I waited for it to go down again, but maybe because of Jennifer’s tight bathing suit or because I was embarrassed, it stayed up. I started to worry about what I’d do when we stopped swimming around and I had to climb out on the rocks. We didn’t have towels with us so I had nothing to wrap around me. I couldn’t very well flop down on a jagged rock because Jennifer would know it was weird and would want to know what I was doing since it hurt even to sit on those rocks let alone lie on them.

Jennifer got out of the water and watching her climb out I was worried and at the same time kind of fascinated because as she climbed out her bathing suit slipped up between the cheeks of her bottom. When she stood up she reached back and straightened it so it covered her bottom properly again. She didn’t even bother to turn around when she did this but only laughed and called out to me, “Did you get a nice look at me bum?”

I turned away but it was too late because she had seen me push up my goggles to watch her. Being embarrassed and all I got even harder and I knew as long as I thought about it or wanted it to go down it never would.

Jennifer said, “Come out and climb up to the castle with me.”

“I want to swim more,” I said.

“If you think I came all the way out here for the pleasure of watching you paddle about, you’re sadly mistaken, you twit!”

“In a minute, I’ll get out.”

“In a minute, I shall swim back to shore and find some nice Italian boy who will be properly attentive.”

She was joking but I could hear the argument sort of sound coming into her voice. I knew if I fooled around much longer she’d start to get mad at me. And I couldn’t think what to do so I tried to squeeze my nuts, or as Mom would call them, my “testicles.” It hurt a lot but it still didn’t make my Little Thing go down. Jennifer was watching me and said, “What on earth are you doing?”

“Nothing, just pulling up my swimming trunks.”

“Are you coming out? Yes or no?”

“Why don’t you get back in and we’ll swim across the bay to the other side.”

“What on earth for?”

“It’s better over there. More fish.”

“There’s only sewage over there. You know that. Are you really going mad? What’s gone wrong with you?”

I wondered how Jennifer could tell something was wrong and if maybe she knew!

“I’ll count to ten,” Jennifer said, and she started counting.