The sun beat down on Mei's shoulders. It was past noon, the hottest part of the day. She ran the back of her hand across her face. It came away wet with sweat. This was meant to be a short ten-minute walk, but time stretched on and on.
Mei paused under a tree and checked her tote bag: swim goggles, a couple dollar bills, and a towel. She was looking forward to this afternoon swim, but getting through the blazing heat was exhausting. After cooling off in the shade, she continued. Five long minutes later, the blue facade of the college pool came into view. Mei almost laughed out loud as she jogged up the last few steps, and out of the sweltering sun.
Thank god there wasn't a line inside. Mei slapped her card down on the counter. The gum-chewing 20-something on the other side took it without looking at her, slow as molasses. He squinted at his computer then back at her card, pecking at the keys with one finger. Mei drummed her hands against the counter, shifting from one foot back to the other. Finally, he buzzed her through the door, popping a gum-bubble as he did so.
"Thanks!" Mei said over her shoulder as she sped-walked to the women's locker room.
She barely waited before she was through the door to strip her shirt off. Her swimsuit was underneath anyway, and nobody could care less, the heat was so oppressive. Mei was still shining with sweat as she stuffed her clothes into the nearest locker and hurriedly pinned her key to her suit. After showering quickly, she made a beeline to the pool. Kicking her sandals off into a corner without breaking stride, Mei dove in.
Ahhhhhh. Ice. Cold.
The contrast between the 90 degree heat outside and the cool water sent her into shock, but the feeling wore off within the first few strokes. Despite the heat the pool wasn't very crowded. Maybe she'd caught the midday lull. Everyone was probably hiding indoors in front of their AC units.
The water soothed the sluggishness in her bones. Her strokes came more easily with each lap, and soon Mei lost count of how many she'd swam. She watched the black tile stripe on the pool floor glide by beneath her. The deep end became her ocean. Mei let herself get lost in the rhythm of each breath entering and leaving her lungs. The push and pull of water against her arms and legs. This was her happy place.
Near the end of a lap (who knows how many) she raised her head to sight the distance. But before Mei could fully lift her face, she came up short against something solid... Or someone. Her right forearm smacked into a hard shoulder. Then two bodies collided, limbs thrashing.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mei spat, as she ripped off her goggles. They'd been knocked sideways by the impact so she couldn't see. She scrambled to the wall and started shaking the water out of her goggles, nursing her nose. It was beginning to sting. Some idiot was treading water in the middle of the lane.
She whipped her head around to tell the guy off, but caught herself before the words could come out. She glimpsed a pair of athletic legs, a taught torso, and lean arms. The guy she'd collided with looked to be in his early 30's, maybe 35 at most. He was dark, with a shadow of stubble, and a head full of soft curls that were a mess from their collision. His olive body bobbed up and down inside a pair of navy swim trunks as he struggled to tread water.
"I'm so sorry" he said, as he reached for the wall, his face an expression of genuine concern. Mei softened at his apology. He was clearly remorseful already, so she decided to spare him a public dressing down.
"It's nothing" she said neutrally instead, still cooling off and rubbing her sore nose.
"I'm learning..." he began to explain. Then another face popped out of the water right next to him.
"Where the fuck did you go man!?" The new face said.
"Oh, this is my friend Bob, he's my instructor" the man nodded at the new guy who'd just popped up. Mei nodded back. Bob rolled his eyes. Clearly this "instructor" wasn't all that interested in teaching.
"So you're just learning to swim?" she asked the man again, ignoring Bob. Mei had been a volunteer lifeguard as a teen. She faced Bob's swim "student" getting a good look for the first time. His angular features cut a handsome profile, and the five o' clock shadow he wore accentuated an already strong jawline, but he also had a soft look to his eyes that caught Mei off-guard. Mei found herself looking at his lips and suddenly felt self-conscious. She hoped he hadn't noticed her staring.
Thankfully, it seemed, he was busy thinking about swimming "Well, I saw you doing freestyle" he pointed down the lane "How do you..."
Bob interrupted, annoyed "Man.. if you just do like I tell you..."
The man shot Bob a look, which shut him up quick. If Mei noticed Bob's rudeness, then she ignored it. She was more excited that someone was asking her for advice that she could actually help with.
"Hey, how about I try to teach you? Maybe I can give you some pointers." She said to the man.
Bob looked at his friend smiling, and then at Mei. "That'd be great!" he said, a little too quickly, and with that Bob splashed away.
They started to swim in the lane together, Mei and the stranger. Judging by how eagerly Bob was to leave his friend, she guessed he was pretty relieved to be free of his volunteer teaching position.
Mei asked her student (she still didn't know his name) to swim on his own first, so she could observe his technique. As he struggled down the length of the pool, she noticed that he was rigid and tense in the water, which meant that he kept sinking. Before he'd reached fifty feet he had to stop to grip the edge, clinging to it like a wet puppy, panting hard.
She smiled. He looked like a somber guy, somebody who might be intimidating on dry land, but soaking wet in the water he was adorable.
"Ugh" he exhaled, frustrated.
Mei swam around to face him. "I think you're too tense" She said. "You need to be relaxed in order to float. Also, you need to breathe, you're floating way too low in the water"
He listened quietly. It was actually good advice. All day Bob had just been barking orders at him, without actually stopping to see how he was managing. This woman made him feel at ease, and also not like a complete fool.
Mei continued, glad that he was paying attention. It's not everyday a man stops to take your advice.
