The Swim

Once the kids had left for school, Mom sighed. She loved her children, but sometimes she wanted a bit of time to relax, too. She headed to her room and changed into her swimsuit. She had decided that she would take a dip in the pool before beginning her tedious household tasks.

Once she was changed, she gathered her towel, slipped into her sandals, and headed for the patio door. As she passed the kitchen, she came to a stop. She knew it was only eight thirty in the morning, but dammit she wanted a glass of wine. On an impulse, she dropped her towel on the table, grabbed a glass and her bottle of wine, and filled the glass. She then grabbed the radio from the counter, her glass of wine, and her towel. She headed out to the backyard, determined to keep track of the time by listening to the radio. She was only going to indulge her desires for an hour or so, then she would get to work.

She set her towel on the lounge chair, placed her wine on the little table next to the lounge chair, then went back to the porch and plugged in the radio. After setting it to her favorite station, she headed back towards the pool and picked up her glass of wine. She only intended to take a sip, but instead drained half the glass. After setting it back on the table, she kicked off her sandals, walked to the deep end of the pool, and dove in.

That afternoon, when the children returned from school, they couldn't find their mother anywhere in the house. They decided that she must have gone to the store or something. They changed into their swimsuits, went outside, and took off running, jumping into the pool.

None of them noticed the gator until it was too late.