It was so hot, the whole world seemed to be melting. Marge’s citronella candles she kept on the porch had become a thick semi liquid mess that ran down onto the floorboards. She had gone out to the mailbox earlier, in her bare feet, but could not cross the blacktop road to get to it. “Pretty soon it’ll dissolve like my candles!” she muttered to herself, wondering if she would, too.
The heat index kept climbing, the sun was relentless, and it was only June. Dogs weren’t barking, as most of them were asleep in the shade. Birds weren’t singing, except early morning and late evening. Even lizards were hiding in dark, cool places.
She had almost dozed off on her couch while reading a book, when someone started honking their horn in her driveway. “Rude, rude, rude!” she fussed under her breath. Then, she saw it was her cousin Raymond, in his new truck, with a bunch of kids piled in with him. “We going to the river! Wanna come?” he yelled. Marge’s irritation disappeared when she thought of soaking in the soothing, swirling brown waters of the river.
She squeezed herself in between a couple of sweaty children and they took off, dust billowing up behind. “Hope they ain’t no flies today!” a little girl piped up. “I got bug spray in my bag.” Marge reassured her. Raymond stopped at a store on the way and they stocked up on Coca Colas and ice cream. Five minutes later, most of the ice cream had melted and everyone was sticky. Marge tried to wipe it off with tissues she found in the glove compartment, but they came apart and stuck to the sugary muck.
“That water’s gonna feel good!” said a boy with a chocolate mouth.
Soon, they pulled up to the sand bar and everyone unloaded. But before they could get to the river, they were surrounded by flies that were attracted to the sugar coating on all of them. “Run and jump in the water!” yelled Raymond, thinking that was the only escape. But when they approached the welcoming current, they saw the alligator.
It was a good twelve foot bull, stretched out in shallow water and watching them intently. “Make lots of noise and throw sticks at it.” suggested Marge. So they did. And got it’s attention. But instead of swimming off, it faced them and rose up on it’s legs. “Get back in the truck!” hollered Raymond. When it roared at them, they all took off at once. Several of the children fell down in their haste and Marge had to go back and grab them.
By this time, they were all covered in sugar and sand and bug bites and misery. Raymond crunk the truck and tried to hurry out of there, but got stuck a few times in the dry sand. The children whined and cried, Raymond lost his temper, and Marge announced she needed a beer. When Raymond dropped her off at her house, she headed straight for the shower.
Finally, she was clean and cool! About that time, Ellen, her best friend, drove up. “Hey, Marge!” she yelled, “Grab your bathing suit and let’s go cool off at the river!”
Marge just glared at her and opened another beer.
