My little cousins came for a visit from Chicago. On Sunday I asked if they’d like to accompany me to my Community’s swimming pool.

“YEAH!!!!!” was the collective response.

My parents dropped them off at my place and then we headed to the pool. The weather was perfect and the pool was relatively empty.

I walked to the edge of the pool and quickly dove in. Sarah and Ben followed my lead. We splashed about and then I raced them from the deep end to the low end and back again. I showed them how to kick their legs out like a synchronized swimmer and Ben showed me how he could flip in the water. We laughed and Little Sarah yelled out, “Watch this!” She pushed off the side of the pool, swam along the bottom, and emerged a few seconds later with tears in her eyes and a frown on her face.

“Sarah, what’s wrong?”

“My chin!”

And sure enough, blood droplets started to form. She had scraped her chin along the bottom of the pool. I ran to the lifeguard and got wipes and a band-aid. As I got her cleaned up, I had a terrific idea!

“Let’s go to Rita’s Water Ice!”

With a band-aid covering Sarah’s chin, we walked over to Rita’s and I got Sarah an ice cream cone and Ben a Chocolate Blendini. It’s amazing how kids can forget about a boo boo when ice cream is involved. We headed back to the pool along a little trail WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEN TRIPPED! I tried to grab him but it was too late. He skinned his knees and his palms and his elbows! The blood just poured out of his knee. In fact, the blood that wasn’t gushing out appeared to be pooling under the little skin that remained. I ran back to the lifeguards and asked for more band-aids and antiseptic wipes. They looked at me like I was insane but gave me their remaining bandages because, “You know, like, in case you need more later.” Bastards.

Right when I got back to the kids, my neighbor Peter pulled up in his car. He swung the door open and we piled in. He drove us back to his house where he patched up Ben and gave Sarah chocolates. Peter definitely saved me out there since I was about ready to pass out from seeing all that blood… and from the embarrassment of being found with not just one injured child BUT TWO!

Eventually the time came that I had to face my mother and own up to the fact that I was bringing my cousins back to her house COVERED IN BAND-AIDS. And on the ride home, I called THEIR mother to explain that when she sees her babies in a couple days, they will be a little bandaged and sore.

Oddly enough we had no incidents when I took them white water rafting on the Lehigh River or when we went to the Jersey Shore.

They’re home now. And I am sure their memories of the trip will be ingrained in their minds for a long time… they will also have scars to commemorate their visit.