Save lives around drunk people

During the summer of 1987, I had a girlfriend with three children, the oldest being 5 years old. If he thought hard enough, he could probably find her name, but that’s not important. Being like most 5 year olds, he was quite active and was amazing to spend time with.

I was working long hours during that time and decided to take a day off, which allowed me to spend the day with my girlfriend and her children.

The boys with their mother spent most of their summer days at the whiskey town lake west of Redding CA. There was a nice sandy beach with a line of trees along the south side of the swimming area allowing people to sit in the shade or sun along the beach area.

On an average weekend there would be 75 to 100 adults with their children.

While the kids swam, the parents kept cool in the tree line, throwing a party every day with wine coolers and such.

I was watching my girlfriend’s 5 year old while he was playing with a friend he met. They weren’t swimmers yet, but they were having fun bouncing around in the shallow water throwing a ball back and forth. Well, as it happens with 5-year-olds, they were testing each other by throwing the ball a little farther, where the water was a little deeper, and again a little deeper. As they bounced on tiptoe on the bottom, only the dog paddled swimming but he was still not able to swim.

I watched how it happened. The only boy who was playing with my girlfriend’s boy, waded in deep, just a little too deep to bounce on tiptoe on the bottom and keep his head above water.

I jumped up and ran towards him down the beach, by the time I reached the water’s edge he had sunk twice, he was sinking a third time when I caught up with him in the water. I picked him up and pulled him out of the water and carried him to shore.

He did not drown, but was totally exhausted from the experience.

He would have drowned if I hadn’t been there, watching, preparing to react to the situation as it happened.

The first sign that someone on the beach had any idea that this boy was about to drown was when I pulled him out of the water onto the beach, fully clothed and soaking wet.

After about five minutes of comforting the boy on his mother’s lap, he raised his head and thanked me. I could see in his eyes that he knew he was about to die and I saved him.

I guess it was the shock of the situation that led me to do what I did next.

I walked to the head of the beach where everyone on the beach could see me standing.

I proceeded to yell at everyone on the beach that they were a bunch of drunken losers, that the party was more important to them than the lives of their children.

That’s the polite way of saying what I actually said to the crowd that day. No one on the beach said a word, because everyone knew what had just happened. I was angry and for good reason, I went to my vehicle and left, never to return.

As I know, an angel placed me on that beach that morning to save that child.

Did my words fall on deaf ears? I dont know?

The Timex watch he was wearing when this happened did not survive. Joseph