Poolside Humor
I left school in such high spirits that I almost forgot the most important thing. I had forgotten all about Jess and nearly left her behind. Turning around, I went back for her; only to see her running toward me with a frantic look on her face.
“Hey! Where you going? Hold on!”
Whoops. Was it that brief plunge into the recesses of insanity or did I lose my mind somewhere between the black hands of time?
Standing there, basking in the warm afternoon sun, I pictured myself holding her hand. We would walk to practice and talk about our friends, families and the familiar goings-on around school, as I would taste her sweet laughter that filled the atmosphere. Those thoughts materialized into a half-smile, half-grin that was known to cross my face. Most would have called it a smirk, and it was apt, for it was often seen creeping across the edges of my mouth when I found something amusing.
“What’re you smiling about?” as she caught up to me.
“Nothing,” I drawled.
“Yeah right. Every time you smirk like that, you’re usually laughing at someone else’s expense.”
My smirk, as she called it, grew wider. “Come on, let’s go or I’ll be late.”
Rearranging the various things in her arms, she moved to follow. Seeing how she struggled with her bags, I grabbed what looked like a canvas satchel and swung it over my shoulder without breaking stride.
“Alright. Your slow, waddling butt owes me one,” I grumbled jokingly.
As we walked, we talked almost like how I had imagined it, only I wasn’t holding her hand. Before long, we arrived at the pool. Hurrying inside, I saw some of the guys on deck, although most of the others were already in the water. Showing her to a spot where she would be comfortable, I grabbed my things to go change. I wasn’t quite late but was slightly lagging behind the others.
“Stop messing around with your girlfriend, and get into the water!” Coach bellowed.
Almost on cue, one of the guys started heckling me, “He’s whooped! His girlfriend brought him to practice!” Everyone decided to turn in unison, like a polished synchronized swim team, and laugh at my obvious discomfort. I heard Coach’s ominous voice yelling,”Did I tell you guys to stop swimming?” and I silently chuckled. I turned and gave the guys the finger, while I trotted off to change
Coming out of the locker room, I headed to the edge of the pool. I grabbed my goggles and stood near the edge, warming up my shoulders before jumping in. Looking down on the mercury-like glistening surface of the water, I could hear the consistent splashing from the guys swimming before me. With each stroke, bubbles would churn and small waves would lap up against the pool walls. There was a comforting sound in that rhythmic beating of nature against stone.
This was my element; the water. I had grown up with it and not only did it shape steel and stone, but also helped shape my life as well. Without it, I would not have learned to enjoy such sports as swimming, surfing and water polo. But it also helped foster my love and confidence in sports and group cooperation. A team was more than just a sum of its parts; it was a living, breathing machine. Only a close-knit bond of family and friendship, along with hard work would produce a championship team.
While I stood there, gazing at the crystal-clear, over-chlorinated water, I didn’t notice a change that had come over some members of the team. They looked up at me expectantly, waiting for something. Something that I wasn’t quite aware of.
Suddenly I felt a shove from behind. I went flailing into the water, with goggles in one hand and my other arm sticking out at an odd angle due to my stretching exercises. I whipped my head around to see her grinning at me. As I plunged into the water, looking like an awkward Gumby figurine, I yelled out,”You’re so dead, Jess!”
All you could hear was her maniacal laughter filling the air.
Part: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.
