I’ve been trying my hand at teaching CJ to swim at the community center. At first she just wanted to stand on the steps at the edge of the pool and pour water from one can into another. I coerced her into a little rubber raft with holes she could stick her legs through. She protested at first — “I doesn’t want to!” — but as I towed her into the deep water she looked around in wonder and said, “I’m floating!” Then she looked down at me and said, “Wiss Daddy!”
About a week later we dispensed with the raft. I swam on my back and carried her on my chest, like an otter. Her face was very close to mine and looked so big and round it seemed inflated, like a parade float. She looked around in wonder and then looked into my face, asking, “Daddy?”
“Yes, snooks?”
“Are you a clown?”
