Clear Sight

1950, there had been a war, but things were going back to normal. My mother had a new boyfriend who also had a small cabin on an island and a rowing boat. On a nice Sunday, we rowed out, mother had made sandwiches mostly filled with jam, a thermos of coffee and a bottle of soft drink. Her boyfriend gave me a line with a hook and a sinker and told me to go to the shallow and catch something. I did as he said, but must add I do not take kindly being "told." There were many tiny fishes that looked like swimming rainbows I was enthralled by them; in the crystal-clear water, it was like looking into heaven. I must have been in a dreamlike state of mind, took a step forward and fell into the water. The boyfriend came running, mother too, she was worried about my health, we returned back to town, so I could get dry clothing and cacao drink. The boyfriend was grumpy, suggested I had fallen into the water to attract attention. I didn´t try to explain that for a moment I had seen the wonder and understood everything. Mind, he could have been right, what does a boy know of life.