A New Friend

I returned home exhausted from another long day at work and from battling intense emotions. A swim was the answer, I decided. So I waited until the sun slipped behind the horizon and the pool lights flickered on.

The pool was empty, the wnd sweeping across its surface. I started swimming. Each slice through the water coazed my mind and muscles to relax. After ten laps, I paused to catch my breath and spotted a father and his son approaching. The father joined his friends at a cafe by the pool and his son rode his little tricycle around the pool.

I continued my laps. After a while, I noticed that each time I lifted my head out of the water, there was a odd whirring sound to my left. Reaching the end of the pool, I looked to for the source of the noise. Nothing. But the little boy was at the same end of the pool as me. I swam back and again, the whirring sound. And once again, the little boy was at the end. A thought struck me. Could it be?

I launched into the water again but this time, I looked to my left. And true enough, the little boy was pedalling alongside. Not ahead or trailing behind, but perfectly alongside. When I reached the end, he turned his bike around and waited in anticipation.

I smiled at him and he furiously pedalled away. Then he stopped and turned around to watch me. I took a three-minute break. He slung his hand over his tricycle's backrest and waited.

When I plunged back into the water again. he immediately resumed position. We moved in a comfortable tandem for the next ten minutes. I laughed as I swam, swallowng a mouthful of water in the process.

When I fnished my swim, I climbed out and waved goodbye. He stared at me unblinkingly and cycled away.