Otters

This morning Cal and I were the only ones at the pool. Cal stopped at the head of his lane to tell me he'd done his first quarter mile. I made a face at him and told him to leave me alone, I was only on lap seven. I kept on swimming, hoping he would leave me alone. (Doesn't he yet understand that I don't really relax when he's around since I'm made to be receptive, responsive?!) Seeing that he'd moved over to my side of the pool on my return length, I angled off to the middle of the pool, hoping he'd leave me alone. I reached the end and turned to do the next length. It seemed he was staying away. But halfway through the length, there he was, a foot underneath me, and grinning up at me from his mask as his strong arms pushed him ahead of me underwater. I laughed at him and continued. When I reached the end of the next length I butted right into him. He was grinning with his arms on the edges of pool, as if he'd been waiting for a long time. For the next few strokes he swam beside me, going as slowly as I do. He asked me wasn't I glad he was still playful after all these years? I admitted I was. God give me grace to appreciate him, and to be receptive, to put my schedule aside for his. I wish I were more like my mother.