The spot I landed in the river was deep enough to swallow me whole. Bad luck on my side; I was a very poor swimmer. I'm not proud to say I don't know how to swim back then. It was after that tragic event did I learn to swim. Therefore, one can say that the good swimming skills which I possess today were learnt out of necessity.

I tried to call for help each time the high current of the throws me to the surface. Just when I try to call Leah, water usually enters my mouth and I will end up struggling with how to contain the water. Each...