Her fellow campers ordain each other with daisy crowns. They swap secrets and fruit roll-ups while she wilts alone, weaving friendship bracelets until swim time. At last, she can practice the butterfly—legs bucking hard, goggles filling with tears.
Pool’s edge, relishing air, she hears: Hey, has anyone ever taught you stride jumps? It’s Randy, the only lifeguard who doesn’t flirt with the bikini queens. The key, he explains, is to scissor your legs together upon impact.
That way your head stays above water, your eyes (his, the hue of the deep end) focused on the person you’re trying to rescue.
writing can be found in Little Patuxent Review; Pidgeonholes; Superstition Review; Mutha Magazine; Fractured West; Brain, Child Magazine; Traveler’s Tales; and elsewhere. She teaches college English, edits Made Local Magazine, and raises her two daughters in Santa Rosa, California.
