The November sun was low, creating shadows across the pool, but it was still warm outside, like it can only be in California that time of year. She walked to the edge of the pool and stuck her toe in, to test the temperature of the water. She was skeptical that this would be a good idea--to squeeze in a swim and shower before picking up the kids, but the water was like glass and no one was swimming at that moment. She stripped off her clothes without even going into the locker room. She wanted the sun on her body that very minute.
She dove in and started swimming, her arms and legs cutting through the water with precision and after the first two laps, she knew that she was in the zone. That "thing" she read about in fitness magazines, which she had only felt a few times - once while doing a marathon and another time while hiking in the Sierras.
The water felt like silk, droplets flying in the air and landing on her face while she back-stroked, another lap doing freestyle, she thought her lungs might explode, but she kept going because she could. She was naked, flying through the water--back and forth, and had lost count of the number of laps.
By the time she pulled herself out of the water, it was dark, the air still warm. The boy behind the sliding glass window of the office gave her a thumbs-up as she wrapped herself in a too-small towel. She had imagined this, but never thought it would happen.