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around the equipment,then carried it up and into the bathroom. “Jesus Christ,” he said, throwing it on the floor. He shook his head and kicked off his shoes. Then he removed the rest of his clothes and sat down on the toilet. He tugged the rubber legs up around his own legs and forced his arms into the rubber arms and pulled up the zipper across his chest. He fixed the black rubber hood over his head and was about to return downstairs when he happened to glance out the bathroom window and into the back yard.
    “Oh my God,” he said.
    The Arnolds and his mother were seated in metal chairs at one side of the pool. The two children were running back and forth on the grass.
    Standing at the other side of the pool were the Lewises, the other next-door neighbors and their teenaged daughter, and a man and a woman whom Benjamin had never seen before, standing beside them on the lawn holding drinks. At the rear of the yard the neighbors from in back were at the fence with their son. Benjamin pushed up the window.
    “Say Dad?” he said.
    Mr. Braddock was pulling a final chair up beside the pool.
    “Hey Dad! Could I see you a minute!”
    Mr. Braddock looked up at the window and grinned.
    “There he is, folks,” he said, pointing at him. “Right up in the window there. He’ll be right down.” He held his hands up in front of him and began to applaud. The other guests gathered around the pool laughed and clapped. The Lewises’ daughter turned to whisper something to her mother and her mother laughed and whispered something to their guests.
    “Dad, for God’s sake!”
    “Hurry it up! Hurry it up! Folks,” Mr. Braddock said, “he’s a little shy.
    This is his first public appearance so you’ll have to—”

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    Benjamin slammed the window shut and stared down at the two fins and the air tank and the mask on the floor of the bathroom. Then he picked them up and carried them downstaris and out through the living room to the back. He stood looking out the door at the swimming pool and the guests until finally Mr. Braddock rushed inside.
    “Let’s go.”
    “Does this amuse you?”
    Mr. Braddock leaned back out the door. “He’s downstairs, folks! The suit’s on! Give us half a minute!” He closed the door and stepped back inside. “I’ll help you on with the mask,” he said.
    “Dad, this is sick.”
    “Here.” He took the mask and fitted it onto Benjamin’s face. Then he strapped the air cylinder onto his back and connected it to the hoses running out the side of the mask. “Can you breathe all right?” he said.
    “Good.” He got down on his knees and fitted the fins over Benjamin’s feet, then stood up, grinned at him and walked back outside.
    “Folks,” he said, “let’s hear you bring him out! A big round of applause!” The guests began to applaud. “Here he comes! Here he comes!”
    Benjamin stepped out the door and into the back yard. The neighbors continued to clap and laugh. Mr. Lewis pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to dry his eyes. The Arnold children began jumping up and down on the lawn and screaming and pointing at him. After several moments of applause Mr. Braddock raised his hands. It was quiet.
    “Now ladies and gentlemen? The boy is going to perform spectacular and amazing feats of skill and daring under water.”
    Mr. Arnold laughed, “Get your pennies ready, folks.”
    “Are you ready, boy?” Mr. Braddock said. “All right then. On with the show!”
    “On with the show! the Arnold children yelled, jumping up and down.
    “On with the show! On with the show!” Mrs. Arnold stood up and took their hands and then it was suddenly perfectly quiet in the yard.
    Benjamin cleared his throat. He walked slowly toward the edge of the pool, keeping his chin down against his chest so he could see where he was going through the mask, but before he reached the The Graduate
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    water one of his flippers got caught under his foot and he nearly pitched forward onto his