by Earl Sewell
“Do what you feel you have to do,” I said to Maya who was conflicted about her priorities.
“But I want to do both,” she whined as we were exiting our staff meeting.
“Well, maybe you can work it out so that you can spend the day before the festival with him and then work on the holiday,” I suggested.
Maya griped a little more, but eventually concluded that my suggestion was a great idea.
The swimming pool area was festooned with Fourth of July ribbons. There were red, white and blue tablecloths, balloons, plastic flags and patriotic ribbons and streamers placed all around. A live band had set up their equipment inside the clubhouse, and park district workers had cleaned and delivered two giant barbecue grills and placed them on the patio just outside the clubhouse. By noontime the pool area was packed. I was perched up high on the lifeguard chair at the deep end of the pool. Maya was sitting on one of the lawn chairs at the shallow end. It seemed as if everyone who attended my high school was there. I spotted Wesley, Lori, Priscilla, Ed Daley, Antonio, Mike, Misalo and Sabrina. A bunch of kids that I knew from theater came out, as well as girls from the cheerleading squad, the pom-pom squad and the drill team. I saw a few guys from the football team, track team and basketball team. Even Alex and his little annoying junior high school friends were there.
A number of older folks were inside the clubhouse singing along to a song called “Sweet Home Chicago” that was being played by a local blues band. Outside where I sat on guard there was a chorus of loud chatter, giggling and cursing by some of the older teens. I sat back and kept a watchful eye over everyone and felt a great sense of pride and importance. Every now and again I’d glance over at Lori, Priscilla, Wesley and Antonio and wonder what they were all talking about.
“Keysha, are you from Tennessee?” I glanced down below me and saw Alex looking up at me.
“No, why are you asking?”
“Because a ten is all I see.” He smiled at me hard as if I was supposed fall in love with that lame pickup line.
“Alex, don’t you have something better to do?” I asked.
“I’m trying to do you.” Alex thrust and rolled his hips.
“You’re disgusting!” I said, and turned away. At that moment, one of Alex’s eighth-grade friends ran up behind him and pushed him into the water. Normally I would’ve blown my whistle and kicked the offender out of the water for thirty minutes, but I didn’t because Alex had it coming.
“I’m going to get you for that, Paul!” Alex yelled out to the boy who’d pushed him in as he swam over to the edge of the pool. Paul took off running. I watched Paul run past Maya, who made him slow down and walk. Maya glanced at me and then pointed to the bathroom to let me know she was about to take a short break. I nodded to let her know I’d keep an eye on her area until she returned.
A few moments later, Wesley walked over to where I was.
“Hey, Keysha,” he greeted me, and I smiled warmly. Wesley wasn’t wearing a shirt, and unlike the lean muscular body that Jerry had, Wesley was pudgy and needed to spend more time in the gym. He wasn’t even eighteen yet and he was already developing a beer belly. His chest was hairless but there was a thin line of fine hair that began at the bottom of his belly button and extended downward. He was wearing baby-blue swim trunks with a hemline that came down to his knees and black beach sandals. “Hey Wesley, I haven’t seen or talked to you in a long time. How have you been?”
“I’ve been hanging around doing my thing,” he said, looking up at me.
“And what exactly is your thing?” I asked, paying attention to the young boy about nine years old as he walked to edge of the diving board and leaped in the water. He came back up and swam over to the ladder on the side of the pool.
“Just hanging out with Ed and Lori… Where did Lori go?” Wesley’s speech pattern wasn’t quite as clear as it should have been.
“Have you been drinking again?” I asked, really concerned about him.
“I haven’t had much. That crazy son of bitch, Ed, went into the clubhouse and stole like four bottles of beer. That’s my man there. Ain’t that right, Ed!” Wesley shouted out to his friend who was on the other side of the pool and raised his cup.
“Wesley, whatever you do, don’t be stupid and jump in the pool. Besides, it’s illegal for you guys to be drinking. You’re underage, and if anyone finds out both of you are going to get busted.” I knew talking to him about his drinking issue was pointless but I tried to get through anyway.
“Wesley!” I heard Lori shout out his name like he owed her money. Lori and Priscilla rushed over to where he was standing beneath me.
Lori was wearing a yellow bikini top with white shorts. Her body was very skinny like a lot of those Hollywood actresses, and her hair was pulled away from her face. “Why are you over here talking to the trick in the high chair?” Both Lori and Priscilla cut their eyes at me. Priscilla had on a pink-and-white one-piece bathing suit with a matching sarong wrapped around her waistline to hide the little pooch that had begun to form at the bottom of her belly. She had a pair of white sunglasses and a straw hat to help block the sun.
“Watch your language before I kick you out of the pool, Lori,” I warned.
“You and what army?” Lori barked.
“Why are you talking so loud?” Wesley complained.
“Why are you over here talking to her?” Lori was just way too bossy.
I threaded my eyebrows together, raised my voice and pointed my finger at Lori. “Why are you talking to him like that?” I came to Wesley’s defense.
“Why are you always trying to hook back up with him?” Priscilla chimed in. I glanced at her with an expression that said, Oh no you didn’t!
“You should only talk about what you know, Priscilla, and stop listening to lunatics like Lori who lie all the time!” I fired back. I was heated by then.
“Lori just keeps it real. She sees right through you, Keysha! We both do.” Priscilla got catty with me.
“See right through what, heifer?” I snapped out on Priscilla.
“You want facts? Then I’m going to give them to you. Keysha, you like stealing guys who are already taken. Just like you stole Antonio from me and just like how you’re trying to get back with Wesley. I wouldn’t be surprised if the new guy, Jerry, has a girlfriend!” Priscilla folded her arms and twitched her neck up at me.
“You know what? All of y’all are twisted in the head! Y’all wouldn’t believe the truth even if Barack Obama came here personally and told it to you. You’re too busy believing every lie and rumor that comes in your e-mail in-box or on your cell phone screen.”
“You’re acting all big and bad sitting up there in that chair. Why don’t you come down here and say it to our face?” Priscilla issued me a challenge.
“Oh, girl, you ain’t said nothing but a word. I still owe you a beat down for screwing up my prom dress!” I said as I took off my whistle and prepared to come down and deal with both of them.
Wesley raised his arms high in the air, then allowed them to drop down. “Y’all shouldn’t fight,” he finally spoke up.
“Shut up, Wesley!” they both shrieked. I couldn’t believe how he’d allowed two girls to punk him.
“Go on, then. I don’t care anymore.” Wesley sat down on a nearby lawn chair, folded his arms and shook his head disapprovingly.
“What’s going on over here? Who’s got a beef with my sister?” My brother Mike and Sabrina came over.
“Your sister is about to get her ass kicked,” Lori said as she knuckled up her fingers into fists.
“Nope, that’s not gonna happen,” Mike said as he stood in front of Lori and began forcing her to back away.
“Why do you have to get your brother to fight for you, Keysha?” Lori continued to taunt me. “What’s up with that?” Once Mike made sure she was gone, I glanced at Priscilla.
“I’m giving you a pass because I know you’re pregnant,” I said.
“You don’t have to ma
ke any special accommodations for me. I can hold my own.” Priscilla was too ignorant to even realize how dumb she sounded.
“I’m just going to pray for you, Priscilla,” I said and stepped away from her. I was heading toward the bathroom to get Maya when Paul and Alex ran past me.
“Stop running!” I yelled at them, but they didn’t listen.
Paul rushed past Priscilla and nearly knocked her down. When Alex reached Priscilla, he stopped, looked her squarely in the eyes, and pushed her into the deep end. He stood laughing and pointing as she began flapping her arms and sinking below the surface.
“Alex!” I called out his name with absolute authority. “Get over here!” Alex rushed over to me.
“Why did you push her into the pool, boy?” I snapped.
“She was trying to fight you, that’s why. I can’t have some chickenhead jumping on you for no reason.” Alex’s heart was in the right place, but his mean-spirited act was not.
“Don’t you ever do that again! Do you hear me?” I scolded him severely.
“I was just trying to help,” he said, looking hurt and pathetic.
“Get out of here!” I said and kicked him out of the pool. His scrawny chest heaved back and forth a few times as he tried to hold on to to his emotions. I exhaled a frustrated sigh as I looked back toward the pool for Priscilla. I didn’t see her, so I scanned the pool deck also. I glanced back at the location where Alex had pushed her. Bubbles were popping up on the surface of the water.
“Oh, Jesus!” I whispered nervously as I ran over to Priscilla. I looked down into the water and saw her clawing at the side of the pool wall in a frantic attempt to latch on to anything that would help her get to the surface.
“Wesley!” I looked over my shoulder at him. “Does Priscilla know how to swim?” I asked in a panic.
Wesley shrugged his shoulders as he rose up and walked over to take a look at Priscilla who was still in distress. “I don’t know, I’ve never seen her swim before.” At that moment, all of my training kicked in. I stepped off the edge of the pool with my hands at my sides and splashed into the water like a scuba diver. I shot toward the bottom of the pool and got directly behind Priscilla. I locked my arms around her torso and pushed off the bottom of the pool with a strength I didn’t know I had. We rocketed toward the surface like two torpedoes. Once we reached the top, I rolled over onto my back, making sure that Pricilla’s face was above water. I kicked as hard as I could to the pool’s edge.
“Oh my God!” I heard Maya yell. By the time I reached the edge of the pool Maya was there to help me pull Priscilla out of the water. We situated Priscilla flat on her back. I got on my knees beside her and tried to revive her by shaking her shoulders and calling her name.
“Priscilla!” I shook her and watched for signs of movement. Not seeing any, I tilted her head back and lifted her chin. I opened her mouth and checked that no vomit was blocking her airway.
“Oh my God! Keysha, is she alive?” Maya asked in a panic. I didn’t answer her. I tilted my head, placed my ear near her mouth and listened to see if she was breathing. I didn’t hear or feel her breath. I looked up at Maya and said as calmly as I could, “Go dial 9-1-1.” Maya sprang to her feet and rushed away. I turned my attention back to Priscilla and placed the heel of my left hand on her breastbone with my other hand on top of it. I pressed on her chest thirty times in rapid succession. When I finished, I tilted her chin up, squeezed off her nostrils, opened her mouth and breathed air into it. I watched as her chest rose up and down gently from me forcing air into her body. I repeated the entire process a second time because I wasn’t about to give up on her.
“Damn you, Priscilla. I’m not going to let you die on me!” I shouted as I repeated the process for a third time. Finally, she gasped and then began coughing up water. I turned her on her side. She coughed up the remainder of the liquid and then tried to catch her breath. After a minute her breathing seemed to return to normal. I hadn’t even noticed the crowd of partygoers who’d stood by in silent shock and watched me revive Priscilla.
“Are you okay?” I asked her as she tried to sit up. She nodded yes and I said aloud, “She’s going to be okay, everybody.” I sat on my knees and rested my butt on the heels of my feet. Wesley handed me a towel so I could wipe water from my face.
“You are so awesome,” Wesley said, kneeling beside me and hugging me. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Just then Maya walked in with two paramedics. Priscilla sat completely upright and everyone began clapping with relief.
fourteen
I’d heard through the grapevine that Priscilla’s parents had had no clue she was pregnant until they arrived at the hospital after her near-death experience. Everyone who came to the pool after that episode thanked and congratulated me and Maya for our quick thinking and bravery. My bosses, along with senior park district officials, were very pleased with the fact that a tragedy was avoided. Jordan, Barbara and Mike were also very proud of me and took me out to dinner to celebrate. I told Jordan that it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.
“Are you kidding me! You saved the life of a young girl and her unborn child. That’s certainly something worth celebrating.” Jordan was beaming.
“Dad, I was only doing my job,” I said, but he was too full of pride to just allow the moment to slip by without being recognized.
When I returned to work, the pool area had been cleaned up and all the party decorations had been removed. The bottom of the pool was dirty, so I decided to pull out the vacuum and clean it before all the stay-at-home moms arrived with their infants and toddlers.
Just as I was finishing up, I was delighted to see Jerry exit the locker room and walk out onto the pool deck.
“Hey, you,” I greeted him.
“Hey,” Jerry said as he walked over to me and gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek.
“You’re looking good,” I complimented him. He was wearing a nice pair of navy-blue denim shorts, a white polo shirt and black sandals.
“What brings you by? Obviously, you’re not going swimming,” I said.
“No, I’m going down to North Avenue Beach with my brother. We’re meeting some friends from our old neighborhood and we’re going to catch the beach volleyball tournament.”
“Oh, wow, that sounds like fun. I’ve never been to a beach volleyball tournament before,” I said as I dragged the vacuum hoses back into their storage container. “How come you didn’t invite me?”
“Umm, because that would have sounded like a date and you’ve expressed to me on more than one occasion that you’re currently dating yourself.” He made me eat my own words.
I smirked. “You still could’ve invited me,” I said, not wanting to fully acknowledge what I’d said to him.
“Well, I’ll take that hint as a green light to keep you in mind when I’m planning future events.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in dating girls?” I teased.
“Ahh, now you’re trying to turn things back around,” he said, laughing. I went and sat down on my lawn chair and got comfortable. Jerry sat on an empty chair next to me.
“So, when are you leaving?” I asked.
“My brother should be along in a minute to pick me up,” he said, looking at me longer than necessary.
“Well, I hope you have fun,” I said, raising my knees up to my chest and draping a beach towel over my legs.
“Listen. Have you heard anything about a big house party that’s coming up in about two weeks?”
“Umm, sort of. I think Misalo may have heard something about it and Maya made mention of it, but I wasn’t really paying attention,” I said.
“Well, my dad and Adiya will be traveling to Miami on business in two weeks, so my brother and I decided to throw a party. Since we’re new to the area, he thought it would be great to throw a little kickback. We’re basically inviting a few people that we know to christen the house.”
“Really?” I said,
excited about the concept of a cozy house party.
“Isn’t that going to tick your dad off, though?” I asked.
“Nah, this isn’t the first time my brother and I have had a kickback party. We’ll have everything cleaned up long before he returns home, so he’ll never know.”
“Well, aren’t you worried about people breaking stuff or neighbors calling the cops?” I asked.
“No, silly. Our house is on a corner lot and the one next to us is empty.”
“What about your neighbors across the street?” I asked.
“The girl who lives there has already agreed to invite a few of her friends. So everything is covered. Besides, we live in a house, not an apartment. There is no law against a homeowner having a party. You should come as my guest. As Snoop Dog would say, it’s gonna be ‘crack-a-lackin’.’ In fact, it’s probably going to be the best get-together of the summer. Some of my brother’s college friends are coming, as well as folks from our old neighborhood. One of my brother’s friends is twenty-one and works as a deejay, so the music is going to be hot.”
“Does this mean you’re officially asking me out on a date?” I asked, feeling excited about the idea of giving romance another chance. Jerry paused and looked into my eyes. Butterflies danced around in my belly. He leaned closer to me, but then stopped to make sure I understood that he wanted to kiss me. I didn’t put up a fight, which was a clear indication that he should move forward. I gazed into his eyes and relaxed my lips. I parted them slightly, making sure that I didn’t open my mouth too much because I didn’t want him to think I was trying to swallow his face. Our lips gently touched. Jerry placed his hands on my shoulders, then my cheeks. He was totally into the kiss, and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t pull away too soon. He made the final call when he began to push away as he looked into my eyes. He smiled at me, and I embraced him.
“That was nice,” he whispered in my ear.
“Yes, it was,” I agreed with him as I exhaled.
“Now I’m going to ask you officially if you’ll come to the party with me as my date.”