front porch.
"How was your swimming lesson?" she asked.
"It was fine," I said. "I used to do a lot of swimming when I was a little kid, but
Mouse didn't let me finish. "But where you come from nobody ever goes swimming, right?"
"Kind of," I said.
"If a person doesn't know how to do something a person should just admit it, don't you think?" Mouse said.
"Oh sure," I told her. "If there was something I couldn't do I'd be the first to admit it"
"Me too," Mouse said. "Like for instance, I can't turn cartwheels. I've tried and tried but I just can't get my legs up straight. Now, what can't you do?"
"Oh, I can't turn cartwheels either. At least I don't think I can. I've never even tried."
"Try now," Mouse said.
"Now? What for?"
"Just to see if you can or you can't."
"I can't. I'm sure I can't."
"Okay . . . there's another thing I can't do," Mouse said. "I can't do a backward flip into the pool."
"Neither can I," I told her.
"Because you can't swim. . . right?"
"Well, I don't swim much and I don't dive at all."
"You mean you can't ."
"That's right," I said. "I can't dive at all."
Mouse smiled. "I brought you something."
"You did?"
"Yes." She reached into her pocket and held up a green yo-yo. She handed it to me. "It's a genuine Duncan Imperial. The very best there is."
"Thanks." I turned it over and read what it said. "I haven't had a yo-yo in ages."
"Since you were about two, right?"
"That's right."
"Tell you what," Mouse said, "since you don't remember much about working it, how would it be if I taught you to do tricks?"
"Well . . . I really don't need lessons because I'll probably remember how to do all my old tricks as soon as I practice a little. But if you want to show me your way I wouldn't mind."
"Good," Mouse said. "We'll start tomorrow. I've got to go home now. My mother doesn't like me walking around in the dark." Mouse turned and started down the front walk.
I was already planning how I'd be able to tell the kids in the city that my own private yo-yo teacher was none other than the Junior Champion of Tarrytown herself!
The next day I asked Marty if he could teach me to dive like Betsy Ellis, but without getting my face wet.
He said, "Impossible!"
And the more I thought about it the more I knew he was right. So I said we'd have to forget about diving. Marty asked me how I planned to get into the pool when I learned to swim and I told him, "Down the ladder. Same as getting out."
I spent three more days just practicing how to kick. Then Marty decided it was time to learn what to do with my arms. He held me in the water and told me to move them back and forth. I was so scared I held onto Marty with one arm and only moved the other. He said that was okay. That he had plenty of time. Two months, if necessary. Because my mother told him not to rush me. She didn't want me to get more afraid than I already was. And she said she would pay for lessons all summer if she had to. Because she had a feeling that fifteen lessons weren't going to be enough. But I'd better know how to swim by then or she'd want her money back. And Marty had promised her I would. He really needs the money for college, he told me, like I shouldn't let him down.
So I said, "Okay and I tried letting go of him. He kept his hand under me so I wouldn't get scaredand stop trying. But whenever I used my arms I forgot about my legs. And when I remembered and started to kick I forgot about using my arms.
I think Marty almost gave up on me today.
After my lesson I joined Mouse and some of the other kids. The thing I hate most is when one kid dunks