me, to drag the rope handle around to where I could reach it.

  “Grab it!” he said as he drove by, but I didn’t reach for it quickly enough and he had to drive around again.

  “Sorry,” I said. A little wave went in my mouth.

  “No problem,” yelled Grandpa. “Okay, now, you know what to do?”

  I kept myself from yelling “No!” and just gave him a small nod.

  “Ready?” Diana called.

  I held my thumb up, the way I’d seen her do. Floating along there, holding onto the handle, watching the boat ahead of me, time seemed to stand still. A breeze threaded by my ear and a wave slapped the bottom of the kneeboard.

  Grandpa straightened up the boat, pulling the line taut and dragging me through the water just a little. The muscles in my shoulders pulled tight. The boat took off.

  And I was pulled right up and over the kneeboard, landing face first in the water, leaving it behind.

  The boat dragged me for a few feet, with torrents of water hitting me in the face. Stinging, it went up my nose. And then I let go.

  Just before I fell in, I saw the handle fly through the air and then bounce along on top of the water.

  “She’s down!” Diana shouted at Grandpa. He turned the boat around. I swam back to get the kneeboard. Grandpa brought me the rope.

  And I tried again.

  Up, and over the kneeboard. Dragging through the water, drinking half of the lake. Letting go.

  Diana yelling, “She’s down!”

  And I tried again.

  Up, and over the kneeboard. Dragging through the water, drinking half the lake. Letting go.

  “You’re going to get it this time,” said Grandpa as he drove by to bring me the rope again.

  I didn’t want to try anymore. I’d swallowed a ton of water, my eyes were burning, and the muscles of my shoulders ached with exhaustion.

  “You can do it!” Diana yelled at me from the back of the boat. “Come on, Stephanie!”

  A wave slapped me in the face.

  Grandpa drove up a little ways to pull the rope taut.

  “Ready?” he yelled.

  I took a deep breath, bracing myself for another try.

  “Ready,” I said. And he hit the throttle and took off. As I started moving I pulled my knees up underneath me and tried to center myself. I was shaky and the water surface below the board felt slippery as ice, but I was up on my knees. Water churned over the board and out behind me. I was afraid to move, but knew I needed to put the strap over my thighs. Slowly, I reached forward to get the strap.

  And the board slipped right out from un
der me. I fell.

  Again.

  Grandpa brought the boat around. I swam after the board.

  “You were up!” Diana yelled, leaning over the side. “You were up for a few seconds! Next time you’ll get it!”

  “But I’m so tired,” I said, as I bobbed along with my arms stretched over the board.

  “Have you had it?” Grandpa said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” He cut the engine and he and Diana helped me climb back into the boat.

  I fell into a seat in the back. My arms were shaking so hard and I was completely out of breath. I felt like such a failure.

  “That was a good try, Steph,” Diana said. “You almost had it.”

  “We’ll try again another day,” Grandpa said. “It’s tiring trying to learn.” I wrapped myself in a towel. I felt like a rag doll.

  Pretty soon we were back at the dock, and Diana was running around helping Grandpa tie the boat up to the cleats on the sides of the boat slip. I was shaking so much I wasn’t even sure I could get out of the boat and walk back to the land.

  Grandpa helped me out and I sat on one of the benches on the standing dock, still trying to catch my breath.

  “I wish I could’ve done it,” I said as we headed slowly up the walkway to the house. I was proud of myself for at least trying, though. Last year I wouldn’t have.

  “You’ll get it next time,” he assured me, putting his arm over my shoulder.

  “Y’all take your showers, and we’ll have dinner in just a few minutes!” Grandma Roberts said as we trooped into the house. “Don’t drip all over my carpet, now.”

  The aroma of roast beef filled the kitchen. Rolls were lined on a cookie sheet ready to be warmed, potatoes were nestled in a casserole dish, and a big bowl with a tossed salad with ruby red chunks of fresh tomatoes stood beside it.

  My stomach growled. I was starving!

  The hot shower felt great on my tired muscles. Diana and I were sharing a room upstairs with white wicker furniture. A flowered bedspread covered a queen-sized bed and one of frilly white lace covered another single bed under the window.

  “I love this room,” I said to Diana, as we were getting dressed. A little green desk by the door had tiny drawers that were fun to open and close. “I recognize that painting,” I said, pointing to a print of a thoughtful and wispy-haired girl in a blue dress holding a watering can. “That’s a famous painting by Renoir. We studied that in art.”