The Dog Who Couldn't Swim

Barnaby was the kind of golden retriever who'd chase a tennis ball until his tongue dragged on the pavement. The problem? He was absolutely terrified of water. Which was hilarious, until the day he decided the community pool was his mortal enemy.

I was already running late to Lila's summer kickback—my chance to finally impress the padel team crowd—when Barnaby spotted a squirrel and bolted. Leash dangling, I chased him through Mrs. Henderson's prize hydrangeas (RIP, RIP) and straight toward the pool complex. The gate was open. Some maintenance guy had left a thick orange cable snaked across the entrance—probably for the new sound system.

Barnaby hurdled it like a Olympian. I didn't.

My ankle caught. I went down hard, sliding across the concrete and straight into the shallow end. Fully clothed. Phone in pocket. Dignity: gone.

The worst part wasn't the chlorine taste or the fact that everyone—including Lila, who I'd been crushing on since seventh grade—witnessed my spectacular fail. It was that Barnaby, my brave squirrel-hunting beast, froze at the edge, barking at me like I'd betrayed him by entering The Wet Death Zone.

Lila jumped in—shoes still on—and helped me stand. "Your dog," she said, laughing, "has real commitment issues."

"Tell me about it," I said, wringing out my shirt.

"Hey," she said, grabbing a towel. "At least you made a splash. Literally."

We ended up sitting on the deck, watching Barnaby maintain his safe distance from the water while everyone else swam. Lila told me about how she'd failed padel tryouts three times before making the team. I told her about how Barnaby was my mom's idea of emotional support after my parents split.

"Maybe," Lila said, "we're all just terrified of something. Even dogs."

By the end of the summer, Barnaby still wouldn't swim. But he'd sit on the pool edge, paws dangling, like he was considering it. And Lila and I were dating. Sometimes the best things start with a complete disaster—and a dog who's absolutely not going in that water, nope, never, you can't make him.