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Tulip's Bullying Tale

 TULIP’S TALE OF BULLYING IN AQUAVILLE


Once upon a time in the warm water Aquafit pool at the AquaVille Sport Centre, the water got very hot. Very hot.


Tulip was happily situated in her usual depth of 1.4 metres. A 70 year old woman named Muffin was in her usual spot a metre and a half away.


As the first upbeat tune blasted through the sound system, the warm up exercise was a simple loosening of the arm and waist joints, with arms stretched at water level, ready to do a circular twist to the left and then to the right.


As the exercise progressed, Tulip feels the light touch of Muffin’s left arm. She turns to her and says: “oh sorry”, and continues to swirl. Muffin says nothing.


At the next turn, again her arm was hit considerably harder, along with a significant swoosh of water hitting the side of her head. She ignores this and after the third even harder hit, Tulip says: “What’s your problem?”


“I want that spot. It’s too deep for me here”, she says angrily.


“You’ve been at that level for two years! What’s changed? Please move back because I can’t move left without being in Holly’s lap.”


Again, she swooshes another splash of water into Tulip’s side and mutters a few choice words, before retreating.


Tulip laughs and tries to make some sense of it all, while continuing to enjoy the fabulous music and exercise routine. Nothing can diminish her self confidence or her resolve to enjoy the class as much as always.


Fifteen minutes later, Tulip feels another swoosh across her right side. She turns and sees Muffin to her right, but back about a metre. At this point, many of the other aquafitters in the area are tuned into this outrageous behaviour. Their heads are shaking with shock and Tulip says: “can you believe this? I feel like I’m back in Grade 4?”


All heads shake left to right; all eyes roll. The confirmation is all she needed. The lyrics “Don’t Look Back” echo across the pool and Tulip is in her glory.


How can this tale end happily ever after — as most tales do? In a way it already has. Standing up to a bully takes courage and confidence. Standing back from a bully merits the highest honour.


This proud Tulip, true to her name sake, is a bulb made of genes second to no other bulbed plant in the nursery. Just as tulips helped the Dutch survive famine during the War, their strength and determination to survive, and to survive well, dances within her. 


And, because of all of that, Tulip will forever enjoy the warm water Aquafit classes in AquaVille, occupying that exact same spot, each and every class, and live happily ever after. 



THE END

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