When the Waves Come
November 12 2023 Day 12
I’m sitting near the fireplace at the Great Wolf Lodge waiting for my daughter and her friend to come down from their room, when I realize they are walking right by me without seeing me.
Two kids, exploring almost pre-teenness, engaged in their own friendship and test driving being in a public place with no adult supervision. It’s not that they don’t see me, it’s that they’re not looking. But I see them. Maybe I need them more than they need me.
I know where they are going so I follow. We’ve staked out a couple lawn chairs at the lodge’s water wave park and when I arrive there I notice the girls have left their flip-flops and towels so that’s where they are.
I lean back in the chair. It only takes me a few minutes to find them out in the water, splashing, doing underwater handstands. And when the waves come, they shout and yell. The waves crash up over Little Bean’s head but she pops up each time, having fun.
I begin my standard calculations, answering a series of questions in my head. Where are the lifeguards? Are they engaged? How fast could I get to them from here and what route would I take? How many times in her life have I made those type of calculations? Hundreds. Thousands.
After a while, she sees me at the shore and I get a small wave and smile from her. She knows I’m here. I’ll always be here.
Her mother joins me and sits in the chair next to me. “Girls ok?”
“No worries,” I say. “All good.”
A whistle goes off signaling the return of the waves. I can hear the girls’ voices above all the others. “You know what,” I say, “I think I’m going to go take a dip and join them.”
My wife smiles because she knows. The waves will never stop coming.