Snow Birds by Sandy W Robson

Author:Sandy W Robson [Robson, Sandy W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sandy Robson
Published: 2024-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Freda watched the kids pile on top of Bernie from the middle of the inner circle. She waited a few minutes taking in her friend’s joy before she opened the gate to the pool and walked onto the deck, in her frilly blue one-piece. No one paid her any attention as she entered and made her way over to the ‘bad’ side of the pool. The undesirable side, where the shadow from the pool house hit and stayed for most of the day. She set her matching blue tote bag down on one of the many open lounge chairs on that side and began to dig around in the bag. After a few swipes through her sack, she pulled out her rubber swim cap—the baby-blue one with the flappy, rubber flowers on it. She turned to stare right at Maryanne and her crew, on the other side of the deck, as she stretched the cap over her tight curls and let it go with a ‘snap’.

The loud noise caused the clique of old coots to look over.

“Whores,” Freda said under her breath, then bent over, presenting her backside to them as she dug around in her bag once more. This time she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. A brand new, full deck of darts. She slowly unwrapped the plastic around her prize, with the reverence of Gollum, and took one of her ‘precious’ out of the pack. She then proceeded to light the small wizard’s wand and make her way over to the edge of the pool. She sat down and hung her legs over the tiled edge, then slid into the cool blue, making sure to keep her head and her smoke above the water. It was art. The process of a pro. Someone who had worked this nicotine craft for a lifetime. Only a seasoned professional puffer could do the breaststroke like her, while keeping her cigarette in her lips and it completely dry. This legend wasn’t treading water or wading, she was doing laps with a Lucky Strike stuck in her trap.

Maryanne however did not appreciate the art form. “Freda,” she said, getting up abruptly from her lounge chair.

Freda paid her no mind, she just kept on with her frog kicks and respectable pace.

Maryanne pressed on, “Freda. You know there is no smoking in the pool!”

Freda reluctantly acknowledged her, pinching her coveted cigarette in her lips so she could speak out the side of her mouth. “Why? Is it going to catch fire?”

Maryanne had come to know this kind of disrespect from the four of them but was still at a loss. “Freda. I am not being unreasonable. It’s not even me. Okay? It’s park rules.”

Freda didn’t answer, just raised her middle finger up from under the water.

“Mrs. Hall, the safety of this park is all our business. If you don’t want to be a team player, then maybe you and your friends should reconsider if Cicada Hollow is right for you.”

“I do take safety seriously,” Freda said out her side mouth.

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