Mara's message came on Tuesday morning.
Cheap swim tomorrow at six? I can be there at quarter to. Just an hour. No pressure if not.
Tess read it before work. Then she read it again on the bus.
There was no long explanation. No photograph of a miserable room, no news that required a helpful answer. Just a time and the swimming session they used to go to before wedding evenings filled the week.
She pictured Mara at the shallow end, shivering and pretending the water was warm. She missed that almost painfully.
At lunch she replied.
Yes. I'll meet you there. I need to leave at seven.
Mara answered, Okay. Thank you.
Tess packed her own towel that night. She put it in the canvas tote with her swimsuit and goggles. The inside was still bare and rough. She could fit more in it now, though sometimes she wished she hadn't cut it.
On Wednesday evening she reached the pool five minutes early. Mara was already outside, holding a small bag against her stomach.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
They stood for a moment with the entrance door between them. Tess wasn't sure whether to hug her. Mara didn't try to decide for both of them.
“Shall we?” she asked.
Tess nodded.
Inside, the changing room smelled of wet tiles and soap. They chose lockers two spaces apart. Mara took out her swimsuit, then searched through her bag again.
“What?” Tess asked.
“Hair tie.”
She searched once more, then stopped.
“Do you have a spare?”
Tess did. She fetched it from the little pocket in her coat and held it out. Mara took it.
“Thanks.”
It was such a small thing that Tess didn't know why it helped. Mara had asked and waited for the answer. Now her hair was tied back, and they could go through to the pool.
At the steps Mara put one foot in and made a face.
“Cold,” she said.
“You always say that.”
“It's always cold.”
Tess lowered herself quickly before she could think about it. The water closed around her ribs. She gasped, and Mara laughed once, then came in after her with the same gasp.
For the first length they didn't speak. Tess swam badly, too fast at the start, then slower because she was out of practice. At the far end Mara touched the wall beside her and pushed the goggles up onto her forehead.
“I've forgotten how to breathe.”
“You were doing it outside.”
“Not in here.”
Tess smiled. They waited until their breathing settled, then went back.
Halfway through the session Mara suggested a race.
“One length,” she said. “Not a serious one.”
“You always make it serious.”
“Then beat me.”
Tess adjusted her goggles. Mara waited with one hand on the wall.
“Ready?”
“No.”
Mara waited.
Tess tightened the strap and put her hand beside Mara's.
“Now.”
They pushed off together. Tess began well, but a strap slipped and water came into one eye. She stopped to fix it while Mara kept going, her legs making much more splash than speed.
Tess caught up, caught a mouthful of water and arrived at the far wall coughing. Mara got there a second later and declared she had won.
“You didn't,” Tess said.
“You stopped.”
“You still came last.”
Mara began laughing. Tess tried not to because she was coughing, and then laughed anyway. They clung to the edge, untidy and breathless, until both of them could speak.
For a few seconds Tess was simply glad to be there.
Then Mara's bare hand settled beside hers on the pool edge. Tess noticed the pale line on her finger. The laughter faded without anyone making it fade.
Mara looked toward the other end.
“Another?”
Tess nodded. “Slow this time.”
They swam side by side without racing. At the shallow end Tess checked the clock. There was time for one more length out and back, then changing.
“I've got to go after this,” she said.
“I know. Seven.”
Mara said it easily enough. Tess was grateful.
In the changing room they dressed with their backs half turned. Mara gave the hair tie back after finding one caught in the corner of her bag. Tess put it in her coat pocket.
“Are you eating?” Mara asked.
“With Cal.”
Mara nodded. “Good.”
Tess looked at her, uncertain for a moment whether she needed to add anything. Mara was putting her damp towel into its bag. She didn't ask for a photograph or details.
“What about you?” Tess asked.
“Something at home. I've got food.”
“Okay.”
They went out together. The evening air felt cool on Tess's wet hair. Mara pulled her coat collar up and looked down the road.
“I liked coming,” she said.
“So did I.”
Tess meant it. She couldn't tell Mara everything was all right, and Mara hadn't asked her to.
At the corner their routes separated. Tess shifted the tote higher on her shoulder.
“Same session another time?” Mara asked.
Tess thought for a moment.
“Message me,” she said.
Mara nodded. “I will.”
Tess touched her arm briefly before turning away. She caught her bus just as it reached the stop.
Cal had sent a message asking whether she wanted rice or bread with supper. Tess sat down, set the damp bag on her knees and answered him.
Rice. And don't choose the red sauce.
Then she put her phone away and looked through the window. On the pavement behind the bus, Mara was walking toward home, her small bag bumping against her hip.