i asked this man if i could share a lane with him

in the swimming pool

but i could tell he was not very enthused

which made me feel unwelcome

and i wanted to swim elsewhere

but there was a traffic jam in the pool and this was the only lane that was open. i could have just left and waited for another lane to open, but i was determined to ride the course. and there were no guarantees about someone else in another lane…  would it be any easier to swim with them?

so i tried to make my body as narrow as possible to make sure that our bodies did not crash into each other while swimming in opposite directions.

more for his sake than for my own

i was trying my best to be narrow, barely traceable, a barely traceable arrow. i might be a flawed, flailing, warped arrow,  but deep down, i was truly an arrow.

he was swimming the backstroke. which made me realize why he did now want to share the lane.

his backstroke swayed between the lanes, sometimes taking up both lanes. while swimming backwards. kind of like a drunk driver. and kicking his leg, too.

maybe i should have helped him out instead of trying to be untraceable. not that i know that much about swimming.  it was hard to tell whether he would have even accepted my help.  but i think, given the opportunity, i could have helped him. Someday he will realize that.

But I hope i am elsewhere by then. it’s entirely possible.

i hope he realizes that now.