I was watching the clock like a hawk. I had been up in the small hours, read and then dozed again with the vague sense that I had to be watchful about sleeping over the moment of the official opening of the pool.
Tapping on the iPad to clear the email queue that accumulated overnight, I decided to open the blinds to the bedroom windows so I could closely monitor any activity on the pool deck. At 0936 I saw a tanned figure in trunks with the vacuum working to sweep the pool.
I briefly panicked, but realized it was not the competition, but the new Lifeguard. I grabbed my stuff and hustled out the door. Briefly puzzled by the new gate, a product of the massive pool remodeling effort, I signed in as the first resident for opening day and was ensconced in one of the blue and white plastic chairs in a trice.
Rodko, or something like that, is our new minder for the season. He is from small village not far from the Polish capital of Warsaw. He said he had been working pools down in South Carolina before, but was excited to visit Washington, where they have many trees like they do back in his homeland.
Marty 2 came down as the clock on the pool wall clicked down to ten o’clock sharp. I kicked off my flip-flops and marched resolutely to the edge of the deep end. I glanced at Rodco and told him I was about to open the season for the 14th consecutive year. He nodded, appearing to not understand the epic significance of the event, and I leapt.
The water was crisp but not painful. It felt delightful to fully extend my arms in great bat-like sweeping motions, and move my legs without the pain of the arthritis. Marty 2 documented the event with a picture.
As it turned out, I was only the first human of the season. The ducks have been using the pool for weeks, and that is why Rodco had to keep sweeping up their leave-behinds.
I suspect they won’t be back once the swimmers are occupying the pool deck. Oh, and for the record, Martin and Jiggs were numbers two and three. There are no medals for fourth place.
Welcome to Summer, 2016. We have been waiting for months! Let the games begin!
Copyright 2016 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com