A Strange Woman Made Me Feel Good in the Pool

Calm down, people, not like that

Yesterday was a pleasingly quiet day at the gym pool. Each of the three lanes had only a single occupant, and I was enjoying floundering my way up and down my row without risk of collision.

As I was almost ready to leave, a dark, attractive woman in a bathing suit entered the pool deck, speaking at full volume on her mobile. She had a cheerful, boisterous quality about her that I normally resent, but I decided to be the bigger person and only glower sullenly when my face was underwater.

I’d completed my standard eleven lengths up and back — prime numbers are important to me — and was doing some parting stretches as she entered the pool. She came down the steps into the lane furthest from me, then crossed the two other lane markers and approached me with an enormous smile.

“This feels amazing!” she said.

I’m unaccustomed to being spoken to with such exuberance by strangers, or even friends, so was uncertain how to respond.

“Erm, yah it’s nice. Water. In the pool.”

“Yesterday I worked out hard and today’s my rest day so it feels AMAZING!”

I smiled tentatively. I doubted I could achieve this level of excitement for anything short of a Powerball win, but it was rather charming coming from her.

“Yes, I’m, er, really enjoying it also. It’s very…nice and refreshing. Pool.”

She motioned as if asking to join me in my lane, which she was already in anyway.

“Actually, I was just about finished so you can have the whole lane,” I said.

She offered a fake pout. “Aw, that sucks. You seem like you’d be cool to chill with.”

I was momentarily stunned. Good lord, was it possible she was flirting with me?

Although I couldn’t imagine what in our brief acquaintance could have led her to the conclusion that I was in any way “cool”, let alone “chill”, I grinned and replied without thinking. “Oh, I am!”

I turned and started to climb out of the pool.

“Well, maybe we’ll see you again!” she said from behind me.

I turned back towards her. “I’m here most days.”

It never occurred to me at all to change my plans and not get out of the pool and I wouldn’t have known how to proceed anyway. And I’ve never seen this woman there before, and probably never will again.

But not everything has to be a meet-cute.

It’s been a bit of a rough month for me, and though I hadn’t known it, I needed this. The woman’s buoyant demeanour and teasing vibe left me strangely energized for a couple of hours afterward, and it was lovely.

My takeaway here is two-fold.

Firstly, sometimes the universe comes through, even if you’re not expecting it. Perhaps especially when you’re not. And secondly, bringing an easy, transient joy to others is something we’re all capable of, even me.

I’m going to remember that.

EDIT: It’s been brought to my attention in the comments that maybe this woman was selling Amway or similar. I’m a naif when it comes to the ways of MLM so it didn’t occur to me, but I can’t discount the possibility. Nevertheless, it cheers me to take a less cynical approach.