Chapter 35
Alex found to his surprise that he was really excited about the idea of running a water sports centre over the summer at Maple Tree Lodge.
It was something completely different to get stuck into, he realised.
Something new. A feeling that he hadn’t experienced in so very long.
His life had consisted of work and competitions over and over, week after week, year after year.
Only his intermittent dating life had been any different but even there, he hadn’t felt particularly energised.
He had been a polite, interested date and yet there hadn’t been a spark with anyone.
Except Claire, of course. And look how that had turned out.
Trust was still a bit of an issue for him.
He had trusted his parents, his dad, and they had almost rejected him because of his decision to step away from the competitions.
But he was thirty-four now. He wanted a life of his own.
And perhaps the water sports centre might just be the start of that.
But before he could almost start to relax and enjoy himself, there was an awful lot of work to set it all up.
First and most important was the practical side of things to work out. Alex sat down with the family to brainstorm.
‘First off, we’ll need an official lifeguard,’ began Alex. ‘Which will be me, of course. I’ll position myself on the jetty where I’ll have the best vantage point.’
‘I can lend you my binoculars,’ said Walter. ‘And then there’s always the boat which can be used to get to anyone quickly.’
Alex was glad that Walter was offering to help, considering he still had reservations as to the lake being utilised so much that summer.
‘Excellent,’ replied Alex. ‘But if things go well then I may just need some assistance with that.’
‘Well, I can help with that too,’ said Walter.
Everyone turned to look at the octogenarian in surprise.
‘What?’ he snapped. ‘I can make a call and get help, can’t I? I’m not completely feeble and useless.’
‘Nobody said you were, Grandad,’ said Ben in a reassuring tone. ‘But how can you make a call when there’s no signal out there?’
‘Walkie-talkies,’ said Frankie, nodding. ‘That’ll do the trick.’
‘Good idea,’ said Alex, making a note on his phone. ‘OK, Walter. If we’re a runaway success, you’ll be my number two lifeguard.’
Walter smiled and nodded, looking smug. Everyone else looked a little alarmed but Alex tried not to worry about that for the time being.
‘I think the best way to monitor everyone safely is to set up some strict timings for being in the water,’ carried on Alex. ‘At least if anyone is swimming laps of the lake, that is. Say, give an hour or two per session.’
‘I agree,’ said Dotty. ‘If they’re all going in at different times, how do you keep track if anyone gets into difficulties?’
‘Exactly,’ said Alex, with a nod. ‘So I suggest some kind of morning swimming session, say 8–10 a.m. Then a lunchtime one from 11–1 p.m. Then the afternoon can be for the paddleboards, say, until four o’clock. Finally one last swimming session from 4–5 p.m.’
‘You think that many?’ asked Faye, looking surprised.
‘I agree, actually.’ Ben shrugged his shoulders. ‘I guess we should try to attract as many people as we can, by giving them as much choice as we’re able to do.’
‘But we make sure that it’s all done and dusted by 5 p.m.,’ said Walter, with a firm nod. ‘Then we get the peace and tranquillity back for us and our guests.’
‘Talking of hotel guests,’ said Lily. ‘They should be able to swim free, I think. As part of the perk of staying here.’
‘But outsiders will have to pay a fee,’ added Ben.
‘If we’re going to do this properly, we’ll need some kind of check-in system,’ said Alex. ‘Especially if it’s not just going to be restricted to hotel guests.’
‘Ella’s working on a local Facebook page,’ said Lily, checking her phone. ‘Maple Tree Lodge Water Sports Centre. It’s already got over 100 followers and she only started it two days ago.’
‘That’s great,’ said Hannah. ‘She’s a star, isn’t she?’
‘How will we monitor everyone and get their payment?’ asked Frankie.
‘What about a separate reception area?’ said Faye.
‘We don’t want everyone trudging through the hotel reception in their swimming costumes,’ said Ben, making a face.
‘What about that old storage barn?’ said Walter. ‘The one just outside of the boathouse and next to the clearing we’re going to use as a car park.’
‘Barn?’ asked Alex, trying to recall if he’d seen anything that big in the location.
Ben shook his head. ‘We call it that but it’s more an old woodshed but that’s a good idea, Grandad. It’ll catch everyone arriving so nobody gets missed. It’s also weatherproof for whoever is manning the reception.’
‘I’m happy to muck in,’ said Frankie.
‘Me too,’ added Faye.
‘I’d also like to add a couple more safety rules,’ said Alex, who had been mulling everything over and researching online for the past few days.
‘Yes, teacher,’ murmured Ben, giving his friend a wink to bely his teasing.
Alex ignored him. ‘Thinking back to my triathlon days, everyone always wears a swimming cap.’
The ladies all began to protest but he shook his head.
‘The reason behind that was that it was easier to see if anyone got into difficulties in the water,’ he carried on.
The protests faded as quickly as they had begun.
‘Well, at least it’ll keep my hair dry,’ said Dotty, with a shrug. ‘Perhaps I can go for shocking pink!’
‘Also, I’ve seen floats used as well,’ said Alex. ‘Fluorescent ones which can be used to keep people’s car keys safe and dry, as well as a buoyancy aid if the swimmer gets tired.’
There was a general murmur of assent around the kitchen table.
‘Better that we’re safe rather than get the wrong kind of publicity if someone gets into trouble,’ said Walter.
‘I agree,’ said Faye, biting her lip. ‘It would be terrible if someone got hurt. After all, this is our land. It’s our responsibility to keep everyone safe.’
Alex nodded. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Does it all seem a bit professional though?’ asked Frankie, looking concerned. ‘You know, not for the likes of, well, us, I mean?’
Alex shook his head. ‘The idea is that there is no judgement on anyone going in the water,’ he told her. ‘We want to invite all abilities who can go as little or as far as they want. But they need to be safe.’
‘Fair enough, I guess,’ replied Frankie.
As the family all agreed with the ideas, Alex felt pleased that they were being so positive about the water sports centre and just hoped that it would be the success that everyone was praying it could be.