On an unseasonably warm day in early June of 1996, our family decided to go on an adventure. We frequented Golden Sands and other nearby swimming holes, but on this day we decided to find something new. We travelled around the loop of the Burin Peninsula with the windows down and 80's rock blaring out the windows. When the heat eventually became unbearable, we pulled off at the next stop that promised sweet relief in the form of a lake to jump into. For the life of me, I cannot recall the name of this place, but I will always remember that beach!<br /> The lake had a nice cool breeze coming off it and the beach was actually a mass of large rocks. It was a rather large body of water, surrounded by stones the size of your fist and enclosed with large evergreens, it was the perfect haven to explore. I had brought my new snorkeling set and was excited to see what I could find under the water. I set up my towel site, and stripped down to my swimsuit. The suit was a hand-me-down from an older cousin, in great condition and my 13-year old self thought it looked pretty good! It was an electric blue colour with black cut-ins at the sides and had a black zipper down the front. Now, even at thirteen, I was quite well-endowed, but I was very confident this zipper would keep me contained as I combed the bottom of the lake with my treasure bag. <br /> I grabbed my gear and headed out into the water. If you don't know much about the climate in Newfoundland, I will tell you that early June is a tad chilly for swimming - even on a scorcher like that day was. The water felt ice cold and sent goose bumps tingling over every inch of me. I have since discovered that most children and youths don't mind any temperature water as long as they can be in it! I was no different of course, and splashed right in to that frigid water. You get used to it after a while anyway right? Or perhaps your body goes numb and you can't feel the cold as much. I soon found out the latter was truth. <br /> I started out in the water just below where our family had set up camp, put my gear on and began to comb along the bottom of the shallow pool. I was about two meters from shore and the water was still less than knee-deep. I scoured along the bottom, breathing through my snorkel and unearthing rocks or stones that looked interesting. I had gone down the shoreline about half a mile when my freezing body wanted out. I emerged on the beach, and removed my gear. I noticed a group of about five older teenaged boys standing on the beach just a few meters from where I had surfaced. They were all staring at me - agape. <br /> Oh no! I did a quick check and found that my zipper had only gone down about an inch - not so bad! As I stated before, I was already well-endowed and therefore can't see anything beyond my obtruding bust-line. What the heck were these guys staring at? Then my brand-new teenage ego piped up to inform me that they were staring at me! Oh yes! I was all that and a pack of chips - why wouldn't a group of boys stare in unadulterated, open-mouthed awe? I smiled to myself and batted my eyelashes at these guys, grabbed my gear and started to trek back to where most of my family was sunning themselves closer to the treeline. I turned back a couple times to see that the older boys were STILL staring and my over-inflated ego loved every minute of it- until I got back to my family. <br /> I was standing in front of my mother and youngest brother, towel-drying the cold off me when my brother sat up, took one look at me, and began roaring with gales of laughter. I quizzically looked at him, but all he could do between the wheezing and snorting was point. <br /> At my crotch. I bent the right way to see around my mountainous mammaries and looked down. I was so numb and frozen that I hadn't noticed one of those fist-size stones had somehow gotten into my swimsuit and settled itself firmly into the bikini area. There I stood with Double-D's and a brand new "package". The commotion brought the rest of the family upright to join in sniggering at the hilarity of my situation. <br /> I however, was mortified when I came to the realization that the group of boys was not in fact agog because of me, but because of my new anatomy!<br /> I grabbed my stuff and ran for the car; horrified and humiliated! At that point, I didn't much care about the heat - I needed to get out of there. It seems like the end of the world for a young teen when such an embarrassing event occurs, but trust me, you will be laughing about it in the years to come. Don't take yourself too seriously and try to see any situation from another perspective. Life is about finding joy - and joy is laughter. <br />   Submitted By: Rosalind Thai