Chapter 51
With the beginning of September heralding the end of the summer season, it had been decided to celebrate the end of the long lighter days with another triathlon.
‘As the first one didn’t pan out quite as expected,’ Ben had said to Alex, with a wink.
Alex found that he was happy to organise it and felt the most relaxed he had ever been before a competition as he held on to his stopwatch by the starting line.
Perhaps because he wasn’t actually competing. He felt a small pang as he watched the competitors lining up but it soon disappeared. He was so much more relaxed away from the circuit of training and competing, he realised.
He glanced over to the Boathouse Café where the veranda was already packed with people watching from the vantage point.
Hannah was the main reason that he was happy, he knew. Their date had been special, wonderful and the kisses they had shared had been the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned. The family had all given their approval and life was good. The best it had ever been, in fact.
He shook his head, trying to dismiss her sweet lips from his mind and tried to concentrate on the matter in hand.
But as he looked across the crowds standing on the path around the lake, as well as in front of the hotel, two very familiar faces stood out to him.
‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ he told Ben, walking quickly over to where his parents were standing.
‘Hi,’ he said, standing in front of them, feeling a little nervous.
He and his mum moved at the same time for a kiss and hug.
As he stepped back, Alex and his dad exchanged an awkward nod.
‘What are you both doing here?’ he asked.
His mum looked from her husband to her son before rolling her eyes, seemingly at them both. After all, they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other for four months. It felt like a lifetime for Alex.
‘We wanted to come and see you,’ said his mum. ‘So we booked a night at the hotel. Or rather I booked us a night here. I must say, we’ve only just arrived but it’s the most delightful place. The receptionist told us all about the charity run and I thought you must be involved somehow.’
Alex nodded. ‘I organised it,’ he told her. ‘The idea came from one of my regulars at the swimming club.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m sorry but I’m needed at the start line.’
‘Of course,’ said his mum, reaching out to squeeze his arm. ‘We’ll still be here when you’re finished, won’t we, Tom?’
Alex looked at his dad, who nodded silently before looking away once more.
Alex gave his mum a small smile before dashing back to the start line.
The race went smoothly with no lifesaving heroics needed from either Alex or Tiny, he was grateful to see. Once the winners’ medals had been handed out and the photographs had been taken, Alex looked around to try and find his parents.
‘They’ve gone to the boathouse for a drink,’ said Jake, standing nearby, as he cooked up a storm on the barbeque for all the visitors.
Alex nodded and, feeling nervous once more, set off towards the café.
The café was packed and he had trouble getting through, such was the number of people who were greeting him. He realised that he had become a local without realising it and was part of a community now.
Finally he made his way through the crowd to the kitchen.
‘They’re on the veranda,’ Hannah told him, coming around holding a tray of drinks. But that didn’t stop her from reaching up to give him a kiss on his cheek. ‘Go on. You’ll be fine,’ she added.
Despite his nerves, he couldn’t be anything but proud of how much stronger she sounded. At that moment, he was grateful for her newfound strength, worried about the conversation about to take place.
He found his parents on the veranda, sharing a pot of tea and two plates of Hannah’s cakes. He grabbed the last spare chair from a nearby table and sat down.
As if by magic, Hannah placed his favourite cold drink, a strawberry iced tea, and carrot cake in front of him before disappearing once more. But not before he felt her gently squeeze his shoulder.
‘These cakes are delicious,’ said his mum, glancing at Hannah as she headed away. Alex was certain that she had spotted Hannah’s hand on his shoulder. ‘Does Hannah make them all herself?’
Alex nodded. ‘She’s done so well.’
‘It certainly seems to be the case. This place is very popular,’ replied his mum, glancing around. ‘And she’s Ben’s younger sister, I understand.’
‘You’ve met him too?’ he asked.
‘At last, after all these years. In fact, we’ve met all the family,’ said his mum, with a smile. ‘I must say, it’s a lovely place. The hotel is charming and our room looks amazing.’ She looked out across the lake. ‘What a beautiful setting. I can see why you’d want to stay here for the summer.’
Alex glanced across at his dad, who had stayed silent until that time.
But after receiving a stern glance from his wife, he cleared his throat and finally spoke. ‘The race went well,’ he said. ‘Close finish.’
Alex nodded. ‘They’re pretty competitive when it comes to a small trophy,’ he said, with a grin. ‘But they’ve raised hundreds for a local charity today, which is good.’
‘And these are people that you’ve been teaching to swim apparently,’ said his dad.
‘Ben’s mother told us all about the swimming club,’ added his mum.
Alex went on to tell them about the various clubs and even found himself relaxing enough to laugh about his paddleboarding failure in the early days. Perhaps they could get through this first meeting after all, he thought.
During the conversation, Tiny headed over to slump next to his feet.
‘And who’s this?’ asked his mum.
‘He’s my dog,’ replied Alex. ‘He was a stray but I’m adopting him, officially. He’s one of my fellow lifeguards out here on the lake.’
He reached down to stroke the enormous head of Tiny.
‘So you’re staying here.’ It was a statement from his dad, not a question, Alex realised.
He nodded. ‘Yes. I am,’ he replied. ‘I like being part of something bigger than competitions. I like being part of a team, of a community. I’ve helped people that have been widowed, scared, depressed, all of which a small swimming club in the middle of nowhere has been able to help them face up to another day. ’
‘We were told earlier that you saved someone’s life,’ said his dad.
Alex raised his eyebrows and guessed that it must have been Hannah. ‘It sounds more dramatic than it actually was,’ he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. ‘Besides, Tiny here did most of the saving.’
‘Tiny?’ His parents both laughed.
Alex smiled, grateful to see their faces light up in amusement and break the awkward atmosphere. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he told them. ‘Not my choice of name. But he’s a good boy.’
Tiny looked up expectantly at the familiar words and was given a small piece of carrot cake which he looked extremely pleased about as he settled back down under the table.
His mum excused herself to pop to the bathroom, leaving Alex alone with his dad. He found himself nervous once more but forced himself to speak into the silence that had suddenly appeared.
‘How are you?’ he asked.
His dad turned to look at him. ‘Busy. I’ve joined a golf club and I’ve also been enjoying the garden this summer.
I’ve grown some vegetables, which I’ve never had time to do before now.
Your mother’s pleased. We’ve had a couple of lunches out and I’ve taken some time to just sit and literally watch the flowers, or rather the tomatoes, grow. ’
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise but couldn’t think what to say in reply.
His dad studied his son. ‘I understand it now,’ he carried on.
‘The pressure that I put on both of us. How unhealthy it had become.’ He hesitated before going on.
‘I’m proud of you. I never said that before and I reckon it’s long overdue.
I’m proud of what you accomplished competing but also of what you’ve achieved here.
You’re encouraging people to try out new things, help them, using exercise and fresh air.
Nothing better, I reckon. This is a good thing you’ve done, son. ’
‘Thank you,’ said Alex, feeling grateful and touched by his father’s unexpected words. ‘But I’m also so proud of all we achieved, Dad. All those medals. All those competitions.’
His dad grinned. ‘We were formidable, weren’t we, son?’
Alex nodded. ‘We were. Hopefully we still are!’
‘I reckon so.’
His mum returned to the table and looked surprised to see her husband and son smiling at each other.
‘Is everything OK?’ she asked, sitting down.
His dad looked at Alex. ‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘Never better.’
She smiled. ‘So does this mean we can have some more delicious cake?’ she asked.
Alex nodded. ‘Absolutely,’ he replied. ‘Let me find Hannah. I want you to meet her properly.’ He hesitated before carrying on. ‘She’s someone very important to me.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ said his dad. ‘She’s quite formidable.’
Alex was amazed. ‘Formidable? Hannah?’
He thought of her kindness, her goodness and her inner strength but formidable was something entirely new.
‘She gave me a right ticking off when I came to see you after the race,’ said his dad, looking a little sheepish.
Alex was goggle-eyed. ‘She did?’
His dad nodded. ‘She got very cross with me about how I’d treated you.’
Something deep inside of Alex melted at the thought of Hannah defending him.
‘She’s got spirit. I like that,’ carried on his dad.
‘Then perhaps we could have a drink with Hannah later when she’s not so busy,’ said his mum.
‘We’ll make the time,’ said Alex, standing up. ‘I’ll get you some more tea and cake.’
As he headed back across the café, he stopped and chatted to a couple of the swimmers whom he knew. He was starting to become a local and he was enjoying being part of a community. He had roots at Maple Tree Lodge and Cranley, the village beyond.
Now that the relationship with his parents was beginning to mend, he wondered whether it was a home he could live in forever. Hopefully with Hannah by his side.