That pump
/I cried last night.
We finally got the boy's pool set up for them. We'd mailed it to ourselves so that we could have it for the remainder of the summer, but being naive as we both were about the toll an overseas move takes on ones motivation, it sat in the smelly garage for a month. Leveling the ground for it was a complete bear. We drug the hose over last night and started the fill up process. I watched as the water slowly traveled this way and that to the lower spots on the bottom of the pool. For a beautiful but fleeting moment I was certain I heard the sound of our pump in FL. I didn't really like the sound of the pump because of being the sound of a pump, but I loved it because it symbolized so many rich blessings. Boys in our backyard. Sometimes it symbolized boys in our backyard and a blondy turning it on without asking.
The sound of our pump - hot southern evenings with the cicadas singing and the boys screaming gleefully from the pool as they anticipated the sprinkler coming back around to spray them while they swam. The sound of our pump - the smell of freshly mowed grass and the whole family out to enjoy it on the slip n slide. The sound of our pump - Judah playing with the hose on the deck, sometimes for over and hour at a time, on a hot summer day where playing with cold ground water was the only escape from the draining heat. The sound of our pump - memories of my boys - the first memories they have of their childhood - my memories. The sound of our pump - the sun beating hot on water droplets on little boys beautifully smooth skin.
I cried because I desperately wanted to hear that pump. I wanted to feel the humidity and hear the cicadas and be back in that yard with boys in the pool and familiarity. I desperately wanted to walk up the stairs to our deck and sit under the sun shade and the umbrella and sip a glass of iced tea while listening to them play in the pool. I desperately wanted Florida back.
The man of the house looked at me, adoringly, and chuckled sadly and softly. 'You are just so emotional' he said, gently. The tears flew free and I replied quietly, 'Well what do you expect? I'm pregnant and we just moved." He raked a few more spots and we headed inside while the hose, silently, slowly filled our pool on this island for the very first time.
