Sunday, February 10, 2008

Sisters




Just got news that PP’s former boss at FFU lost her sister. No details yet on what happened. Just know that it was a terrible tragedy via email. And PP can’t imagine. What would it be like to lose one of her sisters? She would die too.

Swimming. PP and her sisters share this passion. In the beginning, PP more so, but all three girls loved swimming in the pool in Hacienda Heights. Playing Mr. Banana Buddy with Daddy. Dead bug when it was too smoggy to move. PP remembers the high excitement of watching the pool fill up with the garden hoses, the three girls leaning over the sides of the brand new pool, dipping their hands in and shrieking at the cold water. Brimming with excitement over their very own backyard pool!

PP would spend hours swimming back and forth and back and forth in the perfect little pool. 100. 200 laps at a time. (It was a lovely rectangular pool, but not 25 yards like a regular public pool. PP doesn’t know how long it was. Maybe half that? But in any case, it worked. PP’s obsession with pools started way back then. She musta been 11? 12? )

And the sisters. Her middle sister was more of a swimmer than the youngest. PP remembers that her baby sister didn’t learn to swim as early as the older two girls. But now. Watch out. Baby Sister can churn them all out of the water. She’s a lean, mean, swimming machine.

Middle sis, aka Snart, does the awesome ocean swim in San Diego. Wanted PP to swim it with her one year. Get up at 6 am, in the freezing cold water with the fog all about by 7 am. Struggle through cold choppy gray waves till 8 am.

What do you think PP said to that?

“No. Thank you. I think I’ll stay in bed till 9, then get up, take a HOT shower, drink lots of coffee and read the paper. I’ll swim later in the warm sunshine at the sunshine pool with sexy Coach Joe.”

Ah. Yes. This was the sister story that PP needs to share with you all. But no time now. Later….

Till then, PP’s heart goes out to her former boss who lost her sister. Such sentiments seem so shallow written down, so PP is just gonna go swim a few laps in honor of sisters, those who are here, and those who have passed on. (PP’s mom lost her swimmer sister too. Another story there.)

Swimming and sisters. Two of the best ‘s’s in the world. PP knows, whenever she thinks of her sisters, just how very lucky she is to have them in her life—in the pool and in her heart.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Carol,

I was especially touched by this entry--so sorry to hear about your friend's sister. I will swim some laps and think of her, but also of you!

Love,

Lauriecat

YoooouWhoooo!

  “YooooWhoooo!”          I hear the call above me, like a great horned owl, but it can't be. I'm in the pool.  Through the fog ...