Mr Flannery's Swimming Lesson

Katie was delighted after her appraisal interview with Geoff. Her new job was working out well and meeting all her expectations, if not actually exceeding her wildest dreams. It would be difficult for anything in reality to exceed Katie's wildest dreams. In her wildest dreams, she's hosting a pool party at Hillview. There's a score of fit young men there, and she's on the poolside, sometimes in her top and games skirt, sometimes in day clothes. Strangely enough, there are no ladies attending this pool party. Except for Rachel, and Rachel is on duty together with Katie. Sometimes Rachel, in this dream, is in her attendant's outfit too. Sometimes in her black one-piece. All the lads are eying up Katie and Rachel, trying to chat to them, cracking jokes and showing off. Then, in this dream, Rachel and Katie share a kiss, a long, passionate kiss, and all the lads are going crazy!

In reality, Katie and Kevin had settled into a comfortable routine. They enjoyed everyday pleasures, a coffee out, shopping together, cooking together or a drink out in the evening. They could do with a bit more space at home, but Katie was due to start her course again in September, and money would again be tight. They enjoyed a regular, if not spectacular love life. Kevin carried regret at his estrangement from his family and he got a bit down in the dumps from to time. Katie cheered him up. She was always willing to try out her swimsuit, or just about any item from her wardrobe, under the shower. This never failed to earn Kevin's interest. Katie hoped that the day would never come when Kevin failed to be aroused by her wet body.

So the appraisal gave Katie an ongoing sense of quiet satisfaction. And the thousand-dollar bonus was OK too!

Wednesday night arrived. The evening shift was the least popular among the attendants, so Katie happily slotted herself in for evenings all that week. She was due to double up with Kevin on Friday because this was always a busier time. Often, it was the busiest time of the whole week. But on Wednesday, the last bathers were changed and away by the time nine o clock came.

Just after nine, the telephone in reception rang. It was Mr Flannery.

"The meeting is just running on a bit," he sounded apologetic, "I don't want to keep you back, we can always arrange some other time!"

"That's OK, I can wait a bit!" Katie replied. "How long will your meeting last?"

"Probably about another twenty minutes!" Mr Flannery said.

"That's OK then! I can wait!" Katie was actually quite looking forward to giving Mr Flannery a swimming lesson! After all, he was the senior director, and it seemed a good idea for her to keep in his good books! Katie went outside and found the two security guards, on patrol around the bar area.

"I'm having a meeting in the pool building tonight!" she warned them. "Don't worry if the lights are still on late! We should be gone and locked up in about an hour or so!"

Katie settled onto her laptop in reception. There was always something to catch up on, as she updated staffing spreadsheets and dealt with messages.

At half past nine, the door opened and a very smart-looking Mr Flannery looked inside, with one hand on the door handle and the other on his stick.

"Oh, it's so kind of you to wait for me, Katie!" he said, immediately noticing Katie's smart yellow top, with the word, "Hillview," protruding across her chest. The much smaller letters of, "Holiday Park" were partially obscured underneath by the shape of her bosom. Katie was, in fact, wearing a brand new shirt tonight. This style had a collar and buttoned neck. Her red games skirt flirted with her legs but could not quite reach as far as her knees. Katie had her cream-coloured bikini on too. The one she had worn when she soaked her best dress. Mr Flannery could not see that at all. Even though Katie had the strap attached and tied behind her neck. It was covered by the back of her hair. Katie did not know just how much Mr Flannery had been taken by that photograph of her in the paper. Looking just like this, coming up from the water, leaning back, her arms outstretched and her yellow, soaking shirt clutching her chest at the very moment the camera flashed. The paper had been open on that page, in front of Mr Flannery, throughout her job interview. Afterwards, he contacted the publishers and purchased a full-colour print of the original.

"That's OK!" Katie flashed a smile. "I've left a rail out in the changing area, with all the men's shorts and costumes we have left! I hope there's something in your size!"

Mr Flannery strolled over and Katie heard him murmur his approval. He returned clutching a smart pair of red square-shaped briefs, by the label.

"These look fine!"

Katie cashed up and Mr Flannery went to change. Katie selected a couple of floats and slipped out of her shoes and socks.

She heard the click-click of Mr Flannery's stick on the tiles, and he appeared, looking a little embarrassed. It is funny how being undressed brings us all down to the same level. The status of the senior director, the deference which everyone showed to him, it was as if these things were left behind in the changing cubicle. Now Mr Flannery was simply an ageing gentleman, his skin pale and stretched tightly over his ribs and the bones of his legs.

"Well done!" Katie's warm smile reached out to him. "Are you feeling comfortable?"

"Well, I'm going to give this a good try!" he replied, as some of his charisma returned.

"Are you OK with the steps?" Katie pointed to the handrail, reaching out to take an arm as Mr Flannery propped up his stick against the top of the rail.

"Yes, thank you!" Mr Flannery let Katie take one arm while he held the handrail with his other hand.

They began to climb slowly down into the pool.

"You've still got your things on, Katie!" Mr Flannery watched the water slopping up Katie's legs.

"Oh yes! That's one of the rules!" Katie sounded pleased with herself. "The attendants always wear their kit, even in the pool. Then everyone knows that we are staff!"

"What a good idea!" Mr Flannery saw Katie's skirt become surrounded by a swirl of water, as she brushed it down beside her thighs.

"We're in!" Katie sounded so pleased that they were both now standing on the bottom of the pool. The water lapped over the waistband of her skirt and made a tentative intrusion onto her shirt.

"It's nice and warm!" Mr Flannery approved.

"We keep it warm, especially in the summer for young families!" Katie dunked herself down into the water, so it washed over her shoulders. The back of her hair spread out in a little fan, over the surface. Mr Flannery noticed now the cream-coloured tie at Katie's neck, and he tried to stop himself from glancing too closely as Katie bobbed up again.

"Just let the water wrap you up!" Katie giggled, as Mr Flannery copied what she had just done.

They spent several minutes just standing in the shallow end, talking, and plunging up and down. Mr Flannery thought that Katie's hair looked so nice when she got it all wet. He tried to stop himself from wondering what her bathing suit was like. Katie got him to dunk his head under too, while she held his hand.

"Now, I'm going to show you what I want you to do!" Katie explained. "I'm going to show you that you will float, unaided, in the water and I want to see if you can you this! Don't worry, I will be holding onto you!" Katie floated for several seconds on her tummy beside Mr Flannery. He noticed how the water rippled over her shoulders; it made a little river through her shirt, down her spine and some gathered at the waistband of her skirt. Katie's bum rose up like an island; her soaked skirt a breakwater lapping on her legs. Wet strands of hair fell to either side of her neck and into the pool. The short sleeves of Katie's shirt flapped lazily as her arms moved. Then Katie bounced back onto her feet. "Put your hands under me," she suggested, "See how buoyant I am floating!"

Katie stretched forward again on her tummy with her arms out in front. Mr Flannery put his hands carefully under her. How could he safely comply with Katie's request? He didn't want to touch her where he shouldn't. So he aimed one hand just above her skirt, on her tummy. The other hand went under her neck. He lifted her as far as he could, and then let her settle back. Katie's body slowly rebounded and broke the surface. A little wave bounced off the side and displaced Katie's skirt, shifting it up the back of her legs. Mr Flannery picked up the hem and dropped it back down.

Katie returned to an upright position. "Do you see what I mean?" Katie's face was flushed from holding her breath. "Let's do this once more, and then tell me if you want to try too!"

Katie took up her floating position again, motioning to Mr Flannery to hold her, as she slid forward. He reached under her again, as he had done before. Then Katie pulled her arms back. She glided forward a few inches. Mr Flannery immediately tried to pull his hands away, but he wasn't very steady on his feet and he was holding onto Katie to support himself as much as to support her. Mr Flannery felt his front hand slip down Katie's neck, brush over the row of unfastened buttons and settle on her chest. He could feel the edge of her bikini through her shirt. His other hand inadvertently stroked Katie from her tummy to the top of her leg. Mr Flannery quickly took his hands away.

Katie bobbed back up again. "Oh, I am so very sorry..." he began to say.

"Don't worry a bit!" Katie giggled. She looked even more flushed than before. She squeezed his hand and put her arm on Mr Flanner's shoulder. "This is fun! Do you think you could try that?"

Then, Katie, had Mr Flannery lie forward in the water. She supported him, with one hand under his tummy and the other at his chin. She encouraged Mr Flannery to put his face down and lie in the water flat for a few moments.

"I want to show you that that you will float!" Katie whispered. "Are you OK with that?"

Mr Flannery was feeling a bit apprehensive, but he didn't want to admit that. It was so nice, to feel Katie's hand on his tummy. The pleasure was worth it.

He floated flat again, and this time Katie removed her hands momentarily. Mr Flannery dropped slightly into the water, and Katie supported him again. They did this several times; Mr Flannery felt a twinge of apprehension each time Katie let him go. He was quite slim; he had much less fat under his skin than Katie. He really wasn't as buoyant as her at all.

"You floated for a count of five, that time!" Katie exclaimed excitedly. "Now, this time, take a deep breath, and when I let go, try to turn your face to the side and try to breathe out! Don't worry; I will not let you sink!"

Mr Flannery took a deep breath and did what Katie asked. As he turned and lifted his head sideways, he found himself involuntarily pushing forward with his hands, as if to clear the water away from in front of him.

Katie supported him and helped him back to his feet. "That's it!" she squealed, "You started to swim a stroke, then!"

Mr Flannery was starting to feel a little impressed with himself!

They did this several times more. Mr Flannery managed four or five gentle sweeps in the water and found that he was able to keep his face clear of the surface for several seconds.
By this time, they had been in the water together for about half an hour. "That's about enough for tonight!" Katie said.

"But I'm almost swimming!" Mr Flannery sounded disappointed.

"I want to start the next lesson with you still feeling like that!" Katie replied. "We've done brilliantly in one lesson!"

"Can you take me again?" Mr Flannery asked, breathlessly.

"Of course, tomorrow, if you like!" Katie laughed. He agreed, immediately.

"You'll need to hang your trunks up to dry, then!" Katie giggled.

The next evening Mr Flannery arrived promptly at nine. Katie finished her last duties at reception while he got changed, and took her shoes and socks off as he reappeared. Mr Flannery looked so pleased to be there.

"Are you keeping your things on again, Katie?" he asked, as he left his stick at the top of the steps.

"Oh yes!" Katie replied, "Rules are rules! But I've got my black one-piece costume on, too!"

Mr Flannery looked even more delighted.

They spent some time getting used to the water again. Katie told Mr Flannery about her relationship with Kevin, and about gaining her lifesaving certificate, last year.
Mr Flannery told her that he was a widower, and he lived alone in a big house on the edge of the city.

Thursday's lesson went, well, swimmingly. After another half an hour Mr Flannery was stroking, slowly and uncertainly, half the width of the shallow end.

"I think we can just about say you can swim, now!" Katie said. "Next time, you'll do a width comfortably. Then it's just a matter of improving your stroke and your breathing. You'll get better every time you come!"

Mr Flannery was feeling exhausted, "Oh thank you so much, Katie," he gasped. "You are really so kind. And I really am terribly sorry about my hands wandering last night. That really was unintended, believe me!"

Katie gave him a quick hug, "Oh, don't worry! Nothing happened! When you are practising lifesaving, sometimes you grab someone in all sorts of places! I've really enjoyed it, swimming with you!"

They both went off to change then Katie locked up. Mr Flannery gave her a lift home.

"I'd really like to say, "Thank You!" properly for your time, Katie!" Mr Flannery announced. "I'd like to invite you and Kevin to come to dinner at my house on Sunday! I don't cook much these days, but there's a local restaurant which cooks to order for me. They deliver the food about two hours after the order, and it's the best quality! I have all their menus at home! Would you and Kevin care to come to my house on Sunday afternoon, for dinner?"

Both Katie and Kevin were off on Sunday and Katie agreed. They had an interesting Sunday afternoon out, at Mr Flannery's house. He enjoyed both their company. They all enjoyed their food. Mr Flannery talked at length with Kevin, about what had happened between him and his family. So he came to learn of Katie's pregnancy, infidelities and abortion. He listened to everything carefully, making only supportive comments.

"You are two lovely young people," he concluded, "And I will keep everything which you have told me completely private. You have both done what you believed to be right and most importantly you have stood by one another, at a difficult time. Kevin, you have forgiven Katie for what happened. That is important. Those who forgive will be forgiven, but those who pass judgement will be judged."

It was Kevin's dad who was being insistent about his son being repentant before he would allow Kevin back into the house. Kevin's older sister kept in touch, and through her, Kevin understood that his mum was deeply upset about the situation, but she dared not to contradict her husband. Mr Flannery was a churchman too, although his religion seemed to be mostly about supporting charity and providing welfare for the City's homeless.

One of the elders in Mr Flannery's church knew Kevin's dad, and Mr Flannery suggested that he might ask this friend to approach Kevin's dad.

"Your father should not break the bond with you," Mr Flannery said.

While this deeply emotional conversation was going on, Katie discovered that Mr Flannery possessed a hot tub, located in his conservatory, although it was not filled.

"You've got a hot tub!" Katie exclaimed, loudly. Her excitement eased the tension Kevin was feeling.

"I should have brought my swimsuit!"

Mr Flannery laughed, "I'm afraid that's one thing which I cannot lend you!"

They all parted knowing that they had each made good friends. Katie was glad that Kevin had found someone he could talk to. A thought niggled away though, in the back of her mind. She wondered how she could get to try out Mr Flannery's hot tub!