Effervescent

Like the on and off beats of music in 4–4 time, the sound wailed in my ears and then was silent a split second later — on and off, over and over, in and out, under and back up again a thousand times in less than a minute and a half. My arms pulled me forward. They always seemed stronger than my legs, although I’m sure they were not. My breath paused –

While the blood raced and swelled to my heart, it sent a throbbing pulse throughout my entire body with every breath. Above was the adrenaline, and underneath the water was where the prize was really available to be claimed. I stopped looking forward or up or even to the side and many times forgot to even breathe because I was waiting to reach the end of the glossy black tile line underneath me, where it crossed and turned into a fat T. That was either where the race was won, or lost, or it represented the head-pounding last breath before the flip and the turn. I got to be in the water. The air was painfully hot and too humid to breathe in, but when my toes pushed off the gritty block and the cool, sunset hue water rolled up my arms, there was nothing else. Underwater it was quiet and you couldn’t feel the pleasure of attention. In the water was where I learned how to be strong. There was hardly ever a show — or at least not one you ever saw from in the pool.