Floating Ring II

A different perspective

One afternoon,
the children were arguing again
about a floating ring
in the apartment swimming pool.

One child refused to compromise.

This was becoming
a recurring personality feature.

The adults sided
with the younger sister.

Not necessarily because she was correct,
but because the situation
needed to end somehow.

The family returned upstairs.

One child stayed
in the swimming pool,
apparently intending
to continue the protest indefinitely.

The adults waited.

This seemed preferable
to conducting diplomatic negotiations
over inflatable equipment
in humid weather conditions.

Naturally,
the child returned upstairs eventually.

This outcome
had never been seriously in doubt.

At age nine,
independent long-term survival
presented substantial logistical challenges.

The child appeared normal by dinner.

Which,
from the parental perspective,
generally indicated
successful emotional recovery.

Many decades later,
the swimming-pool incident
remained preserved
inside the child’s memory
for almost half a century.

The parents
probably never knew.

From their perspective,
it had mainly been
a rather hot afternoon
with unnecessary arguing.