Everyone seemed to know the music and Mrs. Sydney Gunnerson really was in the class and was pretty much the best. Twirling in the water, looking over her shoulder at just the right time. Clapping her hands to the beat.

She waved at me and I waved back at her.

No wonder she always closed her Antique Dolls and Collectibles shop at exactly eleven o’clock on the dot. She had to get to aerobics.

But I was bad at it.

When I was supposed to turn, I didn’t turn and when I wasn’t supposed to turn I did.

I was off every single song.

“It takes practice,” Bart said at one point, and I said, “I can’t believe how hard it is.”

He said, “I know. Navy Seals do this to train.”

I laughed.

The only time I caught on was when they were cooling down with stretches.

But one good thing: I laughed a lot. And for maybe five seconds I forgot about Dad. And Mom.

Then afterward, when we got out of the pool, the instructor came up to us, sweat was dripping off her shoulders. She should have jumped in the pool.

She had a weathered face, brown from the sun, bleached blond hair in a ponytail, and a tight tank top that showed the rolls on her stomach, which clearly she didn’t care if they showed.

“Who’s your friend?” she said to Bart, handing him a towel.

He seemed nervous all of a sudden.

“She’s from school,” he said.

The woman looked at me. “You’re from school?”

“Uh,” I said. “Yeah?”

She examined me, I don’t know why.

“I’m glad he has a friend from school. Maybe he’ll stop ditching so much.” She bumped into Bart who blushed.

Then she said, “What’s your name?”

“Olivia.”

“Hi, Olivia.”

She stuck out her hand, “I’m Roxi.”

“Hi, Roxi,” I said.

She looked at Bart. Bart was rubbing his head with the towel, not looking at us.

Then she said, “You should come over to the house sometime.”

“Mom,” Bart said, “stop.”

~

It was his mom.

~

And she said, “I think you should marry my son.”

And I said, “What?”

And Bart said, “What?”

And his mom said, “Don’t be silly. I can see the love between you two.”

And I said, “No. We just met. We’re too young.”

And I looked at Bart and even though I knew he thought it was crazy, too, I also saw that there was something in his eye. Something like a twinkle. Maybe it could last. Maybe we wouldn’t end up in the trailer park with lots of trophies and no jobs and sad kids.

~

And he said, “I do love you.”

And I said, “You do?”

And he said, “I’ll take care of you.”

And I said, “I don’t need you to.”

And he said, “You don’t?”

And I said, “No.”

And he said, “What do you need?”

And I said, “A friend.”

And he said, “I am your friend.”

And his mom said, “Gary, come here.”

And an enormous man with a tattoo of a bulldog on his belly came dripping over.

“Will you marry these two?” she said.

“Right now?” I gasped.

“Right now,” Bart said.

And his mom smiled. “Sometimes you just know.”

So we were married. And everyone cheered and they threw cotton candy at us and Bart said, “We will live in Paris,” and I said, “We will?”

And he said, “Yes. And Hamburg. And Istanbul. And Hong Kong. And we’ll never come back.”

And I said, “What about Berk?”

And he said, “Berk can come, too!”

And then I said, “Yes! Let’s go to Mongolia!” And then I took his face and I kissed him soft and as romantic as I could and there were real fireworks and crying and it was the best day of my life.