Watching The Star | On Hold

Chapter 6

"Ugh!" Susan let out an enormous sigh as she sat on the porch on a brown wooden bench in the shadow, wearing a short pink summer dress with short flutter sleeves. "It is so hot today!"

I didn't sit with Susan on the bench. Instead, I sat on the steps leading to the house. Today was a very hot summer day, about the second week of July. I hadn't been horseback riding since last week, and neither had Susan mentioned it anymore.

I sat in the sunlight smothered in sunscreen with a white sunhat on my head. I liked to wear hats in the summer.

"I know. I think I'm melting." I replied. Today had been an uneventful day. I woke up at eight and have spent most of the morning reading books inside, but once Henry left a few minutes after twelve Susan decided she would go outside, and I went with her. She soon came back to find some shadow cause it was a little too hot.

"I'm thinking," Susan said, raising her arm and scratching her shoulder.

"Yes?" I said, wondering if maybe she'd gotten an idea on how to spend the day.

"What do you say if we take a walk to town and go swimming?" Susan asked.

"There's a swimming pool?" I asked. I hadn't been to town since we had gone grocery shopping so it could be I had just overlooked it.

"Yeah, there is. We walked past it, but it's part of the gym."

"I don't mind. It could be fun to go swimming." I said. "Will anyone be joining us?"

I stood up from the steps of the staircase and leaned my back against the railing, seeking shadow.

"No, I think it'll just be us two," Susan said, and she jumped up from the bench. "If we leave now, and it cools down in the late afternoon, maybe we could still sneak in a riding lesson in the evening before mom goes out for her chores."

My eyebrows raised, and a smile crept onto my face. I was really thinking I wouldn't be riding anymore since it hadn't been mentioned. "I would love that!"

"I thought you would." Susan smiled. "Shall we go?"

In all honesty, I was kind of dreading taking a twenty-minute walk in this heat, but a swim would be very nice. "Sure, let's go pack first."

****

"Come on, Lor, let's get into the water," Susan said, and she stood ready to jump in the pool. I had tipped my toe into the water and it felt cold, so I was reluctant to get in, but it seemed so was Susan. I looked around myself and it was quite crowded. It was a hot day, so I guess many people had gotten the idea of going swimming and cool off in the water. There was an indoor pool and an outdoor pool. Susan and I were currently standing ready to get into the outdoor one.

"Let's get in together at the same time?" Susan asked. She sounded worried, but must have noticed I had been looking around at the people.

"Alright." I sounded quiet, maybe I was trying to make sure no one around me could hear me speak, I have been getting weekly treatment for my social anxiety, talking or writing to a psychologist, but because I'd be away for the summer I'd been put on hold until September.

"On the count of three, we both jump in," Susan said, staring down at the water. We both wanted to go swimming, but now that we were here, we were both so reluctant to get in, it was kind of funny. But I knew that the second we'd get in we'd be just fine.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

And then we both jumped at the ‌same time and I went fully under the water, pinching my nose and holding my breath.