Chapter 10

Finally, it’s the day of the swim meet. Salma is not afraid; she is not worried. She is ready.

Well, she might be a bit nervous, but she saw an interview with Yusra Mardini the other day where Yusra said that sometimes nerves are good. If you are nervous, Yusra said, that means you care about what you are doing. And Salma really cares about what she is about to do.

She has been training for weeks, watching videos of her favorite Olympian swimmer, practicing her breathing, and reading all the tips and tricks she can find online.

Salma walks into the girls’ changeroom. She opens her gym bag and pulls out her pretty swimming cap and her goggles. She doesn’t need the snorkel today. She hasn’t needed her kickboard in months. She reaches all the way in to her elbow and finally grabs her new swimsuit. It is a diving suit with long sleeves down to Salma’s wrists, and short leggings that end close to her knees. It’s black with yellow striping—the same colors Yusra Mardini wore for the Olympics.

She examines the new suit closely. It is exactly what she wants to wear today. It feels perfect in every way. When she put it on in front of Mama a couple of days ago in the sports shop, it felt comfortable and fit her like a glove.

“Did you see that the Syrian girl is competing today?”

Salma hears the voice from the other side of the changeroom. She knows the same girls are talking about her. But this time she doesn’t care. She is not here to listen to other people’s opinions of her. Their words are water off a duck’s back. She is here to be the swimming champion she dreams of being.

Instead of following the conversation, Salma turns her back and walks into the stall to put on her new swimsuit.

When Salma walks out onto the pool deck, she runs into Ayman. She gasps.

“What are you wearing?” she asks loudly.

His swimsuit is almost identical to hers.

“It’s not fair that we compete in the same race, but we are treated differently,” Ayman says. “So, I decided to put on the same suit as you.”

Ayman does a superhero pose, then a strongman biceps pose. “No one stands a chance now.” He raises both of his arms up. “I’m winning this race!”

“Not if I win it myself,” Salma teases. She feels supported by her good friend and teammate. She thanks him, then they high-five and walk side by side toward the pool.

Salma walks proudly past all the parents attending the swim meet. She sees Baba and Mama cheering for her. Even Nora, with her tiny little face, has a big, beautiful smile, as if she is cheering for her older sister as well. Next to them stands Granny Donya and Ayman’s father. Khalou Dawood is there, too, with his husband Michael, sitting beside Riya’s Maa.

Riya appears holding a big towel and a bottle of water. She rushes over to Salma’s side.

“You are going to do amazing,” she says.

“Thank you so much, Riya.” Salma holds her best friend’s hand close to her heart. “I know I can always rely on you.”

With every step she takes, Salma feels her parents, her friends, and her family beside her, supporting her and showing their love. Even Yusra Mardini, her champion swimmer, proudly walks alongside her.

Salma always thought that her dream was to join the swimming team, and win the race. The truth is: she feels differently today. This is the team she wants by her side. With them, all dreams can be achieved. Salma feels like the sun, surrounded by all the planets and stars in the sky. She is full of energy and ready to win this race.

Salma steps up onto the platform. She winks at Ayman who stands at the other end of the pool. Like always, she knows he can’t see the wink under her goggles, but she is sure he winks back. She leans down and touches her toes, waiting for the whistle.

“Good luck, Salma!” Salma hears her mama cheer from the platform. She smiles. Today, she doesn’t need luck. She trained hard. She worked harder. She memorized her strokes and learned how to move her body through the water like a wave. Today, she will win this race.

The whistle blows and Salma dives in.

The water welcomes Salma, as if she is a duck diving deep. She rhythmically moves her body. Both arms together, both legs, too. The bubbles escape her nose and crown her swimming cap for a moment, then rush behind her. At first, Salma watches the other swimmers around her, making sure she is ahead of them. But before she even goes up to take her first breath, she forgets about them.

She is now swimming by herself. The pool is her playground, and she knows it well. She feels a smile forming on her face once more. The quiet underwater and soft bluish colors fill her soul with calm. She pushes her arms again and finds herself moving faster, like an elegant sea creature born to swim. The water slides down her new swimsuit. It feels like feathers: waterproof, warm, protective, designed to make her the fastest swimmer there is.

She goes up, takes a quick breath in, and dives back down.

Her goggles fog a bit, but that’s okay. She knows which direction to go, and can still see the lines of the pool she is so familiar with. The opposite wall is getting closer, and she quickly flips around, using her momentum to push off the wall, then swims back in the other direction—even faster this time. The goggles slip up to her forehead, but she doesn’t care. Salma can finish this race with her eyes closed.

Another deep breath. For a second, she can hear all the cheers from around the pool, before she dives underwater again.

Salma pushes harder. She moves her body faster. She kicks the water deeper. Now that she can’t see, she counts in her head: she knows that she can cross the whole pool is less than two minutes. She’s got this. She opens her eyes for a moment and sees the wall approaching. She is almost done. Finally, she slaps her hand on the edge of the pool.

Salma can’t see anything. She hears one of her teammates ask who won the race, but it doesn’t matter to her anymore. Her eyes are full of water, but she is so joyful. She rubs them, then looks up to see her family and friends all cheering for her. She is full of happy thoughts. This was the dream. She has just swum well, and her loved ones are all there to celebrate with her. This is the moment she wanted to have. She doesn’t need to hear Mr. Heatherington announce the results to know she is a winner.