We only dated the blink of an eye but it was the first *new* person I dated in years, he had a big impact on me.
“Is it true your high school had a water polo team?” he asked me quizzically.
I wasn’t really sure I had heard him correctly and he repeated “Is it true your high school had a water polo team? ‘Steve’ told me you guys have a water polo team.”
Ahh Steve a pompous man, who one of my friends had to file a restraining order against.
“Yeah, we had a water polo team. We were often state champs. Didn’t your school have a water polo team?”
“No. You guys were probably state champs because you didn’t play against anyone else. Not everyone has a water polo team, you know?” He seemed shocked at the fact that I thought his school had a water polo team but I was even more shocked that it didn’t.
“Yeah, I know not every school has a water polo team but you went to private school. I mean you guys had a swim team right?” he nodded and I continued “Well, didn’t they play water polo in the off season?” He looked at me and now I realize he was patient in his explanation that while they did have a swim team it was never more than three people who had to go to another school to practice. How did I respond? I looked him in the eyes and asked “Then I guess you guys didn’t have a diving team either?”
I thought about that conversation this afternoon when I got a phone call. I got a call to write an article for a “black” “urban” “youth” newspaper. The world is messed up and so am I.
Well, you DID go to one of the very richest, most privileged schools in the state, and possibly the country. My whole school got as much funding as one of your students. This is not an exaggeration.
So did you write that article?
How about a synchronized swimming team?
In Austin there’s a feminist synchronized swimming team called the H2Hos. I kid you not.
I know Austin had a roller derby team, but a synchronized swimming team, now that is new to me.