But we didn’t cross
the bridge. We turned just before it. We were at the river again,
at another bank further up. Robi walked down to the water.
“Nadyon,” he
said. Finally, I understood. He put his arms over his head. It was
sign language for “dive in.” He wanted us to dive into the river.
He wanted us to swim in that grey, trashy water.
I froze. I didn’t
know what to do. I wanted to respect him, to enjoy his company and
encourage him as he tried to make friends with two random Americans
who didn’t speak his language. But I did NOT want to get in that
water.
“No no no no no!”
I said, waving my hands frantically while still trying to smile.
“I’m not going in there! You first! You first!”
“Nadyon.”
“You first! You
first!” I said pointing to him.
He looked at me
funny.
Then, he shrugged and started to take off his shirt and
shoes.
“OH NO…. what
did I just get myself into.” I looked at Matt. I was crestfallen.
I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t be rude and let him swim alone.
I couldn’t be seen as scared, too scared to swim if it meant
connecting with this guy. I had to jump in.
But I REALLY didn’t
want to!
“Matt, you’re
going to stay here with my stuff,” I said to Matt. “We’re around
gypsies. Who knows what could happen.”
backpack on the ground. I started to take off my shirt, then my
shoes and socks. He was already down at the bank, splashing water on
his chest and arms. I wondered how many bacteria cultures lived in
this water. I came up beside him and put my feet in to test the
temperature. It wasn’t too cold. This probably wouldn’t be as bad
as I thought. Well except the fact that it was slime infested.
