zack

i told you about zina, the wonder kid. well here's one about zack.

my buddy ellen has this nephew. zack. doe eyes and a collicky hair extravaganza, dimples deep enough to drive a car into. he's what? 10 years old? and he's on his way to being a championship swimmer. except he's tired of it and he's quitting after this season. anyway, to get through the actual swimming part of the sport, he's taken to making a game out of it. go figure.

zack: "hey, mom. if i break a record today, will you get me that swimsuit?"
mom: "sure, zack." suits are pretty cheap.
zack: "mom, if i break two records, will you get me that superdelux $200 neoprene full-body suit?"
mom: "sure, zack." a bluff.

cut to after zack's heats: crazy wild cheers and back slapping. zack broke not only his own coach's record but also the state record.

for my part, i asked ellen to get me his autograph before the little punk puts the trunks away for good.

i been hearing that he's breaking all kinds of records lately. ain't that just how it goes...in the end, when his pressure has fallen away, he's finding his groove.

you know, i'm looking for a place to hang my new autographed pic of zack. there he is, center lane, doing the freestyle. face up, toward the camera, mouth open, going for it.