Swimming Pool Keeper

Back in elementary, we lived in remote Teluk Bahang.

Life was simple.

Abah was a watch at a hotel swimming pool, mom a full time housewife.

But back then, they already plan their future, they want to relocate somewhere else

And me, there was a fat chance my future secondary education will need quite some amount of money.

So abah took up few swimming pool maintenance contracts and by the time I was 12, mom went to work as a cleaner.

All three of us (Nazri, Nazir and me meself) know how to swim and swimming pool for us, is the most elegant place to go swimming.

We have been in the sea and small rivers and waterfalls but swimming pool with slides was a rare chance.

So, every evening, we would take turn to follow abah for the part time work.

Sometimes, greed took over and we would fight on who will go with abah

We don't have car, all we have is a motorcycle at our disposal

As soon as I arrive, I would change inside the pump room into short and shirt, took the penyapu jerami and penyodok and sweep the falling leaves on the poolside.

Done with that, I'll jump into the pool, exercising all my muscles

Sometimes, I went over to see what abah is doing.

He would be in the pump room or meddle with large filter near the pool

Twice a month, I would help with scrubbing the pool

I had baby pool for the longest of time before I'm allowed to scrub the main swimming pool

At nights, I would follow abah again to pour chlorine.

Along the way, I met few people.

First, a Chinese boy who taught me to walk upside down in the water

Second, a Caucasian girl about 9 year-old. She kept tagging me, even when I want to change inside the pump room just because she wanted me to walk her home, which is 2 floors up the building right beside the pool. Haish

Owh, in another condominium complex, I slide straight onto a little boy.

That was my worst nightmare, not because I got a bruise under my eye but because boy, I may give that little boy a bruise himself.

Then, there were giggling girls about my age talking about tuition and their achievements loudly to each other

I haven't tell this to anyone, but I suspected they wanted to make friend with me

Except that I thought they were the typical rich girls and in my humble opinion, am not suitable to be their friend

After all, the swimming pool at that time is the one in Tanjung Country Club, where riches frequent

I can still see the nice landscape, a round pool perched higher than the other larger two, with pohon kemboja n bougainvilla cricling it.

All three pools look out to the sea

Then there was a girl, who seret me to her mom and I ended up learning swimming frog style with them

I must look like a fool back then

Hahahaha

Abah continued taking up the part time job after we moved and when I got into high school

But cost of maintenance rocketed up, chlorine became expensive and it's not long before my dad stop taking the part time job.

Fond memories they are, that I remember them up till now (of courselah minus the final part =p)