February 4, 2025

Water slide

It had been almost 30 years since I last went on a water slide.

There was a water park near us growing up and we would occasionally go there when we’d get cheap tickets through a group rate or something; the park had dozens of water slides and I would enjoy going on each and every one of them.

I haven’t really had the chance to go on a water slide since then, so when I saw the water park across the path from our hotel room, and knew I had a few hours before we had to get the little one from her kids club, I knew it was time to give it a try.

L and I climbed the stairs at a good pace; I hadn’t realized just how high the slides were because the stairs seemed to go on forever. Once at the top, we took a few seconds to soak in the water park below us and the rest of the resort around before deciding which slide to take. We settled on the same one to start, which meant one of us would have to go first and the other would wait until the slide was clear before heading down.

L went first, and I saw her round the bend of the first curved before I lost sight of her as she went further down the slide. Eventually the lifeguard gave me a thumbs up letting me know that the coast was clear, and I steeled myself for the ride down.

I clasped my glasses tightly in my right hand, the left one holding the railing as I settled myself into the launching area. The water around my legs was cold, and rushed down the slide quickly, ready to whisk me along to the bottom.

After a quick deep breath, I pushed myself off…

…I emerged from the pool at the bottom with exhilaration, ready to go again. And we did. It was fun and thrilling each time.

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