air. I made my best effort to not acknowledge him as I kept retrieving the fresh eggs nestling
under the chickens. He was about my age and his name was Lenny, but I didn’t know that yet.
“Hi,” he said. I nestled the eggs in the fold of my shirt and looked up. He had swung his legs
around the fence so he sat on top and at such a perfect position that the sun glistened against his
pale cheeks. “I’m your neighbor.” I took a peak at his long, blonde hair and found myself
disgusted. A rat’s nest could be settling in there!
After a few seconds of silence, the boy repeated a “hi,” thinking I hadn’t heard him the first
time. I nodded my head in acknowledgement and shyly hustled away. The greasy-haired boy
was my temporary neighbor, just for the summer. That meant I had ten weeks left to live in this
remote Nebraskan town.
“Dear Prudence,” he wailed cheerfully, “Won’t you come out to play?” I turned around, arms
crossed. Why do you want to talk to me?
I sighed at the prospect of having to make conversation but managed to mumble “That’s a
Beatles song, right?”
“That’s right,” he confirmed, “do you like the Beatles?”
“They’re okay… I guess.” A long silence emerged as I contemplated the various ways of
escape.
“Well, bye.” I tightened my grip on the eggs and sulked away.
"Oh come on, stop being so shy,” the boy insisted. I hid behind my curtain of dark hair and
walked on. “I’ll show you the river!” he shouted once more. I stopped in my tracks.
“What river?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, you like rivers?”
“Of course. They’re fundamental components to transportation, nourishment and electrical
energy.” Oh god, I’m a freak.
“Well, what do you know? We have something in common,” he said. I noticed his eyes were
strikingly blue. “I’m Lenny. Did you know it means lion strength?”
I looked back at the house. Grandma was probably making lunch; she wouldn't notice my
absence. "Where’s that river?”
“Look who’s not so shy anymore!” Lenny laughed. I shrugged. “Well,” he admitted, “it’s
actually more of a big stream, but I like to think of it as a river.”
* * *
The sound of flowing water enthralled my ears. I sat upon a crooked rock in the stream, toes
dangling, never daring to go any further. Lenny took off his t-shirt and dived in, not even
considering that I’d think his bony chest would weird me out… which it did, a little. I sighed,
envying Lenny’s… freeness.
“Are you gonna come in or not, damn it?” The sun played with my eyes, making Lenny
look godlike as he treaded water, his wet hair sticking to his face.
“Nope,” I smiled. “I like my rock.”
“I didn’t know city girls were so scared of life,” Lenny declared.
I’m not. Am I? I lowered my eyes to a tadpole that was whirling around my toes. He must be
lonely in that big river.
“I’m not,” I whispered.
“Prove it.” I rolled my eyes and then sighed. Fine, FINE. I took a good look at the bottom of
the stream. It was twenty feet at least. Not to mention infested with snapping tadpoles.
I jumped in.
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