Chapter 8

I took her home to talk to Jodie about swimming lessons and technique, after having a great leftover meal of Spaghetti with Meatballs.

“How soon do you want to begin,” My lovely hostess asked.

“The sooner the better,” April replied. “Our pool is full-sized.”

“Is that OK with you, Ms. Marks?” I said.

“Please, call me Jodie, Redd. I need to go check in with Louis at the hospital. He needs me to make sure he isn’t hitting on the nurses.”

“Why would he do that with such a lovely wife at home?” I asked, getting a slight slap on the back from April.

“Such a sweet boy,” Jodie said.

While she was gone, we got Jamie and walked over to our house. April called and told her mom where we were.

I opened the door to find Mary outside sunbathing. Jamie walked up to the tinted patio glass door saying, “Is that your sister, Redd?”

“Yeah, she’s 15 years old.”

“She’s very pretty,” he said not taking his eyes off of her. I pulled him away from the sliding glass door.

“If you want to be introduced, I can arrange that, Ok?”

“Yes, please?”

April pulled her step-brother away and sat him down on the sofa, while I opened the door and said, “Hey” to my lovely sister.

“Hey, Harry, how’s it hangin’?”

That surprised me so much I started to laugh. After calming myself down, I told her that April’s step-brother Jamie wanted to meet her, and he was here. I described him to her, and she got up and put on her shorts and one of my T-shirts.

I opened the glass door again, and he stood up, good boy, and walked over to us.

“Mary Fields, this is Jamie Marks. Jamie, this is my only younger sister, Amy.”

She put her hand out, he took it gently and kissed the back of it. Maybe he is a romantic?

From the looks on their faces, it appeared to be a match made in heaven. Neither of them had broken the initial smiles on their faces.

“Does everyone here like toasted cheese sandwiches?” April asked/

“Yes please,” Jamie remarked. “You know me, step-sis, I could eat a dozen of them, but that would be rude to the lovely ladies in the room.”

“How about three?” April responded. “You can only have two,” she said to me.

“I’m transitioning from being a football player to a competitive swimmer, Jamie. Your step-sister is my dietician and her mother will start my physical training real soon.”

“That sounds great,” Jamie said. “Maybe when you are in better shape, I can pace you. I’m a swimmer too.”

“What’s your best 200 meters?” Mary asked him.

“My best 200m Free is only 1:39, and my 200m Fly is 1:59,” Jamie said blushing. “Both are unofficial.”

“Wow!” Mary said. “Jamie, why don’t we all go back to your place with the Olympic standard pool?”

I looked at April, and she ran up and changed into the suit she brought over, and some cover. I did as well, wearing my new larger Speedo this time with sweats and a T-shirt.

She took me by the hand, and we all walked back to their house. We followed the potential new couple who seemed to be avoiding holding each other’s hand during the walk.

We got there and waited for Jamie to change into his suit. I got a peck on the cheek from my sister with a barely audible “Thank you” as well.

April’s phone rang, it was her mother, who said that Louis, her father, was having a minor setback, and she would be there ASAP.

I was looking at their 50m by 25m pool, which made our pool look like a kiddie pool.

After we all got down to our suits, Jamie suggested that somebody time me for a single 50 free.

April gave Mary the timer we got from Dick’s Sporting Goods. My girl suggested I did some stretching before just jumping in the pool.

After that was done, I was told to jump in the pool to get used to the change of temp. ten minutes later, I was prepared to show my inability.

“SHOT!”

I dove in, came up and touched the other end in what felt like a single second.

After shaking the water from my head and hair, Mary said, “0:27 seconds.”

“You may not want to hear this, Redd, but you could pick up two seconds or more by getting a haircut,” Jamie said.

“The current college record for a 50free is 0:17:63 seconds,” he added.

“That is the first time I had ever swam that distance,” I said to them all.

“Get out and cool down,” Jamie suggested, as Jodie came through the back door in her red one-piece suit.

“You started without me,” she said as I was pulling myself out of the pool.

“Louis is doing better. Everybody leaves me with Redd. I have some things to teach him if he is going to be a college swimmer.”

“I’m not leaving him along with you,” April said. “Jamie and Mary, why don’t you find a movie to watch. We have many, Ok?”