LIFE GUARD POSITION

Adriel, would you believe what happened yesterday? I was offered a job as female lifeguard at the pool house! I know it’s the answer to our prayers – since the university is still closed two months after we are supposed to have resumed, a job to while away the time seems rather appropriate, but I had not thought to even check in those quarters.

I didn’t even have such faith in my swimming – I mean, if I hadn’t saved those boys, the standard answer to the question, “Can you swim?” would still be no. right now it’s still “Not really”. Now you can imagine my surprise when the only life guard at the pool, my very good friend, George (who I call Georgie most times), approached me and told me about the open position. In answer to my protests, he said the job was stress free, and in shifts, and of course since I was a lady, I was entitled to lighter shorter shifts, and would handle children most of the time. And the pay was good for whiling away time. Before I could think up a reason to refuse gracefully, Don came over and insisted that I was qualified for the job already since I always seemed to have my eye on the kids’ end of the pool watching out for any danger. Besides, he argued, I would have no excuse not to come more often to the club house, and I got to do something I loved to do – and be paid for it. I could not argue with them. I merely reminded them both that I did not have any first aid training to do the job. Georgie brushed that aside with one wave of his hand, insisting that my instincts had already taught me most of what I need to know.


I finally told them that I would think about it. They let the issue go for the time being.

They don’t really know the dilemma they just presented to me: Mum is due back in the country next week, my brother keeps telling me his new girlfriend really wanted to go swimming and if I knew any pool place that was not too expensive for him to take her to. And I didn’t want to be discovered. I didn’t want Mum to find out that I had not only been swimming, I had become so good at it that I was a life guard at the school pool house.

Adriel I had this fantasy of inviting my brother and his chick over to the pool house, and my brother giving in to the girl’s pleas to join her in the pool, only to go too far too quickly and I dive into the water to save him, and after he’s alright, Mum shows up crying in relief that she had not lost both her children in one day, and thanking God that I had learnt how to swim.

But that is a fantasy. You and I know that can never happen.

But the chances of being discovered, especially now that the school is still on strike is very low. Mum’s office is a very long distance from the club, and she never really goes there – I use her membership card to pay a reduced price to swim, otherwise, the card would have been uselessly lying somewhere in the house.
Hmm… we have to think about it…seriously think about it….the pay is very good, and it would help me in getting some new clothes you know, and it is a honest job after all. I’ll just have to remember to let them know that the second we resume, I would be facing my books solidly.

If I take the job.