Mental Games - 15. The Kritzers

On Monday, the boys talked their parents into taking a canoe ride on the lake. They decided to do it in family groups, so it would put three people in each canoe.

“Dad you sit in front. Mom you get in the middle. I’ll be in the back,” Mike offered. “The rest of you can use the same arrangement in the other canoe. Adam and I went on canoe trips with friends over spring break during our sophomore and junior years while we were at State, so we probably have the most experience. Since the person in the back is responsible for steering the canoe, as well as helping to paddle it with the person in the front, it can also be the trickiest spot to handle.”

The others didn’t have a problem with his proposal, so the four men picked up the two canoes and carried them down to the water’s edge. The two women followed behind carrying three bottles of water each, so they would all be able to stay hydrated. Once the canoes were partially in the water, George and Dave worked their way to the front, while Rita and Judy followed behind and took their place in the center. Once their parents were in position, Mike and Adam pushed the canoes farther out in the water, before getting into the back.

After they had shoved off, the men began to paddle and guided the canoes along the edge of the lake. It was another lovely day and not too hot, so Judy decided to let her arm dangle over the side and enter the water while enjoying the scenery. They were not quite halfway around the lake when Dave turned to Mike and spoke.

"Maybe we should head back now. My arms are starting to get sore and I don't think I can make it all the way around."

Although Mike was a little disappointed, he realized it would probably be best to agree to his father's request. He then turned in his seat and signaled Adam to pull his canoe up beside them.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked, once the two canoes were side by side.

"My dad wants to head back," Mike answered. "He says his arm muscles are starting to get sore."

"Mine too," George chimed in. "I was just about to suggest that too. This is a little harder on me than I was expecting."

"Ok, we can do that," Adam agreed. "I think we can just cut across the lake, since we haven't had any problems so far and I'm no longer worried about capsizing."

Since that had been agreed to, Mike and Adam steered the canoes across the middle of the lake, as they guided them toward the dock they’d started from. Even though they hadn’t traveled all the way around the lake, it had been enough of a workout to cause the muscles in their fathers’ arms to burn slightly from the effort.

“That was a good workout,” George announced, once they’d pulled the canoe out of the water. “It was also plenty of exercise for one day.”

“It was so beautiful and peaceful out there all alone on the lake,” Judy chimed in, as her face glowed in the sunshine. “I really enjoyed that.”

As they were walking back to the cabin, they noticed the family staying at the next cabin over. They were standing or sitting on the porch of their cabin and they gave the Washburns and Bermans a friendly wave. The family appeared to consist of a mother, father and two pre-teen children, a boy and a girl, so the Washburns and Bermans all waved back and returned the friendly gesture.

“Did you notice the woman was in a wheelchair?” Adam asked Mike, as they stepped inside.

“Yes, I saw that and feel sorry for her,” he confirmed. “I wonder why she has to use it?”

"It could be caused by many things," Adam replied. "She could have had an accident or be suffering from an illness, but she may have also been born with a problem that caused her to need it. There's no way of knowing which, unless she were to tell us or we were to ask."

"I don't want to do that! It would be rude," Mike quickly added. "I guess it doesn't really make much of a difference why she's confined to the wheelchair though, but it's kind of sad that she's apparently dependent upon it."

Adam merely nodded in agreement, because it was hard to accept that someone so young would have to deal with something like that. It was also sad to think that it also limited her from doing as much as she might like with her family.

Since their fathers were somewhat sore from the little canoe outing, the boys agreed to hang out with their dads on the porch while they recuperated. After accepting a bottle of water from their mothers, the six of them got comfortable as they chatted about what they'd just done. After about a half hour, George and Dave were starting to feel better, although they were now extremely hungry instead. Following a brief discussion, they all decided to go inside and fix some lunch.

After they finished eating, Mike and Adam decided to wander around and check out a little more of the area, while their parents opted to stay inside and take it easy for a while longer. The boys hadn’t gone very far when the two kids from next door came running up to them.

“Hey! We saw you out in the canoes this morning,” the boy began. “It looked like fun and we’d really like to do something like that too. Our parents won’t take us though.”

The boy looked disappointed as he said this, so Mike decided to try to find out why his parents wouldn’t do something like that with them.

“Why not? Don’t they like canoes?” he asked, as he looked directly at the boy who came up to about his chest.

“My dad can’t swim and my mom has M.S., so she’s in a wheelchair,” he answered, as his big brown eyes avoided making contact with Mike.

“Ok, I understand now," Mike responded, as he absorbed this additional information.

"Can you and your sister swim?” Adam chimed in, in an attempt to discover a few more details.

“No, we never learned. There was never anyone to teach us,” the boy answered. “That’s why Dad won’t take us out in the canoe. He says a canoe can tip over too easy, and since we can’t swim, he’s afraid we might drown.”

“Will you take us out in the canoes?” the little girl quickly chimed in. Her brown eyes seemed to be pleading with them, as she looked hopefully at Adam first and then at Mike.

“I think it would depend on whether your parents will allow us to do it,” Adam offered, since he knew it would be up to her mother and father, not them.

“Can we go ask them?” the boy wondered, as he began to hop around.

“I’m not sure it will turn out the way you want, but I suppose you could try,” Adam replied, since he didn't want to be the one to crush their hopes. “You’ll just have to promise to go along with whatever your mom and dad decide.”

As soon as the brother and sister agreed to honor their parents’ wishes, they raced toward their cabin. Their brown locks were bouncing up and down, as Mike and Adam followed behind.

“Dad, can we go out in the canoes with the boys from next door?” the son quickly asked his father. The man set the pill bottles down on the table before looking up at his children. Then, he stared at Mike and Adam for a few seconds before he answered.

“I’m afraid my children can’t swim, so I’d prefer they stay away from the water,” he responded dryly, followed by groans from his son and daughter.

Mike and Adam looked at each other briefly, as they decided how to respond. The boy and girl’s expressions were pleading with them, but it was their father’s decision.

“Well there are some life jackets in our cabin, so your son and daughter can each wear one, if that might help to change your mind,” Adam offered, since he could see how much this meant to the kids.

“We also don’t know you,” the man quickly countered, looking and sounding slightly perturbed.

“I’m Adam Washburn and this is Mike Berman. We’re two college students here on vacation with our parents,” Adam responded. “I’m pursuing my medical degree and Mike is working on his law degree, but we’re both very good swimmers too. It’s totally up to you though, and that’s what we told your children when they came over and asked if we’d do this. I just wanted to give you a choice.”

"Please, Dad? We really want to see what it's like being in a canoe. I think it will be a lot of fun," the girl begged, while flashing her father her best pleading expression.

"We'll be real careful and do whatever they tell us," the boy added. "Please? Won't you just let us try this?"

The man merely shook his head in resignation, as he looked at his children. Then he turned slightly to face Adam and Mike.

“If they wear life jackets then I guess I’ll let them give it a try,” he agreed. “Just be very careful with them.”

“We will,” Mike confirmed, as the two kids hugged and thanked their dad.

As they were walking over to the other cabin, Mike looked down at the pair and spoke. “You know our names now, so what are yours?”

“I’m Jack and this is my sister, Megan,” the boy answered, as they skipped gleefully along. “I’m twelve and going into seventh grade. She’s ten and will be in fifth grade.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mike agreed, as he looked from one to the other.

“Hang on and I’ll run inside and get two life jackets,” Adam told them, just before he raced into the cabin.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Adam told both sets of parents as soon as he entered, “but Mike and I have agreed to take the kids from next door out for a canoe ride. It’s the same children that were waving at us earlier. Their father agreed to let them do this, as long as they wear life vests. I saw some in here earlier when I was looking around, so I’m going to grab a couple for them to put on.”

“That’s very nice of you, dear,” his mother replied. “But I’m a little confused. Why didn’t you just let the man borrow the life vests and use the canoe to take his children out?”

Adam quickly explained the situation, including the mother having multiple sclerosis.

“Then have a good time, but be careful,” Rita added, as Adam grabbed the devices and headed for the door.

Before they put the life jackets on the kids or let them get into the canoe, Mike and Adam taught the youngsters how to use the paddles first. They showed both of the youngsters how to place one hand on top of the paddle and then use the other one to grasp the shaft, so they’d be able to help propel the canoe forward. Since Megan only felt comfortable doing this on the right side of the canoe, Adam agreed to take her and he’d paddle from the left side. Jack, however, wanted to switch back and forth, so he could practice paddling from both sides. Mike had no problem with that and agreed to switch to the opposite side, whenever Jack made the change.

The boys then helped the kids into the life jackets and made sure they were secure. Jack and Megan each settled into the front seat of a canoe, before Mike and Adam pushed them a little farther out in the water and then stepped into the back of the canoe they had chosen. The boys kept the canoes fairly close to the shore as they started out, just in case there was an accident. Jack and Megan seemed thrilled with this new experience and eagerly did their share of the paddling.

The boys guided them around to the far side of the lake, to about the same spot they had reached with their parents. However, instead of crossing the lake to make the return trip, as they had done earlier, the boys steered the canoe in a quick circle instead. Once it was facing back the way they just came, they then paddled back to the other side of the lake while still keeping close to the shore, which they felt was far safer.

When the boys finally guided the canoes onto the bank a short time later, the kids climbed out. Mike and Adam then pulled the canoes farther up the slope and flipped them over. The boys then turned to face their passengers, who were literally jumping around with joy.

“That was wicked!” Jack exclaimed, as he continued to shift his weight from one leg to the other.

“Yes, it was really fun,” Megan added, and then both of them thanked Mike and Adam again.

While the kids were doing this, their father approached from behind.

“Thank you so much for taking my son and daughter out with you,” he stated, as he noticed his children’s joy. “I was watching from the porch the entire time and could see how much fun they were having. It was something they wouldn’t have been able to do without your help, so my wife and I are in your debt. We’d like to invite you and your parents over later for a cookout, if you’re interested. We have plenty of hamburgers and hot dogs to go around and would love for all of you to join us.”

"Please? It will be fun and we can meet your parents too," Megan suggested.

"You did something nice for us, so let us do this for you," Jack added, as he made a face to let Mike and Adam know this was important to him.

“We’ll have to check with our parents first and see what they want to do,” Adam explained, as he tried to keep the kids' hopes alive. “Just give us a couple of minutes to talk this over with them and then we’ll come back to let you know what they say.”

Once that had been agreed to, Mike and Adam went to explain things to their folks. Both sets of parents thought it was a lovely idea and each of their mothers quickly offered to make a salad to share with the others. Judy said she’d make a big bowl of macaroni salad and Rita offered to make a potato salad. The boys said they would relay the message and then they went back to accept the offer.

While they were there, Adam pulled the kids’ father aside so he could ask him a question without Jack and Megan overhearing. “If you’re interested, Mike and I would be willing to teach your children how to swim,” he offered, not knowing how the man was going to react.

“Oh, that would be wonderful and please call me Jim,” he agreed. “I’ve always worried about them not knowing how to do that. I don’t swim, so I can’t teach them, but there’s no place near us that offers lessons either.”

“Mike and I will be willing to take them out for a while every morning and again later in the day, if that works for you,” Adam suggested. “I’m not sure how proficient they’ll be when we’re finished, but at least they’ll be better off than they are now. Do they have swimsuits?”

“Actually, they do,” Jim answered, while releasing a nervous giggle. “My wife insisted we buy swimsuits for them so they could use the six foot wide wading pool we bought. We got it so they could cool off a little during the hottest days of summer.”

Since this had been agreed to, Jim told Adam he wouldn’t tell his children until he and Mike returned later. Adam was satisfied and summoned Mike away from Jack and Megan so they could head back to their cabin.

When Jack came over later, he told them the grill was going and they should come over now. Once everyone was ready, Mike and Adam carried the salads, followed by their parents. As Mike and Adam set the bowls on the picnic table, the other adults exchanged greetings and introduced themselves. It was during this time that the boys learned the family’s last name was Kritzer and the parents were Jim and Melinda.

“I really appreciate what your sons did for my children earlier,” Jim announced as his mouth stretched into a massive smile. “I also want to thank them for what they’ve agreed to do next. Jack and Megan, Mike and Adam have offered to teach you two how to swim, starting tomorrow morning. I’m not sure how much you’ll learn by the end of the week, but at least you should be able to keep your heads above water when you’re done.”

As soon as Jack and Megan heard this, they started jumping around again. They then raced over to thank Mike and Adam and gave them both a big hug, before doing the same to their father. Mike and Adam’s parents were smiling broadly as they watched this scene play out.

“I hope you don’t mind that we agreed to do this,” Mike told both sets of parents later, as Adam stood behind him. “I know it will take away from the time we have to spend with you, but Adam and I felt we needed to do this for the kids.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Rita answered, to calm their apprehensions. The others quickly chimed in their agreement too, since they didn’t have a problem with what the boys were planning to do either.

After having a lovely time together, the two families went back to their cabins for the night. As they were leaving, Jack and Megan reminded Mike and Adam that they'd see them in the morning, when they came over to have their swimming lesson. The boys confirmed that would be fine, and then they chuckled about how anxious the other pair seemed to be about doing this.

Tuesday morning, Mike was awakened by a knock on the bedroom door. “Yeah, what do you want?” he mumbled, not fully coherent.

“May I open the door?” he heard Adam’s mother ask. After checking to make certain the sheet covered both him and Adam, he agreed she could come in.

“Your students are here already and waiting for you,” she announced in a hushed tone, but with a grin. “They seem to be very anxious to start their lessons.”

“Tell them to give us some time to wake up and get dressed first, and then we’ll be out,” he answered, while rubbing his eyes and stretching slightly.

“I’ll entertain them until you’re ready,” she agreed, as she turned and left the room.

As soon as she was gone, Mike woke Adam and the two of them got up. They quickly slipped on their swim trunks and then went to use the bathroom. They quickly relieved themselves, splashed some water onto their faces and brushed their teeth, before going out to keep their promise.

“We’ll be ready for breakfast when we get back,” Adam mumbled, just before he yawned. He was also trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he was walking out the door and prepared to face his two eager students.

As soon as they were all outside, the kids enthusiastically grasped their instructors’ hands and dragged them down to the water’s edge. The water was slightly cool at that time of the morning, but it helped to wake up Mike and Adam. Mike started out with Jack, while Adam worked with Megan. The boys began by placing their hands under their student’s belly to help support them, as the children got comfortable in the water.

“I’m scared,” Megan whined, almost as soon as they began.

“You’ll be fine and I won’t let anything happen to you,” Adam told her, as soothingly as he knew how. “Just relax and do your best. Mike and I will take care of the rest.”

She almost immediately calmed down and things went fine after that. They spent about an hour and a half in the water before Mike and Adam told them it was enough for now. Mike agreed to go over to get them again later, so they could have their second lesson. Jack and Megan were thrilled and thanked the boys, before they ran back to their cabin.

After Mike and Adam ate their breakfast, they sat down with their parents to discuss what they wanted to do next.

“I think it’s wonderful what you’re doing for those children,” Rita stated, before they had a chance to discuss anything.

“Thanks, but what do you guys want to do now?” Adam pressed, since he didn't want to sit around talking about this forever.

“I wouldn’t mind taking another canoe trip,” Rita suggested, as she glance at Adam and then at Mike. “That was really lovely yesterday and I completely enjoyed myself.”

“That’s because you didn’t have to do any of the paddling,” her husband quickly shot back, with a smirk.

“I’m willing to do some of the paddling too, if we do it again,” she replied, without hesitation.

“And I will too,” Judy added, since she liked the idea as well. “I think it would be fun to try that too.”

“If they’re willing to share the paddling with us, then we might even be able to make it all the way around the lake this time,” Dave quickly concurred. “I’m up to giving it a try, if the rest of you are.”

Once they had all agreed, Mike and Adam suggested their mothers start out in the front of the canoe, with their fathers in the middle this time. They explained that their mothers could tell them when they were getting tired and then the boys would pull the canoe over to the shore so they could then make the switch safely. Then, once their fathers had moved into position at the front, they'd resume their travels.

The two groups eagerly started out, but they weren’t even halfway around the lake before both mothers began to complain about aches and pains in their arms. A short time later they asked if they could change places, so Mike and Adam guided the canoes over to the bank. They then kept the canoes steady while their parents made the swap. Once everyone was set, they shoved off again. They hadn’t gone very far when they spotted the young boy that Mike and Adam had saved from getting a beating a few days before. Once the boy recognized them, he gave his rescuers a shy little wave, so Mike and Adam waved back.

“You and Mike seem to be very popular with the younger ones around here,” Rita stated, as she turned to face her son.

“We ran into him when we walked around the lake and I guess he must have thought we looked friendly,” Adam answered, since he didn’t wish to disclose the true story.

The boys and their fathers finished paddling the rest of the way and were soon arriving back at the dock they had started from. After pulling the canoes up on shore, Mike’s father spoke.

“That was a good workout and I don’t feel as sore as I did yesterday,” he stated, looking pleased with his progress.

“I don’t either, so I’m glad we did this again,” George added, with an equally appreciative smirk. “I’m still tired from the workout though, but my muscles aren’t aching nearly as badly as yesterday.”

Since everyone was satisfied, they agreed to sit on the porch and relax until it was time for lunch. About an hour after they’d finished eating, Mike and Adam went next door to get Jack and Megan for their second swim lesson of the day.

“This time we’re going to teach you how to tread water,” Mike advised them, once they were at the water’s edge. “Just relax and we’ll tell you what to do.”

Over the next hour, Jack and Megan practiced this skill. They would do it for a while and then take a short break before doing it again. Once the kids started to get tired, they stopped for the day.

“Why don’t you get your parents and come over to our cabin for a while?” Jack offered, as they got out of the water. “Our parents had us bring some things we could do while we were here so we wouldn’t get bored. We have Bocce Ball and Badminton. Everyone can play those games, even my dad. Mom told us to get him to do that stuff with us too, so he wasn’t spending all of his time taking care of her.”

Mike and Adam quickly realized their parents would be more likely to give in and agree with this idea if the kids were the ones that made the request. For that reason, the boys asked Jack and Megan to come with them to their cabin and then they’d let the youngsters invite both sets of parents to join them. The kids eagerly accepted the challenge and followed the boys next door.

“Please,” Megan pleaded, after they had asked Mike and Adam’s parents.

“It sounds like fun, so of course we will,” Judy agreed, with the other three quickly nodding their support.

Once they went over to the Kritzer’s cabin, Rita and Judy sat with Melinda and chatted with her, so Megan chose to stay with them. While they were busy learning more about each other, the males set up the badminton net and began to play. The teams were Mike, Dave and George against Adam, Jack and Jim. Adam’s team won, so Adam and Mike switched sides and they played again. This time Mike’s team won.

“It looks like I just needed Jack on my team in order to win,” Mike stated. This caused Jack’s chest to puff out slightly, as his face cracked into a grin.

The rest of them agreed Jack seemed to be the deciding factor as well, as they went over and offered to give the ladies a chance to play. When the women accepted, the men went up to keep Melinda company, while the other group started their game. It was Adam, Rita and Megan against Mike, Judy and Jack. It was a close game, but Megan’s team won.

“Wow, that’s the first game Jack has lost,” Adam pointed out, which caused the two kids to react in different manners.

Megan started strutting around proudly and she also stuck her tongue out at her brother as an act of superiority and defiance. It actually had the same effect as if she had rubbed salt into an open wound, because it inflamed Jack’s pride. He was determined to get even now and immediately called for a rematch. He also refused to switch teams, as they had previously done, and was determined to prove to his sister that the last game was just a fluke. He probably wouldn't have done this if she hadn't made such a big deal about winning, so now he wanted to take her down.

During the rematch, Jack played very hard and helped defeat his sister’s team. Just as soon as the last point had been recorded, he stuck his tongue out at Megan, in revenge. Fortunately, it was all good-natured and both kids started laughing after that happened. Jack and Megan then announced that they wanted to play on the same team with Adam this time, against Mike and the two mothers. Everyone quickly agreed and Adam’s team won. During the game, the brother and sister played as a team, so the victory made both of them feel much closer.

Once the badminton game ended, Jack, his father and the two other men went down to play Bocce Ball next. While they were doing that, Mike, Adam and their mothers went up to chat with Melinda.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my children,” she told Mike and Adam just as soon as they sat down. “I was afraid Jack and Megan weren’t going to enjoy their time here, since they didn’t swim and my husband didn’t want them to go out in the boats. You have helped to take care of both of those problems for us and the kids are much happier now.

“My husband wanted us to come here because he said I needed to get out of the house and away from the city,” she added. “He told me I needed to breathe some good, fresh, country air for a change. Since he was so insistent about doing it, I gave in and hoped the children would be able to find enough to do to keep them occupied. You’ve helped us out tremendously in that respect and I thank you very much for everything you’ve done for them.”

“They’re good kids and we’re having fun with them too,” Adam stated, once Melinda finished speaking.

“Besides, it gives our parents a break from having to keep up with us,” Mike teased, as he looked over at his and Adam’s mother.

Once the men finished their bocce match, the boys carried Mrs. Kritzer and her wheelchair down the porch steps, so she could play in the next game. This time it was Megan and her mother against Mike and Adam’s mothers.

Over the next hour, they all took turns playing Bocce with the kids. This continued until it was nearly dinnertime and then the Bermans and Washburns said goodbye and returned to their cabin. They’d had a good time, but now they had to go fix something for dinner.

Later, after they had finished eating, it began to rain. This kind of surprised everyone, since it had been such a lovely day.

“This gives me an idea,” Dave announced, as he stood up and faced the others. “I think it would be a great idea to go fishing in the morning.”

“I agree,” George added. “What do you say, Mike and Adam? Would you care to join us?”

Once the boys agreed, they checked out the fishing gear and then headed outside to gather up some worms. The rain, as always, seemed to bring the worms out of their holes, so they were fairly easy to find. It also led to a competition between Mike and Adam, to see who could pick up the most worms.

When they decided they’d collected enough, the boys quickly counted up to see which of them had won. When Mike discovered he had two more worms than his lover, Adam quickly pointed out that Mike might have had more, but his were bigger. This led to some good-natured bickering, but then Adam grew frustrated and grabbed a handful of mud so he could throw it at his partner. Mike immediately retaliated and soon the boys were engaged in a huge mud fight. Their fathers merely chuckled as they moved out of the line of fire and headed toward the cabin.

When Mike and Adam came inside a couple of minutes later, they were filthy, even though they had tried to rinse off most of the mud in the lake. After their mothers scolded them about making a mess, the duo went to shower and change. Once that had been accomplished, the boys agreed to play gin rummy with the rest of them until bedtime. Once again, they played four at a time and ended up completing six full games. It was fun, but they were tired by the time they finished, so they went to their rooms for the night. Mike and Adam wanted to get as much sleep as possible, since they knew their fathers would be waking them up early to go fishing.