The Solitude of

Swimming
A short story by K.C. Sharpe

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About 5,650 Words

K.C. Sharpe
8404 Forest Lane #401
Dallas, TX 75243
(214) 735-0291
kcsharpe.com
SharpeKevinC@gmail.com

The Solitude of Swimming

By K.C. Sharpe

1
Helpless heroes broken by bullets and bombs wait for Tasha
to heal them as they struggle with the stress of surviving. New
cases motivate her and closed cases inspire her. Journeying down
the hospital hallway, stopping in room from room, she discovers
a returning patient.
Pushing down her anxiety with deep breaths, Tasha exerts
intense eye contact and listens to the patients confession.
When he explains the overwhelming urge he had to drop his baby
over an atrium railing, her eyes zigzag as she tries to recall
overlooked clues from previous sessions. He tells Tasha he cant
be around people he loves because he is afraid he will hurt
them. Frightened by the finality of failure, she listens but
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wonders how she can manage this mistake and correct her
miscalculations.

2
Scott searches the hotel room for his clothes while Ben,
lying in bed, tells Scott to stay and stop being a hooker. The
difference between him and a whore, Scott jokes, is whores
charge; he gets rewarded. Tip by tip, good bartenders flirt when
they are cooking cocktails and cracking long necks, Scott says.
As he pulls up his jeans and buckles his belt, Scott says he
navigates between tempting without teasing before promising he
does not entertain, but he is entertaining. When Ben skeptically
looks back with an eye roll that reviews the damage the two did
to the hotel room together, Scott confesses when he does trick,
they treat.
Without apologizing, Scott owns up to being into out-oftowners and hooking up at hotels. He says boyfriends at home are
bad for business, so he tricks with visiting businessmen and
trampy tourists who have other places to go and different lives
to live. Hotel sex, he continues, brings out the lover in him
and turns his passion into tiny temporary moments like
honeymoons and affairs. Once dressed, he jumps back into bed and

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makes out with Ben one more time. Between kisses, Ben invites
Scott back home to Boston his treat.

3
The whole fraternity groans during the chapter meeting when
Mannish gripes that he is not on the flag football team. Eric,
the intramural chairman, responds back, calling Mannish by his
nickname, saying Slumdog has the mind of a jock, but the body of
a mathlete. Mannish laughs with the rest of his brothers,
pretending to threaten hacking their email accounts.
Another brother uses the moment to criticize Mannishs
performance as social chairman, adding Slumdog should forget
about intramurals and focus on getting more girls to their happy
hours. Eric agrees, saying he loves Slumdog but he needs to stop
the spontaneous keggers and put more into planning and promoting
parties. Mannish slams back with a smile and says he loves Eric
back but he needs to start building some winning teams so the
house has something to celebrate.

4
Carol Christmas feeds Scott another shot and zips up the
back of his dress for the Annual Bartender Review. He says this
is not what he had in mind when he asked Carol to be his drag

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coach. Carol reminds him he needs to compete if he wants to keep

his shifts. Scott reminds Carol he needs to win if they want
those plane tickets to almost anywhere. He adds he hates the
dress, the wig, the shoes, even the song. Before Barbra
Streisand starts to sing With One Look from the musical Sunset
Boulevard, he shouts over the opening instrumental he really
hates his drag name. Carol hands him another shot and tells him
to shut up and swallow. Taking one last look as soon as the
emcee introduces Scott as Tammae Duexmae, Carol grabs his shot
glass and pushes him onto the stage.
Frozen at first, Scott lip syncs to Streisand singing her
show tune. He cant remember the words or the choreography, so
he makes up moves and flirts with the audience. Regulars rush up
and hand him dollar bills as they vote for their favorite
bartender. His composure is clunky and clumsy as he stumbles
across the stage, laughing when he should be singing. He is
still bending over and pulling dollars from the crowd before he
trips, falls backward and collapses. With his legs in the air,
Barbra ends the song, belting out, With one look, Ill be me!
Carol rushes out and asks him how the heels are. When he says he
thinks he broke his ankle and not his heel, Carol is relieved
the shoes are fine.

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5
Holding candy apples and cotton candy, Tasha bends down to
hug her twin boys after they run across the midway to reach her.
Their father walks behind them carrying a turkey leg and a
stuffed panda. She tells them how much she missed them and asks
if they had fun weekend with their dad. Both talk over each
other, rambling off adventures about nachos, water guns,
goldfish and Ping-Pong balls. She listens to their father as he
sarcastically highlights new skills and emerging talents like
flushing toilets, washing hands and putting away toys. Tasha
hugs her sons again and says she is proud they remembered
everything she taught them.
Hand in hand, the twins lead their parents toward the
rides, their father mentioning how he heard Tasha wasnt letting
their boys go to their cousins birthday party. Unsurprised when
Tasha explains it away, he gets frustrated and insists the boys
start taking swim lessons. She agrees and promises shell get to
it as soon as she finds a class that works with her irregular
shifts at the VA hospital. He says he understands and wants to
compromise, but admits he is tired of her excuses and stalling.
She assures him she will get the twins enrolled in swim lessons,
insisting she will not let them grow up afraid of the water.

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6
Again, Mannishs father says no to a loan and repeats how
the old bike in the garage is good enough for racing. Mannish
pleads for money to buy training gear for a triathlon, but his
father resists and wonders who needs money to run. He talks
about growing up running everywhere in Mumbai for free, and that
he will not pay for another one of Mannishs sports obsessions.
From basketball and soccer to lacrosse and hockey, he recites
the long list of sports Mannish grew up playing, including his
latest love of rugby and volleyball.
His dad credits Mannishs mother for his love of sports and
competitive spirit, adding she was the athlete while he was the
student.

To him, Mannish is neither a scholar nor a champion

just average. Mannish grins and says his dad has to agree at
least he is awesomely average.

7
Recovering from his broken ankle, Scott melts from fit to
flabby as he heals. First surgeries and stitches, then a cast
and crutches. After a boot, another operation festers
infections. His friends hang around long enough to sign his
cast, but move on over the months while he mends. Even Carol

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Christmas takes off to Provincetown with the almost-anywhere

plane ticket they won and gets a cabaret gig for the summer.
After the doctor says its okay to get back into shape,
Scott takes on the treadmill. His ankle swells. His knees ache.
His back spasms. A physical therapist recommends elliptical
machines, but Scott is fed up with not getting anywhere. Weights
arent working. Extreme boot camp feels excruciating. Yoga looks
awkward. Zumba sounds goofy. Depressed instead of disciplined,
he wakes up too hungover for morning workouts. He grows a gut
and gets back fat, and his chiseled cheekbones disappear while
his face gets puffy. His embarrassment cannot motivate him to
stick to any regular routines. Scott grows into middle age,
unconditioned and uninspired.

8
Too early to text, Tasha posts, shares and likes her way
around the Internet while her twins cannonball and belly flop
into the shallow end of the pool. She coaches her boys from the
bleachers and shouts at them to stick their faces in the water
and blow bubbles. She hollers, ordering them to kick with their
legs, stroke with their arms, swim underwater and float on their
backs.

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Although bored watching her boys bounce around, she is

excited to see early mornings in the pool make a difference. She
is calm as they splash around far from the deep end and
appreciates their confident carelessness. It is when they crawl
too close to parts of the pool that are over their heads she
jumps to her feet, screaming she cannot save them if they drown.

9
The dance floor lights can be distorting, but Scott
recognizes Ben from Boston as he approaches his station at the
bar. He shows off his surprise with a grin thats nearly as wide
as Bens smile. His one-night-stand says hes back in town for
business as his eyes scan Scott over. Sensing a sudden shift in
Bens enthusiasm, Scott amplifies his happiness and shouts over
the music that it is great seeing him. He repeats himself even
louder when Ben says he cant hear. Ben shakes his head and
agrees, admitting its been a long time since they first met.
Unable to hear Scott offer him a drink on the house, Ben
yells back he should let him get back to work. He scopes out the
dance floor when Scott says it would be great to hang out before
Ben heads back to Boston.

He says he has an early flight the

next morning, dropping eye contact. He backs away to let a

dancer get through and order a drink. Scott yells past the

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customer between them, telling Ben to stop by for a shot before

he leaves. More dancers start crowding around Scotts station as
Ben cruises over to the other side of the club. A few songs
before last call as the crowd starts thinning out, Scott watches
Ben leave the club, guy in tow, without saying goodbye.

10
Mannish struggles with swimming. The closer he gets to the
other side of the pool, the more he looks like he is saving
himself from drowning. His strong and solid strokes turn choppy
and sloppy when he runs out of air. While Olympic swimmers he
YouTubes seamlessly skim across the water, Mannish drags
downward and sinks to a stop whenever he lifts his head to
breathe.
No matter how graceful he is dribbling on basketball courts
or striking on soccer fields, Mannish cannot coordinate kicking
and breathing with stroking and floating. Wading in the water
during childhood beach vacations was not helpful. He discovers
racing requires choreographing efficiency with endurance and
managing strength with power. Every sluggish movement and
punishing lap is awkward and exhausting, and Mannish likes it.

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11
Shy with shame, Scott gets to the pool early in the
mornings so no one sees him shirtless and he can swim solo.
After months of short workouts, struggling through ten, then
twenty and thirty laps, he gets the stamina to swim longer and
further. Too embarrassed to be seen out of the water when others
arrive at the pool, he is trapped swimming laps until everyone
leaves.
New confidence strengthens his pace when he realizes he is
out-swimming the young guy in the next lane. He gets the pool
back to himself once the mother leaves with her boys and the
other swimmer takes off too. Scott is energized by sore muscles
instead of feeling weak with pain in his bones. With each
stretching stroke, he grows taller and stronger.

12
Mannish shares his lane with the boys. He tosses the twins
around in the shallow end rather than swimming laps down into
the deep end. Their mother on the bleachers doesnt mind, and
the man in the other lane doesnt matter.
For weeks every morning, Mannish tries to teach

himself

new swimming methods while attempting to visually pick up

pointers from the man who swims endless laps in the next lane.

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Mannish wades around when the children leave but cannot stay
around as long as the experienced swimmer. He never interrupts
the guys workout, but Mannish waits when he can as long as he
can, hoping to get some help to improve his technique.

13
After many mornings, Tasha sits closer to the pool but not
too close. She lets her kids learn from the young man in the
middle lane who struggles with swimming himself. Despite his
weak skills, she is not worried he will drown since he is taller
than the deep end. While the older man in the far lane is off on
his own swimming, the younger one plays and laughs with the
boys. He looks like he prefers lifeguarding her sons instead of
swimming laps as he cheers on the twins, competing to see who
can stay under water the longest.
She moves closer to the edge over a matter of weeks as
small talk with Mannish grows into longer conversations about
his triathlon training. Together, they study the man in the far
lane, analyzing his non-stop swimming. Mannishs triathlon is
only weeks away, and Tasha worries he will not master swimming
before the race.

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14
The solitude of swimming is like traveling through time
warps. The water and the waves wash away the world. Surrounded
by silent splashes and muffled vibrations, all that matters is
the motion of the moment.
Scott grows within the water as the outside universe moves
on without him. Underwater, he rockets along until he floats to
the surface, sliding and gliding with each stroke. Stretching,
bending, rotating, reaching, pushing and pulling, his arms take
charge and lead with every lap as his heavy legs stay suspended.
Lost in the privacy of the pool, Scott focuses on what he is
accomplishing to avoid sinking with anxiety over what he has not
done. He counts strokes and laps instead of seconds and minutes
as he slips into a swimmers coma rather than a runners high.
He is only lonely outside the pool, back to feeling flabby and
forgettable as he blends in with other middle-aged men who
should be fathers or have a family of friends.

15
A month before the triathlon, Mannish charms more coaching
out of Scott. His confidence grows and he learns how to pace
himself to gain stamina. He cannot beat Scott in a race, but
Mannish manages to finish four laps without stopping.

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Between drills, he tells Scott stories about school and

weekends, family and friends, dating and breakups. He does not
learn much about Scott, but Mannish figures out how to drill
down beyond replies as short as yes, and barely longer than a
no. He updates Scott about the triathlon as it approaches,
including when, where, and how cool it would be if Scott went.
Scott does not seem interested, so Mannish jokes around and
hypothetically asks Scott what kind of coach he would be if he
were not at the big race.

16
Around where the deep end begins, Tasha sits poolside with
her legs in the water, blocking the boys from leaving the
shallow end. She eavesdrops, listening as Scott instructs
Mannish and repeating his advice to her twins. She tells them to
watch and do what Scott and Mannish do, just not in the deep
end.
Mannish leaves early one morning and Tasha crosses the deck
toward Scotts lane. She introduces herself, compliments his
swimming and suggests they surprise Mannish at the triathlon.
She ignores his excuses and talks him through her plan. To make
sure Mannish does not figure out what they are up to, she tells
Scott to keep acting like a cold jackass.

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17
The swimmers run into the lake, racing from the shore into
the water. Mannish rushes forward wildly, smiling but not
knowing what to expect. Without warning, he panics when he hits
the cold, muddy water. Surrounded by waves and splashes from the
other swimmers, he forgets to float. His arms swing in and out
of the water, but he is barely moving forward. Waves of pain
pound him as faster swimmers from behind crash and crawl over
his body, pushing him under the surface. While everyone else
races to the other side, Mannish wonders how not to get hurt. As
stronger swimmers pass, Mannish gains room to face forward,
stretch his strokes and lift his legs to kick harder. Crawling
through the chaos, he struggles to keep up with the last of the
other weaker swimmers. He mentally pushes his mind as he
physically pulls his body closer to the middle of the lake.
With winners ahead and losers behind, Mannish centers
himself halfway between first and last. He swims through the
calm of the lakes smooth water at its peaceful center,
recalibrating his strokes so he can finish hard and catch up to
make up for his unaggressive start. He reaches a rhythm he rides
to the other side. Crawling onto the shore, exhausted and
fatigued, Mannish works up enough energy to rest for a bit. He

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pulls himself up, leans onto his knees and catches his breath as
he loses his lead over slower swimmers who run past him toward
their bikes. Hearing his fraternity brothers yelling to keep
going, he gets his mind back into the race. First, though, he
puts on a bit of a show as he takes off on his bike grinning
and waving back at Tasha and her kids who are standing next to
Scott.

18
Coping with karma is a consequence of being middle-aged,
Scott tells Tasha as he recovers between laps. He says thats
why he feels like being in his forties is more of a mission than
a phase. Then, he pushes off to start another lap. Even though
his broken ankle healed nearly a year ago, he is now dealing
with the damage daily. Done swimming for the morning, he
explains getting back into shape will prove hes not letting age
slow him down. Toweling off, he laughs at himself as he breaks
down how he has to work to look athletic even though he has the
genetics for the aesthetic. Tasha flatters Scott with doubt and
disbelief. He appreciates her compliment when she says hes got
sexy handsomeness all over his face, but reminds her she is not
his target. She bets all the guys must like him since he is so
nice, but he knows it has always been for a price.

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He says these days he feels like a has-been working behind

the bar. Tips are down. Regulars are coupling up and keeping
cozy at home together. Younger bartenders are attracting the new
wave of customers who are either just out or new to the
gayborhood. The lonely-homely are good for a buck a beer or a
dollar a drink when hot bartenders make them feel appreciated
and appealing. Pour a beer and tell them they look good. Let
them know how great it is to see them, while squeezing a lime
into a gin and tonic. Keep them coming back for another round,
for another dollar. Scott says bartenders stay sexy because the
flirting gets creepy if theyre not.

19
Although he does not admit to Tasha how much he hates
swimming, Mannish tells her about a club for crew he wants to
join on campus. Sliding back and forth on the rowing machine, he
explains how hes focusing on rowing in the mornings instead of
swimming in the pool. Tasha struggles to bend down, meeting him
at eye level, as Mannish explains how the guys raised money
posing nude for a calendar. He mentions that his skinny ass
would be perfect for October since it is so scary.
He stops grinning as soon as he realizes Tasha is scolding
him for disappearing on them. Unable to break in with excuses or

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promises, Mannish faces forward, pushes off with his legs and
leans back, continuing to row rather than listening. He blushes
a bit when Tasha says she remembers how he said he was training
for a triathlon because he couldnt click with a team. She
wonders if Mannish has any gratitude for Scotts help and
whether he realizes the impression he has made on the twins.
Ashamed and embarrassed as he continues rowing, he lets Tasha
calm down during his silence before she goes into gossip mode
about going to Germany with Scott.

20
Tasha tenses up trying to relax, struggling to float. She
hides her fear by not taking herself seriously in her swimming
cap. With her ears soaking in the pool as water tickles her
face, Scotts muffled voice quietly coaches her to stay calm. He
sounds far away though he is kneeling down behind her in the
pools shallow end, lifting her back and raising her to the
surface. Rather than be in the moment, she mentally checks her
to-do list and starts solving problems waiting at work.
Processing and pondering, Tasha wonders why holding her breath
with her face in the water is easier than breathing on her back
floating on the surface. Then she asks herself if she just had a

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Zen moment after she synthesized learning how to swim requires

teaching yourself how to stay still.
She becomes flustered when Scott says focus. He says take
it easy but she wants to take a break. He will not let her grab
him, so she holds on to his promises that the water will lift
her up when she lets it. Then she tries to concentrate and
contemplates his warning that she will sink only when she
struggles.

21
Alone in the pool, Mannish swims an occasional lap but
mostly soaks in the shallow end and waits for Scott. He
surprises Scott when he arrives and they catch up with small
talk about teaching Tasha how to swim and traveling with her to
Germany. Mannish smiles, flattered when Scott credits him for
the trip. Scott explains helping Mannish prepare for his
triathlon motivated him to focus on a swimming competition of
his own. With a plane ticket to almost anywhere about to expire,
Scott says it was time for his first trip out of the country
when he found an international sports festival in Berlin that
included swimming.
Mannish apologizes for not being around lately and thanks
Scott for helping him train for the triathlon. Then he confesses

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how terrifying it was swimming across the lake. He admits he

wasnt prepared for the panic crashing into other swimmers,
choking down water, battling waves and fighting his urge to
quit. He says the most frightening part was how lonely he felt
once he reached the middle of the lake. Being honest lifts his
feelings of sinking when Scott says he understands how isolating
swimming gets. Mannish listens as Scott talks about how fun it
was growing up swimming on teams, but how much he struggled
getting back into the pool during his recovery. Scott adds the
thing that sucks about swimming is it forces him to think
inward, something he realizes hes been avoiding as an adult.
Then he explains the willpower Scott needs to face himself is
what Mannish will need to finish what he starts even if
theres no way of winning.

22
The twins swim back from the deep end toward Mannish, while
Scott and Tasha wade in the shallow part of the pool talking
about Germany. She tells stories about growing up in West Berlin
when her father was stationed there, and what it was like
returning on her own to a unified Berlin when she was an
exchange student. Practically speaking in German, she recites a
list of things to do, food to eat and places to see.

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In between bobbing up and down in the water with the boys,

Tasha says the countdown to Berlin is five months and ten days.
She tries to keep Scott calm after Mannish converts the
countdown to just one hundred and sixty-three days. His stalling
and doubt makes Tasha worry Scott might back out at any moment,
especially since he still does not have his passport. He gets
overwhelmed when calculating costs, but Tasha tells him they
will find ways to pay. She says he is being brave when he says
he feels foolish. He thinks it is impossible, but she promises
it is. Mannish interrupts and tells Scott to chill, because Frau
Tasha is going to make things happen.

23
With all the men in the pool, Scott gets campy with Tasha.
He settles into silent seriousness when he gets the look from
her, warning him it is time to work. She introduces Scott to her
group as he scans the line of young vets mentally maimed by the
military. They look comfortable with their comrades, but guarded
when Tasha takes command. This is the first time he is seeing
their faces in person, rather than just reading their names on
lists. As he picks up on their bright energy and their buddybuddy behavior, he wonders if they are a different group of
volunteers since none of them looks like he wants to kill

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himself. He senses vibes of vulnerability watching them listen

to Tasha explain her Heroes Helping Heroes program. He wonders
whom the hell he is watching as she gives the men her word that
they are neither guinea pigs nor lab rats, even though this
therapy is experimental. Watching her work, Scott feels
intimidated by her professionalism but then second-guesses her
approach, considering she is wearing a bathing suit and a swim
cap, instead of a lab coat carrying a clipboard.
Following Tashas coaching, Scott projects calm confidence
and commanding compassion as he leads from the water. Together,
they show Tashas group how to float, find focus and keep calm
from overwhelming anxiety. Scott teams up strong swimmers with
weaker ones. He uses what he learned from his certification
training and tells the weaker to support the stronger who are
instructed to float on their backs. Following the strategy he
and Tasha planned together, he says they are here to float, not
swim. To show the difference, Scott explains how swimming takes
you somewhere, but floating helps you control where you are. He
asks the weaker swimmers if they notice how all the big, bad,
experienced swimmers struggle to stay still. He says its
because they are fighting urges to move, not because they are
scared of sinking, but because they feel awkward and
uncomfortable. Quietly and calmly, he narrates their situation

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and points out that here, they are all together in the water.
They are exposed and nearly naked, depending on someone elses
help just to be in the moment. He adds that getting around in
the water is second nature to the strong swimmers, so their
minds center on how they are feeling, not on what they are
doing. Scott guarantees the weaker swimmers will forget about
feelings and focus on staying on the surface when it is their
turn. Complimenting these men for being alert and ready for
action, he challenges them to relax and recharge. Smooth
splashes and gentle waves calm the pool filled with tough and
terrifying warriors, who start to heal by surrendering to trust.

24
It is a flawless fundraiser filled with frat boys and
fairies, soldiers and sailors. Mannish is flattered and feels
fantastic when Scott says how grateful he is for the surprise.
Since Scott is having trouble covering expenses to travel to
Germany for his race, Mannish hosts a Sunday afternoon party
where Scott works. Just when the party vibe peaks, Mannish gets
on stage to welcome everyone. He thanks them for helping support
a middle-aged man make his global premier in competitive
swimming at Berlins Gay Games in Germany. The crowd roars
during the pause for applause.

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The queens gasp, the vets shout and the frat boys drink
when Mannish explains Scott will compete in the mens division,
ages 45 and up. Pretending to apologize, he smirks as he says he
is sorry for telling everyone Scott is middle-aged. He asks for
faux forgiveness, saying he assumes everyone knew Scott was in
his fifties. He jokes with backhanded praise, explaining Scotts
odds of bringing home the gold are pretty good, especially since
not many men his age are alive let alone capable of swimming
long distances in the first place. He then goes in for the
zinger and says Scott might as well compete in the high jump,
too, since he is a master at lowering the bar. None of the
groans and moans from the audience keep him from stealing the
show.

25
Passing through security, Tasha sees the TSA agent pull
Mannish to the side. She cannot hear the agent but can tell by
the intensity in his face Mannish needs to start looking
serious. From the wand to the pat down, her heart breaks
watching his smile dissolve and the joy of their journey to
Germany evaporate. Mannish does not resist, but he does not look
pleased. Tension escalates when other agents come to assist. She

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prays he cooperates and asks another agent what is wrong,

wondering how to help.
She punches Scott in the shoulder and tells him to knock
it off when he says he jokingly warned Mannish the beard he just
grew made him look like a terrorist. Tasha tries to interrupt
the interrogation by offering assistance, but the agents push
her aside and tell her she is interfering. She says she
understands the misunderstanding. Swearing Mannish is harmless
and not hostile, she explains to the agent Mannish is nervous
because this is his first time flying. Her concern creates more
stress, and Scott tries to keep her calm while the agents do
their duty until Mannish fades through glass offices and
disappears into a back room.

26
This is what life is like for boogiemen, Scott tells
Mannish, who sits silently sunken, stunned, and still humiliated
as other passengers finish boarding. All the attention on
Mannish from attendants on alert adds anxiety so Scott tries to
distract from the tension. Being protective, Scott explains the
insignificance of the agents who mumbled Mannish might be
Muslim. He says the rednecks back in security who have nowhere
to go simmer in jealousy, watching those they judge unworthy go

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places the agents will never see. Calling them cowards, he says
they abuse authority, thinking they can keep people who appear
to be different in their places. When Mannish wonders if he will
be singled out and interrogated again when they land in Germany,
Scott warns that assholes are everywhere.
Sharing the shame he felt losing his job teaching high
school history and coaching the swim team, Scott talks about a
delusional senior girl who spread rumors they were secretly
dating. He says he thought admitting he was gay would explain
away the gossip when it got to the school board. He smiles when
he says they fired him for telling the truth, citing the
morality clause he signed when he accepted the districts job
offer. After he puts his parable into perspective, he notices
Mannish is not moved. Scott unbuckles his seatbelt, gets up,
unzips his hoodie and takes off the Team Texas T-shirt he got
for the Gay Games. Standing shirtless in the aisle, he hands it
to Mannish and tells him to wear it with pride so everyone knows
he is a Texan.

27
The men and women cheer and chant near the top of the
bleachers as Scott crawls closer to the lead. Tasha catches
Mannish noticing the noise, too, as they both look back and

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forth between the swimmers in front of them and fans behind

them. She agrees they sound like they are from the United States
but says they look too clean-cut to be students. The crew gets
louder as Scotts race gets longer, and Tasha yells in their
direction that she and Mannish are Scotts fans, too. A young
woman with close-cropped hair shouts back, asking if she is
Tasha. Next to her, a young man pointing his phone at the pool
says colleagues back in the States emailed them to be on the
lookout for Tasha and a guy named Mannish. He then explains he
is streaming Scotts race live for their veteran friends back
home who are recovering from their time in service.
Overwhelmed with pride, Tasha covers her mouth screaming
and then slaps her cheeks laughing, before wiping her eyes from
crying. The men and women in the stands, cheering behind her,
were off-duty soldiers from a nearby base, sent by her group of
vets at home to support Scott. Tasha waves at the phone shouting
thank you and that she loves them. Altogether, Tasha and Mannish
chant U-S-A with the soldiers as Scott finishes his final few
laps.

28
No excuse matters when Scott volunteers Mannish to
substitute on the Vegas relay team of twinks in their twenties.

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After partying around Berlin following the opening ceremonies,

they lost a swimmer who went off with either a British weight
lifter or a runner from Spain. They dont care Mannish isnt
gay, just as long as hes in his twenties and from the United
States. They have goggles and a swimsuit for him. He only has to
start and finish without standing, stopping or drowning.
Despite Scotts encouragement and coaching, Mannish stands
around on the deck, timid and nervous, nearly naked in a Speedo
too tiny even for his skinny ass. Focusing on the race, no one
notices him until it is his turn to get on the starting block.
Elevated, he sees Scott and Tasha in the stands, clapping and
waving. There is way too much noise, but he laughs out loud
smiling when he hears them lead the soldiers chant, Just-dontstop! Just-dont-drown! Just-have-fun!

The End

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