Back Dive Ch. 02

"I'm warning you. Don't do it!"

The big brute gave Sullivan what must have been his favorite comment, "Fuck You!"

For being such a big guy, he was surprisingly quick. He made a belly-first leap into the water right on top of a surprised Andy. The water surface boiled over with waves, big fists, and little fists.

Karen and Aline had made it over to where Sullivan was standing. Karen screamed, "Please do something! He's going to drown my boyfriend!" She made a move as if she was going into the water to help.

Sullivan quickly wrapped an arm across her belly, pulling her back from the edge. "I don't want to do anything yet. Let's see how your boyfriend does."

Sullivan did not mind intervening. But he had learned discipline through athletics and through his engineering studies. He preferred to see how the situation would unfold before acting.

The water stopped churning and the big man was energetically treading water, whipping his head around looking for Andy. Andy popped to the surface about ten feet away.

"Hey Fat-Ass!" Andy yelled with a well-aimed water blast right in the guy's face. The man was obviously an athlete, showing great strength as he growled and thrashed high in the water descending on Andy. With a mighty kick he almost came out of the water, landing right on top of Andy.

In a panic, both girls let out high-pitched screams. Sullivan had to gently hold both of them back as he continued to focus on the activity in the diving well. Aline called out, "PLEASE, SOMEONE...!"

Andy disappeared and then reappeared right in the middle of the deep well. He was treading water just hard enough to barely get his mouth above the water surface and say, "Fat-Ass!"

The big guy had no clue that he was already in serious trouble. In a fit of rage he sprinted toward Andy, who was not there. The big man kicked hard, looking around. He finally thrust his face in the water searching for Andy.

Everyone watching on poolside sensed that an important turn in events was coming. It was like the opening scene of the movie "Jaws" when an innocent swimmer is jerked underwater for several confusing seconds and the audience screams in terror. That's sort of what happened to this big idiot. He was pulled under in a rush of bubbles. When he finally burst to the surface for a gasping breath, he was whipping the water with straight arms, totally out of control.

Andy circled the struggling prey, floating low in the water almost like an alligator. The big man almost got his composure back and started throwing wild fists. Andy vanished with only a bubble to mark the spot. The big man was forced under for even longer this time.

When the big man finally made it to the surface there was no pretense of fight left in him. His expression was one of pure panic as he loudly sucked in precious air. But he only got half of a breath before he was underwater again. When he finally popped up high above the surface he had clearly lost energy. He gave up and started paddling to the side in defeat.

But he was wrong to think it was over. From behind, Andy's hand appeared over the big man's head, grabbed a handful of hair and dunked him backwards while pulling him back to the middle of the deep water for more torture. Again and again the weakening giant tried to get away and each time Andy pulled him back to deep water, dunking him.

The mood on poolside became tense and people started looking to Sullivan for some sort of help. Sullivan's lifeguard training had taught him that a struggling swimmer will continue to look at the side of the pool as long as he has hope. But when the swimmer turns his eyes up to look at the lifeguard, it's time for a rescue.

The big man finally lifted his eyes for help. But his expression became pitiful with the realization that it was Sullivan who was the only person he could turn to for help.

Andy also looked over to the lifeguard. Sullivan waived for Andy to bring the big man in. Without any more dunking, Andy expertly used a sidestroke to pull the exhausted and hopeless man by his hair to the side of the pool. Sullivan pulled him up so that the man's heaving but otherwise motionless body was on the pool deck. The activity in the rest of the building resumed preparations for swim practice, pretending not to have noticed a problem.

Sullivan sat with the Florida-State big man as he recuperated. The man released a single sob of relief that he was alive. He was physically and mentally whipped.

"Are you going to be OK?" Sullivan asked.

"Yeah," but he stayed stretched out on the deck. He did not move or even open his eyes.

Sullivan quietly commented, "You can consider yourself lucky. These Coon-Asses are normally very friendly, but they can be deadly when you cross them. If you had been in South Louisiana swamp country, it could have been a lot worse." Sullivan helped him get his stuff together and leave.

The three teenagers stood in one of the swimming lanes watching. The girls were still shook up but Andy seemed cheerful and basically acted as if nothing had happened out of the ordinary.

Aline was especially upset. "Andy I am so sorry I got you into such a mess with that monster. He came here to get me, and you took up for me. I owe you!"

In Andy's jovial way he first glanced toward his girlfriend Karen then said, "Oh, I'm sure I'll come up with some way for you to pay me back."