When I came to the pool at 11.30 this morning, there was a settle on the door that said Closed. I was surprised. So was an elderly man who came at the same time as I.
A sport teacher came out of the house and we asked him why it was closed. He said that an old man had died in the steam room. A man who was born in the 20’s.. The pool will be opened again at 2, when the next shifts arrives he also said.
I did not bother to go to an other pool. I went home and did some things I had to do and then I went back to the pool at 2.
I was glad to see that my favorite shift was working. I was glad that they did not find the body this morning and that they did not have to deal with this. I like all the other shifts but this one is my favorite.
In the pool I met a man who told me who had died. Valdimar he said. Which Valdimar, I asked. I know two men who frequent the pool with the name Valdimar. One of them works in a shop and comes everyday at 12.15 and swims in his lunch hour. He has done that for years. He is a choir singer and so is the other Valdimar too. I did not remember that but I said is it Valdimar who sings? The man did not know. Well finally I understood which Valdimar it was.
I have talked about him here,
before. The first time I talked about him was when I took mum to a church where
there was some entertainment for elderly people. I was surprised when my
acquaintance from the pool sang a solo with a choir there. I had been swimming at
the same time a he for years. I had no idea that he sang. I also often saw him and talked to him when he was on his walks.
I also talked about him here when my son Gummi had some pictures at an exhibition. I was proud of Gummi. He had 5 pictures at this exhibition. I met Valdimar there at the opening and asked him why he was attending. He said that there was a picture on the wall of him singing solo. He never asked me why I came.
Valdimar would swim so askew and it would bother me. Well but he was a nice man always smiling, always friendly. The last time I met him he told me about his daughter. She is a well known author here in Iceland and of course he was proud of her. I had been swimming with this man for over 20 years and I had no idea. Well today he went swimming. He did not come out of the house a life. I think he had a good life and now I say good bye to him. Every person you meet in life affects you in some way.
