Damn, I keep remembering things.

I remember when I was in 2nd grade, the PE teacher pushed me into the deep end, jumped in with me, and held me under water. I was terrified, of course, and I still remember how I found the hair on his abdomen absolutely revolting. Island-girl me was able to hold my breath, thankfully, but I saw something underwater that no one else saw.

He was smiling.

After that, he said that I was not “fit for this level” of swimming and sent me to the shallow end of the pool. I was crushed of course, because I spent the summers being a mermaid in Saipan so I thought that I was a natural at swimming.

Anyway, he got fired shortly after.