Reflections on the Fourth Week of Spring

Because soaking in chlorine made my hair feel like straw, I bought the only kind of swim cap Dunham's stocked–a flat, round piece of silicone. The newfangled thing puzzled me so I tried it on at home. I couldn't get it on my head let alone over my hair. The cap shot off like a charged rubber band or shrivelled into a bun. I donated it to the YMCA and ordered a “Luxury Diva” from Amazon. The textured black cap had a white strap, slipped on, and snuggled my temples. My ponytail created an air pocket which bounced my head during sidestroke. Since I had a new cap, I decided to retire my old black and white suit with its faded-to-gray belt, drooping skirt, and stretch-marked polyester. I sewed in extra elastic to tighten the top of my daughter's jaunty, but modest, two piece suit. Then I squeezed between two men in the middle section of the YMCA pool for a quarter mile swim before Deep Water Fitness. On breast stroke, the front of the suit dropped four inches off my chest, filled with water, and gave me the experience of swimming topless. Did the men notice? I didn't want to know. Men did notice Saturday, however, when I wore the new garden hat my sister gave me. As I cleared dried plant stems from the front yard, passing fishermen honked and waved.