Swimming Lesson #2 (The Soloist)

Just one day after Nicole and I watched The Soloist (a movie about cellist prodigy Nathaniel Aires set in LA's Skid Row) we suited up and set out for swimming lesson number two.


Since it was already 8pm, we found ourselves swimming in my condo neighborhood pool, rather than the UNLV Rec center pool (just across the street).


With the weather cooling down it was actually a wonderful evening for a night swim. We spent an hour full of breathing exercises, kicking (I still revert to what Nicole calls "crazy legs" where it looks like I am trying to stomp my way underwater) and for practicing to breathe while swimming.


We even met a couple of kids who were also swimming in the pool. Nicole began giving them impromptu swimming drills. For some reason she finds this funny, but at one point I was swimming a lap (a side stroke to learn how to breathe so my face was up but my eyes were closed) and the boy (Qiante?) tried to also swim a lap alongside me, except that he didn't know how to swim and ended up swinging his arms and punching me in the face... three times! I didn't know what was happening but I finally stopped and stood up. We both began to finish our lap and I tried to leave some distance between us... but he wasn't getting it and continued to finish his lap as I did mine. It was actually really sweet (minus getting hit in the face... and Nicole laughing at us!)


As we looked around at our community center I made a comment how it felt like the movie's Skid Row since there were around 20 people chilling and hanging around the pool (even though there were only 5 of us in the pool).


I wish I could reenact Nicole's impression of one woman in the movie... hilarous!


There we were ready to get out of the water and laughing off our hilarous reenactments when....


 ...a thugish white guy in his 30's came in the pool area and began yelling at another younger thugish white guy sitting there.


They weren't friends and it wasn't friendly.


It was a case of inner-city male egos clashing. They also happened to be situated right next to our towels and belongings. Why?! It was also then I noticed the only open exit was also right next to them.


Now is probably a good time to tell you about my ir(rational?) fears of violence. That maybe I'll catch a stray bullet or get mugged or be walking with my friends in a crowd (but be straggling behind) and get kidnapped without anyone noticing! I know... issues... but being caught in the middle of this 'throw down' (is that what they call it) doesn't help my overactive imagination!


 Then it escalated... after a few declarative statements... the older guy walked right up and punched the guy in the face. Here we were caught in a cast iron cage with two guys (apparently with something to prove) and a 12 year old little girl clinging to us in fear. I thought about calling security but my cell was with my towel.


Why didn't I have a waterproof cell phone!?


The rest happened pretty fast. In the next few minutes they indeed fought... the older guy was wrestled into the pool...(after an awkward moment of his pants getting pulled down). They continued to shout, we continued to pray. They argued about his cell phone sitting at the bottom of the pool.


"B- my cell phone better work! It best not be broken"
"It's sitting at the bottom of the pool, of course it's broken!"


The moment he went into the pool I thought this will only end badly and bloody... but to our surprise... the guy got up, got his phone, and just walked away... soaking wet. We quickly got our stuff, returned the girl to her family, and got the heck out of there!!!!


 I wonder what swimming lesson number 3 will bring?!