The Circle of Friends

XI - Swimming Championship-1

XI - Swimming Championship

When she announced the date to her parents, her mother at first panicked. Rhonda informed her daughter it would be nearly impossible to plan a wedding in just four months. Lori promised Jason’s mother would be quite willing to assist. She could also take care of some decisions herself and had already located a shop in Gainesville for invitations and napkins. Her father calmed Rhonda enough to concede that a May wedding could be properly organized. They would have to start planning right away, though.

Lori wondered if the lack of time was the real reason behind her mother’s hesitation. Rhonda had married while in college and been unable to finish because of Lori. Perhaps she worried a similar fate might befall her daughter. Lori felt confidant she would not ruin her chances to make the Olympic team and intended to take every precaution.

By mid-January, her mother had worried her into making all of the major decisions. She selected colors, flowers, announcements, the wedding party and the cake. The wedding dress would have to wait until she came home during spring break, though. Her mother already had an appointment set at a bridal shop and Lori selected several dress styles she fancied. She was still trying to put together the invitation list during Jason’s next visit.

“How many people are you inviting?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Lori, who lay on her stomach. He had already compiled his list of invites, with a little help from his mother in retrieving addresses.

“Well, between your list and mine, we’ll have a hundred people,” she told him, opening the folder that held the wedding information. “However, our mothers have come up with their own lists as well. There’ll be over two hundred people invited, at the very least!”

Jason whistled. “That’s a lot!”

“Told you my mother doesn’t do anything halfway. Here, this is what the cake will look like,” she said, pulling out a picture.

He stretched out beside her on the bed, amused by all of the preparation for an event still four months away. Jason had already made his critical decisions for the wedding and had only to arrive at the appointed time. Propping up his elbow, Jason examined the photo and nodded. The cake appeared quite large, but they would need enough to feed the ever-growing list of guests.

“Like it?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied, gently rubbing her back.

“And this is the invitation,” Lori said, opening the card for Jason to read.

He quickly scanned the words. As far as he could tell, everything appeared correct. The wedding would begin at seven o’clock on Friday night, leaving plenty of time for the reception. Lori’s parents had already rented a large facility for the evening, one capable of holding almost three hundred people. There would be an open bar and a full buffet. No expense would be spared.

“Sounds good,” agreed Jason.

The hand on her back had now slipped under her shirt and was massaging bare skin. Jason was looking at the invitation, but his casual tone meant his thoughts lay elsewhere. Lori shook her head and smiled.

“And you aren’t even paying attention, are you?”

“Yes I am!” he said defensively, his eyes returning to her face. “Lori, I told you, whatever you want is fine with me. As long as you’re happy with everything, that’s all that matters.”

She closed the folder and tossed it on the floor. Rolling onto her side, Lori pulled her body close to Jason’s and his eyes lit up with pleasure.

“I’m happy now,” she said, running her fingers through his hair.

“That’s all that matters then,” Jason replied with a grin before kissing her.

Lori’s next swim meet fell on a Saturday. She steadily continued to improve her times, ever mindful of the speed required to make the Olympic Team. Judy continued to coach and encourage from Greenville and Lori called her after every swim meet. Lori owed so much of her success to Judy and would need her coach’s expertise when it came time for the Olympics.

Lori felt satisfied with her performance that day and happily climbed the steps of the chartered bus. She took her customary position in the back of the bus, sinking into the left corner seat. She usually worked on homework during the return trip to campus, although before a meet Lori kept her thoughts clear. Opening an English text, she began reviewing for a class on Monday. Focused on her book, Lori was only passively aware of the person hovering near her seat.

“Lori?” a male voice hesitantly inquired.

She glanced up and noticed a young, dark-haired man standing in the aisle. Lori recognized him as the new photojournalist following the swim team this semester. He had a notebook in his hands and was looking at her expectantly.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I’m doing the write up this week and wondered if I could ask you a couple questions?” he nervously asked.

“Sure,” answered Lori, setting down her book.

The bus began to move and he quickly sank into the seat next to Lori. Brushing aside his hair, he pulled out a pen. Flipping open his notebook, he looked over his scribbled notes while Lori waited patiently.

“Um,” he began, “I have all of your basic info, but I was hoping to get a more personal perspective on you and maybe a quote. Is that okay?”

“Depends on how personal,” Lori calmly replied.

Briefly raising his dark eyes to her face, the young man appeared apprehensive. Slowly nodding, he returned to his tablet and began to ask his questions.

“Okay, how long have you been swimming?” he asked, his eyes on his notes.

“Since I was three,” she said.

“When did you make the decision to pursue the Olympics?”

“When I was twelve,” Lori answered, familiar with this line of questioning. She began to wonder if he was intentionally avoiding eye contact.

“Okay,” he said, writing down her answer. “Now, what goes through your mind before mounting the starting blocks?”

“Personal,” she replied.

He finally raised his eyes, mouth slightly open as if confused. Lori flashed a smile to remove the severity of her answer. That was one secret she never revealed.

“I’m sorry,” he stammered.

“That’s okay. Keep going,” she encouraged.

He managed to ask the rest of his questions without any difficulty. Lori was mildly amused by his cautious behavior. Perhaps he’s incredibly shy, she thought to herself. Photojournalism was a tough professional choice for someone so bashful.

“Are you really new at this?” she suddenly asked.

He warily looked up from his notes, evidently caught off guard by her question. His surprise slowly gave way to a timid smile.

“Well, sort of,” he replied, his eyes bright with humor. “Guess I was worried about asking you all these questions. You’re really amazing!”

“I’m just like anyone else,” said Lori, shrugging her shoulders.

“No, you’re so much better. I got some great photos today to prove it.”

“Well, thank you,” she answered graciously. “Any more questions?”

Shaking his head, he closed the notebook. “No, I think that will suffice. Sorry if I bothered you, Lori.”

“You weren’t bothering me. And I didn’t catch your name,” she said, forestalling his retreat.

“Oh!” he cried, rolling his eyes. “Sorry! It’s James.”

Lori held out her hand and James gave it a gentle but firm shake. His hand wasn’t very large and felt slightly rough.

“Nice to meet you, James,” she said. “You did a fine job with the questions. Just don’t be intimidated by your subject.”

“Oh, I wasn’t!” he said quickly, tossing aside his hair. “I mean, I won’t be. Oh, hell!”

Lori had to laugh at his candor. “James, don’t ever think someone is beyond you. That person just might change your life,” she added, her thoughts on Jason.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, rising to his feet. “Thanks for answering my questions. Glad I finally got to talk with you.”

Lori resumed her reading and chuckled to herself. James’s mannerisms reminded her of her own timid behavior before meeting Jason. He had changed her perspective on the world, especially how she viewed herself. She would be forever grateful for the circumstances, however unpleasant, that had led her to Jason.

Later in the week, Lori saw James again. He happened upon her as she ate lunch outside on a bench. James acted bolder today and approached her almost immediately.

“Hi!” he cried, dropping onto the bench. “I’m glad I saw you. Want to read the article for tomorrow’s paper?”

“The one you wrote?” Lori asked, straightening her back. “I’d love to read it.”

James pulled the article out of his book and placed it in her hands. He watched eagerly while she read the short essay. It covered the swim team in general and her individual achievements in detail.

“That’s wonderful, James. Thank you,” she said, trying not to appear embarrassed. She still felt uncomfortable seeing her accomplishments in print.

“Wish I could show you the pictures,” he said, slipping the article into his book. “You have to catch them tomorrow. I got a great one of you diving off the blocks.”

“I’ll do that,” she said with some resignation.

James appeared puzzled. “You don’t like to see pictures of yourself?”

“I don’t like attention,” she said. “But I am working on handling it better.”

“As good as you are, you should be used to the attention by now!” exclaimed James. “Besides, you’re very pretty. Guys probably watch you all the time!”

Lori shyly dipped her chin. “I guess,” she said, picking up her books. “I need to get to my next class. I’ll see you tomorrow night at the meet, James.”

He rose to his feet and smiled broadly. “You bet!”

Lori walked quickly to her next class, glancing at the other students in passing. Under normal circumstances, she scarcely noticed boys looking her direction. Today however, she caught almost a dozen boys giving her a second, lingering stare. Conscious of the scrutiny, she kept her eyes averted and focused on her destination. James’s assessment might be correct, but Lori doubted she would ever become used to that type of attention.

Their meet on Friday took place on campus and Lori looked forward to Jason’s presence in the stands. He had apologized several times for not attending one of her events sooner. Between football and classes, he had not seen her swim at all this season. This weekend, he would not only attend her meet, but Jason intended to stay in town through Sunday afternoon.

While preparing for the meet, she and Cindy casually chatted in the locker room. Lori felt she had found a really good friend who shared her enthusiasm for swimming. She had even asked Cindy to be one of her bridesmaids, which really touched her new friend.

“You said Jason would be here tonight?” Cindy asked, adjusting her cap.

“Yes,” said Lori, beaming with joy. “He’s staying all weekend, too.”

She placed her bag in her locker and the school newspaper slipped out of a side pocket. Lori quickly retrieved the paper from the floor.

“You gonna show that to him?” inquired Cindy.

“Yeah, he gets real excited to see stuff like this. I’ll probably send it on to my parents, too. James got a pretty good photo.”

Cindy leaned against her locker. “You might want to watch that one, Lori. I think he likes you.”

Lori’s eyes grew wide and she slowly closed her locker. “Who, James?”

Cindy just chuckled. “Well, it won’t matter after tonight, not if Jason’s here!”

When they walked into the arena, Lori casually glanced at James. She had not noticed him coming on to her in any fashion. He was just doing his job for class. Perhaps Cindy was imagining things.

After that, it was all competition for Lori. She forced everything out of her mind and focused on giving a perfect performance. This was still her life, at least for the next two and a half years.

She glanced up into the stands after winning the 200, but could not locate Jason amidst the crowd. Refocusing her thoughts, Lori prepared for her final race. The 100 was definitely her best event and she had an excellent run tonight, improving her time yet again. Cindy met her at the edge of the pool, handing Lori a towel and giving her a quick hug. Lori pulled off her cap just as James snapped a picture and she was momentarily blinded.