Blind Men Don't Leave the Pool
Keeping with my Summer pool theme I wanted to share another day at the pool story.
We were in West Islip at Pete's sister Nancy's house which was on a private street near the bay leading to Fire Island. It was a hot Summer day - degrees in the 90s ... the concrete surrounding the pool was hot on our feet ... the pool water was a refreshing 80. We had been in the pool since 10am - all of us - neices, uncles, aunts swimming and playing our usual games.
Pete decided we should play "Blind Man's Bluff" which to you younger people is similar to "Marco Polo" but no one says anything out loud. The "blind man" closes his/her eyes, goes into the deepest part of the pool and counts to 10 underwater, while everyone moves away from that person and remains silent. Then the "Blind Man" swims around the pool hoping to grab a person and tag them. Then, that person is "it."
We only have a couple of rules. No running out of the pool. No hurting the blind man. No peeing in the pool. And no cheating. Which of course, I always cheated, because I could see under the water with my eyes open. So, Peter decided that because he couldn't trust any of his neices to not cheat, he demanded the "blind man" wear a bandanna over their eyes.
Peter was notorious for breaking the cardinal rule of getting out of the pool and jumping on you when it was your turn to be the "blind man." We could never do anything about it, but it was frustrating that he cheated like that.
I remember it was my turn to be "it," so I went to the middle of the pool, counted to 10 and started swimming in a random pattern hoping to hear someone moving in the water or struggling to get away from me. I felt someone tickle my toes so I swam down to grab them. Turned out to be Peter.
Peter loved to be the "Blind Man" because one of the youngest cousins would start to giggle or make some sort of noise and he'd get her.
But this time, we already had a pact between the neices that when Peter was the "blind man," and he was counting to 10, we'd all very quietly get out of the water and make the water splash a little with our feet on various areas around the pool. It was about 5 minutes of Peter racing around the pool grabbing at imaginary things before Michelle jumped directly on his head. That was it. He was mad that we played this trick on him. He bolted out of the water, grabbed Nancy, Tara and Marie in one large arm grasp and pushed them into the pool. Then, as he was running for me around the diving board, he burnt his feet on the concrete and did a belly wop into the pool.
He swore he would never play with us again ... but he did ... every time we were all together in the pool.
But, when we did play, he'd go back over the rules, as if it was the first time we were hearing them:
No out of the pool
No hurting the blind man
No cheating
No peeing in the pool
PS: I think we all peed in the pool !
We were in West Islip at Pete's sister Nancy's house which was on a private street near the bay leading to Fire Island. It was a hot Summer day - degrees in the 90s ... the concrete surrounding the pool was hot on our feet ... the pool water was a refreshing 80. We had been in the pool since 10am - all of us - neices, uncles, aunts swimming and playing our usual games.
Pete decided we should play "Blind Man's Bluff" which to you younger people is similar to "Marco Polo" but no one says anything out loud. The "blind man" closes his/her eyes, goes into the deepest part of the pool and counts to 10 underwater, while everyone moves away from that person and remains silent. Then the "Blind Man" swims around the pool hoping to grab a person and tag them. Then, that person is "it."
We only have a couple of rules. No running out of the pool. No hurting the blind man. No peeing in the pool. And no cheating. Which of course, I always cheated, because I could see under the water with my eyes open. So, Peter decided that because he couldn't trust any of his neices to not cheat, he demanded the "blind man" wear a bandanna over their eyes.
Peter was notorious for breaking the cardinal rule of getting out of the pool and jumping on you when it was your turn to be the "blind man." We could never do anything about it, but it was frustrating that he cheated like that.
I remember it was my turn to be "it," so I went to the middle of the pool, counted to 10 and started swimming in a random pattern hoping to hear someone moving in the water or struggling to get away from me. I felt someone tickle my toes so I swam down to grab them. Turned out to be Peter.
Peter loved to be the "Blind Man" because one of the youngest cousins would start to giggle or make some sort of noise and he'd get her.
But this time, we already had a pact between the neices that when Peter was the "blind man," and he was counting to 10, we'd all very quietly get out of the water and make the water splash a little with our feet on various areas around the pool. It was about 5 minutes of Peter racing around the pool grabbing at imaginary things before Michelle jumped directly on his head. That was it. He was mad that we played this trick on him. He bolted out of the water, grabbed Nancy, Tara and Marie in one large arm grasp and pushed them into the pool. Then, as he was running for me around the diving board, he burnt his feet on the concrete and did a belly wop into the pool.
He swore he would never play with us again ... but he did ... every time we were all together in the pool.
But, when we did play, he'd go back over the rules, as if it was the first time we were hearing them:
No out of the pool
No hurting the blind man
No cheating
No peeing in the pool
PS: I think we all peed in the pool !