GUIDEPOSTS (^) | August 2019 47
Help was coming. But not soon enough
y husband sprang the idea
on me at the last minute that
Saturday evening, July 8, 2017.
I didn’t even have a chance to go into
mission mode. That’s our name for
how I like to tackle things, from big
projects like moving to everyday stuff
like grocery shopping. I go into mission
mode—I assess the situation, figure
out what needs to be done, then do it.
“Let’s have dinner on the beach,”
Derek said.
He must have seen me hesitate, be-
cause he added, “A farewell picnic.”
It was his family’s last day with us
before they went home to Alabama—
his mom and dad, three teenage nieces
and a teenage boyfriend. Derek and I
don’t have kids, and we loved playing
parents for several weeks every sum-
mer. I worked at a hotel and cleaned
houses on the side while taking busi-
ness management classes online at
the University of Alabama. I hoped
to run a business someday centered
around helping animals. Derek man-
aged a team that set up voting stations
for federal, state and local elections. A
busy life. But making memories with
the kids was our priority. We all love
the water, and we’d taken them to wa-
ter parks, the beach and kayaking.
“A picnic on the beach sounds per-
fect,” I said. “We can watch the sunset.”
We packed up the food, loaded ev-
eryone into cars and drove to Miller
County Pier in Panama City Beach. The
coastline here is known for its two sand-
bars—the first about 20 feet from shore,
the second 30 feet out. The trough be-
tween the sandbars makes a nice lane
to swim in on calm days, but when it’s
choppy, look out. The waves can shift
the sandbars and create rip currents.
It was after 6 p.m. The lifeguards had
left for the day. A yellow flag by the life-
guard tower meant moderate waves
and currents. Pretty typical for the
Gulf of Mexico. I wasn’t too concerned.
I’d swum in pools and lakes and rivers
since I was a toddler. I was a strong
swimmer. I could keep the kids safe.
We went out to the first sandbar, where
CLOSE CALLS
OCEAN RESCUE These beachgoers saved
nine people from drowning.

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