Quilts, Tacos & Tattoos

Swimming into Senior Year

Since I was a little girl, I have thought of the first day of school as a very special day, a day that I could show up as a different person and people would see me differently and treat me differently.

We moved around a lot before Mom opened Marmie & Me in Marble Falls. With each new school, I tried to act like I had been the most popular girl from the previous school with the hope that more people would like me. It seemed to translate, at least for a while, but there seemed always to be something that reversed the image I so desperately wanted. The earliest such reversal that I can remember happened when I was seven.

Mom did not like the hassle of taking care of my hair, so I had short hair until Mom thought I was ready to take care of it myself, which, sadly, was when I was fifteen. At the start of the school year when I was seven, Mom had my hair cut very short. Afterward, she teased me, telling me how much I looked like a boy. I still remember the pain of hearing that from my own mother.

I went to school in yellow overalls with a matching plaid shirt underneath that my grandmother had made for me. I had a yellow ribbon in my hair, and I was sure that people would not recognize me and think I was a new girl. I was sure that they would like me and be nice. I was so excited about going outside and playing jump rope with all the girls. I was going to be Cinderella dressed in yellow, like the song we sang while we jumped rope. On that first day of school, I knew I was going to be special.

Instead, I got overheated, fainted and was sent to see the school nurse. She called Mom who had to bring me a change of clothes. Since she was at work, she brought in a sample romper from the window display that was covered with ruffles.

As I drove to pick up Jimmy Sue, I thought about how this was my last first day of school, and for the first time in my life, I felt that this year would be so different.

"I can't believe summer is already over," she hollered as she opened the door.

"I know! At least we only go to school one day this week," I said as she slid in. "I have never understood the Friday start."

Arriving a little late to school, we had to park three blocks away. We did not show up fresh as a daisy as I planned. The bell had already rung, so we went straight to the office to get a late slip. When we entered the office, the lady behind the desk looked at us over her glasses, "Starting off on a bad foot on your first day, Ladies."

As I raced to homeroom, I could feel I was spiraling down and it was not even first period yet. I walked to my homeroom class and looked around to see where Tyler was in class. We had looked at our schedule and knew we had two classes together. We also made a schedule request to try to get one more class together.

I was looking for an empty desk when I felt a hand on my back and a chin on my shoulder. "I see we are both running behind today. Maybe we should carpool?"

"Can't. I made a promise to Jimmy Sue we would ride together. She is feeling a little left out these days."

He pulled me to the corner where there were two empty desks. He sat in the first chair and I sat behind him. He turned around to put his head on my desk. "This is going to be a great way to start our day everyday,"I thought.

I looked into those his blue eyes, and all the things I was thinking about disappeared. I was right there with him, and all was fine for the moment.

"All right, class. Please turn around and face the front. I am passing out your emergency contact cards. Fill them out and put them in the basket at the front on your way out. I am also passing out your final schedules," Mrs. Shannon shouted over all the students.

Tyler turned around, "Do you have a pen?"

"Yes." I reached in my new purse and pulled out a pen for him.

"Want to go float the river with me this weekend?" he asked.

My stomach fluttered. "Sure."

"Great! I will tell the gang."

"The gang? Who else is going?"

"Just a few of my friends. You don't know them. They live in San Marcos. They really want to meet you."

"They do? Have you been talking about me?"

The bell rang.

"Of course. You are my girlfriend," he said as he got up. My heart leapt.

He walked to the front on the classroom, and I followed. Mrs. Shannon was handing out our final class schedules for the year. He turned around and kissed my cheek. We went in different directions. I did not notice anyone around me. I was busy thinking, It's my senior year and I am starting it off the year with a boyfriend!

I was halfway down the hall when I realized I had no idea where my first class was. I looked at my new schedule - First period - gym class. Why would anyone assign gym class for first period? I put all that work into getting ready for school only to start out my day getting sweaty. I realized I was walking the wrong direction and turned around and raced toward the gym.

Coach yelled as I entered the locker room, "Ladies, time to suit up! And I do mean suit up. We are swimming today." A huge cry rose from the locker room.

"Did any of you read your first day of school letter? You were told we were swimming and to include that in your gym class gear for the first day of school." I looked in my bag. I had the usual gym shirt and shorts with my name on each. Mom refuses to iron on letters like the other girls have. Mine are embroidered and in the perfect shade of royal and light blue to match our school colors. There was no swimsuit. I had relied on Mom to pack it for me. I told the coach I didn't have a suit.

"We have loaners."

"Loaner swimsuits?" I asked, slightly disgusted.

"They have all been washed and are ready to wear. I think we have two left."

I spent far too long looking through the bin. There was a bright purple one that was way too big for me and one in my size that was electric orange and green with pink dots. It was truly the ugliest thing I had ever seen.

I had never liked getting dressed or undressed in public, so I grabbed it and went to a bathroom stall in a huff and put it on. Then I locked up my stuff and went to the pool.

The class sat on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water. It was a co-ed swim class, and the boys were on the opposite side of the pool.

"Okay, we are splitting teams all girls A-M on this side and N-Z on that side. Boys do the opposite."

I slipped into the pool. Everyone else jumped in. I went under to get my hair wet and came up wiping the water out of my eyes.

"Nice suit," Tyler said, as I came up.

"Thanks. I was hoping, of all people, you would not see it."

"Did you not hear me whistle the loudest?"

I tugged the suit at my hip. "Thank you very much. Are you on my team?"

"No. I just wanted to say hi," He ducked underwater and swam to his side of the pool.

"Cricket, you're serving."

I went to the back corner and got the ball. I loved volleyball but was not sure how that would translate in the pool. I tossed the ball up, jumped and hit the ball so sweetly it went straight over the net, and the game was on.

Tyler talked trash the entire game, and I could not help but laugh. It was a weapon to distract us. I made sure it did not interfere with my hitting the ball when it came to me. Still, there was the underlying fear that I wasn't good enough that always lingered just below the surface.

I was looking at Tyler, smiling, when I heard someone shout "Duck!" A serve from my teammate hit me square on the back of the head and stung.

I was recovering when I heard, "Game over. Hit the showers!"