THE GARDEN HOSE (Part 6 of 6)

THE GARDEN HOSE (Part 6 of 6)

© Jayson Slade 2010

The cool water flowed out in a girgling, rhythmic motion. It came out from the hose and splashed onto my bare feet. It was nice. It was cool and it was nice. I'd put the hose to my mouth now and this time I'd enjoy it's Earthy goodness in comfort. Today we enjoy our bottled water as we do a watch or a cell phone. It's just there. We hardly could imagine being without it for any length of time. Always having it within arms reach when we may be away from the house or the office is just standard. Sometimes we are only away for minutes at a time, but the bottled water is always near. But when you're 7 years old, doing chores you hate, sweating like a whore in church, with ant bites up to your knees, bruises on your feet, eyes afire and trying to come out of a state of shock from the bloody mess running down your leg, you just can't beat grabbing the nearest garden hose and taking a gulp.

The amazing flavor of the water from a rubber garden hose is unique. Sure there might have been dirt around the metal tip and some shit that looked like it came off grandpa's toenails spotted around the rubber end, but it tasted fine. It wouldn't have hurt us either. It couldn't. Our little bodies got plenty of practice in those days. A little dirt never hurt anybody on our street.

I could have dropped that hose tip in dog shit and it wouldn't have mattered. I'd wipe it off a little then let it run a minute to clean itself off. And stick it right in your mouth. The kids back then didn't know about any five second rule. That wasn't even necessary. We just drank from it. It tasted like summertime. It tasted like Heaven. Well, maybe not exactly Heaven. But it did taste like new plastic smells. It was thick and it was delicious. I'm surprised I never chipped my teeth on the threads of the metal fitting on that hose, but I didn't. And if I had, my dad was always a scream away.

Eventually, my dad would come back around and take up my slack with the limbs and the pine cones. And before it was all done, we'd both drink from the garden hose a couple more times. It was great. Afterward, he'd mow the grass while me and my ant bites would go on back inside the house where'd I'd be a kid just a little bit longer.


the end