Taking that plunge

While resting between your laps, you watch a girl around twelve wearing a purple swimsuit in the lane next to yours doing the perfect form of freestyle, and her mother yelling at her to go faster while you think to yourself, she is doing a great job, let her enjoy the oppressive summer weather, a dip in the cold water must feel soothing on her body,  and you watch the girl kicking faster, breathing every fourth stroke to her right, breathless when her hands touch the wall, the mother pointing to her watch saying she wasn’t fast enough, the girl’s face turning red almost ready to cry, and when you say the girl was swimming faster than you were at that  age,  the mother glares at you, about to say something nasty, when the swim coach intervenes, begins his session, and the mother retreats with a sulky expression,  while you continue with your laps, the buzzing sound in your ears, transporting you back to that inter school swim meet where you lost your rhythm and placed fourth, your face trickling with droplets of shame,  seeing your parents’ disappointment, and what wouldn’t you have done for just another chance to immerse yourself into this world of shimmering blue water, surrounded by the bubbles of your breath, instead of allowing them to burst before you even began your journey.