Pool

The lull of the stops and starts of traffic had pushed me to the near breaking point. I was on minute 45 and I knew if I could make it just 20 more, I wouldn’t end up screaming at my windshield with uncontrollable rage.

Just 20 fucking minutes I thought as my knuckles started to go white gripping the steering wheel. Just 20 more fucking minutes.

I pulled onto my street approximately an hour and ten minutes after I had left work which was only a mere 20 miles away. It was dark now and I craned my neck forward desperately searching for a parking spot. I angrily passed spots that were just too small because some moron decided to leave a three foot gap between their car and the one in front or behind them. I ignored any other factors that could have led to this careless waste of space. Ten minutes later, I found a spot about a block away.

I turned my car off and exited into the warm air. The sun had set by now, but the heat hung around, unwilling to turn in for the night just yet. I made my way towards my apartment which was now another ten minute walk. It would now be almost two hours since I left work by the time I got home.

Fuck this, I thought. What the hell am I doing with my life?

My three story apartment building loomed in the night. I walked up to the fist meager security measure. A call box was mounted to the left of the door which, at first glance, you would think was locked. However; this had never worked in the entire time I had lived here. Even though the building had undergone a complete exterior remodel, the call box remained useless. I simply turned the knob and opened the door. As the door rattled feebly behind me, I began to open my mailbox. Excited to see what useless credit card and personal loan opportunities awaited me. I closed my mailbox and began to make my way to the staircase when I saw her by the pool. The sun had long set, but a woman lay out in one of the pool chairs at the far end of the central pool that the three stories of apartments surrounded. She was slightly covered in shadow, as the building was anything but well lit, but I could see her pale skin outlined by a dark bikini. She wore a big loose brimmed sun hat that obscured her face. I felt intrigued by her presence and light frame, but was also suddenly uneasy. I felt almost nervous and clammy, like I was back in high school working up the nerve to ask a girl out, but ultimately doing nothing. It was so dark I noticed myself intently staring to try and figure this woman out. She was motionless and as the thought that she had maybe fallen asleep sunbathing, or maybe died, entered my mind, I noticed her large sun hat began to rise up in my direction. I was startled and suddenly turned around to head up the stairs. I quickly ascended the poorly lit staircase, unsure and oddly afraid of what I saw. I reached the top balcony floor where my apartment was and briskly walked to my door in an attempt to seem normal.

Why am I so nervous?

Reaching my door, I peaked over my shoulder as I turned the lock. The woman was no longer in the chair, but I saw ripples lapping the side of the pool in the deep end. I shook my head and entered my apartment. As strange as this was, I was intrigued. My uneasiness was outweighed by my nervous excitement at something out of the ordinary happening to me.

I woke with a start. How long had I been asleep? I reached for my phone next to my frameless mattress on the floor. No screen illuminated as I pressed the home button and I realized the charging cord was just so slightly unplugged. I looked at the glass of water next and found it empty. I got up and made my way to the kitchen. A breeze rattled the cheap plastic blinds to my right, almost making me jump.

Then I noticed my front door was slightly ajar. Suddenly, my heart was in my throat. I’m always vigilant about bolding that door. The only sound was my wavering breath. I reached the door and slowly gripped the knob tightly.

I did this right? I thought to myself, trying to quell the terrifying thoughts sprouting in my mind. As I moved to close the door I heard a splash. The sound slightly calmed me, but only because I was distracted by the out of time noise. Who could possibly be swimming at this hour? Though, I wasn’t sure what hour it was.

I opened the door and peered over the balcony. Ripples lapped the side of the pool and I saw the woman’s hat lying on the pool chair. However; woman was nowhere to be seen. I watched for a few seconds, but nothing broke the surface. I was concerned.

What was she doing? I thought as I quickly went to the stairs and rushed to the first floor. She still hadn’t come up. I went to the gate to the pool area and found I had left my keys in my apartment. Still no sign of the woman. I frantically climbed the fence to the pool unsure of my actions at this point. I just knew something wasn’t right. I rushed to the edge and put my feet on the first step. The water was cold.

Just as my foot hit the water, a dark shape lifted out of the deep end. It was the woman's head. It appeared she had propped herself up on the edge of the poolside, but I could not tell which way she was facing as her long dark hair lay covering all her features. I stood motionless, one foot in the water. My stomach was in kots. I felt unable, and unwilling to speak.

“Are you going to join me?”

The woman said in a smooth, but cold voice. Before I could answer she dipped her head back under the surface.

I paused for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Before I really contemplated the oddities before me, I brought my still dry foot into the water. I stepped down each submerged stair and the water chilled me with each one. Before I knew it I was waist deep. I slowly walked forward. When the water was at my chest, I paused. My mind is running, yet completely blank. I felt cold and rigid in my movements. The woman had not shown. Her secrets locked with her beneath the surface.

I took a slight breath inwards and plunged down. It was dark. I soon realized in fear that I could not see the bottom. I reached up, but found there to be no surface. I frantically swam upwards, but endless water engulfed me. My lungs began to scream for air and I clamp my mouth shut. I am unable to bear it much longer when a hand reaches out of the darkness. Another hand appears, and another, I no longer feel the need to breath. The hands gently work their way around my body like pale fleshy snakes. All grabbing and pulling me into the crushing black. The darkness eternal. Cold, inviting, and endless. The deep void beckons me and comforts my aching heart. How I am so blessed to be taken to such finality as this. Problems and fears wash away and true bliss tightens it’s cold firm grip. The notion of everlasting contentedness floods and flows through my beating flesh. The soft hands envelop my sad being and guide me to worthy existence and the true nature of it as the absence thereof.

I am where I need to be. She is waiting for me.