Appeared From Nowhere
I live five minutes from the Washington Hilton, site of the attempted assassination on Ronald Reagan in 1981.
The hotel has a heated Olympic-size pool open six months of the year and I have a membership as swimming has replaced running as my primary means of fitness.
Last night I wandered over at about six for a swim.
The pool is divided into lap lanes and a general swim area, each taking about half.
I was on my third or fourth lap when I looked up mid-pool to find a tow-headed urchin directly in my path.
I put on my best “grumpy old man” expression and told him to stay on the other side.
He looked at me and laughed.
He was five years old.
Seizing Full Control
They were a team of two, brothers it would turn out, and in minutes they had overrun the entire pool, deck and even the spa area.
I judged them to be four and six, they turned out to five and seven.
Not a parent in sight.
They were otters in the water, swimming well over their heads, completely unsupervised.
The lack of ankle GPS bracelets signaled their as yet non-involvement in the juvenile justice system.
As I swam, I continually scanned the lounges for a sign that anyone was assigned as minders, keepers or armed guards.
No one seemed to care.
To Old to be Bullied?
A later investigation would reveal that the five-year-old is Isaac and the seven-year-old, Lucas.
Bored probably, they had taken to throwing all the various pool fitness equipment into the pool and then throwing a good bit of it at me.
I should mention that there was a lifeguard on duty, complete with whistle and he had no better luck than I had.
They laughed and ignored his requests; at one point I saw him with his head in his hands.
Just when I thought things were under control I swam to the far end of the pool only to find Lucas with his legs dangling in the water to further taunt me.
Was I such an easy target?
Bingo
After about 40 minutes I saw Lucas leap out of the pool, jump onto a lounge chair, rip the wrapper off a Subway sandwich and help himself.
Seated next to him was an attractive young lady, head buried in an I-Phone, not a care in the world.
Mother? Sister? Security guard?
I decided if they were still there when I was done that I would have to find out.
I was judging her harshly when it occurred to me that she may have tried her level best and like everyone else there was simply trying to stay out of “brothers way.”
Water Aerobics with Isaac and Lucas
Water Aerobics
I swam for an hour and they were in full motion the entire time.
The evening ended with them hijacking a water aerobics class to the dismay of at least one participant.
She sternly informed Isaac there was a lifeguard on duty and he looked at her with an expression of incredulity and blurted out, “There’s no lifeguard around here.”
Not for him anyway.
The Brothers Colorado
Those guys are brothers visiting from Colorado and they were under the very nominal care of a “babysitter” who, no doubt, instantly determined that she was way out of her league.
Their boundary-less and bounding shenanigans were a riot.
Two brothers on a late summer’s day, in a very big pool, and not a care in this world.
Just the way it should be.