~ July 20, 2003 - 12:48 p.m. ~
Tim's Rival
The best thing about visiting Florida is that I spend virtually all my time in the pool, and I am particularly fond of water aerobics. When I'm visiting my folks, I go to water aerobics every single morning, except for Sunday when they don�t offer classes. I am usually the youngest person there, by virtue of the fact that most younger, more able-bodied people prefer the gym, or fast-paced land aerobics classes. Unfortunately, years of ankle injuries and my pelvic injury-that-keeps-on-giving have pretty much barred me from normal aerobics classes, which usually involve a lot of bouncing and strain to one�s back. So I hit the pool with the old women. Now, my mother also does water aerobics, as do her friends Rob and Donna, both of whom have had injuries and surgeries that require them to go easy in the gym and need the comfort of water. Mom�s back is just as messed up as mine, so we are generally the �youthful� section of the class. The instructors love us, because we can actually keep up with them. But yesterday, someone joined the class and gave us all a run for our money.
His name was Derrick. Blond, tanned, trim, extremely cute, and much faster than any of us. He attached himself to my side from the start, clearly smitten. He would race us all up and down the pool, beating us by miles. At lunch, he engaged me in a conversation on cinema, but was dismayed to learn that he had never head of my favorite movie, �Elizabeth.�
Well, after all, he was only seven years old.
Adorable Derrick (whom my mother insisted on calling �Nemo,� thanks to his orange swim trunks and orange floaty-noodle), grilled me about my favorite movies, hoping we had seen some of the same ones so he could talk to me about them. We were sitting a table away from him and his mother and little brother by the pool.
D: Um, so what�s your second favorite movie then?
G: Harry Potter.
D: Number 1 or number 2?
G: Uh, I like them both. Which do you like?
D: I like one better, but I really wanna see 3. What�s it gonna be called again?
G: The Prisoner of Azkaban.
D: Oh, yeah. Right. What�s you�re third favorite movie?
G: Uh, why don�t you just tell me what your favorite movie is?
D: Oh, that�s Jurassic Park. I like the dinosaurs, even the scary ones. You know, the big raptors that eat you. They�re scary. Do you like scary movies?
G: Not really.
D: Me neither. Wanna hear me do a raptor scream?
G: Uh . . . .
D: [Does weird shrill scream from the back of his throat while his mother hisses �Shhh!�]
G: Wow. That was, uh, accurate.
D: Yeah. Wanna hear me do it again?
G: No, that�s-
D: [Does scream again.]
G: Very nice. So, um-
D: Mommy�s taking us to see �Pirates of the Caribbean� after lunch. I didn�t wanna go to the pool today, cause I like pirates, but she said if we were good we could go to the movies after, which is good �cause it�s gonna rain soon.
G: Oh, I saw that movie. It was really good.
D: Was it scary? I don�t like scary things.
G: Well, the pirates are a little creepy when they turn into bones, but just remember it�s all make believe.
D: Were you scared?
G: No.
D: Ok, then I won�t be either. Oh, you know what else?
G: What else?
D: Have you ever- wait, what�s that thing? [He is pointing at this long hard foam cylinder my mother has just brought down from the gym and propped up next to the table.]
G: That�s something for stretching muscles. You roll your legs over it to stretch them out.
D: Cool. Anyway, have you heard of a movie called �Scorpion King�?
G: Yes, but I never saw it.
D: You won�t like it, cause it�s scary. It�s weird, there�s all this sand and this big orange guy who yells a lot [I think he meant the Rock], and lots of bugs and stuff, but I want you to see it.
G: Uh. . .
D: I know, you don�t like scary movies, but I watched it, and I wasn�t too scared, and I know you won�t like it �cause it�s not too good, not like Jurassic Park, but I want you to see it so I can talk to you about it the next time you come to the pool. They have it at Costco, you can buy it there, that�s where Mommy bought it, but I bet they have it at the movie-renting place too, what�s it called again?
G: Blockbusters?
D: Yeah, that. I like buying movies, �cause then you have them for keeps. You can have till Tuesday to see �Scorpion King� �cause we don�t come to the pool tomorrow. It�s Sunday, and we go to church on Sunday, right Mommy?
D�sM: Right.
D: But we�ll be back on Tuesday, �cause Monday I�m playing with a friend, and we�re not coming to the pool, but I�ll see you Tuesday, OK, Gina?
G: Sure thing Derrick.
He was so cute. Tim says maybe he�ll let him live to see eight.
