There's Sand In Hell... Too

There's Sand In Hell... Too
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee

$225.00 for water
$150.00 for sand
$300.00 for swimming pool (on the ground)
Inexperienced person to rake, level sand
Inexperienced person to put up swimming pool
Inexperienced person did best they could



The sand was put over the fence, where all was raked down to make a soft, level place to put a swimming pool up.  A 15 x 3 ft. above the ground pool... what one hears called a 'poor man's swimming pool'.

Who cares what someone calls it.... it's wonderful to have when it's hot... in my situation, it's a place to help the pain in my body.  So, the pool meant a lot to me.

When, finally time for the water truck to come, I knew soon, I would enjoy getting into the pool.  I felt excitement... I am a big kid inside... I looked forward.

Oh, how pretty that swimming pool... was!  It was full of pure, clean, soft water.  I put the chlorine into it, turned the pump on... let it circulate.

The pool didn't fill to its full capacity... as one side was a little lower.  It wasn't noticeable... but, it 'was'.... a little lower on the side that 'goes downhill'..... the water guy thought it'd be alright.  So, did several people, including myself.... didn't look like that would hurt a thing.  Didn't look like it would make any difference...

For two days, I watched the thermometer... the water was 85 degrees... it was time to get in.  I had been imagining warm water over the areas I've had major surgery, warm water soothing the 'forever' pain I have in my body from these surgeries... I was ready to get in.  I found myself thinking, almost feeling the warmth of the wonderful water.

Happy colors filled the pool.  A big, hot pink... white... blue... yellow beach ball floated, rolled on the water.  A nice breeze pushed the hot pink float... neon green float all around on the surface of the water.  Not only that... there were happy-colored 'noodles' floating all around, plus... 2 more little happy-colored 'floats.

There's nothing like standing, looking at a beautiful pool of clear water... full of happy-colors!  I know; I stood there breathing that wonderful air, feeling that wind blow on my skin.  I felt warmth from the sun kissing my skin.... it was like in a movie.  You know how all slows down to that 'special moment'....

I could hear the sounds of birds; I even heard a woodpecker off in the distance.... peck, peck, peck!  I smiled... I love woodpeckers, and I love their sounds.

I could hear the soothing drone of an airplane so high above the clouds that I couldn't see it.  Nevertheless... the sound is what I love to hear.  I heard dogs barking in the distance... I love that sound.  Even an occasional voice, the slam of a door in the distance made my 'special moment' ...all the more special.

I took a deep, happy breath full of all the happiness of colors, sounds I'd just been experiencing.... in.  What a happy breath of air that was!  With that inside my body, I got into that wonderful pool of warm water.... I knew it would get warmer as the summer days went by...

My happy self began moving in the water... I looked up at the clouds.  Oh, now... I could watch the very thing I loved to watch... clouds!  I love big, forever-changing shapes of clouds.  Changing constantly... I never get bored watching them!  In this pool... it was going to be wonderful... out in the sunshine shining down on my happy pool of water.  My mind was in the future, feeling... knowing how wonderful... it all was going to be.

One little pool of water that meant nothing to anyone else... after all, who would want it... it wasn't even in the ground.  When one rents a home... this type of pool is perfect.  Also... we are 'poor men'... and we let some things go... to pay for it.

Skip wanted me to have the pool to exercise in... he knows the 'forever pain' I live with every day of my life.  I don't complain... but, he still knows.  Skip was very happy that finally... he had the pool for me to make me feel better...

I closed my eyes, floated around on that water.  Oh, God... thank-you for this wonderful pool of water around me, I thought.  It might not mean anything to anyone else... but, to me... it was heaven for my body.

If I opened my eyes... it was heaven for them to see all the happy colors around me.  If I looked above... there were the big, fluffy clouds high in the sky.  If I closed my eyes, I could feel the sun, wind caressing my skin with its warmth... I could hear the drone of the airplane as it made its journey across the sky.

I could hear barks of dogs, slamming of a door, a voice in the distance... sounds of wonderful life close by... I was in ... heaven.  I floated around with the softest, silliest smile on my face.  Heaven... heaven, that's where I was... and I would spend a lot of days... in heaven this summer.

As I floated around on that water with my silly, happy smile, eyes closed... listening to the happy sounds around me... all HELL broke loose!

It happened so fast... in front of the world up on that hill, in front of God, in front of everyone.  The next thing I knew was that... I was fighting for my life!

I was drowning, I tried to open my eyes!  That beautiful, clear water was trying to kill me!  My mind registered that it was pouring over me as it swept me along with it... I became the water!

We swept right across the wall of that wonderful pool.... so fast that my mind couldn't take it all in.  I thought faster than I could register what I was thinking... but, somehow... I still understood myself!

I'm going to drown right here... oh Hell!  That sand is burning my ......, and my knees, tops of my feet!  When is it going to stop!  I was fighting to survive the flood I was in... somehow, getting up through it all.... glancing all around, hoping no one saw me... feeling like the dumbest fool in the world.  I grabbed my wrap, walked quickly into the house... my body hurting more than ever... my pride hurting even more.

Once inside, I looked back out to the pool, saw where I'd pulled up on the wall... that the pool sat still... so innocent... just like all hell never broke loose.  I stood there, noticing that the pool still had most of its water.

The pain was stinging my body where I was thrown with the water as it began its rush to get out of the pool... where my body met sand 'here, there'.  I hoped that I hadn't suffered an injury.  I had so much sand on me... and when I showered, I had to shampoo my hair several times to get it all out.

When I got out of the shower... finally... my cellphone rang.  It was Skip.  He'd just gotten a call ... water was flooding down the hill across the driveway, toward the neighbors!  They'd tried to call the house phone... I never heard it!

The house phone is turned down to low... I never answer it and, everyone who knows me... knows that phone doesn't mean anything to me... since Tommy died.  No need to call me on 'that' phone...  the phone to me... is only good to fax on, use in an emergency when I can't use my cellphone.  Even the Pups howl... when that phone rings... even on the lowest setting.  I never heard them howl that time, so intent on what I'd just experienced.

Skip was concerned about me, about the pool... what happened?  I told him what happened to me.... and he told me he'd just gotten a call that water was flooding from our pool, down the hill, driveway.

I ran to the window... there was that swimming pool sitting there so pretty, so calm ... the sun shining down on it... my happy colors all washed down to the chain link fence... sand washed down, through the fence...

That pool looked so innocent... it still had clean, clear water in it... not much... but, some.  So clean, so beautiful...

I stood there... it was a feeling like someone just died.  I was feeling the shock of what happened to me in the pool... somehow, I must have touched the 'point' on the 'low side'... to make all hell break loose.

I couldn't believe it.  My pool of water was gone... what I had left of it ... no one could see it.  My pride was hurt, and my body hurt... hurt from the burning of the sand when I came in violent contact with it... that's when I realized .... there's sand in hell, too.