Darting across the living room I lunged for the phone before my brother Mark could answer. “Hello,” I said with a hint of victory as I gave my angry brother a smirk. He was waiting for a call from a girl because he was a big seventh grader going into 8th grade. My friend Sarah on the other end asked, “Is Dianne there?”
“Do you want to ride our bikes to the pool today. Looking around the corner to the kitchen clock I saw that it was 11:45AM. Knowing my mom was gone today with my younger brother Jon at an appointment I said, “Yes.”
“Ok I will see you in 20 minutes,” Sarah said before ending the call.
Putting down the receiver I went on a hunt for loose change around the house. The cost to go swimming was $1.50, plus I wanted an extra $.50 for a snack. In my jewelry box, I found $.59, by the Dryer I found 3 quarters, and finally on Mom’s dresser I found a whopping $.89. This made my grand total $2.23. Happily, I wrote a short note to mom telling her where I was going and off I rode my ten-speed bike to Sarah Eihler’s house distance of one and a half miles.
Upon arrival 20 minutes later I was dripping with sweat as the humid 89 degree day was perfect weather for a day at the public pool at Burnes Park. After a quick break to drink a cup of Grape Kool-Aid we were off for the 2 1/2 mile ride to the pool. We both felt grown up to be riding by ourselves to the pool, but when you finish fifth grade the whole world of opportunity opens itself to you.
As we pedaled up to the outside pool entrance there was a line of hot and restless kids wanting to cool off in the pool reaching the parking lot. I scanned the group for him, the cute boy with sun kissed blond spikey hair and the long rat tail. He was nowhere to be found.
Soon we paid and were free to swim. I was relieved to gain entrance because I felt hot and sweaty from the long bike ride. In the changing room I quickly applied my hot pink lip gloss by looking in the groovy mirror on the side of the tube. In the bathroom mirror, I reapplied my electric blue eyeliner to the inside of my lower eye lids. My boomerang permed hair was in a high pony tail. I wondered as I stood there for a moment if I was pretty like my friend Sarah.
“Come on, Dianne you look great!”
Grabbing our towels we walked to our normal spot at the corner of the snack shack and the 5ft edge of the pool. I was tall enough now to swim in the deep end. I had already shot up to 5’4. For my grade I was one of the tallest girls, in fact I towered over my cute blond friend Sarah.
Laying out our towels we decided to take a stroll around the whole pool. I learned from Sarah, to get attention you have to know how to walk. She had on a light blue two piece swim suit that tied the upper and lower pieces at the waist. My suit was a modest Baptist navy blue one piece. I was hoping my lip gloss and eyeliner would make me look cooler than I felt.
On our way back to our towels I saw him, the blond boy with the spikey hair, pull up to the outside of the fence on his BMX bike. He had long skater shorts and no tee shirt. Mysterious older girls gathered at the fence to talk to him. They all seemed to be having a good time. I wondered what they were talking about. What do boys with cool blond spikes care about?
Soon he sauntered past us as we sat on our towels soaking in the sun and warming up from our first refreshing swim. I tried not to make it obvious that my eye was upon him as he strutted past to join his group a few feet away. I didn’t want Sarah to tell him that I had a crush or anything. I had heard he was a 7th grader at West Intermediate Junior High. My cousin Stacy knew him, she said he even smoked. A good Baptist girl shouldn’t like boys who smoke, but with a spike like that it was hard to overcome temptation.
As we laid on our towel the pool speakers blared “You're the Inspiration” by Chicago. Sarah and I sang out loud with silly voices, “If you love somebody…” As I thought of my secret flame I wondered, is this love?” Last summer at the pool I had a boyfriend for the last five minutes it was open. His name was Joe, he had a dark spike and I am not sure what he even looked like dry. His cousin swam over to our normal spot at the corner of the 5ft. and asked if I would go out with Joe. I said yes and waved at him from across the pool. That was it, a wave and the pool closed and I went home, but for five minutes I was admired.
At 2:45PM the life guards blew there whistles for the “adult Swim” so all the kids reluctantly climbed out of the water so five old people in swim caps and goggles could do laps. I couldn’t imagine being old, like my parents. Because of our strategic location next to the snack shack we always made our way to the concession line early.
Both Sarah and I ordered a Twix Bar. Walking back to the round umbrella concession table set up in the snack shake area we sat down to enjoy our Twix Bars slowly and meticulously. Sarah had taught me how to eat carefully to enjoy every last crumb of the twin Twix bars.
First we gnawed off the top layer of chocolate, then the caramel and lastly the crunchy cookie. The entire process took the whole 15 minute break. Soon the whistle blew and a hundred hot and sugared up children jumped back into the pool.
On the high dive he stood, He waited for everyone’s eyes to be drawn to him before he did a front somersault dive. He seemed so cool and confident. Even in the water as he swam his hair poked out of the rippling waves in a spike. As “Walk Like an Egyptian” played above the background noise of loud splashing and laughter I watched mesmerized as he climbed out of the water to the cheer of his friends.
I wondered what it was like to be somebody. Looking down at my own sprouting body I felt uncertain how I was perceived. Glancing at Sarah, as she finished the last bite of her twix cookie she seemed restfully confident in herself. How did one get to that place?
“Dianne let's go, the Adult Swim is over,” she said urgently.
So we walked to the edge of the 5ft. and jumped in. Turning around she splashed me and I dove under the water to grab her leg. We both came up to the surface laughing. She challenged me to a race, so off we swam toward the 3ft end of the pool. In the thrill of the challenge, I forgot about the blond boy with the notorious spike to enjoy instead, just being a kid, if only for a moment longer.
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