Sixth Installment
“I know you thought you were doing something safe and reasonable from your point of view, but did you consider how it might look and feel to the rest of us. If you had drowned at the cabin, I would never have been able to enjoy it again. I would have been forced to sell it or let it fall into ruin because I could not bear the memories it would bring up.
“And Alex? Did you have any idea of the predicament you put him in? He was desperately torn between Jason, because of his terror of thunderstorms, Trisha, who would never have forgiven him if Jason were hurt in any way, and his fear of losing you and failing me. It was an impossible position for him. Alex said he learned one important thing: that Roxy is of no use whatsoever in a crisis. He felt so alone and scared. And, afterward, terribly angry. That’s why he doesn’t want to talk to you about it. He’s afraid of what he might say.
“Why didn’t you go to the cottage on the other side of the lake and ask for help? They could have called us; we would have known so much sooner that you were safe, and we could have come to pick you up. I wanted to throttle Tony for not dropping everything and going to rescue you immediately. I was so angry at you and at him, so scared that you might have drowned.”
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All this poured forth from Meredith, but more calmly than Deborah had expected. Meredith now seemed reflective rather than angry. So, Deborah took the risk of describing the incident from her point of view.
“I had no idea when I started to swim that such a huge storm was coming. Before I knew it, I couldn’t see the shore in any direction. I’m a good swimmer, so I wasn’t scared, but I realize now you didn’t know that I have been swimming three times a week in a pool for the last year. I hoped that neither Alex nor Roxy would do anything to try to rescue me, putting themselves in danger. I worried about that a lot as I swam. I’m sorry I didn’t call from the opposite shore but chose, unwisely, to swim back across the lake. That was a mistake…” she trailed off.
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Meredith listened without interrupting. She didn’t argue or try to persuade. She was sure of the rightness of her point of view, so felt no need to defend it. But she was determined to make Deborah promise. “Do not ever do this again. Don’t swim out towards the center of the lake. Swim back and forth along the shore at a depth that allows you to put your feet on the bottom at any moment. And don’t swim unless someone is watching. No solitary swimming!” Her fists were clenched as she delivered the last command.
last installment tomorrow
With All Due Respect 