Three Life Preservers and a Rope
CafeLit September 2022
The other day I read about a little girl who fell to her death through a hole in the Golden Gate Bridge. I’d walked across that bridge with my boys. I don’t remember seeing any holes a child could fall through. I’m certain the little girl’s parents didn’t see the hole either. But somehow that little girl is gone because no one noticed that hole in the bridge. Last month I read a story about a little boy who drowned in his bathtub when his mother left him to answer the phone. Haven’t we all done that, turned our back just for a minute? Another little boy choked on his brother’s lego. Now I have to tell you that with four boys we have approximately 350,460 legos in our house. Do I know where every single lego is so my one year old won’t choke on one? Hell no.
My husband once made the mistake of asking me “What did you do all day?” “I kept the boys alive, what did you do?” I replied.
It’s not that I am in a constant state of alarm. I’m simply ever vigilant and always on the lookout for the myriad of ways my boys can die on my watch.
After I buckle up Drew, my one year old, I plant myself in the driver’s seat I hold the car keys up as my three other sons settle in the car.
“Buckle up everyone. No buckle, no go.”
I see flailing arms and kicking legs, hear a few grumbles and they are ready. In the rearview mirror I see four little faces smiling back at me eager for an adventure.
And then it begins.
“Mom, Jake’s touching my seat.”
“Am not, he’s just too close to me.”
“Stop it Jake!”
“Did you bring something to drink Mom?”
I turn onto the Richmond bridge, one of seven bridges in the area as I look into the rearview mirror to see exactly what is going on in the back seat.
“Mom I need something to drink.”
“I told you to leave me alone Jake.”
“I dropped my cracker Mom. Can you stop?”
The baby begins to cry.
Just as I look forward again a red jeep coming from the opposite direction heads into my lane. I swerve to avoid him and nearly miss the barrier between us and the bay 150 feet below.
I scream. “Is everyone alright?”
Oh my God. We were almost killed! What if he had hit us? What if I had run into the barrier? What if we had gone over the barrier into the bay? Once over the bridge I pull over and jump out of the car. Pacing back and forth I force myself to take deep breaths. My hands are trembling as I try to calm myself. I stick my head into the back of the car.
“It’s ok boys, we’re just fine,” more to reassure myself than to reassure them.
That is when it hit me. If I had all four boys in the car and we went over the side of a bridge who would I save? Obviously I couldn’t save them all so I would have to choose which ones to grab and which ones to let go. After much thought, actually about two seconds, I knew I couldn’t make “Sophie’s Choice”. I had to figure out how to keep all five of us alive should we ever shoot over the side of one of these bridges and plunge into the Bay.
Never mind the fact that the fall would probably kill us. That was irrelevant. The planner in me kicked into high gear.
There was a good chance, ok, 100% chance that all four boys would be in a state of panic once we hit the water. I knew there would be no saving anyone if we were all in such a state so the first thing I would do would be in my best no nonsense mother voice tell them all to “shut up and listen.” This, I was certain, would quell the panic.
Knowing I would have only moments to get everyone out of the car along with anything I needed to save them I needed to figure out the the least amount of gear necessary.
I knew I had to have a life preserver on because they would all be depending on me and I couldn’t function if I was also fighting to stay above the water. I could only deal with one challenging thing at a time. So that’s one life preserver I would need.
My seven year old could swim. Being my first born, Zach was the responsible one. Also he was probably big enough to help support one of the other boys so he got a life preserver. That’s two.
If Zach took the one year old, Drew, in his arms, he could probably keep him above the water long enough for help to arrive. I was counting on someone noticing a family van going over the side of the bridge and help would arrive quickly. I deduced that was not too much to ask.
But then there was the five year old, Jake. Jake is a bit spacey, kind of in his own world. I would have to give him his own life preserver and have him only take care of himself. He might forget he was supposed to keep his younger brother above the water. I could then concentrate on Sam, my three year old. Surely Sam or Drew, or better yet both, would be passed out from fear or shock and would be quiet and still.
I would need a rope to tie us altogether so that we would not lose anyone. I would slip it under all of our arms and then I would have to use a good knot. Let’s see something that would be easy to tie but wouldn’t come loose. I think back to my sailing classes.
Yes! I thought I could do this if I had just 3 life preservers and a rope! This could work. I was so relieved to have a plan. When I got home that evening my husband was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.
I said to him “Jon, I’ve been thinking about what would happen if I ever drove over the side of one of the bridges with all of the kids in the car. How would I save all of them?”
He slowly put his paper down and without even an ounce of mockery he said “And, what did you decide?”
I said “I think I could do it with three life preservers and a rope. I think I could save every one of us if I just had those four things.”
He looked right at me and very seriously but with a sparkle in his eye he said, “Ok Laura. That’s good. Tomorrow I will make sure you have three life preservers and a rope in the back of your van.”
I slept well that night. The next morning there were three life preservers and a rope in the back of my car.