Marisi
Ornstein
Leo sits Veera on a lounge by the pool and takes a look at her foot, “Still sting?”
Veera ignores him, “Dada, can we swim in the deep end?”
“We can swim in the deep end forever, my love.”
A striking young woman in a black linen skirt and silk printed top walks to Leo, and he hands her his over shirt, “Thanks, Margaret.”
Margaret smiles at Leo in an intimate way that makes Veera despise her even more than she despises Man-O-War. She shoves her Pashmina at Margaret, “Stay away from my Dada.”
Veera gets in the pool first, then Leo, still wearing his Persols.
She swims into Leo’s arms and scans the full scope of the enormous pool, the edges lined with shining bronzed women, still half drunk from the night before, sitting with their feet in the water, drinking tropical rum drinks, chain smoking and talking loudly, like crazily wired birds.
Eight hooligans from Jersey leap into the pool in front of the women, bombing them with high cannon balls of brackish pool water. The women recoil, cursing the kids out while guarding their hair.
Six lifeguards arrive with whistles blaring as the women bellow vulgar demands that they take immediate and brutal action against the boys. The lifeguards hurl threats of expulsion from the pool, the boys flip the lifeguards off and swim away, kicking up pool water as they go.
Leo gets low so that Veera can climb onto his back and glides along the pool’s floor. They come up for another breath and dive deeper. One more breath and they’re in the deep end, where they dive as deep as deep gets, and they emerge at the far end of the pool.
They catch their breath looking back at the impressive area they covered, and Leo notices Veera looking up to the high dive dangling one hundred and seven feet in the sky.
He kisses Veera’s cheek, “You’re a very good swimmer.”
Veera nods, “I know. I wish I could live in the water.”
“How would you eat ice cream?”
She shrugs, “I’d figure it out.”
Leo nods, “Ready?”
“Ready.”
They dive smoothly to the bottom, swimming to a large window in the side of the pool that patrons at the Tiki Bar can look through, as if the pool is a fish tank and swimmers are the fish.
Leo smiles, “Dive?”
Veera shields her eyes from the sun as she stares up at the three layered diving structure with the high dive so very far away against the clouds, “Yes.”
They walk to the low diving board five feet from the water’s surface. Leo watches as Veera takes a breath, walks to the edge of the twelve-foot-long diving board and flows from a standing position into a beautiful arch, entering the water with hardly a splash.
Veera shimmies like a fish under water and resurfaces in Leo’s arms. She points up to the high board, “High dive.”
Leo lowers his glasses, “No. What? No, come on.”
Veera climbs out of the pool, extends her hand, “High dive.”
Leo glances up and his guts churn. He climbs out of the pool, takes a breath and they head up the stairs, hand in hand. When they hit the middle level, Veera lets go of Leo’s hand, “Walk behind me, DaDa.”
When they get to the top level, Veera realizes there’s no diving board, only a professional platform to launch from.
Leo sees some worry on her face, “You sure about this?”
Veera looks down to the pool below, “No.”
“Okay, me neither.”
Veera shakes her arms out, “Onwards.”
He stands on the platform facing her and gently bounces on the balls of his feet, “When you’re up this high, all you gotta do is fly.”
“Okay, DaDa.”
Leo crouches down and extends his hand, “Come here.”
Veera walks to Leo and stands on the diving platform.
Chaos ensues at the pool below as guests point up to the child standing on the high dive and frantically call for the lifeguards.
Up in the sky, time is standing still. All is calm, silent, and terrifyingly real.
Leo stands and takes a tiny step back, “You know what to do. Breathe. Use your legs like springs. Launch through the soles of your feet. Up and out. Maintain form. Leave the rest to the wind.”
He takes a tiny step forward, his hands on her shoulders, “Turn around.”
Veera gingerly turns around, facing the pool. He points to the ocean in the distance, “Focus out there. See if you can find a pirate ship.”
Veera nods, “Okay.”
“I’m gonna step back now. Okay?”
Veera laughs, “Don’t be scared, DaDa.”
“I ain’t scared.”
Leo, ever so slowly, steps back, leaving Veera alone on the edge of the platform, “Remember everything you know about diving. Run it through your mind.”
“Okay.”
“Now, forget everything. Clear your mind and breathe.”
He watches Veera’s lower back expand, “Good.”
Veera’s eyes close and her knees and ankles bend. She pulls a breath way down into her core, a breath so deep it fills her entire body.
Leo holds his breath, “Fly.”
“Okie-dokie.”
Veera turns to Leo with a big smile, “Come on, Dada, let’s go.”
Leo takes a breath, “Oh, thank you, I love you.”
“I just wanted to see if I can do it. And I can.”
Leo involuntarily bursts into tears.
“It’s okay.” Veera gives him a big hug, “I like doing things that scare me. It’s how I learn.”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you so much, too. Let’s do the middle one.”
They walk down the stairs to the middle board.
Veera stands on the long diving board twenty feet from the water and bends her knees. She launches up and out, her arms outstretched, spine extended, reaching into a curved arch, her face beaming up at the sun. She gracefully brings her arms and legs together and pierces the water like a spear.
She climbs out of the pool and runs into Leo’s arms, “Hot fudge sundae.”
Margaret arrives, handing them their clothes and sandals, “Come on, I’m buying.”
Veera takes her wrap, “Sorry. You’re not invited.”
They enter the lower lobby, passing the long Tiki Bar with the window to the under-side of the pool, then, the ice skating rink, then, the hand carved merry-go-round with the bobbing horses and sleds.
Leo leads them into a gigantic coffee shop with hand painted tropical murals on the walls, floor to ceiling. It’s packed beyond belief, chaotic and loud.
A drowsy hostess brings them to a curved booth for eight or nine, throws menus on the table, and accepts a twenty from Leo before sauntering away.
A bow tied side-man places two ice waters, a basket of onion rolls, a bowl of pickles, a bowl of pickled cabbage and a bowl of sauerkraut on the table, “Morning, Mr. Sanger.”
“Morning, Manny. Keeping busy?”
“Tonight, it’ll be crickets, I’ll miss the rush.”
Leo slips him a hundred, “Happy, Healthy New Year.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sanger. Happy New Year.”
Leo lifts his arm and Veera slides next to him, “You are unique in all the world, kid.”
“I know.”
“You’re you and only you.”
“Yes.”
Leo puts his finger on her nose, “Always be you.”
“Can’t help it.” She smiles and shrugs, “Who else can I be.”
A server with metallic orange hair, white lipstick and blue eye shadow presents Veera with a basket of warm blueberry muffins, “How’s my favorite girl in the world.”
Veera lights up, “Martha, I need a hot fudge sundae.”
“Coming right up.”
Veera notices people are stealing glances at her father, “How come everybody’s always looking at you?”
“Who knows.”
Veera meets the eye of a glance stealer and sticks her tongue out, the woman recoils and quickly turns away.
“A man by the pool said you’re a gangster.”
“Oh, yeah?” Leo grins, “Point em out if you see him.”
Veera searches the diner and spots a man in a fire engine red velour warm-up suit, sitting with his wife and four kids with an immense amount of food on the table, “Him. Over there.”
She watches Leo’s eyes as he studies the man.
“Dada, what’s a gangster?”
Leo laughs, “Good question.”
Veera waits for an answer.
“A gangster.” Leo thinks, “Is a matter of perspective.”
Martha delivers the sundaes, “Martha, pick up the check on the putz in the red pajamas. Don’t tell him who.”
He slides five hundreds from his billfold and hands them to Martha, “Keep the change.”
“Happy New Year, Leo.” Martha gives a smile and moves on.
Veera finishes the last of her sundae and Leo spoons some whipped cream, “Let’s go, Vee.”
He takes Veera’s hand and sails them through the diner and out the door.
They stroll past the shops in the lower lobby and drop into a jewelry store where Leo buys Veera a Van Cleef & Arpels pendant, and a matching bracelet for Beatrice.
Afterwards, a ride on the carousel and a few rounds of ice skating, Then, to the arcade, where Leo breaks a twenty into quarters and they play Pong until Veera falls fast asleep in his arms.
Leo Sanger, the Gangster, tenderly carries Veera back to the carousel and gently settles into an over-sized, hand painted sled for three and a half hours while Veera dreams all about her Mama’s blueberry muffin.
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