Round and Round by Andrew Grey Page A

dark. My mom told me that when I didn’t come up, she started yelling, and all kinds of people jumped in. One of the men found me. I guess I was lucky. He knew CPR and brought me back around.” Kevin stared out over the water. “I coughed and spat up. When I opened my eyes, Mama was crying, and then I did too. They made me lie still and just breathe for a while.”
    “Do you know what happened?”
    Kevin shook his head. “No. They said they thought I might have bumped my head, but I never felt anything, and it didn’t hurt when I came out. Of course if I had, I could have forgotten or something. But I don’t go in the water. It took weeks and a lot of pleading from my mom before I’d even take a bath.” Kevin shuddered. “I hate the water.”
    “You don’t even wade?” Angus asked.
    “Sometimes, but I’m always nervous, and after a while I just get out.” Kevin turned back to him. “I went to summer camp for years and sat on the beach watching the other kids play. I used to take a book and sit in the shade. This one counselor decided he was going to help me get over my fear. So he picked me up, carried me to the water, and was going to throw me in.”
    A chill ran up his spine. “Oh God. That must have been terrifying.”
    “It was. I threw up all over him just as he reached the dock. After that he left me alone.” Kevin grinned. “The kids called me Pukey after that, but no one tried to force me into the water again.” Kevin began walking down the path. The farther he got from the water, the less rigid his posture became. “Sorry if I’m spoiling things.”
    Angus caught up with him and took Kevin’s hand. “You aren’t. I wasn’t planning on swimming or anything.” Actually, he had thought about wading, but they could forego that. “It’s just really nice here. There’s a dam right over there that makes the lake. It isn’t very big, but it’s great for playing in.” Angus led them away. Some other walkers looked at them askance, but Angus ignored them. A few looked like they might say something, but his glare kept them quiet.
    “What do you like to do besides fight fires?” Kevin asked. “Oh, and ride motorcycles?”
    “That’s about it, really. I have a house with a small backyard, so I keep it clean and have a few plants. There isn’t a lot. I guess I’m someone who doesn’t need much. How about you? What do you do?”
    “I got moved to the company help desk a while ago, after this whole office shake-up. Stores call us with problems and stuff. I like it, but now it’s getting pretty boring. I want to be a programmer, but no one at work thinks I can do it. I’ve asked but never get anywhere. So as a hobby I do things I like. I created my own video game, sort of. Zach draws comic books, and he has a superhero named Bull who was inspired by his husband. When they go to comic events, Bull dresses up. It’s really cool. I made a video game to go with the comics. I think it’s pretty good.”
    “Have you shown it to anyone at work so they know what you can do?”
    “No. They would think it’s dumb or something,” Kevin said. “I did it for fun and as a favor to Zach. I still have some work to do on it, and once it’s done, Zach said I could go with him to, like, Comic-Con or something, and we could try it out and see what people think.” Kevin’s excitement leaped with each step they took.
    “That’s pretty neat. I’d like to see it sometime,” Angus said. “I used to play video games a lot, but I haven’t in a while. I used to be pretty good.”
    “Then I’ll have to play you. Not at my game, because you’d lose—I know all the secrets. But we can play Mario Kart or something like that. There are characters who ride motorcycles.” Kevin squeezed his hand as they approached the second lake. This one was quiet.
    “The path goes around it,” Angus told him.
    “I know it’s stupid, and I hate that I’m such a baby that I get nervous just being around a lake. I