The Swimming Pool and the Shag Pile

A 15 Minute Story

Water was not John’s favourite element (strictly speaking it wasn’t an element at all), so the whole “let’s go to the swimming pool” idea wasn’t his favourite plan. Still, he knew it would have to happen sooner or later, and it seemed that it was sooner, and by sooner Danny meant now. So there they were. At the swimming pool. Getting undressed in a communal changing room filled with a) verruca juice and b) a variety of other teens in a more advanced (hairier) stage of development than him. Adam looked positively bestial, and Danny wasn’t far behind. It was only John that had retained the smooth, hairless chest (and other bits) that his accursedly young body had not yet seen fit to leave behind. Still, perhaps gluing a bit of the leftovers from his mum’s new shag pile carpet to his chest (and other bits) hadn’t been the best idea. Although he did (obviously) look great and definitely like a man (albeit a man in his late 40s), he wasn’t 100% certain the glue was waterproof. So he was obliged, as he entered the pool, to cast a quick glance around for his target: a sun lounger on which he could recline, pose, and read, in the hopes of avoiding actually having to get wet. This being Chiswick rather than Malaga, however, there was no sun lounger. There wasn’t even very much sun. Dismayed, John decided he’d have to scrap the posing/reading and go for a sort of strutting pseudo-lifeguard approach to the situation. Danny and Adam disagreed, and before John could finish his thought they had pushed him into the water. The glue quickly gave way and the shag pile sank to the bottom of the pool, looking decidedly sorry for itself.

‘What did you do that for?!’ John spluttered, angry and upset that his ruse had been discovered.

‘Couldn’t have you walking about with that thing on your chest!’ Adam replied.

‘Yeah, people would think you were mental!’ Danny added, with a smile that was friendly, not mocking.

John smiled. Maybe he didn’t have to grow up so quickly after all. He did have to get that last bit of carpet out of his swimming trunks though.