“…Eyeballs…” Book II: 24. Sea Dragons
Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?
By Kate Chamberlin
As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.
Book II: The Teenagers
#10. Bad News
#11. Grace’s Day One
#12 Knight With Shining Flatware
#13. The Locker Fiasco
#14. Lost In Thought
#15. The Musician
#16. Day Two And Beyond
#17. First Date
#18. The Zipper Creep
#19. Making Up
#20. Mall Cruising
#21. And More Questions
#22. Homecoming Dance
#23. Loyalties
#24. Sea Dragons
Grace toed up on the starting block to lane 5 at the edge of the high school natatorium pool. In spite of wearing only a sleek, red racing tank suit, she felt hot and like a sweating hog. The starting horns were too loud; the crowd’s roar blocked her ears; and the shrill of the timer’s whistle sounded angry. She was blind and, now with the loud sounds, she knew what it would feel like to be deaf/blind. This was too close to being blind and deaf for her comfort.
A few moments before mounting the starting block and the loud noise, Grace heard the mockingly sweet voice of the gum cracking girl she’d met on the first day of school.
“Good luck, Gracie,” Heather said. “You’ll need it.”
The starter’s horn startled Grace into motion.
Was it really only three days ago when the Phys. Ed. Teacher, doubling as the Swim Team Coach, approached Grace? He had checked her school records and noticed that she’d been on her old school’s swim team. Would she like to try out for the Sea Dragons?
Entering the cold water with a jolt, Grace felt her racing dive was deeper than it used to be. Her powerful kick brought her to the surface, her arms stroking swiftly and smoothly…right onto the rope dividing the lanes. The rope burned her arm, but she adjusted her body and swam until she heard the timer’s finishing whistle. Although, she wasn’t first, her time qualified her to join the high school swim team.
As she hoisted herself out of the deep end, hands clapped her on the back, the crowd roared her name, and the coach congratulated her by placing the official Sea Dragons cape on her shoulders.
No one took notice of Heather as she stalked off the deck toward the locker room. Her face was as red as her swim suit, because her time was too slow to qualify her for the Sea Dragons.
As Grace’s teammates guided her to the locker room, somewhere in the noise, Grace heard an excited bark from Crackers and a loud “whoop” from her mother in the spectators’ stands.
Changing into street clothes, Grace’s teammates peppered her with questions.
“How did you learn to swim? Alexandra asked. “It looks like you’ve been doing it all your life.”
“It was by accident,” Grace replied, towel drying her hair. “There was a family gathering at my Grandma Kit’s Peach Lake cottage. Everyone was on the dock. I was about 5 years old and stood on a rock in the water next to the dock, waiting for someone to come in with me. I slipped on the rock’s mossy surface. They didn’t notice it until Mom heard splashing and jumped in after me. By then, though, I knew it was either sink or swim. I swam!”
“Did you ever have lessons?” Savannah wanted to know. “You are really a powerful swimmer.”
“My parents used to belong to a swim club, TennAqua,” Grace said, feeling for the in-seam to put her shirt on right side out. “Each summer I did synchronized swimming. They taught me the basics and I memorized the routines. I especially liked doing the Water Wheel.”
“I saw you hit the rope,” Sarah said. “How can you swim straight, anyway?”
“I don’t always go straight when I’m doing the Australian Crawl,” Grace laughed, stepping into her panties and slacks. “Mostly, I listen for the sounds of the swimmers on each side of me. Are they ahead of me? Pacing me? Behind me? When the timer’s whistle blows, I know to stretch out one arm to touch the lane timer. I prefer to do the Breast Stroke, though. There isn’t as much thrashing around as in the crawl”
“But, when you need to do a flip turn in the middle of a lap,” Martha asked, “how do you know when to do it?”
“If I’m in a place where Crackers can’t come, I count steps or door frames, or curbs. I’m used to counting things. Once I get used to the length of the pool and how many strokes it takes me to get there,” Grace answered, slipping into her sandals. “I can count my strokes and hope I didn’t lose count. One time, I actually ended up with a bloody nose from bringing my knee up too soon for a flip-turn!”
With groans of sympathy and friendly laughter, the team trooped out of the locker room to their waiting families. Crackers strained at her leash to drag Grace’s Mom straight to her and licked her hand. Ken took her other hand and gave her a congratulations kiss on her cheek. Grace felt as hot as lava from tip to toe.
Neither Grace nor Ken noticed the green-eyed-envy glare that Heather shot their way.
Ken and Grace drove her Mother home, then, headed to Family Ties to meet up with Joe and Edie in their favorite booth. There would be many more swim meets, friends to greet, and a memorable Year to experience.
kathryngc1@verizon.net
“…Eyeballs…” Book II: 23. Loyalties
Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?
By Kate Chamberlin
As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.
Book II: The Teenagers
#10. Bad News
#11. Grace’s Day One
#12 Knight With Shining Flatware
#13. The Locker Fiasco
#14. Lost In Thought
#15. The Musician
#16. Day Two And Beyond
#17. First Date
#18. The Zipper Creep
#19. Making Up
#20. Mall Cruising
#21. And More Questions
#22. Homecoming Dance
#23. Loyalties
“Hi,” Heather said in her little girl’s voice. “Are we having a good time? Kenny told me you were here.”
Grace didn’t know what to say. She felt her face flush.
“Heather, where’s your date?” Edie asked.
“Oh, he’s here somewhere. He’s mad at me for talking to Kenny,” she crooned, taking his hand.
Edie was about to say something else, but a big football player came up and re-claimed Heather. She quickly dropped Ken’s hand as she flounced away with her date.
“She sure is hot for you,” Joe teased. “I think Grace will have to put a leash on you just to keep you safely out of Heather’s clutches.”
“There will be no need for that,” Ken said, taking Grace’s hand. “I know where I want to be and with whom.”
Grace’s face flushed even more. Did she really hear what she thought she heard?
They danced the slow ones. They danced the fast ones. They danced the night away, until, the principal announced that the bonfire lighting ceremony at the beach would start in15-minutes. The four friends returned to Stang and drove to the beach.
The girls took off their shoes and left them in the car. The beach sand felt warm between their toes and the bonfire’s heat flushed their faces. The sound of the gentle lapping of the lake mixed with the chatter of the other students, alums, teachers, and some parents, made the late night festive.
“Oh,” Edie said. “Smell those roasting marshmallows.”
“Ham-m-m,” Grace said, wiggling her nose. “I think some of them are burned, fried crispy.”
Laughing, they picked up some sodas and went for a walk along the shore. The small waves lapping at their bare feet felt cool and soothing. Ken held her hand and leaned close to her ear.
“Grace, do you know how to swim? he asked, nudging her a little deeper into the surf.
“Yes,” she said nudging him back. “But I don’t want to go in tonight!” He relented and guided her back to the warmer sand.
Joe and Edie had spread out a blanket and were quietly talking and sipping their sodas. Ken and Grace joined them. The bonfire died down and people were wandering back to their cars, heading for home.
“Hey, this has been great,” Edie said, “But it looks like it’s time to hit the road. Joe and I will be going to the school’s Memorial Service tomorrow. You two going, too?”
“We haven’t talked about it, yet,” Grace said. “Can we let you know later?”
“Sure,” Joe said. “Now, let’s boogie on out of here.”
Later, with Crackers on her leash, Grace and Ken slowly walked hand in hand along Grace’s street.
“Well,” Ken said softly, “would you like to go to the Memorial Service tomorrow?”
“Okay,” Grace said, not at all sure what would be expected of her. She was used to going to service in her regular church, but didn’t know how Crackers would do in a new church.
“I have something for you,” Ken said. He let go of her hand and put something small and warm in her palm. “Do you know what this is?”
Grace looped Crackers’ leash over her arm and held the item in both hands. She felt a warm, heavy circle with a lump in the middle. She had a good idea that it was a ring, but why?
“Grace, that’s my senior class ring,” he said. “Will you go steady with me?”
She was surprised and in her confusion, she said, “It’s too big. It won’t fit on my finger.” She was mortified to hear her own voice and the stupid thing she’d just said.
“Well, if you say yes,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I have a solution to that problem.” She felt a chain going through the ring she held in her palm.
Grace hoped the moonlight showed him the big grin she had on her face.
“Yes,” she happily accepted his ring, as she thought: This was another one of her Mother’s opportunities.
kathryngc1@verizon.net