Close encounter - Part III

Back in the boat, Sandro pours water and shampoo inside his wetsuit. With utter care he holds the jacket in the air, making sure that all the liquid remains inside to properly lubricate with shampoo foam the inside of the jacket. After a couple of shakes, he pours the liquid all over him and responds with a growl to the temperature shock. The cold water made its best to hide every trace of sleepiness.

“Uncle, you got soap bubbles all over your face.” Said a laughing Alejandro in a merry tone.

“Where? Here?” Sandro wipes all the foam with his hands and without any warning hugs Alejandro to use him as a human towel. Both laugh frantically at the playful interaction between Uncle and nephew. Alejandro could not hide his joy. His eyes are glowing in a state of pure delight. To be out on the boat with his uncle is what he cherishes the most.

“All right, look inside my bag, I need my dark black mask and the snorkel.” Alejandro starts to look inside the bag and finds not one, but three kind-of-black masks and a couple of snorkels. With the masks and the snorkels, he gets closer to Sandro and handles him his finds.

“OK, not this one,” Sandro disregards a worn-out cressi-sub Superocchio black mask. “The Mares is for you… This is the one I need today.” Without delay the boy grabs his assigned diving mask and proceeds to place it in his face. Immediately both lenses start to fog. Not having a clear sense of what lies before him thanks to his foggy mask, he raises his fist as if he was holding a speargun and pulls his imaginary trigger.

“Remember what I taught you last summer. First you need to prepare your mask, grab me the bottle of shampoo.” The boy as first tried to move around the boat still wearing his foggy mask. His uncle smiled at the clumsiness and naiveté of the young boy. After a couple of steps he simply understood that there’s no use, you can’t move onboard with fog on your lenses.

“Ok, put a single drop on each lent.” The boy followed his instructions without saying a single word.

“Now rub with your finger. All over the lenses.” The sticky, soapy, green liquid covers the whole surface inside the mask and a bit more on Alejandro’s dark mask.

“Now wash it with salt water.” His Uncle stretches his arm and submerge his mask in the not-that-cold-anymore sea. Alejandro quickly follows, not having long arms, he had to put his abdomen on the gunwale and with effort reach the water. A quick rinse and it was ready to go.

“Get closer, now comes the secret. Only the professionals know this secret.” The boy gets closer and with big eyes he is ready to take this important piece of information. “Take a look at my mask, it’s clean, squeaky clean. Now look yours, is it as clean as mine?”

Alejandro takes a close look at his mask, to him is as clean as his uncle’s, not being sure is he is missing something ask his Uncle for a seal of approval. Sandro examines the mask and nods.

“Ok, here comes the secret. Sit right next to me.” Without hesitation Alejandro obeys.

Sandro with a serious tone and looking from right to left just to make sure that no one is around deliver his message.

“Ok, first, hold the mask with both hands, hold it like it’s a bowl of soup.” Alejandro mimics his Uncle’s movements with sharp accuracy.

“Now spit in one lent.”

“WHAAAAAT! SPIT? That’s gross!”

“Hahahahaha, I’m not joking, look!” He spits on both lenses and stars to rub the saliva uniformly of each one. After it, he rinses it quickly with salt water and smiles at the boy.”

“You must be joking. I don’t believe you.” Said Alejandro in total disbelieve.

“No, this is not a joke, now my mask is ready. It won’t fog, try it.”

Alejandro stares at Sandro waiting for him to end this façade.

“Do just what I did.”

Alejandro engulfed in shame merely spits and with great disgust rubs saliva on the lenses quickly. Sandro get closer to see and demands:

“C’mon, what’s that! Put more.”

Without emitting a sound Alejandro follows his uncle’s command and cover the whole surface with his warm saliva.

“Ok, much better, rinse it off!”

Alejandro looks at his mask with disgust but he is aware that the mask is squeaky clean.

“Now try it on and see it for yourself, no matter what you do it won’t fog.”

To be continued.