Then She Walked Away, chapter 3
"Those kids look a lot bigger than me," Jacob told Terri.
Jacob was waiting for his event number to be called up and was standing with Terri, who was quite calm. Hell, after participating in these for the last twenty years of her life, who wouldn't be collected? Terri looked down at Jacob and smiled encouragingly. "They may seem bigger, but that isn't always a good thing."
"It's not?"
Terri shook her head. "See that kid standing in front of Lane 2?" she asked.
Jacob turned to look at the kid standing in the indicated lane and shivered. He was quite larger than him, and not just vertically. "That can work against him... he could tire faster, be slowed down, not to mention the larger the bathing suit is, the more water it retains and the more it can slow someone down. Jacob... look at me for a second," she said softly.
Jacob turned to her and with wide eyes, listened to her carefully. "Don't worry about what place you come in. If you do, then you've failed before you even hit the water. Just enjoy it. You only live once right? Besides, there are going to be so many more times where you and I are going to be standing behind a swimmer's block, ready to go on. But then again, that's if you want to."
Jacob was silent for a moment and then smiled widely at her. "I want to," he chimed.
Terri returned the smile. "Good, now lets get you all ready, and I'll be waiting on the other side of the pool for you when you finish."
Jacob nodded and stuck on his goggles as the whistle blew. Terri winked at him and then he stood on the block, taller than anyone else in the world.
* *
"Those kids are so much bigger than Jake!" Billie argued to no one in particular.
Adrienne sighed, obviously agreeing with Billie, but it's not like there was anything to do with it. "Well, Terri seems to think that he can do this, so we should trust in that I guess."
"Lets go Jacob!" Tre, Ramona and Estelle shouted out together.
Tre's eyes caught Terri walking to the opposite end of the pool, and standing in front of the same lane that Jacob was ready to dive into. Terri looked over and gave a quick nod to Tre who returned the gesture just as the second whistle blew, indicating that the race had started.
"Jesus... he's a bullet!" Mike laughed.
And in those quick seconds, Billie Joe and Adrienne found themselves watching as their youngest son, with the help of Terri, pulled himself out of the pool where he was soon met with a man handing him a first place red ribbon.
"I did it!" he screamed to Terri in delight, hugging her as he soaked her with water. Picking the boy up, Terri got his towel and led him out of the way and kneeled in front of him. "Now don't you wanna show you're parents and brother?"
"And my godfather!" he said.
Terri nodded. "And you're godfather."
"And uncle Mike's here too! They all saw me! That was so cool! I wanna swim again!"
Terri nodded. "And you will. Trust me. Now go on."
Jacob sprinted towards his parents and friends... well, he considered them family, and was greeted quite enthusiastically. "Mommy! Daddy! I did it!" he said as Billie Joe picked him up and Joey asked to see the ribbon.
"Jacob, that was amazing! I didn't know you're that fast?" Billie Joe said as he held Jacob in the air.
"Are you sure you're not half-fish?" Mike asked the young Armstrong.
Jacob laughed and then Billie continued to hold him up in his arms, not really caring if his shirt was going to be wet later on. "Daddy... I get to swim again too after! I get to swim butterfly!"
"Butterfly?" Adrienne asked. "That's a hard one Jake," she teased.
"I can do it!" he said as Billie Joe lowered him to the ground.
"So how much time do you have before you have to go on to the next race?" Adrienne asked.
Jacob shook his head. "I don't know, but butterfly is the last stroke to swim. But I want to watch the rest of the swimmers."
So, with the Armstrong family complete, Mike and Estelle and Tre and Ramona, they all sat together, watching the other kids compete and swim their little hearts out. It was a little more interesting as the older kids started to swim, mostly because some of them would pout and stomp their feet if they didn't come in first. When backstroke was finishing up, Jacob looked at his dad. "I have to go get ready again," he told him.
"You know the way, or you want me to bring you?" Billie asked.
Jacob puffed up his chest. "I know."
So Jacob Armstrong leaped up and jolted through the bleachers, and with Mike's help, was set down on the ground safely and then made his way over to the same place that the other swimmers were waiting patiently.
"There you are," Terri said as Jacob came towards her. She handed him his goggles and gave him his swim card and asked him to wait a sec before she would go over with him. Finishing with the older girl in her teens, Terri walked with Jacob and made their way to the same lane that they were both standing at before. As Jacob and Terri sat there, a man walked over to them. He was pretty built and had the clichéd suffer-boy blonde hair and style. And if there was anything that Terri loathed more than that suffer-attitude that the man had, was the man himself. "Terri, good to see you."
"Likewise Chris," she told him in a bland tone.
Jacob watched as the man flexed his arms in attempts to impress Terri and frowned. He didn't like this jock. "Who's your new swimmer?" he asked.
"This is Jacob," she said looking at Jacob. Winking at him, she turned back to Chris. "Jacob, this is Chris. He used to be a coach here but then went on to coach the older kids from Elmcrest pool."
Jacob only nodded and kept to swinging his legs. Chris, apparently not taking a hint, leaned in. "You know Terri, as tradition, there's a staff race at the end. You in?"
Terri shook her head. "No... Alex said he was going to do it."
"He backed out when he found out that I was swimming. So you in? It's only for points you know? We were going to do the 100."
The '100' was where you swam four consecutive laps, each one as a different stroke; backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and front stroke, respectively. It wasn't easy, but Terri's done it before. Whereas swimming in a competition was another story. "But if you want to back down... you know, if you're too afraid of competition," he teased.
"I'm not afraid of competition Chris, I just don't want to swim against you," she said plainly.
Jacob looked up at Terri once more and frowned. He knew she wasn't exactly happy. And then a thought came to his mind. He'll win this race to make her happy. That'll make her smile!
"Look, it's no embarrassment when I win or anything... I mean, I am bigger than you and all."
Terri exchanged a quick glance with Jacob, along with a knowing smile. "If I beat you, will you shut up?" she asked.
Chris arched his eyebrow. "Sure. If you win... but don't count on it. And if I win, you have to accept my dinner invitation."
Groaning to herself, Terri rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Content with himself, Chris walked away and went over to his swimmer. Jacob looked back up at her as he put his goggles over his head. And although he was just a child, he knew that there was something wrong with Terri. "Are you mad?" he asked her.
Terri looked down and smiled weakly. "No. Just that... when I swim, I do it at my own speed. I haven't competed since I ruined my shoulder. And I know that after this race, it's going to hurt me pretty bad."
"So why are you racing?"
Terri sighed. "Because I really don't want to go on a date with Chris," she said with a smile as she stood up. "Now, get in that water Aquaman."
Jacob skipped onto the block and put his goggles over his eyes. And just as before, in seconds after the second whistle blew, Terri was standing on the other side of the pool with a towel for Jacob and wrapping him around as she handed him his first place ribbon. "Are you happy?" he asked her.
Terri smiled. "Of course I am. See what you can do when you want to? You're a champ."
Jacob, content for bringing a smile to Terri's face as he won, made his way over to his family that were waiting for him, all smiles.
"That's great Jake! Who knew you were so good," Joey said in a brotherly tone.
As they all continued to watch the races, Jacob frowned when he saw that Chris guy pull off his shirt and stand behind the block. "What's wrong Jacob?" Ramona asked him as the rest of them turned to see Jacob grimacing.
"That guy there... he's the coach for the other pool and he's a jerk."
"Jacob," Adrienne warned.
"He is! He challenged Terri to a race and he knows that she has a weak shoulder."
"Weak shoulder?" Tre asked.
Adrienne nodded. "I was telling them the other day, Terri was in a car accident and her shoulder's never been the same since." Looking back at Jacob, she frowned. "So why did she accept?"
"Cause... if she doesn't beat him, then he's never going to leave her alone and he want to take her on a date and stuff."
As the adults exchanged looks, they were interrupted as the announcer spoke over the mike. "Ladies and gentlemen, as the judges calculate the points for tonight's competition, as tradition, we have the staff race. In lane two, we have from Elmcrest pool, Chris Speedo."
Tre stifled a laugh. "Speedo... ironic isn't it."
Mike grinned along with Billie and then they all watched as a woman stepped onto the other block. She was wearing goggles and kept her head down completely. But as Mike watched her, he couldn't excuse this magnetism towards her. She just seemed so delicate... like someone who he could hold in his arms and protect from anything. Not to mention that she had a body that could make any dry-mouthed man drool.
The announcer continued enthusiastically, "And in lane four, Terri Farelleli from Aldercrown pool."
'So that was Terri?' Mike thought. 'Quite the beauty.'
They all watched her as she massaged her shoulder where she was sporting a thin brace. Shaking her head, Terri let out the breath that she was holding. "Swimmers, in the pool please."
The two jumped into the pool and readied themselves against the edge, since they were beginning with backstroke. With her bad shoulder closest to Chris, he leaned over, to what appeared to most people as a friendly gesture, and placed his hand on her bad shoulder.
But to Terri, and the few people that knew the story behind this 'competition', it was just another cheating way for Chris to better his chances. "Good luck," he smiled at her as he pressed into her shoulder.
Hissing in pain, Terri pulled away.
"That's not fair!" Tre said, causing some people to look his way.
"Tre, shut up," Adrienne warned.
Tre closed his mouth, but not before sending a dirty look over to Chris. And then, the whistle blew.
Jacob was waiting for his event number to be called up and was standing with Terri, who was quite calm. Hell, after participating in these for the last twenty years of her life, who wouldn't be collected? Terri looked down at Jacob and smiled encouragingly. "They may seem bigger, but that isn't always a good thing."
"It's not?"
Terri shook her head. "See that kid standing in front of Lane 2?" she asked.
Jacob turned to look at the kid standing in the indicated lane and shivered. He was quite larger than him, and not just vertically. "That can work against him... he could tire faster, be slowed down, not to mention the larger the bathing suit is, the more water it retains and the more it can slow someone down. Jacob... look at me for a second," she said softly.
Jacob turned to her and with wide eyes, listened to her carefully. "Don't worry about what place you come in. If you do, then you've failed before you even hit the water. Just enjoy it. You only live once right? Besides, there are going to be so many more times where you and I are going to be standing behind a swimmer's block, ready to go on. But then again, that's if you want to."
Jacob was silent for a moment and then smiled widely at her. "I want to," he chimed.
Terri returned the smile. "Good, now lets get you all ready, and I'll be waiting on the other side of the pool for you when you finish."
Jacob nodded and stuck on his goggles as the whistle blew. Terri winked at him and then he stood on the block, taller than anyone else in the world.
* *
"Those kids are so much bigger than Jake!" Billie argued to no one in particular.
Adrienne sighed, obviously agreeing with Billie, but it's not like there was anything to do with it. "Well, Terri seems to think that he can do this, so we should trust in that I guess."
"Lets go Jacob!" Tre, Ramona and Estelle shouted out together.
Tre's eyes caught Terri walking to the opposite end of the pool, and standing in front of the same lane that Jacob was ready to dive into. Terri looked over and gave a quick nod to Tre who returned the gesture just as the second whistle blew, indicating that the race had started.
"Jesus... he's a bullet!" Mike laughed.
And in those quick seconds, Billie Joe and Adrienne found themselves watching as their youngest son, with the help of Terri, pulled himself out of the pool where he was soon met with a man handing him a first place red ribbon.
"I did it!" he screamed to Terri in delight, hugging her as he soaked her with water. Picking the boy up, Terri got his towel and led him out of the way and kneeled in front of him. "Now don't you wanna show you're parents and brother?"
"And my godfather!" he said.
Terri nodded. "And you're godfather."
"And uncle Mike's here too! They all saw me! That was so cool! I wanna swim again!"
Terri nodded. "And you will. Trust me. Now go on."
Jacob sprinted towards his parents and friends... well, he considered them family, and was greeted quite enthusiastically. "Mommy! Daddy! I did it!" he said as Billie Joe picked him up and Joey asked to see the ribbon.
"Jacob, that was amazing! I didn't know you're that fast?" Billie Joe said as he held Jacob in the air.
"Are you sure you're not half-fish?" Mike asked the young Armstrong.
Jacob laughed and then Billie continued to hold him up in his arms, not really caring if his shirt was going to be wet later on. "Daddy... I get to swim again too after! I get to swim butterfly!"
"Butterfly?" Adrienne asked. "That's a hard one Jake," she teased.
"I can do it!" he said as Billie Joe lowered him to the ground.
"So how much time do you have before you have to go on to the next race?" Adrienne asked.
Jacob shook his head. "I don't know, but butterfly is the last stroke to swim. But I want to watch the rest of the swimmers."
So, with the Armstrong family complete, Mike and Estelle and Tre and Ramona, they all sat together, watching the other kids compete and swim their little hearts out. It was a little more interesting as the older kids started to swim, mostly because some of them would pout and stomp their feet if they didn't come in first. When backstroke was finishing up, Jacob looked at his dad. "I have to go get ready again," he told him.
"You know the way, or you want me to bring you?" Billie asked.
Jacob puffed up his chest. "I know."
So Jacob Armstrong leaped up and jolted through the bleachers, and with Mike's help, was set down on the ground safely and then made his way over to the same place that the other swimmers were waiting patiently.
"There you are," Terri said as Jacob came towards her. She handed him his goggles and gave him his swim card and asked him to wait a sec before she would go over with him. Finishing with the older girl in her teens, Terri walked with Jacob and made their way to the same lane that they were both standing at before. As Jacob and Terri sat there, a man walked over to them. He was pretty built and had the clichéd suffer-boy blonde hair and style. And if there was anything that Terri loathed more than that suffer-attitude that the man had, was the man himself. "Terri, good to see you."
"Likewise Chris," she told him in a bland tone.
Jacob watched as the man flexed his arms in attempts to impress Terri and frowned. He didn't like this jock. "Who's your new swimmer?" he asked.
"This is Jacob," she said looking at Jacob. Winking at him, she turned back to Chris. "Jacob, this is Chris. He used to be a coach here but then went on to coach the older kids from Elmcrest pool."
Jacob only nodded and kept to swinging his legs. Chris, apparently not taking a hint, leaned in. "You know Terri, as tradition, there's a staff race at the end. You in?"
Terri shook her head. "No... Alex said he was going to do it."
"He backed out when he found out that I was swimming. So you in? It's only for points you know? We were going to do the 100."
The '100' was where you swam four consecutive laps, each one as a different stroke; backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and front stroke, respectively. It wasn't easy, but Terri's done it before. Whereas swimming in a competition was another story. "But if you want to back down... you know, if you're too afraid of competition," he teased.
"I'm not afraid of competition Chris, I just don't want to swim against you," she said plainly.
Jacob looked up at Terri once more and frowned. He knew she wasn't exactly happy. And then a thought came to his mind. He'll win this race to make her happy. That'll make her smile!
"Look, it's no embarrassment when I win or anything... I mean, I am bigger than you and all."
Terri exchanged a quick glance with Jacob, along with a knowing smile. "If I beat you, will you shut up?" she asked.
Chris arched his eyebrow. "Sure. If you win... but don't count on it. And if I win, you have to accept my dinner invitation."
Groaning to herself, Terri rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Content with himself, Chris walked away and went over to his swimmer. Jacob looked back up at her as he put his goggles over his head. And although he was just a child, he knew that there was something wrong with Terri. "Are you mad?" he asked her.
Terri looked down and smiled weakly. "No. Just that... when I swim, I do it at my own speed. I haven't competed since I ruined my shoulder. And I know that after this race, it's going to hurt me pretty bad."
"So why are you racing?"
Terri sighed. "Because I really don't want to go on a date with Chris," she said with a smile as she stood up. "Now, get in that water Aquaman."
Jacob skipped onto the block and put his goggles over his eyes. And just as before, in seconds after the second whistle blew, Terri was standing on the other side of the pool with a towel for Jacob and wrapping him around as she handed him his first place ribbon. "Are you happy?" he asked her.
Terri smiled. "Of course I am. See what you can do when you want to? You're a champ."
Jacob, content for bringing a smile to Terri's face as he won, made his way over to his family that were waiting for him, all smiles.
"That's great Jake! Who knew you were so good," Joey said in a brotherly tone.
As they all continued to watch the races, Jacob frowned when he saw that Chris guy pull off his shirt and stand behind the block. "What's wrong Jacob?" Ramona asked him as the rest of them turned to see Jacob grimacing.
"That guy there... he's the coach for the other pool and he's a jerk."
"Jacob," Adrienne warned.
"He is! He challenged Terri to a race and he knows that she has a weak shoulder."
"Weak shoulder?" Tre asked.
Adrienne nodded. "I was telling them the other day, Terri was in a car accident and her shoulder's never been the same since." Looking back at Jacob, she frowned. "So why did she accept?"
"Cause... if she doesn't beat him, then he's never going to leave her alone and he want to take her on a date and stuff."
As the adults exchanged looks, they were interrupted as the announcer spoke over the mike. "Ladies and gentlemen, as the judges calculate the points for tonight's competition, as tradition, we have the staff race. In lane two, we have from Elmcrest pool, Chris Speedo."
Tre stifled a laugh. "Speedo... ironic isn't it."
Mike grinned along with Billie and then they all watched as a woman stepped onto the other block. She was wearing goggles and kept her head down completely. But as Mike watched her, he couldn't excuse this magnetism towards her. She just seemed so delicate... like someone who he could hold in his arms and protect from anything. Not to mention that she had a body that could make any dry-mouthed man drool.
The announcer continued enthusiastically, "And in lane four, Terri Farelleli from Aldercrown pool."
'So that was Terri?' Mike thought. 'Quite the beauty.'
They all watched her as she massaged her shoulder where she was sporting a thin brace. Shaking her head, Terri let out the breath that she was holding. "Swimmers, in the pool please."
The two jumped into the pool and readied themselves against the edge, since they were beginning with backstroke. With her bad shoulder closest to Chris, he leaned over, to what appeared to most people as a friendly gesture, and placed his hand on her bad shoulder.
But to Terri, and the few people that knew the story behind this 'competition', it was just another cheating way for Chris to better his chances. "Good luck," he smiled at her as he pressed into her shoulder.
Hissing in pain, Terri pulled away.
"That's not fair!" Tre said, causing some people to look his way.
"Tre, shut up," Adrienne warned.
Tre closed his mouth, but not before sending a dirty look over to Chris. And then, the whistle blew.
