Charles in the water

A friend and I were at the beach one day. We were maybe 11-ish. In the water, she would get under me and throw me upward, then I'd flail through the air before splashing clamorously into the water. Then I would throw her. Soon we heard a boy yelling, "Again! Again! Do it again!" He was having a good time, and we were having a good time. He was older than we were. After a while, we asked him what his name was. Every one of his sentences had an exclamation point.

"Charles!!" he said. "Do it again!"

We threw each other. All three of us were laughing. Throwing someone the same size as you are gets tiring in a hurry.

"Again! Again!"

"We can't, Charles."

"Again! Please! Again!"

I don't recall it clearly enough to know if we picked on him. I'm not sure when exactly I realized that he might be a little off. I do remember asking him if he was normal.

"I'm smart!!" he yelled, losing neither his verve nor his grin. His chin pointed into the air, and he weaved back and forth, making little splashes with his hands. The sun was bright enough to make us all squint.

"Who says so?" asked my friend.

"My mummy!"

This boy was older than we were, maybe 13. We thought it was funny to see a 13-year-old boy yelling so joyfully about how smart his mummy thought he was. We repeated, "My mummy!" and jumped stiffly making little splashes with our hands, as Charles had.

And it wasn't long before a sunburned fat man with a bushy black beard yelled at my friend and me. I didn't know if I'd done anything harmful, but this grown up seemed to think I had. Maybe he was right, but I'm really still not sure. Charles didn't seem to feel he'd been wronged. My friend and I were learning, I suppose.

Charles, if I hurt you, I'm sorry.