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"Life is like a beautiful melody, only the lyrics are messed up"
---Hans Christian Anderson
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Chapter Seven
ღஐ✿Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ✿ஐღ
I was here at the YMCA. Not sure what I was doing here. But I was here. In my swim suite. The adult swim class. After my first swim session with Finn, I knew I wanted to learn to swim better. Not just to impress Finn. But to swim because of my own sanity.
So I would no longer be afraid of the water. That would be a plus for me. Just standing there at the edge of the pool was starting to give me all kinds of anxiety issues here. There was a girl my age next to me who had the same look of fear on her face as I did.
I was glad to see I was not the only adult on this planet who feared swimming. She smiles at me as I tuck my hair under my swim cap on my head. I know swim cap. Old school. But I did not want to fix my hair again later on.
Grandma was sitting up in the bleachers of the YMCA reading a book, and waiting for me. It was good to know I had her cheering me on. Or jeering at me later for chickening out. Time would tell.
• ❤︎ •• ❤︎ •
"The first step is learning how to swim. My name is Stephanie Myers. I will be your coach. You will learn a lifesaving thing today. Swimming. You can save your own life and save a life of someone who might not be able to swim later on, who knows!" Stephanie tells us as she has her clip board out. "This is my partner Kimmy Jones. She will help out to here" Stephanie introduces the other instructor. "I will call out names here on my clip board for those who signed up for this class. Just say hear when I call your name out" she replies. She begins to say a list of names. "Sydney Shoopman?"
"Here!" I call out feeling shame creep in my cheeks as I get curious glances my way.
Everyone here could not swim. They were just like me. So what did I have to fear? Or be ashamed about?
"Charlotte Shallows?" calls out Stephanie.
"Here!" calls out the overweight girl with red curly hair who was standing next to me.
"You hate to swim to?" Charlotte asks me curiously.
"With a passion" I admit with a smile.
"Me to" she sighs. "I am only here because my Mom bribed me to"
"I am here because I am tired of being afraid to swim" I tell her.
"That to" grumbles Charlotte.
"Ladies and gentlemen get down to the edge of the pool and have a seat please" Stephanie demands to all of us.
We were all at the shallow end of the pool now. Nothing to fear right? Even the shallow end terrified me to death. You could drowned in that to. I sigh as I try not to run for the door. It was so close to me. Yet so far. I sit down by Charlotte.
We dangle our toes in the pool.
"Watch my partner here Kimmy dive in, now Kimmy" demands Stephanie as she blows her whistle.
Kimmy dives right into the pool water. She is as graceful as a swan out there swimming. She swiftly swims to the end of the pool within seconds. Finn would be impressed with someone like her. Not someone like me. She soon comes back to us.
• ❤︎ •• ❤︎ •
"Fifteen seconds" cheers Stephanie. "Wouldn't you all like to be able to swim with that amount of speed? That amount of grace? Well guess what? I am here to tell you today that you all can!" she announces to us.
Soon she is passing out little kiddy boogie boards. I hoped they cleaned these things off before the last swimming lesson they had given out. Grandma is watching me now. She gives me the thumbs up sign. I sigh. We all hop in the water.
We begin our little lesson. We are taught how to breathe under water. How not to fear the water. Though water had taught me for years how to fear it.
So I was not sure how I was going to unteach myself not to be afraid of water. I was going to fully admit that this lesson here was pure torture the first day for me. But I did it.
"Say we made it. We did the first lesson. High five?" Charlotte tells me as she smiles and high fives me as she dries her red hair off with a towel.
We give each other a high five. "So are you new around here? I have never saw you in town? Are you a tourist?" she asks. "I have lived here my whole life. I know pretty much everyone" she explains.
"I have been here every summer. I visit my Grandma here. Thinking of moving down here" I explain to her.
"Here let me give you my number. If you want to get to know me that is" she offers.
"Sure I suppose so" I say. She rushes over to get her purse that she had on the bench. She writes down her number for me. "Thanks" I tell her.
"Call me sometime. We can get together" she says. I nod.
"Okay" I say as she heads off. Grandma comes down to greet me.
"Looks like you are on your way sugar! You are doing great! You would have made Finn proud today" she tells me.
"What makes you think I am doing this to impress Finn?" I laugh as I take off my swim cap. I feel my cheeks grow a rosy red at the mention of his name.
"Well, I saw you out there swimming with him before. He did great getting you out there" she brags on me.
"You saw us?" I laugh.
"Sure did. He got you to float there for a little bit" she says with a grin.
"Tell no one. Or they will put you in a home. They will think we are well...nuts for talking about merfolk" I giggle.
"I would never betray Finn. We should not be talking about him here. Someone might over hear us as it is. We can talk about Finn later okay?" she replies. She was serious. I was glad she wanted to protect the merfolk.
"Alright Grandma. I am going to get dressed. Then we can leave" I tell her.
• ❤︎ •• ❤︎ •
I head to the locker rooms. I shower off. Then dry off and get dressed. Images of me swimming with Finn flashed in my mind. He was a pretty amazing swimmer. I would like to be able to swim better with him.
I head out with Grandma. We stopped to get dinner. Then headed on home. It was still pretty light outside when we came home that evening. I wanted to go out and see if I had another run in with my new friend Finn. I know I should be calling my Mother and be bragging that I went swimming today. But that could wait.
"Sydney? You have a phone call sugar" my Grandma calls out to me. I head into the kitchen to take the call on the land line.
"Is it Mom?" I ask in a whispered tone. Grandma shakes her head no.
"Jordan. From the aquarium sugar" she tells me as she hands the phone over to me.
"Hello?" I answer.
"Sydney?" he answers.
"Yes, this is she" I reply.
"We would like you to come in and interview you. Otherwise you pretty much have the job. This is Jordan. We met the other day" he says on the other end.
"Oh yes, I know. I was hoping you would call sometime" I say with a smile.
"Can you meet me here around four pm? We will interview you. Then get you to fill out the paper work so you can begin to work with us?" he asks me.
"Of course I can!" I say with excitement. This girl was here to stay. No way I was going back home now. Grandma smiles at me curiously as I give her the thumbs up sign.
"Great! See you then" he tells me before we hang up.
"That was Jordan! He wants me back for an interview. He told me I pretty much have the job because they need extra hands there!" I tell Grandma happily.
"That means you are here to stay then?" Grandma wonders.
"Sure does, Is that okay with you roomie?" I joke.
"Sure is sugar. Not sure how well your Momma is going to like this though" she worries.
"She will be fine. I am an adult. I can do what I want when I want to. I want to move down here. You need more family here. So I am staying" I tell Grandma sternly.
"Sounds good to me sugar" she says as she hugs me.
"I am going to take a walk on the beach. I will be back" I tell her.
"Going to say hello to Finn?" she asks.
"Maybe!" I say feeling shy again. She grins.
"Tell that sweet boy hello for me to" she asks. I nod. I head out the door.
• ❤︎ •• ❤︎ •
I walk out on the beach hoping to see Finn. But all I see are boats out today. Fisher men were out. Maybe Finn could not be seen today. I hoped he was okay while all these boats were out and about.
"Finn?" I call out softly so I did not draw attention to myself here. No reply. I did not even see his famous tail come up. "Finn?" I call out a little louder this time.
"Hey Sydney" he says popping up scaring me. I laugh.
"You startled me" I laugh.
"Sorry!" he says with a grin.
"How are you doing? Does it get boring out here?" I ask. What did he do out here all day anyway?
"Sometimes it can get lonely" he says smiling. "I do not feel lonely with you here right now" he replies making me blush. I smile at that.
"Guess what I did today?" I ask.
"Take swimming lessons?" he asks. I groan. My Grandma had a big mouth.
"Yes how did you know?" I grumble as if I did not know.
"Your Grandma was proud of you is all. She brags about you all the time" he says looking amused. "How did the lessons go?"
"Pretty good. I am going to do them again next week" I tell him.
"Good for you" he says. "I can always help you to any time" he reminds me.
"I might take you up on that offer" I say.
"Any time. I am always here" he says cheerfully.
• ❤︎ •• ❤︎ •
I did not want to leave just yet. I was enjoying my chat with Finn here. But the sun was setting now. It was growing darker out on the beach. I could see the fisherman boats were coming in. I really did not want Finn to get spotted down here. I worried about him.
"You do not need to worry about me" Finn says as though he was reading my thoughts.
"That obvious huh?" I say with a smile.
"I am used to boats. I have dodged them my whole life" he points out.
"It must be scary to think you might get caught" I worry.
"Sure. I do not think about it then it cannot worry me" he replies looking very sure of himself. I wish I was that confident about swimming as he was about not getting caught by a fisherman.
"Well one thing about it you were caught by my Grandma. I mean found" I laugh.
"She means well. She rescued me the one day I nearly was caught. I was thankful for people like her" he tells me. "You remind me a lot of her" he says.
"Not in the kooky way" I joke.
"No in a good way. You both have caring souls" he tells me with a smile.
"Well Finn, I better had go. I would like to see you again soon here. If you wish" I offer my company hoping he would want to see me again as much as I wanted to see him.
"I would enjoy that. I was kind of hoping to see you out here today. And I did" he says with a grin. "Must be my lucky day"
"Mine to" I say smiling like a nerd.
"I must be off. They are getting rather close. I will see you again Sydney" Finn tells me as he smiles. He waves good-bye. Then heads off into the waters. I hoped I would see him again soon.
"Good-bye Finn" I say softly as I cannot stop smiling. I head back in to my Grandma's house for the night.
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