Rapids It was 1992 and I was living with J----- in a house I bought in the 6th ward.J----- was an artist from England in The Core Program. Her art was assemblages that were sensual. You wanted to touch them; however , if you did your hands would meet fish hooks thorns and needles. She used domestic items that looked homey and comforting but closer inspection revealed an inner darkness and despair- a danger if you got intimate with the object. Not to the same degree as Amanda but J------ had a lot of issues with her father and his inability to show love to her. J----- would pull her hair out and have missing clumps of pubic hair. J------ and I drove to New Braunfels to go swimming in the Comal river. The Chute has been a favorite swimming spot for me since childhood- riding on an inner tube in the cool clear fast moving current. She was in a tube and I was ahead of her by two yards just letting the powerful water push me wherever. I am a good swimmer. As we hit the spot where all hell breaks lose and the adrenalin rushes in the chaos of rocks and rapids I look behind me and her tube turns over. The tube continues down the river and J------ is still under the water and seconds keep passing and i can see her leg and no effort from her to not drown. The current is too strong and she is too far away . In the corner of my eye I see a moving figure that is now grabbing her leg and pulling a spitting and choking body up out of the water. Later she told me it was a flash ...two second decision to give up and let nature decide. She lives in Massachusetts and is making art and has a family.She had a Lifeguard.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:01:16 +0000