The Commun(e)ity Pool

My house is part of Green Acres - a county-sanctioned conservation area. Our home was built before the bill took effect, a yellow clapboard irony stationed amidst preserved parks and rolling farm fields. In Spring, while on a stroll, I noticed a dirt path perpendicular to the paved road. Instead of leading me further away from civilized ecology (those New Jersey plants that were given the okay to grow) it brought me to a pool.

The pool was a gigantic cement crater filled with blue liquid. Inside the structure's wire enclosure was one black chrome grill, one shed, three chewed foam noodles and two picnic benches. It resembled a portion of a suburban ghost town, a barbecue left on the heels of an air raid. I kept moving.

The next day, my Mom asked me to tell her again what I had seen.

"It was a pool."

"A pool in the middle of the woods?"

"Yes."

"Were there people swimming?"

"Maybe. They were gone."

Mom didn't leave it.

"Let me call around. Someone has to know."

"The animals built it. Weather's been humid. Especially with all that fur."

Mom lifted the phone from its cradle.

Olivia's friend Lauren's Parents knew.

According to them, it was a Community Pool. A gift left to the block by an eccentric donor, long since dead. We could join, if we were interested. All that was required was proof of residence and a check.

Mom mailed the check to a PO Box.

We got a letter and a key in return.

The letter read,

"Welcome! We are kicking off the summer season on June 19th!!! Everyone is invited to come to help fill the pool and tidy up! Remember, all members are responsible for grounds maintenance. If you see leaves, skim them up! Don't assume that another member will. Also, a reminder: there is no Lifeguard. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Adults, if you see a child drowning who is not your own, pick them up! Don't assume that another member will. Water wings and charcoal is stored in the shed. Thanks!! :)"

A weekend later, I packed towels into a striped bag. My sisters put on their flip flops. We were ready for a dip.

The pool sat waiting for us. The water was no longer still. Kids clambered in and out, slick and screeching. A woman draped in an XXL tshirt prodded hot dogs with a pair of tongs. She glanced up.

"Hello."

"Hi."

I laid our belongs out on the surface of a picnic table. Olivia and Toni jumped into the shallow end. I took out a book and started to read. Twenty minutes passed. My neck began to ache. I scanned the area. An unoccupied chair leaned against the fence.

I stood up and walked over to the chair. The woman had moved to another table nearby, now busy assembling her cooked hot dogs

My fingers hesitantly grazed the spine of the chair.

"Excuse me, does this belong to you?"

The woman stopped prying apart buns.

"What? Oh no, that doesn't belong to me - it belongs to all of the members."

"Is it alright if I use it?"

"Of course. Don't be silly."

I picked up the chair and retreated back to my spot.

The woman approached the edge of the pool and called to her kids.

Lunch was ready.

The kids ran dripping to the food, peeling the meat from the bread, fighting for the mustard.

Toni and Olivia followed their retreat. They jogged over to me and wrapped themselves in towels.

I pulled out a can of soda, cracked the tab, took a sip.

A girl had parted from the group meal. She approached us, carrying three hot dogs on a paper plate.

"These are for you."

I was touched.

"Really? So nice of you to think of us!"

The girl fiddled with the elastic goggle strap held taunt against her hair.

"My mom says that you always have to think of others."

The girl stared at my soda can.

I motioned to my bag

"Want one?"

As I pulled out another drink, the rest of the kids gathered around me, hands outstretched, fingertips pruned.

I sat upright.

"Oh, I, uh, don't think I have enough..."

The kids' faces flickered with puzzlement.

They lowered their arms and dispersed.

The girl remained.

She strapped her goggles over her eyes and smiled.

"That's okay. You didn't know. Next time make sure to pack more."

She ran to catch up with her brothers and sisters.

I watched her go.

Olivia sandwiched herself next to me on the chair, munching on a gifted hot dog.

I flipped through my book, trying to locate my page.

"Where am I?"

A moment passed.

I found the paragraph.

Olivia finished her snack.

She leaned on my shoulder, sighed with contentment.

"I like it here. Everybody shares."