A Good Summer Day even with COVID-19

COVID-19 is ravishing the south. I remember the governor of Texas saying he agreed with the president that the cure shouldn't be worse than the disease. He's gotten his wish. The disease is out of control in Texas.
I have friends and relatives down south, I hope they all wear masks seriously. Don't be stupid like a lot of twenty somethings I saw in Nyack when I went to pick up burritos at Harry's Burritos very few masks and little social distancing. Nastia went with me. We walked past an unmasked guy who coughed. On our way back we walked on the opposite side of the street. I am so concerned about COVID coming back that when Nastia asked to take off her mask before we got to the car, I said no, even though we were alone. At the car, I squired hand sanitizer into both of our hand even though she'd touched nothing.
      On Sunday Sally Ann came over with Katie, her daughter. Kenny, her husband is working at Nyack Water, a job he tried to get me. Salary around $90,000.00 a year. Would have been different, maybe nice. If I worked there I would possibly, probably be missing out on days like Sunday. It was warm and humid, not stifling. Thunder showers were in the forecast for late in the day. Teri had worked on Saturday and needed this day.

Early afternoon Teri and Nancy went to Costco to pick up some needed items and got back about an hour before Sally Ann got here. The three life long friend and Katie splashed around in the pool for an hour or two. In the distance the rumble of thunder could be heard. Nancy wanted to get out of the pool. I told her that the thunder was safe as long as there was no lighting. I'm sitting on the deck watching the three of them being silly and seeing Teri laugh like I'd not seen her laugh in a long time. For a few hours Covid-19 didn't exist, Teri's job wasn't calling her and everything was good in their world. I'm looking down at my phone and I think I see out of the corner of my eye a flash. I say everyone out of the pool. Everyone gets out and I now feel sorry that it had to end so quickly. Not long after they're out of the pool the rains come and Sally Ann and Katie pack up and go home.
       I really didn't want to get in the pool with all the good friends in the pool. So that night I ask Elena if she'd like to go swimming. She says if I go she will. She goes up and tells Nastia and I go into see if Teri wants to go. SHe is comfortable in the chair and not interested in going in.
I go out to the pool and put a toe in. The surface feels cold, but under that it's not bad. I take a step in and it's nice. I look up at Nastia's window and see a light on, but no one moving. I step in a little deeper. I want to be in the water before Elena gets out. I'm up to my waist when the girls finally come out. Elena gets to the ladder where I'm still waist deep and she tries to push me off the steps. After a few tries I let her push me off. For a moment the water is cold, then it turns warm. Elena gets in pretty quickly and starts splashing me. It's going to be that type of night.

Nastia self portrait after swimming

      Now Nastia thinks the water is a little cold and for her with her sensitivity to temperature, I'm sure it is. I tell her we can do the raft thing again and I slide a raft over to the ladder. She works her way onto it so she is on her knees and her hands are holding the raft, so she is on all four. I float her around and yes I have vague evil intentions. Last time I tried to keep her in the sun to keep her warm. So as I joke I maneuver her toward the light from the house and tell her I'm keeping her in the sun. She gives me a snide remark about it being dark out, so I let go of the raft. She starts to lose her balance and I tell Elena to leave it along. At the worst possible moment, for her, I help the raft and she fall off it into the water. The truck driver in her comes out and she calls me a bad name or two. So now we are all in the water. I'm trying to float on the raft, body in the water, arms over the raft to hold on. Elena is swimming under water and popping up in front of me. Every once in a while I walk up behind her and she'll turn around and be surprised and the truck driver in her comes out too. She says
all she see when she turns around is a dark figure.
Nastia wraps her arms and legs around me and we float together.Elena tries to splash us so I use Nastia as a shield and splash back at her. It gets to be about ten and we are getting a little noisy. Teri lets the dogs out and we decide it is time to go in. It's been a fun day for everyone. 








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