Barely Above Water

by Pallotta, Gail;

  She turned around. “Yes?”

  “Here are Amy and Nate Green. They’re U.S. swimmers visiting their uncle, John Marks.”

  Ellie’s lips turned up on the corners into a big grin as she shook hands with John. “They can each swim three individual events and two relays, right?”

  Suzie placed one hand on Amy’s shoulder, the other on Nate’s. Excitement over the talent they’d bring to this ragtag team skipped on her nerve endings. “Yes. Let them choose their races and put them on the freestyle and medley relays in their age groups.”

  John stopped gazing with admiration at his niece and nephew and turned toward Suzie. “I mentioned timing when we talked, but I can work anywhere. I coached summer league when I was in high school.”

  “I appreciate your support. Ellie has a lis—” She needed someone by her side to help run this meet, encourage the swimmers, and not make her feel like crying while doing it. “This team doesn’t have adult coordinators. How would you like to be an assistant coach tonight?”

  His eyes widened. “Sounds great. It’d bring back good memories.”

  Gratitude pulsed through Suzie’s veins. “If you would, take over warm-up.”

  Within seconds, John had met Bob and Jay and replaced them. “Okay, it’s your turn. Round up the older swimmers.” John cupped his hands beside his mouth and yelled. “Ten-and-under Dolphins, out of the pool.” His enthusiastic voice boomed above the chattering crowd.

  A group of swimmers wearing red t-shirts imprinted with the word “Sharks” streamed onto the pool deck. A slender girl with long blond hair gazed around as she wandered in with them. The back of her t-shirt read “Coach Mallory.”

  Suzie hurried to her. “Hi, I’m Suzie Morris. Set up anywhere you want other than that corner.” Suzie pointed to the Okaloosa Dolphins’ bullpen. “If you need anything, let me or John, my assistant, know.” Suzie waved toward John.

  “I’m Mallory Winchester, the coach for the Clear Springs Sharks.” She tilted her small, pointed nose upward. “I heard the county started a team for kids of service workers. I was told there was no money in the budget for an assistant, and no parents to serve as adult coordinators.” A catty ring lined her voice.

  Irritation scraped Suzie’s nerves like sandpaper. “Well, there he is.”

  “So I see. I understand you lost your first meet by fifty points. I imagine you’ve had to teach lots of these kids how to swim. That must be difficult.”

  Suzie gritted her teeth. “How about the right-hand corner?” Was that where I saw the ants? “Excuse me. The refs are coming in.”

  Suzie charged over to two men in white shorts and matching shirts. “Hi, I’m Suzie Morris. I’m the coach for the home team.”

  “Are the coordinators here yet?” the gray-haired man asked.

  “I’m it.”

  He rubbed the top of his head. “Oh yeah. I remember now. These kids’ parents all work, so there are no advisers.”

  “Right.” The last thing she needed was flak from the officials because the Dolphins didn’t have team moms.

  “That’s okay. We’ve refereed a lot of swim meets. I don’t think we’ll need anything, but if we do, we’ll holler at you.”

  An Asian man carrying a large, stainless steel bucket and a woman with a red plastic bowl zipped over to Suzie. The short, muscular man said, “You muss be Miss Suzie. Liang tell us you very pretty with blond hair, blue eye.”

  “Oh, hello. How nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Yim.”

  Mr. Yim held out the bucket. “Where you want shrimp?”

  “Shrimp?” She’d asked Matt to give them flyers about bringing baked goods, but these two had outdone themselves.

  “Mr. Rodmer at hotel want to help team. Send ten pound boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce.” Mr. Yim tilted his head toward his petite wife.

  She grinned wide, exposing small, white teeth then held out the plastic bowl. “Cocktail sauce in here. You put shrimp in small dish. Sell for five dollar, or put in smaller dish, sell two-fifty.”

  “Thank you so much.” Suzie placed her clipboard under her arm and grasped the handle of the bucket. Who would help in the kitchen? A pang of anxiety pricked her skin like pins as Mrs. Yim plopped the cocktail sauce atop the shrimp.

  Seeming to come out of nowhere, Vic Deleona swooped to her side. “Here, let me take that for you.” He grabbed the containers. “Where do you want these?”

  “In the kitchen. I’ll show you. Did you see your banner? We’re putting it in our bullpen every meet.”

  “Yes, thank you. I’m going to stay for the meet. What do you want me to do?”

  Suzie doubted a man of Mr. Deleona’s standing knew anything about working in a kitchen. She wouldn’t dare ask him to.

  “Looks like you could use someone here.” He gazed around the empty room.

  On the other hand, who was she to make such a snap judgment? She wanted to give him a hug. “Thank you. Some of the parents are bringing baked goods. They can serve, if you could take orders and payments.”

  Vic winked at her. “Good deal.”

  Several parents strolled over and laid bags with two brownies in each of them on the counter underneath the peek-a-boo opening. Vic scooped them up as a tall blond man walked to Suzie.

  “I’m George Sims, Ray’s dad. I work at Rinaldo’s. He sent this Italian wedding cake for the baked goods. You could probably charge two dollars and a half for a nice-sized piece.”

  Suzie sensed someone staring at her as Ray’s dad spoke. Did Ellie need her or was one of the children trying to get her attention? Any of the little ones would pull on her shirt if they wanted something.

  She surveyed the area. Standing behind a group of small swimmers, Matt locked eyes with her then turned away. Was he checking her out? Why? That made no sense. Her eye twitched. Would the arrogant jerk gawk at her all night?

  “That’s wonderful.” Suzie accepted the three-tiered delicacy, nicely displayed on a white plate with a clear plastic lid. The generosity of the community touched her heart, and she forgot about Matt’s rude stare. But how in the world would they package the treat to sell?

  Vic leaned across the counter. “I’ll ask the ladies to slice it as people order a piece and serve it on a paper plate with a fork. That works, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Suzie handed the delicacy to him.

  A tall, lanky, dark-haired man who resembled Joey, sauntered into the kitchen with two large plastic to-go boxes from The Wharf.

  “Hi, Mr. Sparks. I’d know you anywhere. Joey looks just like you,” Suzie said.

  “Thank you.” Pride rang in Mr. Sparks’ voice. Then he glanced at the boxes. “My manager sent smoked tuna dip and crackers.”

  “I appreciate it so much. This will help the team a lot.”

  More parents poured into the kitchen, bringing bags of fresh oranges, pineapples from Hawaii, and chocolate éclairs. The kids were going to be too full to swim, but what an outpouring of support for the new team. Suzie had a feeling the Okaloosa Dolphins would be around for a while.

  Matt sauntered over, and Suzie bristled. He was just like Carson. Were all men jerks but Ralph, her stepfather, who’d been the kindest man in the world for the few years she’d known him until he died? She had to keep her head up and work with Matt.

  “I’ll announce. Let me know when you want me to kick off the meet.”

  How could he act normal as though nothing ever happened between them? He must be the coldest person in the world. Did she detect a little uneasiness around the corners of his eyes? Probably her imagination.

  “Check the kitchen and broadcast about the food and treats for sale. The sooner those attending buy, the better.” Suzie glanced at her watch. “The Sharks have warmed up. Mallory is in her bullpen.” With the ants. “Start in five minutes.”

  Melissa pulled on Suzie’s shirt. “This is my mom.”

  A woman with friendly crystal clear blue eyes reached out and shook Suzie’s hand. “I’m Joan.”


  Suzie smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Remember, you said we didn’t have enough people for relays?” Melissa asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We do now. My mom brought my sisters.”

  Three teens stood with Joan. Melissa touched the one with short, dark curly hair on the arm. “Eva’s sixteen. She loves to swim, and she’s the top math student in the tenth grade at Christ School. Mama’s hoping she doesn’t get too serious about her boyfriend, because she has a bright future if she goes to college.”

  Eva knitted her brows. “Meee-li-sa.”

  Melissa snickered then pointed to a young lady with long black hair and dark eyes. “Margaret’s going to graduate this year and go to college. You can call her Maggie.”

  “Hi, Maggie.”

  Melissa waved her arm toward a girl with blond hair and blue eyes like Joan and her. “Louise will be a sophomore next year. She enjoys drawing and painting almost as much as she does swimming. She was in a play too.”

  Obviously, Melissa was proud of her family.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” Suzie spoke with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

  The girls directed their gazes to Suzie. Maggie said, “You’re welcome. It’ll be fun.”

  “I have two cousins coming too. They’re boys. One’s eighteen and one’s sixteen. We’re going to win the meet.” Excitement rang in Melissa’s elevated voice.

  Joan pushed blond bangs off her face. “We’re glad to help out.”

  “I appreciate you thinking of our team.” Extra swimmers could give the Okaloosa Dolphins more points if they filled spots that would have been vacant. Her directions had been to phone the county to add additional swimmers. Suzie ripped a piece of paper from her clipboard. “Write down the children’s names and ages on here as quickly as possible. There’s a deadline for add-ons. I hope it’s any time before the meet starts.”

  Joan put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, no.” Her fingers flew across the page then she handed it to Suzie.

  “Thanks. I’ll see if I can make this work.” Suzie took a deep breath as she hurried past the parents and onlookers seated in lawn chairs and wound her way through the few swimmers still wandering out of their bullpens.

  The officials stood at the end of the pool with their arms crossed over their chests as though they were ready for the meet to start. The fiftyish guy relaxed his stance and smiled at her. “Can we help you with something?”

  “I’m not sure.” The truth was always best, and the Lord certainly would hold her accountable for her words and actions. “One of the moms wants to add swimmers to the team, but she didn’t let me know until just now.” Suzie waved her arm toward Joan.

  The referees turned in that direction, and Joan waved.

  The younger ref bit his bottom lip. “Those three girls standing with the woman?”

  “Yes, and there are two boys coming later.”

  The fiftyish fellow grabbed the paper from Suzie. “Sure, we can add them now. The meet hasn’t started, and there are no fees to handle because the county’s sponsoring this team. I’ll take care of it for you.”

  Suzie snapped to attention. “I appreciate your help.”

  He winked at her. “You’re welcome.”

  Suzie turned around and bumped into Matt. His touch sent warmth through her. Her heart ached as though she were a faucet someone switched from hot to sorrow. And it poured inside her like a flood.

  “You can start the meet.” Her stomach turned queasy. Could the kids pull this off? Could she concentrate on the events instead of Matt?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The national anthem wafted from the public address system. All noise and unorganized movement ceased while men, women, and children stood like statues. Suzie placed her hand over her heart and glanced at the pool. The calm blue water sparkled. Red and blue backstroke flags were in place. A moment of silence fell when the song ended then chattering and chairs scraping across the cement charged the evening.

  Ellie showed Anna to lane one and Melissa to three as a woman with long straight red hair guided two little Sharks to lanes two and four.

  Matt thumped on the microphone and blew into it. “We’re ready to start. Six-and-under girls, twenty-five-yard freestyle on the blocks.”

  The crowd stopped talking as though someone had turned them off like a radio. The only sound in the still night—the rustling of the officials’ papers.

  Nearly everyone focused on the starting blocks, and Suzie’s heart fluttered with nervousness for Anna, Melissa, and the meet. The two girls stepped up, stretched out their arms, and crossed their hands, forming a triangle. Then they lowered their heads in dive stances. Such little troopers.

  The six-and-under Sharks stayed upright as though they intended to jump in the water.

  Matt blew the loud whistle Suzie had requested to mark the events instead of a horn or gun, and his cheeks puffed out.

  Melissa and Anna shot off the blocks and pulled ahead as the Sharks hopped in.

  Parents bounded out of their lawn chairs and hollering erupted.

  “Go Sharks!”

  “Go Dolphins!”

  The girl in lane three gained on Anna and Melissa.

  Suzie’s nerves stood on end. “Kick, kick, big kicks!”

  John called out, “Pick it up. Pick it up.”

  Several eight-year-old Dolphins jumped up and down along the side of the pool and screamed, “Go, go, go!”

  “Gooo, Dolphins.” A group of parents turned their heads toward the finish.

  Anna came in first and Melissa second but only by hundredths of a second.

  Anna climbed out of the pool with tears in her big green eyes. “I wanted my mommy to see me win.”

  Suzie hugged her. “She did, honey. You won, but even if you hadn’t, you swam your best, and that makes mommies proud.” She desperately wanted to ensure these children gained a sense of success from doing well. No one gave these youngsters swim lessons when they were three to five years old. They started from a different place, and had accomplished so much. Would they realize that without winning a meet? If only they could snag a victory in front of their parents.

  Anna wiped her eyes. Her thin lips spread into a big smile. Then she hurried to the bullpen and commenced talking to Melissa.

  Matt moved the meet at a fast pace. The Dolphins either won or held their own through the ten-and-under swims. The eleven and twelve-year-old Sharks finished first in nine events out of sixteen, but the competition ahead lay heavy on Suzie’s heart. She wandered to one of Harold’s friends, Elaine Newberg, who kept the score sheet. “May I?”

  “Sure.” Elaine handed the paper to her then ran her hand through her long black hair.

  The Dolphins led by fifty points, but the Sharks would put their older U. S. swimmers in the races soon.

  Sunset washed the sky with its reddish-golden hues. Then twilight fell, and the lights blinked on around and in the pool.

  Matt announced the thirteen to fourteen-year-old girls’ fifty-yard backstroke.

  Escorting a trim teen with long arms and legs, Ellie pushed through a crowd of swimmers. The youngsters munched on tacos, shrimp, and Italian wedding cake as the two forged past them to the starting blocks.

  Ellie stood back as Melissa’s sister, Louise, jumped in the water at lane one and took hold of the starting block handles for the backstroke event.

  Ellie walked to Suzie and whispered, “She swims in high school, and so do her sisters. I put them in the first heats.”

  Bells rang in Suzie’s head. Maybe they had a chance. “Thank you.”

  Matt blew the whistle. Water flew in the air as the backstrokers pushed off, arms churning backward, feet kicking fast. Screams from the parents filled the air as the swimmers stayed stroke for stroke, nearing the wall.

  Louise executed a perfect turn and pulled ahead.

  Suzie’s heart jumped in her throat. Way to go, Louise.

  The Dolphins parent
s jumped out of their seats and hollered, “Goooo, Louise.”

  Water splashed off the competitors’ arms as they headed for the finish, their bodies fractions of inches apart. Louise lunged, reached, and touched a hand’s length before the Shark. She pulled herself out of the pool, and Dolphins swarmed her. The girls hugged her, the guys tapping her shoulder. The moms and dads cheered, and Suzie’s chest filled with hope for the Okaloosa Dolphins.

  “Hmmmph.” Mallory patted her swimmer on the back. “You’ll get her in the relay.”

  Not likely. Suzie joined the crowd around Louise. “Great swim.”

  Suzie thumped her pencil on her clipboard. Carl, the only thirteen-fourteen-year-old male backstroker for the Dolphins, hopped into the water with two Sharks, one wearing a U.S. swimming cap. Carl had so much heart, but no way could he hang with the year round competitor.

  The whistle pierced the night. Carl bounded off the wall at the same instant the U.S. swimmer did. Onlookers on both sides chatted among themselves, paying little attention to the race as though the only thing that counted was the Shark’s sure win.

  The other Shark lagged behind Carl. Ka-ching. Valuable points rang in Suzie’s head. She charged toward the opposite end of the pool.

  Carl approached the wall, and she yelled, “Pull, kick. You’re coming in second.”

  Carl’s legs pumped so hard water splashed in Suzie’s face.

  The Dolphins parents jumped up. “Gooo, Carl.” They screamed until he finished second.

  He grabbed hold of the handles on the starting block and pulled himself out of the pool, water dripping down his arms and legs.

  Suzie gave him a high-five. “Way to go, Carl.”

  Matt announced the senior girls’ one-hundred-yard backstroke.

  Amy Marks pulled off the Dolphins t-shirt Ellie had given her, exposing well-defined biceps. She stuffed her long dark hair underneath a solid blue cap, hopped in the pool, and assumed the backstroke position beside a Sharks year-around swimmer.