I relayed this alarming message to my mother who was not in the least moved by my outburst. Remembering an unpleasant wart incident freshman year from using public gym showers while unshod plus Lyell's disgusting foot story PLUS this bit I read in Ripley's Believe It or Not book about this boy who come down with some sort of syndrome where his body is unable to fight off warts and he subsequently grows warts like trees and they have to be removed and they end up weight pounds and pounds...yeah. But I grudgingly step out despite all this because I also remember that my mom has been kind enough to drive me over here so I better get out or face a long car ride home of silent treatment peppered with annoyed sighs and loaded comments.
While walking towards the locker room, I try to come up with some sort of plan that will allow me to shower after I swim without my feet making contact with the shower floor. I remember that there are bins and bins of flippers which brightens me up. Plus all the lifeguards are boys so no one of "authority" could really step into the locker room after me to recover the borrowed flippers, if they even noticed. With this bright notion, I willed myself to walk all the way through the locker room out onto the pool deck WITHOUT SHOES... (the pool deck is considered *safe* in my head because it is watered down daily and people don't shower on the pool deck, which is not to say it is potentially just as gross as the locker room area) I cringe as my feet touch the locker room floor which is some kind of weird plastic-y material with tiny raised circle bits. I console myself that the bad germs probably fall through the circle bits so my feet are touching a somewhat clean surface. I make it through with only one tiny whimper, which is masked from others by people showering.
Once out on the pool deck, I immediately head for the flipper bins to get my size flippers. I ruffle through but they all seem too big. It does not occur to me (until right now) that it doesn't matter if the flippers would be able to stay on while I kick because I do not intend to utilize them in that particular manner.
THEN, I remember the lost and found box and excitedly stride purposefully over. It is quite full which fills me with hope. The chance that one pair of shoes will be contaminated with contagious filth is way smaller than the chance that there is some lying about on the ground. The first footwear item I come across is a high-heeled shoe. I momentarily contemplate this for a moment, picture myself wearing it in the shower, and wish very hard that there is something else. Then - - - is that a flip-flop??! YES! YES! A thong sandal! My toes fit through! A little more digging reveals that it is in fact one of two! SUCCESS!!!!! No matter that they are about a size 4 and I normally wear 7 1/2s, they mean that my feet don't touch the ground as I amble around!
Although smaller than my feet, they are quite comfortable and I pondered whether I would take them if they were my size. However, they are dirty and if I took them home, what would I use next time I forgot my sandals?
((Yes, I did realize that I could forgo the shower but mi madre was coming in an hr-ish and I didn't intend to swim THAT long and sitting around stewing in a wet bathing suit is unappealing as well. Plus I had brought along such a very clean towel and did not want to soak it up in some chloriney water))
Walking through the locker room with no shoes really gave me the chills. Thinking back on it is discomforting.
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