Respect

Chapter 8

"Do I have a girlfriend? Well, technically no (NO!)
If you be my girlfriend, then I'll make it so
You'll be my only true lover
No competition, no other (no other)
Baby, it's just, the thrill of the chase
I've got a feeling, I'm winning this race
Baby, I'm in much closer
I just need permission so."
John Legend ft. André 3000 "Green Light"

Maia

"Ready?" I asked Lauryn and Joshua as we were about to accelerate down the long green instrument of plastic that is commonly used to bring joy in playgrounds. In simple terms, we're going to go down a slide that goes around in loops before we land inside the cool water on the ground.

I have never been to a water park before in my entire life. Raging Waters is just so big and the Kiddie Attractions we've been on, including Kid's Kingdom and Little Dipper Lagoon, are so thrilling to the kids. The Kingdom is a playground with tunnels, slides, monkey bars, and waterfalls. The water just cools you down under this hot sun. The Lagoon is like a miniature island with slides, small pools, fountains, and waterfalls.

My favorite part of this whole park is the lazy river. It reminds me of when I went to Mexico Beach in Florida before I had Lozza. I laid on a lounge chair under an umbrella at the beach with a bunch of cold refreshing drinks in a complimentary cooler next to me as I looked at magazines. I needed a way to relax because I was at risk of preeclampsia with my high blood pressure and constant swelling of my feet. I met some amazing people at my hotel who helped me during my stay and kept me entertained when I stayed indoors.

The water in the park isn't high enough for the kids to need to know how to swim, but I think I should enroll in some lessons down the road. I remember when I went to summer camp every year since 4th grade and one of the regular trips we went on was a local pool. There was an instructor who taught us how to float, hold our breath under water, and some other important things. There was this boy that was one year older than me and every girl including me had a crush on him.

He was light skin, had straight teeth, and wore a diamond stud earring in his left ear. That boy was such a flirt, telling all the girls that he liked them. Whenever we went to the pool, he didn't get in the water because he was allergic to it. Back then, I felt bad for him but as I got older, I thought back to those memories and realized how crazy it sounded. Like what did he use to take a shower? There is actually a rare disease where someone's skin can developed hives when in contact with water called aquagenic urticaria. I was so surprised. I always thought that behind his cockiness, he was insecure about his body. I can't remember his name though.

I do believe it's time for us to go. It's getting even more crowded than when we came here earlier. Plus, it's almost time for lunch. It's funny how I made them scrambled eggs with apricot spread on toast, accompanied by a side of sliced bananas and a cup of milk. I switch it up sometimes with orange juice. Lozza doesn't like regular milk, so I buy strawberry Nesquik. Joshua drinks and eats anything.

I only had a blueberry muffin this morning. I was busy getting everything ready when I waited until last minute as I walked out the door. I'm going to wake up on time next time and simply make oatmeal.

Period.

When we came home, I freshened them up to remove the chlorine smell from them and fed them before we laid in my bed. On our outing today, Lauryn wore this one piece, pink swimsuit that had ruffles at the top with unicorns all over. Joshie has blue trunks with sea mammals like manatees, killer whales, humpback whales, and blue whales.