This is a story that happened a few years ago when I was 21 years old and home from college the summer between my Junior and Senior year. I was having a typical summer break that I anticipated to be my last before getting a full-time job after graduation. Rather than interning I opted to spend my days working landscaping, as I enjoyed the time to unplug and make good cash.
One day I get home after a long day whacking weeds and it was brutally hot. A 90+ degree summer day, all sun, high humidity. (This is a suburb of Chicago, btw.) I grew up on a typical middle/upper-middle-class cul-de-sac, and much to my chagrin, my parents refused to put a pool in while growing up. A dip sounded great at this time, and as I made my way to the backyard, I looked with envy at my neighbor’s pool. It looked perfect. But what quickly caught my instead was Sarah, their daughter who was two grades below me.