finally acted rightly at cusp, for once. I was on the malecon, about to start my jog, when I heard someone screaming from out in the bay. but it didn't sound like "ayudame" (or even "m'aidez") so I wasn't sure. after about the 3rd call, though, I decided to act, since it seemed nobody else was going to. I asked a couple at a bench if they'd watch my stuff, and they assented, so I stripped down to my long johns, waded out to the channel, and started backstroking to where I could see somebody, having to turn over every 10 to 20 strokes to make sure I was headed in the right direction. another, Mexican, guy was coming to help also.
it was a young lady trying to help a young man to shore, but she was apparently exhausted, and even though she probably only had 50 yards to go, she wasn't making any noticeable progress. on my way out, a boat which I'm pretty sure was the harbor cops passed by, and signaled it with my arms, but it just kept going.
anyway, I grabbed one of the guy's arms and started backstroking with my free arm. after a few spurts of swimming and resting (I was already exhausted just getting out there) I told the girl, "haga como yo, a la espalda" and she did, which helped a lot. we were making good progress, and after about 30 strokes I could touch the sandbar! at that point they could continue on their own; I guess it was just that the guy couldn't swim.
as I was getting dressed, the cops, who had been watching from shore, went over with their clipboards to talk to the couple. I pointed out to the folks who watched my stuff, "la policia no ayudan, solo molestan" and they agreed.
let's hope this means I'm transitioning from a coward into a hero. it's about goddamned time.
last updated 2016-11-28 16:39:15. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com