The surprise

I felt ecstatic when i surprised my friend Nikita at her nationals swimming gala on Saturday.

The journey to the pool through Harare gardens was rather eerie but in the end it was all worth it.

I was greeted with a wave of chlorine as I walked through the luminous blue entrance.

I scanned the area until on my left I saw an array of teams sitting on large steps, I then made my way in that direction.

I narrowed down my scanning area to the seating area , in attempt to find Nikita ,

and as I am a very observant person it didn't take me long to spot her.

When I reached her she was engaged in a conversation with her swimming partners and it took her some time to realise I was in front of her,

nevertheless when she did, she greeted me with a big hug and described my presence there as a “renewal of her energy” .

The surprise was a success.

As I sat down I took in all my surroundings.

The pool looked translucent making it feel as though it was a crime to not enter it, despite the nostril hair burning scent.

It had colourful strips of the floating lane lines alternating colours between red, white and blue.

They swayed about waiting for the swimmers to enter the pool.

Just behind it there were people congested all wearing white shirts with stopwatches hanging off their necks ,also waiting for the races to begin.

Then far beyond the pool there was a small village of tents and vendors selling snacks and swimwear of blinding colours.

Around me it was a struggle to hear my friend talk with the speakers playing in the background and people having loud conversations.

It was very overwhelming, however I was happy to be there for my friend. 

After some time had gone by they did some speeches that really pushed my attention span to its absolute limits,

and then they began their warmup. Out of boredom I went with another friend of mine who had come to watch,

to go explore the small village of shops and vendors. An ice cream stall lured us in and we placed our order and waited.

The service wasn’t the greatest as my so called “vanilla” ice cream was brown and the miniscule cone was overpriced.

Having gone through that, to put a cherry on top - it started melting in my hand before I could even take the first lick.

Despite the odd colour of “vanilla” ,the taste wasn’t as dreadful as I had imagined.

We arrived back at the steps just in time for the races to begin.

Nikita had informed me how the races that were happening were freestyle so naturally I expected them to be fast,

however I was a bit underwhelmed when the first race dragged on, but to be fair it was grade sevens who were swimming so I gave them grace.

As the races went on the pace gradually increased and quicker than I thought the energy was on.

Then the race I had come to watch was on and I was ready to support my friend.

My heart was beating so fast as the whistle blew, it felt as though I was the one swimming.

They swam and swam and swam. When the first person was approaching the finish, the timekeepers approached the edge of the pool like predators watching their prey,

exchanging glances from the stopwatch and the swimmer, waiting for her to touch the edge.

After her came the other swimmers and the race finished faster than it started.

Afterwards I congratulated my friend and the afternoon went on, it was such an amazing experience I hope to attend another gala.