True Beauty?

PP feels a surprise tap on her fins, stopping her in her tracks, so to speak, before turning at the wall.

It’s Hemophiliac Swimmer, waving her into his lane. “I’m done,” he announces, grinning his toothless smile at her. “It’s all yours!” He motions to his private lane, giving first dibs to her.






Feeling quite honored, PP nods and dives under the lane line, “Thanks,” she beams before beginning to head back down the lane. But not before seeing HS attempt to change from a water to air situation.

It’s alarming. HS has somehow managed to heave himself out of the water and onto the deck (PP thinks that he usually uses the stairs. Why not today? To get out of her way?)

Now he's rolling on the deck, in a near fetal position, teetering dangerously on the wet cement, his great turtle head rocking in a weird sort of lopsided bob.

Damn! she thinks. Is he okay? Has he just lost his balance for a moment? Or is he just tired after the effort of the swim and the heave-up onto the deck? Or is he having some sort of Hemophiliac Seizure or stroke and she needs to do Something?

“Hey,” she pauses, “Are you okay?”
Rocking still, he waves her away, “Yeah. I’m fine. Don’t’ stop!” For after all he’s all about the workout. Not wanting her to give up an instant in her aerobic aqua endeavors.

Worried, PP glances over at the lifeguards, Sweet Kindness and Stacked Dangly Earrings, chatting in oblivion at HS’s plight.

Thinking she better at least alert them (Once again it occurs to PP how lame the lifeguards can be here at the YMCA! Isn’t it their job to be aware of any swimmer’s distress? Esp. one who’s 82 years old with a life threatening Blood condition?), PP considers waving them over, but HS’s insistent, “Go ahead. Don’t stop,” he repeats, as she continues to glance between him and the lifeguards.

Now they seem to see him, their gaze moving toward the rolling egg-like form on the deck. PP can tell they’re going to meander over this way, but she wonders, did she do enough? Shouldn’t she have hollered out to them? Or gotten out of the pool and steadied HS till they arrived?

Or...?





Would PP have passed the True Beauty “test”? If the hidden camera had been filming would Vanessa and Cheryl and Nole’ have ‘passed’ or ‘failed’ her on her Inner Beauty in helping an old man in obvious distress?

As the lifeguards approach and HS sits up now, PP thinks okay! It’s okay.... he’s okay. She would’ve passed, not failed, like Chelsea when she swore at the gardener who ‘accidentally’ hosed her in her stilettos and fluffy squirt on the way to the Hall of Beauty.

Yet, she has to wonder. How can one really tell if the distress warrants aid or not? True Beauty aside, isn’t it better to error on the side of caution rather than assume someone is okay, even if he says he is? Who cares if he gets embarrassed or she misses a couple minutes of her precious workout. Isn’t the distress of another swimmer something that needs to always take precedence?

Of course. And Chelsea just couldn’t help herself when she swore at the gardener or burped at the crying hairdresser or called Billy an Idiot.





She’s a girl. She gets bitchy. Girls are allowed.

Vanessa and Cheryl and Nole’ are careful not to test their Beauties in any life or death situations. This would be way too risky.

Esp. if Chelsea were involved.

Thank goodness she doesn’t swim. And HS is okay.

And PP’s True Beauty is intact.

Now if only she could work on her outer beauty.

But that’s for another show.