So this weekend pool season officially started over at our neighbor’s house. They had a birthday BBQ on Saturday and CootieGirl was fascinated watching the kids romp in the pool from her perch over on our side of the hedges. So Art and Birgit invited us over for swimming on Sunday.
We got home from church and CootieBoy immediately went down for a nap while Denis got ready to go out and show a couple houses to a client. CootieGirl put on her swimsuit and grabbed a towel. She didn’t even have enough patience to let me get in my own suit, but I managed it before she tore out of the front door and ran next door. I placed a courtesy phone call beforehand and there was no answer, which I thought odd since both cars were in their driveway. So I had CootieGirl ring their doorbell, and no one came to the door.
So we went back home and just as we came in, Denis called from his car and said, “I just saw Art go by on his bicycle – he should be home in a few minutes.” I told CootieGirl to climb up on the chair by the bay window and keep an eye out. I said, “When you see Art go by on his bicycle, we’ll go next door.”
About ten minutes later she started hollering and scrambled down from the chair and grabbed her towel. “Pool! Pool! Pool!” she screeched, trying to open our front door. I opened it for her and she raced next door. Art was putting away his bike in his garage and didn’t hear CootieGirl calling out, and the door came down. I waited a few beats and then let CootieGirl ring the doorbell. But no one came to the door.
CootieGirl sat on the stoop and watched an ant crawl around for a bit, and just as I told her that we should go home and try later the garage door started coming up again, and out came Art – dressed in a swimsuit and carrying a towel. Yay!
CootieGirl ran after him and after Art opened the guard door to the ladder, she immediately began climbing up the ladder – she wouldn’t even wait for me to get my shoes off. I forced her to sit at the top of the ladder and wait for me to go around her and get in the pool first. She was chomping at the bit and the minute I was in the water her arms were out and she leaped into my arms. No fear in that one.
She only got dunked once, and it was of her own accidently doing. She was in an innertube that flipped when she leaned over too far – she came up coughing and a little shocked, but she never cried and she continued to have a good time. It was funny watching her come up to the surface because her eyes were wide as saucers under the water as she came floating up.
Art told me to never worry about whether they were home if we wanted to go in the pool. He said, “We’ll have a signal – if a beach ball is floating in the pool then you know the chemicals are balanced and you can use the pool. No need to ring the bell.” That was awesome of him to offer. So, after about 30 minutes her fingers were pruny, so we got out of the pool and went back home, where she collapsed in bed for a nap, exhausted but thrilled to have spent some time in the pool.
Your neighbors really ARE the best!! 🙂
I had to giggle at this story. Too cute! “Pool! Pool! Pool!”