Out On a Limb

“Okay, buddy!” I say, kneeling in the shallow end of the pool. “Now I want you to ball your hand up in a fist.” I help Henry fold up his bigger hand. “Perfect! Now we’re going to swim as normal, okay? I just want to try something.”

Henry nods, presenting me two thumbs with both fists before he falls onto his tummy and starts swimming toward the far end of the pool. Cam hovers by the side of the pool, waiting for him there and shouting words of encouragement.

Henry’s smaller hand is a lot like mine but with a slightly less-developed thumb. It’s on the opposite side of his body, too, so it takes some trial and error to find the right method for him.

But we do.

Forty minutes into his one hour of private swim, he’s swimming straight and maybe even faster than he was before.

Because of me.

“You did an awesome job today, Henry!” I say, kneeling next to the pool as he shakes water out of his floppy hair like a puppy, giggling.

“I was so fast!”

“You were!” I say, smiling up at Cam over his shoulder as he approaches.

“And I’m not bumping into the rope anymore. I went like an arrow! Straight!”

“Like an arrow, exactly.” I squish my face together, smiling so hard I can’t help it. “Great job, buddy.”

“Thank you, Winnie!” He throws his arms around my neck. “I’m gonna be a swimmer like you,” he says quietly before letting go.

I stand up, watching Henry walk toward the glass door where his parents are waiting for him. I wave to Cam and turn to walk toward the women’s changing rooms, but he stops me.

“Hey, wait. Come meet his parents. They’re going to want to thank you.”

“Oh, no, I don’t—”

“Win, c’mon.” Cam brings his hand up in the air, waving me toward them, in view of Henry’s parents. It’d be rude not to now.

I follow behind, wrapping a towel around me as I do. They’re bustling with excited conversation by the time I make my way over, and Henry is bursting with pride as his mom wraps him in a towel and a hug.

“Hi,” I say, waving shyly.

“Tonya, James—this is Win.”

“Win is the best swimmer of all time!” Henry shouts.

His parents laugh. “We saw that,” Tonya says, smiling at me. “Thanks so much for coming. We could see how much confidence it gave him from all the way out here.”

“And Cam says you’re opening a camp?” James asks.

“Oh, well, not really. It’s more of a dream at the moment. We’re starting to make plans. Next step is finding investors, and then we have to find property. It’s a big uphill climb, but…someday,” I say.

They immediately look disappointed.

“I’m sorry. I’d love to have Henry at any camp. Maybe in a few years, huh, buddy?”

Henry nods, hitting me with a beaming smile with missing teeth and a wrinkled nose.

His dad, James, clears his throat. “I, uh, I don’t normally do this, but…” He pulls out his wallet and hands me a business card. “If you’re looking for investors, please get in touch.” I take the card hesitantly. “We’ve seen what you can do in an hour, and I’m impressed. Other kids should get that chance.”

“Oh, I—” I almost dismiss myself. I nearly tell them every way in which I’m unqualified, unprofessional, incapable. I even, almost, hand back the business card. But I don’t. I stop myself.

Maybe it’s because of the hope on their faces and the smile still stuck on Henry’s.

Maybe it’s because of Bo, telling me how capable I am. How possible this is.

Mostly, I think, it’s because of me. Because of how much stronger I feel lately.

I let myself feel proud of everything I did with Henry today, the years of schooling that prepared me for this, the life I’ve lived with my hand and the experiences I’ve gathered just by having it. And I hold my head high.

“Thank you,” I say. “I’ll definitely be in touch. Thank you,” I add again—because I can’t resist. “It was great to meet you, buddy. You’re going to do great with Mr. Cam, here.”

“Thanks again,” Tonya says as they usher Henry toward the changing rooms.

Cam shuts the door and then smiles at me with I told you so eyes.

I look at the business card in my hand and take a deep inhale. James Burrough, President of Burrough Financial Holdings.

“Win, I think you’re getting your camp.”

“I mean, he could easily change his mind. I still have to make a proposal and find—” I stop myself again. Sometimes… things are just good things. I could spend my whole life waiting for the other shoe to drop, or I could begin training myself to expect the best. Embrace gratitude and drop the scepticism. “This… this is very cool, isn’t it? The chances of running into you here, meeting Henry and his parents… It’s…”

“Very cool,” Cam says, starting to lead the way to the changing rooms. “You said ‘we’ before. Do you have a business partner or someone else?”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. You said, ‘we’re starting to make plans,’ when Tonya asked just now.”

“Oh, I…” I consider what Bo and I are to each other and decide to simplify it as best I can. “My roommate and me. He’s in finance and is helping me out.”

“Oh, okay,” Cam says, his smile crooked and his eyes narrowed in on me. Uh-oh. I know that look. “Would you maybe want to grab a drink, then? A late dinner?”

Yep, there it is.

I grimace, putting a hand on Cam’s shoulder and patting him just once before removing it. “So, funny story about my roommate. Actually…”

“Got it,” Cam says, laughing under his breath. “It’s complicated, I take it?”

“Beyond complicated.”

“Want to grab a very platonic drink and talk about it, then?”

I laugh, looking up to the ceiling. “So, actually, I can’t drink either.”

“Oh,” Cam says, his eyes dropping down to my stomach.

“Yep…”

“The roommate’s?”

“Yeah,” I breathe out.

“That is complicated.” He winces, smiling even still.

“It is,” I say.

“So no Westcliff this year?” he asks.

I shake my head, frowning. “Not this year.”

“Ah, well, we’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss it too.”

“You know, if you wanted to, I bet Henry’s parents would rather have you teaching him. I’ve got a pretty full schedule already, and you could take over his lessons. It’s two hundred bucks a week after the pool rental.”

“Two hundred?” I nearly yell. “For an hour?”

“I’m telling you…” Cam says, reaching down to grab his towel and flipping it over his shoulder. “James has got camp money.”

“I’d love that,” I say. “Are you sure?”

“Just remember me when it’s time to hire for that camp of yours,” Cam says with a wink.

“Absolutely,” I say, smiling back at him.

“I’ll text you the details, then,” he says. “See you around, Win.”

“Thank you,” I shout after him when he disappears from view.