"I wanted to remind him of the night we cleared things out. He has all the right to fear especially that we're deviating from the norm.
But what is really considered normal? Men before us were in this kind of relationship already. The Romans knew ab...
"Ryu, don't go too far. Stay by the edge of the pool, okay?", Maae told me as I sat by the stairs of the pool.
We were at a resort for the summer. It was supposed to be a vacation for the whole family. I can see them gathered in a pavilion at a distance. They looked like they were enjoying their stay while I watched the other kids play in the water.
I didn't know how to swim, so I just sat on the edge of the pool while the water lapped on my torso as I held on to my red plastic ball. P'Pao was with the other kids playing tag in the water. He was older than me. Almost a teenager, that's why he seldom plays with me now. I just smiled, trying to share their happiness even though I wasn't a part of it.
"Kawabangga!", one of the bigger kids suddenly shouted the famous line from Ninja Turtles and jumped into the pool.
I like watching that cartoon, I remember. The kid's action sent big waves and the ball I was holding suddenly slipped from my grip. It floated away and bobbed at a distance. I didn't know the danger at that time as I stood up by the edge and looked at the water beneath me. I knew it was deeper beyond where I stand, but I was pretty confident that I'd be able to reach the ball that invited me to step further. It was enticing me to catch it.
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I smiled at the thought of the ball playing with me when the other older kids wouldn't. I was fine without them. I didn't seek their companionship. The ball was enough to keep me happy.
I stepped down the stairs and felt the water rise up to my waist. I was still okay. I took another step and it reached my chest. I started to feel panic but calmed myself down. I just had to stretch my arms and I could touch the ball already.
The ball kept on bobbing in front of me and I held my arms out to beckon it to come nearer. Before I realized it, the water pulled my tiny body forward and I felt myself float for a second. It felt unusually good. It seemed the water welcomed me and held me in an embrace.
Then I started to sink. The water started to drown the sounds from above as it engulfed my whole body. I held my breath and looked up to the brightness hovering above the pool. The ball was still floating out of my reach. I started to kick upwards to catch it but my body was weighing me down and I couldn't swim further no matter how I try.
I looked around to see if there was anyone else who could help me reach the ball but all I saw were feet and legs propelling their owners to the surface. They were like the ball, staying afloat and I tried to mimic the movement of their legs but it wasn't working for me.
