With This Pool, You Didn't Need Airconditioning

Pete with sisters Cathy, Pat, Pam 2007 Carnivore Show

I mentioned before that Pete had a pool in the backyard on East 18th Street. It was about 4 1/2 feet to 5 feet high, above ground and round. The backyard was filled with oak and maple trees, so in the summer when there was full leaves on the trees, there was no sun. And man, was that water cold.

Now, being a kid, you know how we are. Cold water means nothing to us. This water, well, even in the hottest of weather, it brought an instant chill to your body. It took hours before you could get used to it, and that was only because you really couldn't feel your toes and legs. But, we all fought to see who could be first in the water on pool opening day.

Every Wednesday we had half a day so that public school kids could go to religious instructions. So, Pete Sr and Peter would open the pool in June before school ended so we could play in the pool on those half days. Peter made it a contest to see who could run off the bus, down the street, into the house, change and jump into the pool first.

So, cousins Nancy, Michelle, Tara, Marie and I would race Peter through the street, screaming and dragging our book bags while trying to outrun him. But he gargantuan long legs would always out run us. We'd try to hit him with our book bags or throw our lunch boxes at him, but still he'd get ahead of us and be in the water waiting with the hose in hand.

I remember he cheated by wearing his swimming trunks under his pants one day, so that all he had to do was strip and jump in. For us, we had shirts, vests, jumpers and shirts to get off, before changing into our bathing suits and running out the back door before Nettie realized we were in the house.

One Wednesday when Peter got in the pool first, he wet down the porch with water, knowing full well we were going to be running from the porch and jumping in the water. But because it was wet, we all slipped and piled ontop of each other, skidding into the water in a lump of girls. After getting kicked in the face by Michelle stepping over me, Nancy, Michelle and I took Peter down into the water to drown him for being .... well ... a boy ! And all he could do was laugh and tell us how stupid we looked all clumped up as we skidded off the porch. I think he laughed all day.

Howard Stern Show Talking about Peter's death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8PLYEqQitk&feature=related