Some felt my entry in
Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2022
didn't quite conform to the spirit of the contest. It wasn't entirely unfair though summer isn't always all fun and games for everyone. Some summers aren't much fun. I tried to stay closer to the 'spirit' of the contest this time. This one has more summer fun but isn't without a little angst.
*
I was sitting at one of the two institutional folding tables that served as a desk, a lunch table, and general gathering places in the guard shack at the town's lakeside park, looking at my laptop and the list of lifeguards for the summer. It was three days before the town beach officially opened for the summer. The list was short four lifeguards. Every year a few graduated from college and moved on. The list of departures was longer than usual. The city had recruited diligently for lifeguards but came up short.
The lifeguards were a mix of male and female, slightly more female, college students. Being short four lifeguards meant everyone would have to work the equivalent of an extra day each week to keep the entire beach open. Plus, there was an extraordinarily large number of kids already signed up for swimming lessons this year. I was going to need six certified instructors to meet the demand because we'd be running three classes at a time, twice a day, four days a week. I had four instructors. I was certified to teach swimming, but my boss had nixed it. I had no idea how I was going to manage the swim classes. Sadly, some of the later enrollees would have to be told we couldn't accommodate them. I thought it best to prioritize the lifesaving classes and the beginner's classes.
As the head lifeguard, I already had a lot on my plate. Logging hours and submitting payroll. Juggling the occasional absence. Tracking progress in the lifesaving qualification classes. I spent part of the day watching swimmers from a tower chair. Part of the day patrolling the park. Partly to help keep watch on the people in the water and to monitor onshore hijinks to assure no one got hurt. But also to keep the lifeguards focused on their responsibilities. Not getting their hormones revved up above their already elevated levels. There were always scantily clad male and female beachgoers that liked to chat up and distract a pretty or handsome lifeguard sitting on a tower chair. About twenty years earlier, a kid drowned while the lifeguard on duty in that section was distracted. It cost the town a bundle. And possibly a young boy his life. The lifeguards may not have saved the boy. But they might have.
The extra work hours weren't going to go over well. Being a student myself, I knew several things about the lifeguard crew. College students had more freedom than high school kids. And summer was an opportune time to party. No exams. No papers to fret over. The lifeguard crew sometimes partied together which could present problems. There tended to be at least a few summer romances among the staff. And more hookups than could be counted. I wasn't immune to the temptations. But in the previous three summers, I'd engaged in no summer romances, though I will admit to a hookup here and there.
I expected professional behavior on-duty, and usually got it. But off-duty practical jokes sometimes still intruded. For instance, last year, my first as head lifeguard, I'd just arrived at the park when I got a call from one of the guys telling me he probably wouldn't make it to work that day. And wasn't sure when he'd return. He'd apparently left his keys in his car ignition. Someone stole his CJ5 from the driveway. I asked if he'd already notified the police. He confirmed he had. I took a deep breath. Then told him to call the police again. I was looking at his car. It was on a swim float anchored offshore. With two hundred feet of water between it and solid ground. The prime suspects were the two lifeguards he spent the night drinking with but I suspected it was likely others were also involved. No one ever took credit for what quickly became an epic and legendary practical joke. One that warranted a photo with a brief summary on the front page of the local section of the newspaper. It even got thirty seconds on the local eleven o'clock news. A little something to inject a bit of levity into the usual half hour of bad news.
The entire crew was coming in for a meeting in a couple hours. Last year, I made a schedule every week like my predecessor had. Not this year. I wasn't doing that again. Everyone was getting their summer work schedule that night after I got home. I spent two days getting it together. Going over it several times to make sure weekends, the holidays, and mandatory overtime were scheduled equitably.
My plan for the afternoon was simple. I already knew most of the crew. We'd go over work rules and expectations. Review the rules for park patrons. Review our safety procedures, including emergency procedures. Hand out the hats, pants and jackets everyone was required to wear. Remind everyone where to buy their swimsuit, if they needed one. I needed copies of everyone's credentials. And I needed everyone's cell number and email address. I planned to email the schedule late that afternoon. Then I was going to my brother's house to have supper and a few beers with him and my sister-in-law.
Some of the returning lifeguards arrived early. I was getting caught up with them when the guard shack phone rang.
"Guard shack," I said. "Paul Turcotte."
"Hey, Paul. Jane," a voice responded. Jane Truesdale was the summer program recreation director, my boss. She taught physical education at the high school during the school year and would for two more weeks before the school year ended. She also coached the boys' soccer team, and the girls' basketball and softball teams. I was terrified of her when I first met her, when she was teaching in my elementary school. Looking back on it, it was silly. She's a nice lady, a good teacher, and a successful coach with several state championships among her accomplishments. "Want the good news or the bad news first?"
I took a deep breath. At least it wasn't all bad news. "Doesn't matter," I said. "You pick."
"I hired three more lifeguards for the summer. Two are certified swim instructors."
I felt myself smile. Three more lifeguards and two swimming instructors was great news. "What's the bad news?" I asked, wondering what little bombshell she was going to drop.
"That's the bad news, too." Just from the sound of her voice, I knew she had a big grin on her face.
I was confused for a second. But only for a second. "Oh, crap. I have to redo the schedule," I sighed.
"Make it easy on yourself, Paul. Solicit volunteers for overtime. Give it to the people that want or need it," Jane told me. "Now that we're only one short, there won't be as much. If you have to schedule some people, so be it. You'll just have to be the bad guy for a change."
"Yeah, that will make it easier," I sighed. I hated telling people things they didn't like. But it came with the territory.
"All three will be there this afternoon. Got something to write with?" Jane asked.
"Shoot."
"Janet and Bill Dobbs. They're twins. Moved into town earlier this year. Janet goes to Northwestern, Bill goes to Boston College. And Susan Hurrican, also new in town. She'll be a junior at Cornell. Janet and Bill are the certified swim instructors."
I was starting law school at Cornell in the fall. "Anything else, Jane?" I asked.
"One more time, you're still okay with Kinsey Smith and Derek Booth as your backups? I know there's history with you and Kinsey."
Jane knew Kinsey was an ex-girlfriend. But from high school. She worked with me for one summer and worked for me the previous summer. "Yep. Kinsey and Derek will do a good job when I'm off."
