One deep breath and I was off the wall, swimming my underwater-no-breathers. Up, out, whip, I told myself.
Up, out, whip.
My body torpedoed through the water. Both arms in front of my face, pull them back and push all the water around me away. I was close the bottom of the pool.
I could hear the rustling water. I could hear my arms and hands and feet push the water around me. I swam forward until I was close to the wall.
Flip. Turn. Kick. Glide. I glided as far as I could before I started to stroke and kick. I was going to make it even further this time. This summer would be the summer I made it six lengths. That would make Uncle David proud, I thought.
I stroked, flipped, turned, kicked, glided, four more times.
I made it. Six lengths. I was more out of breath than I had ever been before. I kicked off the bottom of the pool and threw my head above the cover. I used my elbows to pull me out of the water and sit on the side of the pool.
He would have been so proud.
* * * * *
I didn’t want to watch the little boys anymore, so I decided to make it a game for them. “Ok, boys. I’m going to do a handstand in the water and before I come back up, you both need to have done two laps. That means four lengths. So you need to swim fast, so I can come up for breath.” They both looked a little frightened.
“What if I go too slow, Kekky?” Brandon was biting his nail.
“You won’t. I can do it. I have swum the length of the pool six times on one breath. I promise it’ll be ok.”
“Okae,” he said in his ever-so-unique Brandon way.
“On your mark, get set, go!” I kicked my feet up and threw my hands onto the ground of the pool. I was in my world of water and all I could hear was the rustling water of the boys kicking and stroking. I thought about the beach and sound of the waves and the surf. I didn’t count how long I was under the water. My pointed legs and toes swayed in the water as they swam past.
Finally, the water stopped moving. I came up for air. “Did you both swim as far as we said?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Kekky,” Alex’s voice. “Can you show us how you can swim underwater for six lengths? Or can you even still do it?”
I thought about it for a second before responding, “Sure, Buddy. Well, I’m not sure I can still do it, but I’ll try.” I walked to the end of the pool and worked up a deep breath. I counted in my head and sunk down into the water. I breathed in and kicked off the wall.
I stroked and kicked. Stroke. Kick. I flipped and turned. I just kept telling myself I could do it. I didn’t think about what would happen if I didn’t. I thought about my uncle and how proud he would be if he knew I were teaching swimming lessons. I couldn’t stop.
Three lengths.
You got this, I told myself.
Four. Five. My lungs were aching. I had already swum a mile that day and had been in the sun for two hours. I hadn’t eaten anything and had only drunk two quarts of water. Keep it up, Kekky, I told myself.
My kicking turned into a flutter kick. I kept swimming. Faster, harder. I had to make it. I had to swim six lengths.
I made it to the wall. I kicked my legs up over my head, flipped and turned. I squeezed my stomach in, put my hands together in front of my face and fluttered my legs. I swam as far as I could.
My head got light and had to push to the top. I went six and three quarter lengths. That was over sixty meters on one breath. I had to go to the side of the pool and take deep breaths.
The boys were amazed. I could only imagine how proud Uncle Dave would have been. I wished he’d been there.
“Boys, I’m glad you thought that was cool, but we need to keep swimming our laps. Now, let’s go.”
I swam next to Alex. It gave me a sense of control to have my body stroking through the water. Even with the boys cackling and gaffaws, I felt rested and peaceful as I pushed through the laps.
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