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Cassandra often wondered about this pool. How it came to be. Why it came to be. Who actually built it. It often has played a significant roll in many areas of her life. Cassandra remembers gazing down on the pool from the balcony above, marveling at how the straight lines of the pool blend into the diamond shaped concrete that surrounds it. Closest to her is the jacuzzi. It’s half-moon shape with half-moon stairs on the straight side. Many a night she sat gazing upon the moon and the stars wondering what her life would come to be when she grew up.

Cassandra glanced at the three small gazebos to the left of the pool. There were no wall separating the small square roofs, but the two or three chairs inside gave a sense if intimacy and privacy. One could always pull closed the side curtains if you wished a modicum of privacy.

Around the pool on the concrete deck were placed twenty or thirty lounge chairs all with their own cocktail table. Rest assured no one ever went thirsty at this poolside. The bar flowed with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alike. During the summer months it wasn’t a surprise to see several young children stretched out on the lounges basking in the sun and sipping a cola or iced tea.

Cassandra suddenly has a fleeting memory of her childhood here. She was about six or seven. Some friends had come over to play. They jumped in and out of the pool trying to splash their parents while doing cannon ball jumps into the pool. The parents rarely got wet. They, too, used to play this game and were well aware of how far they needed to sit back to avoid getting overly wet.

Cassandra remembered her friend Shelly. They had met that summer and became fast friends. Everyday at the pool they were joined at the hip. Their schedule included a quick dunk in the jacuzzi followed by an hour or two of swimming, splashing and general childlike pool games. Marco Polo was a favorite. Cassandra was Marco and kept calling for Shelly to say polo. They played this game many times, and their squeals at being caught by the other made the adults around the pool smile in remembrance. As they were playing Cassandra thought she heard Shelly get out of the pool. She slowly swam to the place she believed Shelly was as her eyes were closed.

“Marco”, said Cassandra. “Polo”, said Shelly in a soft voice trying to sound like she was farther away than she was. Suddenly Cassandra gave a burst of speed and tagged Shelly’s ankle. As Shelly jumped back to avoid getting caught her foot slipped in a puddle of water. Shelly fell suddenly and her head hit the concrete with a dull thud.

Shelly’s parents ran over to her and cradled her in their arms. “Are you alright?” asked Shelly’s mother with tears in her eyes. “Shelly, answer me!” Shelly lay quietly for a minute as her mother and father fussed over her. They checked her breathing and heart. Everything seemed okay. Just as her mother began to worry more, Shelly’s eyes flickered open. It took a moment or two for her eyes to focus. “Mommy? Are you there?”. Shelly’s mother gasped, “I’m right here, dear.”

Shelly’s head turned towards her mother. “Oh Mommy, my head hurts,” she said as she cuddled into her mother’s breast. “Let’s take her to the hospital to make sure she’s alright,” said her father. Cassandra watched sadly as the three of them packed up their belongings and made out for their car.

Later that day Cassandra’s mother received a phone call that Shelly was doing just fine, but wouldn’t be back at the pool the rest of that summer. Cassandra walked sullenly to her room. She caused Shelly to miss the pool the rest of the summer. “That’s not fair,” she thought. “If anyone should not be allowed back it’s me. I made her fall.”

Cassandra sighed as she remembered that accident. She could still feel the sadness she felt that summer when she realized she wouldn’t see Shelly until next summer. Shelly did show up the following summers, but something wasn’t the same. They played tentatively as if expecting another accident. Nothing is ever the same.

Cassandra then noticed the bar that sat underneath the balcony. She had spent many a late night during college seated in those barstools. Fredrick was a handsome man, and he made a great Tequila Sunrise. The summer after graduating from her senior year in college a lot of things changed in her life. She finally decided on her major and where she wanted to go in life, graduated and met a nice, and handsome man. Those two qualities didn’t usually happen to be together in men for her. She would find a nice man, but not too handsome. Or she would find a handsome man that wanted nothing that she wanted. It wasn’t until she met Fredrick that those two qualities came together.

She and Fredrick met while she was doing an internship at her father’s business. She was learning the ropes in the finance department right out of college. Fredrick was hired on at the same time in the accounting department. She frequently would have to ask questions of Accounting and they referred her to Fredrick most of the time.

At first it was just innocent flirting. They both thought the other was quite attractive and witty. They thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company. About a month later, her father had a party for the company that summer and to her enjoyment, Fredrick arrived. Alone. Cassandra’s heart fluttered as she hoped she would be able to spend time with him away from all the other girls that were there.

When he first arrived a few of the other younger girls did go up to him, but he nicely, and expertly she thought, managed to wave them off. The entire time this was happening she slowly realized he kept looking in her direction at the bar and was making his way to her.

He finally made it through the distractions, and sauntered up behind the bar. “Care for a drink?” he asked. Cassandra looked into his eyes and thought she could get lost in them forever. She blinked a few times and recovered. She didn’t want to be another of those dreamy eyed girls that accosted him on his way in.

“Tequila Sunrise, please,” she said.

“Coming right up,” he answered. Fredrick then expertly mixed her drink in just a few short minutes and presented it to her for her approval. Cassandra glanced at it, and then gingerly took a sip. “Oh this is heavenly,” she said. “I think this may be the best I have ever had.”

“Hopefully this will be just one of many to come,” he responded with a boyish grin on his face.

The rest of that summer they would sit near the bar under the balcony on weekends taking occasional dips in the pool to cool their bodies, and then reclining on the lounges with their drinks. The summer seemed to both last forever and not be long enough. Before they knew it, the wind turned cool and Fall was upon them.

Cassandra brought herself reluctantly to the present and remembered the jacuzzi. It was often fun to use the jacuzzi just as Fall approached. You could feel the cool air on your head and shoulders while the rest of your body was nice and warm in the water.

She and Fredrick kept up their relationship over the course of the Fall, Winter and Spring. Summer came in full force that year with record temperatures for most of the summer. She and Fredrick frequently stayed near the pool when they weren’t working. Fredrick was steadily promoted up the ranks in the Accounting Department until he was managing four other accountants.

She, on the other hand, had found she had a knack for marketing. An opening in the Marketing Department came free and she applied. The head of the department saw a new insight and direction that Cassandra had that no one else seemed to have that year. He hired her, and she quickly showed her abilities as the department head gave her the lowest performing products to work on. She came up with innovative ideas that reached out to people. The consumers just needed to have these things.

Cassandra didn’t rise as quickly as Fredrick had, but she was happy. She had a job she enjoyed, a man who loved her and took care of her, and a pool she could retreat to when life got in the way. Yes, the pool.

Cassandra suddenly remembered when Fredrick had proposed to her. They were lounging in the jacuzzi one evening sitting in one of the corners of the half-moon pool. They had their drinks and a small dinner on a silver tray that Fredrick had brought out. Strawberries, cavier. All the romantic and aphrodisiac foods she slowly realized.

Fredrick stepped out of the jacuzzi, walked over the a small table, and prepared a small plate with a little bit of each food. He walked over and handed her a glass of champagne. She stepped out of the jacuzzi and over to some chairs and a table that Fredrick had prepared.

As she sipped from the glass of champagne he finished the small plate and handed it to her. “I love you,” he said. “I love you too,” she answered with a slight whisper in her voice. She had glanced down at the plate. There wasn’t any food on it. In place of the food was a small, black box which was open. Inside the box, nestled between two tiny black pillows, was the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen.

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Her heartbeat quickened. She felt a little faint and leaned back in her chair. Fredrick slowly walked in front of her, a huge grin on his face. His eyes were bright with the obvious happiness at seeing her slowly realize what was happening.

Cassandra heard music. She didn’t remember any music earlier. She glanced to her left and noticed a small string quartet a respectable distance away playing some slow, melodic music. It accented this moment perfectly.

Fredrick was now in front of her, and slowly lowering to one knee. Cassandra would never remember the exact words he said to her that night. Her heart was full to overflowing. Her head was buzzing with the excitement and the champagne. When he picked up the ring from the tray and looked into her eyes, all the extra noise and excitement faded away as she heard the question she knew was coming.

“Cassandra, will you marry me?” Fredrick asked with a faint note of excitement in his voice.

Cassandra didn’t believe this was really happening. Her first, “Yes,” was little more than a whisper.

“Did I hear something positive?” asked Fredrick with expectant eyes.

She cleared her throat slightly. “Yes, Fredrick. I would love to be your wife,” she said as she flung her arms around his neck.

They both stood up together hugging and kissing. The string quartet’s music rose slightly in volume.

“Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!” said Cassandra as she was held in Fredrick’s embrace. They spun around to the music, almost dancing.

As they were spun around their feet slipped in a small puddle between the jacuzzi and the table where Fredrick had just proposed. “Watch Out!” yelled Fredrick as they fell. He tried to catch her, but their arms were still entangled with each other.

Fredrick fell first with a loud “Oof” and a dull thud as his head hit the concrete. He immediately fell silent. His body not moving. A small red stain appeared beneath his head. Cassandra only noticed this partially as her body contorted with the motion of Fredrick’s fall. She ended up falling backwards, hitting her neck on the handrail leading out of the jacuzzi. Instantly she lost control of her body and rolled towards the jacuzzi and into the water.

“Why can’t I move,” screamed Cassandra in her mind. “I’m an excellent swimmer. I’ve been swimming all my life.”

She started to wonder about the pool. About the significance it has played in her life as the final bubble of air bubbled past her lips and broke the surface of the jacuzzi.

***

This story is copywrite 2007 by Will Shattuck and released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.