It is so hot. This pool is the only thing keeping me alive. If I couldn’t come here and swim, I would literally die. If it were an indoor pool that would be even better. Oh my God. I wonder if there is even a single indoor pool in this whole state. I would be really fucking surprised.

At least I’m getting a nice tan. Lindsey will be so jealous. She’ll take one look at me and go running to Miss Laurel’s tanning bed. I’d send her a selfie if there was any service. She’s probably working at Menchie’s right now. A selfie of my sexy tan would piss her off so bad. I could send one to Jodi, too. Would he like that? Of course he would, he’s a boy. Will he care that I have tan lines? Maybe I should go to a tanning salon in Jackson when Granny Jean takes me.

Ugh, it’s so fucking hot. I need to get in the water. But I bet the concrete is super hot. Ugh! Why can’t it be sunny and like nice out? It feels like we’re like an inch away from the sun.

I’m going to try to swim a hundred laps today. I bet I can do it. If I get a hundred maybe I’ll just keep going. I’ll swim a thousand laps. Maybe I’ll just keep swimming until they close the pool for the day and kick us all out. Maybe I’ll sneak back down here after dark and climb over the fence and swim all night.

I’d do it. I’d absolutely do it if it weren’t for the fucking mosquitos everywhere. I don’t think I’d even make it down here to the pool. They’d suck up all my blood before I even got to the end of the road. I am so happy Granny Jean put that mosquito net over my bed. It was stupid, but… you really can hear the mosquitos buzzing around at night trying to get in.

Okay, it’s too hot. I’m going in the water. Oh! Ow! The ground is so fucking hot! Oh oh oh oh! Yee! Aaaaah. That is sooooo much better! How do people live here all the time? I didn’t think it was supposed to get this hot this early in the day. Like it’s not even noon yet? At least the water is cool. It feels so good in here. I love the water. I love swimming. La la la! Lu lu lu!

I’m going to the deep end, away from all these kids. I wish they had lanes in the pool so I could swim without anybody getting in my way. That would be so nice. But this is Mississippi. I’m surprised there’s chlorine in this pool.

Hey, Pocahontas. I’m going to swim some laps. Yeah. She’s so cool. I love her hair. Maybe Granny Jean will let me get pink highlights like that when we go to Jackson.

Okay. Put you game face on Rebecca. One hundred laps. You can do this. Do one hundred laps and then we’ll go get some ice cream at the bait shop. Okay. One hundred laps. Let’s fucking do this.

It’s on.

Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. One.

Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Two.

Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Huh. Three.

I. Stay. Up. Too. Late. Four.

Got. Nothing. In. My. Brain. Five.

That's. What. People. Say. Huh. Six.

That's. What. People. Say. Huh. Seven.

I. Go. On. Too. Many. Eights. Ha!

But. I. Can't. Make. Them. Nine.

That's. What. People. Say. Huh. Ten!

What? Oh.

No, go ahead. Go ahead and jump! Do it! Do a flip! Ha! Bellyflop! Kids are stupid. Ha!

Swim over here. Give him some room. Is that your brother? Does he know how to swim? Yeah.

You do it to now! Jump in! Don’t be scared. If anything happens Pocahontas will save you. Yeah! Right over there! Hey Pocahontas! Tell the kids you’ll help them if they have any trouble. See? She’s like a professional swimmer. Plus it’s like her job, so she has to save you if you start to drown or they’ll fire her. Okay?

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Look, I’ll go first. Okay, stay right there. You’ve got to walk kinda fast because the ground is so hot, but don’t run or you might fall and bust your booty. Okay? Watch. Just come out like this. Don’t look down. And just jump out at far as you can. Okay? Watch!

Hup!

Wee!

Huuuh! See? It’s easy! Now you go. You can do it! Okay. That’s good! Jump! Yaaaay! Now swim over here.

What’s my name? I’m Becky. What’s your name? No way! Lindsey’s my best friend’s name! Yeah! She’s up in Ohio. That’s where I’m from. I’m down here visiting my grandmother. She lives by the Airplane House. Have you seen that? Yeah, it’s pretty cool. And your name?

Where are you guys from? Where is that? That’s pretty far to drive. There isn’t a pool anywhere in town? Not even at someone’s house? How did you learn to swim? Where’s that? That’s even further away! Why don’t people have pools around here? Do animals get in the pool? Alligators! There are alligators?

I guess that explains the fence, huh?

Who are you here with? Which one’s your mom? Ooh. She’s really pretty. I love her swimsuit. Is that your dad? Hmm. What’s his name? Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm.

Well, I was actually doing laps. I wanted to do a hundred today. Only ten so far. Yeah. Well, I don’t have to do laps. We could…

Is that? That sounds like…

That sounds like an airplane. Where is it? Does anybody see it?

Listen to it! Wow. Wow!

Wow that is LOUD! WOW! WHERE IS IT? IT SOUNDS LIKE IT’S COMING DOWN RIGHT ON TOP OF US! POCAHONTAS! WHAT IS THAT? LINDSEY! JOSHUA, COME ON! LETS GET OUT!

FUCK! WHERE IS IT COMING FROM? IT’S SO FUCKING LOUD! FUCK! IT’S EVERYWHERE! I CAN FEEL IT IN MY TEETH! THIS IS CRAZY! WHAT THE FUCK!

WHAT THE ----

-- -- --- - ---- ---- ---- ------ ----- -- -- --- ---- --- ---- -- ---- - ---- ---- -- ----- -- --- -- --- -- --- ---- -- ---- -- --- --

---- FUCK IS that? Oh. Fuck my ears!

What? Whoa. No, I’m okay. Are you okay? Yeah. You heard all that right? What was that? I don’t know? I thought it was a plane. Did you see anything? No. I didn’t hear an explosion or anything. That’s so fucking weird.

No, go to your mom. No, I’m going home to check on my grandmother. Okay. It was nice meeting you.

That was crazy. What was that? Where are my shoes? Is everything in my bag? Okay. Okay. No I don’t know. Did you see anything? What do you mean a nuke? Who would want to nuke Mississippi? Why would they nuke a bridge? How far away is that? Would we be safe here, there’s like radiation and stuff right? Holy shit. That’s not true?

What the fuck? It was an airplane right? What the fuck!

I’m going home. I’m going home. I’m going home. Oh my God. Oh my God! If they nuked Mississippi they must have nuked Ohio. Oh! Oh no! Oh no, please! Mommy! Daddy! Please no. Oh God please! Fuck! Fuck this can’t be happening. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Fuck! Please!

Okay, breath. Breath. Okay. It wasn’t a nuke. It wasn’t. That doesn’t make any sense. That guy was just talking out of his ass. Who was that guy? What an asshole. All the kids could hear him talking like that. Fuck that guy. Fuck!

Nope. Everything’s fine. That was an airplane flying by. That’s all. Why couldn’t we see it? I don’t know. It was so loud. Don’t worry about it. Nope.

Wow this shade is really nice. I almost feel cool. That’s nice. Mmm. It feels good. What time is it? What? How did it get to be 1 PM? That’s weird. Maybe I swam longer than I thought. How many laps did I do? It was a hundred right? That would probably take a while, right?

You know, it’s a really nice day today.

Grandma! Hey! What are you doing out here?

Just walking back from the pool. Nah, I played with some kids. From Boyle? Where’s that? Nah, I just got tired of swimming, I guess. I did a hundred laps. Yeah! It’s a really nice day today, right?

I feel really good. Granny Jean, you said you wanted to make fudge right? Could we make fudge tonight? I know you made muffins last night, but would it be alright if we made fudge? I don’t know, I just feel like we should make fudge. Yeah.

I really feel really good. Ha ha! I feel like I could dance! Granny Jean, do you want some flowers? Look at these flowers! We could make flower crowns! We could make a flower crown for Jud and make him wear it and take his picture! Oh my God, let’s make flower crowns! Yass!

Granny Jean? Where’d you go? You left your flower crown! I’ll take it home for you. Wow! Look at all these flower crowns! Did we make all these? Where’s Granny Jean? Why is it so dark? Is it supposed to get dark this early?

There’s the house! I love this place!

Granny Jean? Jud? Is anybody home? I’ve got flower crowns!

I feel really good. I feel like I could dance! I need to put on some music! Where’s my iPhone?

I feel amazing! Oh my God! I love this! I feel amazing!

Granny Jean?! Jud?! Does anyone else feel like dancing? Where is everybody?

Granny Jean! Have you heard this song?

Nana nana na! Nana nana na! Nana nana na-a-a! Mmm-mmm! Nana nana na-a-a! Mmm-mmm!

Oh my God! Yes! Yes! Does anybody else feel that?! Nana nana na-a-a! Mmm-mmm!

Nana na cruising! Can't stop! Won't stop moving!

It's like I got this music in my body! And it's gonna be alright!