I Made a Friend at the Hotel Pool

As we traveled last weekend, I made sure I got my laps in at the hotel pool, because as readers know, I am swimming across Lake Michigan. One added benefit is that I made a new friend at the pool. I do consider myself America’s friend and sweetheart. He was an older gentlemen, and we were alone in the pool area, ostensibly to swim laps. But he confronted me with, “Can I ask about your weight?” Uh-oh. I looked for the closest exit in case his next question was an invitation to join him in the hot tub. But it wasn’t. He just had a question about my weight. Then my mind flashed to this tweet I had seen and wondered if his question might go this way.

But our conversation didn’t go that route. I told him that he could ask away, and he asked me this legitimate question.

He asked, “Do you have to work at keeping your weight down or is it genetic?” I could see he was in relatively good shape for an old geezer. I got the idea that if he thought I was in good shape, maybe I am getting there. I told him I work hard at it. He started to talk a bit about how God gave us a body that we should care for, and then he asked how old I am. Could the invite to the hot tub be coming next? I told him my age, and then he asked me to guess his age. Uh-oh, again. I lied and told him I thought we were about the same age. We are not. He’s 5 years older. At that point, I felt the best way to avoid a May-December hot tub liason was to jump in the pool even though I think he had some more God and body talk left in his tank. As we swam laps, I absolutely destroyed him.

Editor’s Note: The old guy had no idea he was involved in a “race.”

It was implied. And he should have gotten the idea after I started taunting him by yelling, “You want me in the hot tub now?” He left shortly thereafter.

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I’m glad to have made a new friend, albeit briefly. It could inspire me. Did I mention I’m writing a new book of short stories about friendship? Wait, what? You say you haven’t yet read my first book?

Well, get busy. Click this link to order on Amazon.