Meatball Marinara

It is as difficult to go swimming on a full stomach as it is on an empty stomach. Swimming after work therefore requires some experimentation, especially if your fortification is a 6 inch meatball marinara from a nearby Subway before driving to the pool. The digestive solution is ditching at least one of the meatballs on the sandwich, leaving a maximum of 3. Sitting on the pool deck two weeks ago, waiting for the queasiness to pass before jumping in, a long-time fellow swimmer asked after my well-being. I explained my tendency to stop at subway en route. He advised that in his Coast Guard days a 20 minute wait between eating and swimming was encouraged The next day as I arrived at the pool, he hailed me from the water—not remembering my name—by calling out “subway.” Another agreeable chat, but as I walked across the pool deck yesterday, I realized the power of words. The lifeguard looked down at me and said with no particular deference to my age, “Hey subway, how’s it going?”