"Stigler Pool" by Nikolle Dixon
The sun was bearing down on my head, the rays seeming to almost instantly cause my scalp to burn hot. I'd probably have a sun burn before the night falls; my eyes are drawn to them. She's young, the black color of her one piece not hiding the fact that she's already maturing quicker than her peers. I notice. He noticed, too. I watch as he treads water in the deep end, joining the two friends. Her dirty blonde hair is slick against her forehead from the last time she went under, but the laughter spills from her lips before it's swallowed as her body emerges once more underneath the chlorine blue liquid. He helps her, and that's when I notice…his hand grazes her breast. Her friend jumps in next, the man ignores the boy. His focus is still on the girl.
The sun gets higher in the sky, and I shift my legs from their place on the cement walkway, the heat should be radiating from the pavement onto my jean short clad skin, yet it doesn't feel as if there is any pressure. The surface hasn't caused any creases on my reddened skin, and my head no longer feels burnt. He's moved pass simple touches now. Now, his lips caress hers. She is unsure of their placement or how they should move. Is she doing it right? The two kids keep jumping into the water, only this time instead of laughter, she's quiet. When she comes up, it isn't to a bright smile from her newfound friend, but to his dark lips being placed on her paler ones. His eyes shoot to the boy, his voice speaks, “why don't you see how long it takes you to make it around the pool. I'll time you.” Their audience gone; his hands join his lips on her body. His thumbs stroking the baby fat still on her stomach.
“Ew!” Their newest moment has passed, his eyes widen before narrowing in anger. He says something to her friend, too low for other ears to pick up. Her friend soon goes to the concession stand. I stay sitting by the left side of the pool, watching. The laughter from other swimmers is slowly being replaced by a pounding heart. A young mind worries about what her mom will do if she finds out that her daughter's first kiss happened at the public pool the same summer that she first learned to swim.
“Meet me tomorrow. I wanna take you on a date.” His accent is prominent, more country than she's used to. His words are quiet, but they are punctuated by the groping of her fleshy backside. She giggles, but I'm not sure if it's from pleasure or uncomfortableness. As his tongue slips past her teeth, I've had enough. I stand up, intent on confronting the man.
He's gone. The glistening pool is now empty, and the girl is now standing directly in front of the concrete valley, her skin is still glimmering with water droplets as they reflect from the sun's rays. “Why didn't you help me?” Her blue eyes are confused. Painful. “Why didn't you say anything?” She falls back into the grey abyss, the emotions in her eyes are gone. Replaced by deadness, until I can no longer hold their glare.
I can breathe again, gasping to refill the tainted air that was once in my lungs. A single tear rolls down my cheek, I wipe it away without taking my eyes from the spot inside the empty pool. With a sigh, my eyes flicker to the red robin flying pass, before forcing myself to get up from the hard pavement. The concrete has left bumps across my thighs and upon any piece of skin that it was connected to. I'm not sure how long I've been sitting at this empty place, but with another empty glance back towards the spot that I spent so many hours that summer jumping into the water from, I'm glad to be leaving it behind. I'm even more thankful that I never showed up to watch that movie with the stranger who wanted to date a ten-year-old.