You First, I'll Follow

If God had given me the tannable skin of a Middle Easterner, I would have spent more time laying out in the sun in between dives. As it was, I was searching for that delicate balance of getting my skin to be off-white and not-burnt. That search sent me looking for other uses for the top, sun-soaked decks. The turquoise water was cool and inviting under the desert sun, and we took advantage of the lounging time between dives to play in the water. While treading water just off the boat, Ann Marie and I looked up to the smallest, tallest deck perched above the bridge.
"Have you ever jumped off the high jump?"
"No, it always scared me too much. How high do you think that is?"
"Maybe 25 feet."
"I'll do it if you do it."
After making sure it was allowed, we climbed the two ladder-like stairs to the upper deck. Tiptoeing up to the edge, we peered down into the clear water that seemed much farther away than it had looked from the water.
"Who's idea was this?"
Just then, two members of the crew scrambled up the ladder to us smiling and chattering in Arabic. Their gestures and laughter made it clear that they wanted us to jump and that they would jump with us. I needed ALOT of time to prepare myself for the leap so Ann Marie and I gladly let them show us how it was done. Not enough prep time had elapsed by the time they returned for another jump. The water still looked a long way down! Holding out his hand, Mohammad offered to jump off with us. It was now or never so off we went. It was a long way down, and the water that rushed up to meet us was hard and salty. A couple times off the top deck cured Ann Marie and I of any remaining desire to jump, but Mohammad and his friend jump over and over. The universal language of a smile and a laugh was the only way we were able to communicate with them, but that was fun and that was enough.