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“What’s up, Moe?” Laila, the girls’ dance instructor, spoke.
Laila was also one of my colleagues who worked for Chambers Security, the firm Valentine and Belle used for all our security jobs. I was surprised when she started teaching the dance class. She was such a badass, I figured she would teach self-defense classes. She completely transformed herself to teach a class full of little girls various types of dance. My girls loved her.
“What’s up, Laila. Here is the order form and money for the girls’ costumes for the performance.” I handed her an envelope.
“Cool,” she said taking the envelope from me. “They are learning so quickly, I know the showcase will be great.”
“They are excited about it. I’m sure it will be good,” I replied, “I will get them after my swim class is over.”
“We will be here,” Laila responded.
I went into the locker room and changed into my wetsuit in preparation for my class. I stood at the entrance of the pool to welcome the new students and their parents and checked their names off the class roster. The last person to enter the pool area was Cam. When I saw her, my stomach flipped. I’d hoped that my excitement wasn’t visible, but I was excited she was there.
She wore a black one-piece wet suit that stopped above her knees. She had her platinum hair neatly tucked into a black swim cap with pink flamingos all over it.
“Ms. McLaren,” I said as I checked Cam’s name off the roster. “You made it.”
“I did, Mr. Owens,” Cam responded. “You said you could teach me, so I’m here to learn.”
“Welcome. I’m glad you came. You can have a seat next to the other students,” I motioned toward the bench then focused on something else while she walked away to avoid turning around to watch her. I stood by the door a few more minutes just to make sure no one else was coming before I turned to address the class.
“Good evening, my name is Morris Owens. I will be your instructor for this swim class. I will teach you water safety, the basics of swimming, and help some of you overcome your fear of water. Make no mistakes, water can be dangerous if not respected. If you respect the water, the water will respect you. I will ask the parents to please wait behind the outer doors for these lessons. I need for your children to develop a trust in me that they won’t have if you are around. The class will be for an hour twice per week. If something comes up where I’m not here, I will either find a replacement or reschedule the class. If there is a substitute, parents will be encouraged to stay with your children. Are there any questions?”
I answered a few typical questions from the parents before I asked them to leave the pool area.
“Okay, everyone, let’s get in the water.”
We started with the basics, like putting their head underwater to get used to the sensation of the water in their ears. We moved on to blowing bubbles underwater and ended with several of the students attempting the starfish float, floating in the water face down. Cam kept up with the kids in the class even though I could tell that she was somewhat uncomfortable at first. By the end of the class, the kids were cheering her on as she attempted the starfish float.
“Great job, everyone. Remember, safety first around water. If you are going to practice anything we learned in the class, make sure a strong swimmer is around to assist you. See you in a couple of days.”
The children left the pool one by one and connected with their parents. I took the time to speak with the parents who asked about their child’s progress or behavior.
“Cam, can you wait a moment?” I paused my conversation with one of the parents to stop Cam before she walked away.
“Sure,” she said and took a seat on the bench by the pool.
After I finished with all the parents, I went and sat next to Cam.
“So, how do you feel?” I asked.
“Good. I was nervous at first, but you made me feel comfortable. I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to learn more.”
“I’m pleased to hear that. You will be able to make all the classes with your schedule?”
“Some Saturday classes will be hard because I am usually booked all day, but I am going to try,” Cam said.
“If you can’t make it, we can always try for another day. The building is open every day.”
“I wouldn’t want you taking time away from the girls to come here,” Cam said.
“They would come along. I try to keep them in the water to stay up on their skills as well,” I explained.
“Where are they now?” Cam asked.
“They are in dance class. I am going to change and pick them up. I’m dreading it a little because they asked me to go to a birthday party and I have to tell them no.”
“Why can’t they go?”
