Free Steak

This is a very straight forward, simple story.

I was about 16-17 years old, working as a Lifeguard at the Winnipeg, Down Town, YMCA.

I was a pretty naïve young man, not that I knew it at the time, but looking back on my memories. This one I am reciting here, made me shudder one day as I realized…

It was what in the late 70’s that I worked there. There was a free weights gym in the basement, and squash courts, and a 25 yard swimming pool, with adjoining sauna.

I could see the entire pool area from my single vantage point, to my right was a elevated guard chair, which I never sat on, probably because it never got that busy. And if I stood to the left of that chair, my back would be to the doorway of the guard office, which was a little hallway sized alcove, with a phone and various first aid supplies.

So hopefully, I’ve set the scene well enough for you. I was still in high school, I remember because one of my art projects was me standing beside that guard chair.

You bet I wanted to go! I lived in a house with three boys and a girl, and parents with a modest income. They could never afford to take us out to a fancy place like that, and I’d probably never had a steak as good as one that I would get at that place!

I phoned my mom and told her with my good news.

I’ll never forget her words over the phone, as I stood there with my left shoulder against the door jam of the guard office looking out at the pool, it’s back in those days when phones had long chords so in my right hand, I was holding the phone to my right ear left, and my left hand was under my right arm by the armpit.

“…you’re not going with that man to get a steak.” she said blandly.

“BUT MUM! I’ve always wanted to go there. I’m so excited about this MUM!” I protested.

“…you’re not going with that man to get a steak.” she said once again.

I protested again, she calmly stated what would be happening, that is, I would not be going with that man for a steak.

Just recently, I was walking in the same direction as my very busy supervisor at work. I’m semi retired now, and he and I have pretty different backgrounds in many ways.

As I was telling him the story, he interrupted me,

“…yeah, what’s with the locker rooms at the YMCA?!? why does everybody have to be naked? I went there to play basketball with some friends, ‘hey, why can’t we just play basketball!?”

Of course we were both laughing at this point, and I said to him “so you got through unfazed? No steak dinners?”

His answer is characteristic of his quick Witt, he said:

I brought my own sandwich.