The fresh nip of fall in the air reminded me the other day of the usual wind up of summers with Aunt Fern. The Cousins always dreaded this time, since it meant we would be torn asunder for the school year and would resume our normal, humdrum lives, apart from the best friends we had, each other.
No ordinary school friends could quite live up to the spectacular joy and verve of Katie, Scarlet,Isabella, Raquel or Esmeralda. Even Pilar, on one of her very infrequent visits was one of us. She understood the dynamic, the sheer lunacy it was to belong to this family. The Uncle's with their shared terror of their fearsome, tiny sister. Aunt Fern, ruling with an iron fist, but loving us none-the-less. The escapades, the hidden 'waffle syrup' even Uncle Bob's obsession with Star Trek. Our joy knew no bounds as we hijacked his pickup truck, or ransacked the forbidden hooch. As long as we cleaned up well for Sunday Services and helped Aunt Fern with the chores and never sassed her back, we were as lucky as any kids could be.
We were also holy terrors, and we knew it.
In fact, the whole state of Michigan knew it, and they braced themselves as each summer approached and we made our pilgrimage from where-ever our families had landed that particular year. Isabella always had the farthest to come, but she showed up, usually with something exotic to share with us. It sometimes wasn't necessarily legal, but what the heck?
One of the most famous stunts we tried pulling off was unfortunately one we were soundly caught at. It was two weeks before we were to disband and one of the hottest months on record. We were sweltering and no amount of ice-tea would help. As Katie kept pointing out, at least we had indoor plumbing as the ice-tea made it's way through our systems.
At some point, that particular hot, steamy night, as we lay, stripped down as far as we could go, without Aunt Fern having a canary heart-attack, I groaned for the lack of a close swimming hole. At this, Scarlet suggested 'borrowing' either Uncle Otto's or Uncle Bob's truck. Katie snorted at the suggestion, since the last time we liberated a vehicle, we were all put on gardening duty for a week. However, something must have lit a fuse under Isabella, since she started to wave her hands at us to shush the snorting.
"I've got it, I've got it!"
What she had was a minor stroke of genius. The water tower at the train station, not but a hop step and minor jump down the road.
Well, we had all been raised on re-runs of "Petticoat Junction," so how hard could this be? We grabbed towels and shoes and snuck out the window.
What we were thinking, to this day I have no idea. But we were teenagers and the heat had sunk into our very bones. We were barely clothed and the breeze on our skin just made us plumb crazy. As soon as we got out of ear shot, Scarlet started passing around a bottle of Uncle Bob's 'Waffle Syrup'. Danged if we really needed it, but we all got a little buzzed. Katie was giggling, 'Bella was marching proudly, stripping down even more, and wrapping her PJ top around her boobs like a bikini top. Esmeralda had dispensed with her nightie, and wore it around her head, turban wise.
I had thought to bring my shoulder bag and after a quick application of lipstick I rolled up my pj pants and then unbuttoned my pj top and retied it, so my navel was bared. A very daring thing to do in the woods in Michigan, where the mosquitoes can carry you off.
It wasn't a long hike to the railway station, a very small affair indeed. At night, it seemed very lonely,even spooky, but fortified by more Waffle Syrup, we bravely climbed the rickety ladder up the side of the tower. There before us was the cool water. For once, I didn't want to be the last one in. I dropped my bag on the small platform and shucked out of my pj's faster than you could say "Jack Rabbit." Clambering up and over the side I jumped in. In came Scarlet, Katie, Esmeralda, and 'Bella. None of us were wearing a stitch of clothing and in those few moments, when the water hit out overheated skin, we just didn't give a damn.
Of course, the water was a bit brackish, having been sitting there in the heat of the day, but as we paddled around, it was might as well have been the finest swimming pool money could buy. Scarlet had managed to haul the bottle in (of course!) and we passed it around, floating in the small space, looking up at the stars, giggling, intoxicated not only by the moonshine whiskey, but by the sheer daring of our exploits.
How long this would have gone on, I can't say, but we were rudely brought back to Terra firma when a high powered light was beamed directly on us. Ahem. We'd overlooked the fact there might be security at the station.
Well, long story short: Aunt Fern could hardly look at her Church lady friends for a few weeks once the story of her naked nieces made the rounds. It was lucky Scarlet managed to let the bottle of hooch fill up with water and sink to the bottom of the tower, or poor Aunt Fern would have been even more mortified.
The Sheriff didn't press charges, we got off with a warning about trespassing. But, Oh lordy, what heady stuff it is to be so young on a hot summer night and you can just about feel as though you own the stars.
With love
Kennedy.
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