Bathing Suit Shopping
Since Thursday was our fourth wedding anniversary, I thought I would share a little story from when we first started dating.
The first time I went to visit Josh in Illinois was in June of 2002. I flew out there mid-month and landed smack dab in the middle of a super heat wave. It was gross. It was disgustingly hot. I could barely muster the energy to walk from Josh’s room to the bathroom, let alone amp up for option C., so Josh suggested we go to a hotel for the weekend. The hotel we ended up at had air conditioning and a pool. The place Josh was living at at the time lacked both. At it’s core, this was a good idea. However, even the best ideas can have their share of problems:
Problem #1. I had not anticipated swimming while on my trip, so I had neglected to pack my swim suit.
Problem #2. The pool at the hotel was clearly visible from the lobby, so no skinny dipping for me.
Problem #3. The only place for me to shop for a new bathing suit was the local Wal-Mart.
Problem #4. The only bathing suit that they had in my size was bright fucking magenta. And it was ribbed. For her pleasure.
Problem #5. I bought the god-awful suit.
So, I wore that ugly, ugly suit all weekend. It served its purpose, and once I went home to PA, I never thought I would see it again.
About two weeks ago, Josh and I took Jude swimming at Nay Aug Park. I couldn’t find the bathing suit I bought the summer before Jude was born (a black, Nike one-piece), and I couldn’t wear my bikini from my high school days, so I had resigned myself to just going along for the ride and not doing any swimming myself. Josh went on a hunt for my black Nike suit, and while he couldn’t find it, he did find that horrible magenta abomination. And he convinced me to wear it. In public.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I was wearing the ugliest bathing suit in the park. Everyone was starring at me, pointing, and trying to conceal their laughter. It was humiliating. What in the world was I thinking? What was JOSH thinking?
So, this past Thursday, on our anniversary, Josh took me shopping for a new bathing suit. We went to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and being it was the end of bathing suit season, there wasn’t much of a selection left (and sadly, what was left was still more expensive than what I wanted to spend). Just as we were about to call it a day, Josh pointed out a red, white, and black tankini style top and black bikini bottoms. I headed into the dressing room and tried them on (whispering “please fit, please fit, please fit” to myself).
Thanks be to God, both the top and the bottoms fit! And the best part, it’s a nice looking suit! Plus, I got a little black swim skirt to wear over the bottoms. Thanks to my husband, I no longer have to hang my head in shame when swimming with others (though one might argue that it’s because of my husband that I had to hang my head in shame in the first place).