Summering in the Hamptons used to be one of my favorite family traditions. There's nothing like it's cool, sandy beaches to defy the summer's heat. My sister Kelly and I would always swim race. Whoever could go the farthest was the winner and she, being tall, slender and a professional swimmer, would always win. It never stopped me from trying to beat her, no matter how many times I was destined to lose, until one day I took it a step too far.
She had been mocking me all morning and I couldn't wait to hit the beach and teach her a lesson of a lifetime. It was the one time I decided to push past my motor abilities and went deep into the sea. Out of the blue, my thigh started cramping and it was unwilling to cooperate. I did the one thing I now know I was never supposed to do; I panicked. I looked around me and realized I was all alone. Kelly was already swimming back to shore and was far beyond my cries of help.
There was nothing but me, the vast sea and my will to survive.
