The Hand Reaching Out from the Boat

The little blond boy gazed up at me, his eyes full of light. "Even if I had died, it would have been worth it," I whispered to myself. Reaching out from the boat to save someone-it was a beautiful thing. But my heart was torn in two. One side rejoiced, the other grieved. I wished there had been hundreds of boats. I wished I could have rushed to save every person struggling in the water like a lifeguard.