The Little Girl Who Never Forgets

In May of 2004, I was at a fishing pier with a woman who loved fishing. As those who follow me consistently must know, I enjoy fishing about as much as I do a root canal. Now, I will go fishing about 2, maybe 3 times a year. But that’s it. But this woman I was seeing insisted we go fishing on this Saturday afternoon. Disgusted, I agreed to go. As it turns out, I’m eternally glad I went.

So, this woman and I were fishing and chatting about fishing. I was bored beyond tears. I noticed a little girl and a man I later found out was her grandfather. The little girl was dancing on the fishing pier and encouraging the fish to bite all at the same time. She was five years old, as I also later found out. I was chuckling as I watched her dance. There was no way she was going to get fish to bite that way, I thought. Then the unthinkable happened.

She lost her balance and fell into the water.

There Was No Choice To Make

Stunned, I watched the grandfather jump into the water after her. He immediately started having a medical emergency (a heart attack). I then jumped into the water. The grandfather yelled for me to save his granddaughter, and forget about him. The little girl (whose name is Liza) was flailing wildly. I grabbed her and tried to calm her down so I could get her to the pier, where people were holding their hands out to retrieve her. I gave her to the woman who was fishing with me.

I then attempted to bring the grandfather to shore. He was motionless. I took him to the shore, fearing the worst. People administered CPR. But he was already dead by the time the paramedics got there. It was absolute chaos, as I recall now. I was soaked to the gills. I was given a towel and I had lost track of the little girl in the chaos. I heard Liza screaming for her grandfather. They held her back. I’m sure it was because they didn’t want her to see the lifeless body of her grandfather. Liza had already lost her father two months prior to this event due to a car accident.

She’s No Longer A Little Girl

Over the years, Liza has never forgotten me. I thought she might harbor some bitterness toward me because I was unable to save her beloved grandpa. But she never did. Her mother would have her call me occasionally after they moved to Texas a few months later. I would always get a card from her during Christmas, my birthday (which she never forgets). Liza came to visit when she was attending Auburn University (sigh) and needled me whenever Auburn had any kind of victory (which thankfully is rare) over my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide.

By the time this article is posted, I will probably be on a flight to Dallas, Texas, to walk 25-year-old Liza down the aisle for her wedding. When she asked me to walk her down the aisle, she said there was no other choice for her (although she could have chosen several uncles). Some dust got into my eyes when she said that. I had saved her life and she could never thank me enough. I had always felt some guilt for not saving her grandfather. Not any longer.

A Solemn Honor

It will be my honor to walk Liza down the aisle as she begins her life as a wife, future mother, and dentist. Yes, she is following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather as a dentist.

Liza made me promise I would go fishing with her (yes, she knows how much I hate fishing…sigh) and her husband when they came back from their honeymoon. The fishing pier has long since disappeared, thanks to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But we will fish as close to the pier as we can. It will be the first time Liza has been back to that place since she fell in the water and lost her grandfather.

I sometimes think about what have I done in my life to say I contributed. I can say I served my country during the Vietnam War, which I’m proud to have done. But even more so, I like to think I saved the life of a 5-year-old girl who got to experience life. Saturday will be another chapter in her life.