BBQ
I walked outside, warm, thick and sweet autumn air, dirty creosote waves coming off of the grille
Remembering…
Prior nights, prior places, homes of the past, 7 or was it 8 years ago, the déjà vu overloads my frontal cortex.
Its so strong I lose vision for a time, I stop , I am engulfed in the reminiscent wave of this warmth, this humidity, this earth stamp of the evening; from the inhale to the exhale and then its gone.
The Pool
Another Am, its 6:15 maybe 6:30
We are all barely covered with nylon and spandex, modesty doesn’t exist on the deck. The cobalt/turquoise chlorine atmosphere warms my lungs until I hit the water.
I am drownding…
Im gasping, flailing, really not feeling this water , why did the coach insist we wear these racing caps (they compress me , make me sweat and break my concentration (I never will get used to these)? Someone is yelling but between the effort, the red blurry vision (even with goggles) I can barely concentrate; it’s the coach, again. I finish, lay on the rope and welcome a flood of Oxygen back into my lungs. Ive also had a giant mouthful of this nasty pool water so im choking. Coughing, spitting, no vision, stars shooting out my eyes, chest and head pounding; laughter is the next sound that breaks through, being 7 is tough.
CHLORINE GAS IN AQUEOUS FORM TAKES NO MERCY
The memory vanishes…
Another dining room
Another service, another round of classical muzak. In and out of the kitchen, the dish room, the bar; the endless faces, smell eddies tide in all corners.
I am exquisitely dressed, my exterior is a billboard of calm and cool, so routine, cooking tableside, making another Caeser salad; in my mind im sorting tables, orders, issues, timings, egos.