We had arrived in Argentina in January, and as the months clicked past, the days grew shorter and colder. In early May, there were even rumors of a coming snowfall. The Peruvian man who looked after the property where we were staying knew better than to close down the pool for the season, however. He’d seen me swimming every morning as he mowed the lawn or trimmed the hedges.

“When it’s ice, you’ll quit,” he said.

“When it’s ice, I’ll skate!” I replied, although what I actually would have done is blown on the ice until it melted and then jumped in.

My daughters filmed a video of me swimming with my foot noose. One day, they will probably try to embarrass me with it. But I’ll only grow nostalgic. When it comes to places to swim, I’m a Casanova. Oceans, lakes, ponds, and pools—I’ve loved them all.

My name is Mark. Where’s the water?

 

Mark Brazaitis is the author of six books, including The Incurables: Stories, winner of the 2012 Richard Sullivan Prize and the 2013 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award in Prose.