North Carolina Miscellany
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Later, I brought my question up with my brother, Cale, and his wife, Tara, who had joined me in the pool. Cale and I are probably the most similar of our siblings, although he is seven years my senior. When COVID hit and we had to quarantine, we both, though separately, described our Floating (oil on canvas, 55x78) by Peter Butler response to staying home and six feet away from people as, “I was born for this.” confidence. It’s true. Every day, she puts on her “I really wanna see a semi-truck hit a runwhite coat, fills, and dispenses medicine to hunaway ramp,” I said. Tara leaned over laughing, her dreds of people, directly helping save lives or at muscles visible with each movement. While the the very least making lives better. rest of the house was sleeping, each morning Tara Cale chimed in calmly, “But, seriously, saying was up and running down the road. When she you want to help someone certainly is the easy stopped laughing at my statement long enough to answer.” His hands rested effortlessly on the surspeak, she said, face of the water, slightly moving back and forth. “Girl, I know the perfect one!” He wore a blue hat from a nonprofit that he sup“Really? Where?” I responded in a voice close ports and Wayfarer sunglasses that protected his to a scream. eyes from the aggressive sun baring down on us. “On Blood Mountain towards Blairsville, He’s right, I thought. I was feeling validated, Georgia. I pass it all the time going to work, and less shallow. Floating on purple and orange pool I always think about someone hitting it.” A large noodles in the humidity that had taken an almost smile draped across her face at this unexpected solid form, we tried to submerge in the water as turn in conversation. far as we could while keeping our heads above the Now we were getting somewhere. I stood surface. I held my insulated cup just high enough chest deep in the refreshing water. The sun cast to keep it safe. Gin and tonics don’t mix well with moving shadows from the waving palm trees pool water. overhead. Country music played in the “But am I shallow because my dream isn’t background from Cale’s to help someone?” portable speaker sit“Well, surely, I’ve already done ting on the pool that by now,” Tara said with deck. “So, a discernible look of
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
tried to save her, or, maybe, I was trying to get away from her as she thrashed on top of me, holding me under. But either way, with a quick move and fast thinking with a blue foam kickboard, I saved her life and mine too.
