Horseplay in the Water

I really don't care too much for horseplay in the water. You never know when it can get out of hand and cause someone to get hurt. I have a friend, Dwayne Langham, (a big ole strapping boy man every bit of 6 feet something) that does not share my feelings about horseplay in the water. But Dwayne no longer horseplay's around me especially in the water.

JoLynn spent the night before our wedding at Dwayne and Penny's house. D&P are both a little younger than Jo and I. Jo was 23 and I was 28 when we got married. I can't remember which one answered the door, but they told the other one, "Dave's fix'n to marry a 17 year old girl!" Not quite. She was young and sweet, but not that young. She's still sweet even after all these years though no longer young, but she is quick to let me know that she will always be younger than me. You go girl!

Anyhow we had a favorite swimming hole on the Choctawhatchee River just off of hwy 84 long before it became a four lane highway:
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On the right bank of the river was a nice beach while the left bank had a small ledge about a foot and a half above the water.

Dwayne and I and a few others were on the ledge on this particular day and Dwayne was in a horseplaying mood. He was clowning around and trying to get anyone he could when he managed to push me off the ledge into the water. Even though I consider Dwayne a good friend, one thing I know is that if I were to hit my head on a rock or something, Dwayne Langham certainly wouldn't be the one to dive in and rescue me from beneath the muddy water should the need arise even if he knew he caused the need for a rescue.

I was ready to put the quietus on Dwayne's horseplay. When I climbed back up on the ledge he was still clowning around and being particularly careful that I wouldn't get the opportunity to return the favor and push him in. I just stayed calm and patient. Every dog will have his day, so they say.

Dwayne eventually tired of horsing around on the ledge and did a racing dive out to the middle of the river. I watched his glide end and watched him turn back toward the shore and begin a crawl stroke back toward the ledge with his face in the water.

When he got close enough, I took a flying leap into the air doing a midair twist so that I was now facing the ledge and the direction Dwayne was swimming. I spread my legs and came down straddling Dwayne's back like he was a bull to ride. As my weight came on top of him I placed my hands on the back of his head and gave a little extra shove as he went beneath the surface of the water.

I then quickly made it to the ledge and climbed back up before Dwayne could beat me there. When Dwayne made it to the ledge, that big buck had a look on his face that seemed to say, "You just tried to kill me!" I politely offered him my hand to help him climb back up.

Dwayne has never bothered to horseplay around me in the water since then. I talked to him on the phone just the other day and we relived that story from many years ago. He thought I jumped on his head, but I didn't. I just gave his head a little extra shove with my hands as my weight came down on his back.

They say, "Don't get mad when you can get even". I say, "Why get even when you can get ahead, especially if it can accomplish something worthwhile".

Dwayne was with me kayaking the Chactawhatchee when it was near flood stage when I finally mastered my Eskimo Roll, so I did trust him to help me with an Eskimo Rescue if I needed it while attempting to master an Eskimo Roll.

Those were good times, and I miss them...

Ciao...