A Memory

It was hot. Hot to the point where the ground directly beneath your feet looked like a mirage, and the statues in the fountains looked more like they were sweating than giving off cool water. Hot in a way so that there were only two things one could do: lie perfectly still in your apartment will all the shades drawn and as many fans on as possible, or go to the pool.

That summer in Lyon, France, was the hottest summer on record since sometime in the 1950’s. And I was there, with my parents and my younger brother Sam. We had been sitting in our apartment all morning with the shades drawn and fans cranked, but to no avail, and so we decided to go to the pool. But, because we lived in the center of the city, we did not have a car – everywhere was within walking distance, at least on a normal day. But the pool was pretty far even on a normal day, and this particular day was anything but normal. We didn’t even make it out of the Place des Jacobins, the square where we lived. Our parents, having somehow forgotten that it was nearing 300 degrees outside, were permanently sidetracked by an orchestra who had decided to set up in the middle of the road, and was causing a major traffic jam. It was somehow drawing a huge crowd.

Sam and I were not big fans of classical music, and were especially unhappy with it at that moment, for it was delaying our trip to the pool. We grumbled and sulked next to the fountain while our parents went over to watch, until suddenly I was struck by a brilliant idea. I turned and hopped into the fountain. It was cool and clear, and even better than the pool, because it had money on the bottom! Sam, who had followed me in immediately (almost as if he had been thinking the very same thing), proposed we have a contest to see who could get the most money. And so we rushed around the fountain, diving for euros, always trying to be one step ahead of each other. The cement mermaids and fish spewed water over us, completely blocking out the heat of the day, which had been our only concern all morning.

Gradually, other children in the square began to catch on to what we were doing, and ran to join in. By this time we had already filled our pockets near to bursting with change that we probably should not have taken, and were now just enjoying the swim. We climbed up onto the higher levels of the fountain, splashed and played, and generally had a good time being young boys.

Eventually our parents came to get us out, and I don’t know if they were mad at us. I had them fully tuned out. But they did let me keep the money. And so I trotted happily home, much refreshed and five euros richer.