Christina Act I

Act I

Christina, Justin and I gathered the stones from all around the small ravine behind the apartment building. They ranged in size from as big as we could manage by rolling them, because they were too big for us to lift, down to baseball sized stones. We made a pile beside the small stream. It was probably just a drainage ditch, but that didn't matter to us. The warm air seemed to carry us.

Christina was not sure about the project. She was scared we would get in trouble. That she would be in trouble. My brother and I didn't share that fear. It wasn't a big deal, we were just seeing if we could stop the water.

First we rolled the big stones in. The made the water flow a little faster over the top of them, but they were quickly swallowed. We got into the water and filled the cracks with mud and more stones. Christina ran through the tall grass looking for sticks and more stone. It was great to spend the week with her. I didn't see her much anymore because she lived in New Hampshire. It was easy to forget most of the time, but in this moment, while we were actually together, I missed her.

With the addition of the sticks the submerged structure became larger and larger throughout the day. Eventually, the three of us were putting mud in the cracks where the water was still punching through. The top row of stone was a few inches above the water line. The problem now was the size of the pool of water one side of the dam was growing quickly. We only worked a little on it before the three of us were called for dinner.

Aunt Cy was finishing up dinner. Christina was supposed to set the table with Justin and I helping. Uncle Dave would home soon. It would be an understatement to say Justin and I didn't help. We chased her around, jumped out and scared her and were otherwise a complete distraction. She was trying to work, but vulnerable to our particular brand of torture. It was fun right up until the point she backed up into the already partially set table. Somehow she clipped the plate sat for her Dad at it fell to the floor shattering.

At first, you would have thought she was cut. It was a cry that immediately stops the commotion. She was not hurt, but scared. Her dad would be home soo and he wasn't going to understand. She would be punished for our foolishness. It was hard for me to grasp at that time, Uncle Dave had never been mean to mean. The two of them, my Aunt and Cousin made it clear I didn't understand.

We hid the broken plate. The shards went into a brown paper bag, which were buried in the kitchen trash. Christina was told to go upstairs and dry the tears from her face. My uncle's plate was replaced and when he walked through the door he had no idea of the events of the last few moments.

Over dinner we talked about the dam we had built.