The Guardian (2006)

May 2, 2022

“There will come a time
when you might have to decide
who lives and dies out there.
It’s a terrible responsibility,
but it is one you’ll have to make
as a rescue swimmer.
The bigger reality is
it’s also something
you’re going to have to live with
as a human being.”

– – – – – – – – – –

“I had a case a while back,
you know,
a couple was drowning.
By the time I got there,
the husband was
dragging his wife under,
just trying to stay afloat.
Pure survival instinct.
It took me…
took me a long time to understand that
that man was me.”

– – – – – – – – – –

“The only difference
between you and me is…
I don’t wear the ones I lost
on my arm, Jake!
I know where you’re at, Jake!
I’m there myself.
I ask myself every day
why I was the one that survived.
– And?
– And…
And if I can’t answer that for me,
I’m certainly not going to try
and answer it for you.”

– – – – – – – – – –

“- Senior! Before you go,
I gotta know one thing.
What’s your real number?
– Twenty-two.
– Twenty-two?!!
It’s not bad!!
It’s not 200! It’s not…
– Twenty-two is…
the number of people I lost, Jake!
Only number I kept track of.”

— The Guardian (2006)