Unexpectedly unemployed, Owen had to find a cheaper place to swim. He could, of course, stop swimming until he was offered a new job, but slipping on tight swim shorts and gliding strongly through the water was one of the few pleasures he still had.
A neighbouring area had a municipal pool, the monthly membership of which was well within his budget. Amazingly so, in fact. After going for a test swim he was impressed with the facility. How could the local authority afford this?
It didn't take long for him to get back into his routine of swimming every other day. The communal showers took a bit more getting used to; his previous pool had private cubicles. Being in a room full of naked men felt strange at first, but Owen quickly got used to it.
After a particularly tiring swim Owen was on his way out when the receptionist beckoned him over. He was a handsome man in his late 40s, well spoken and with beguiling blue eyes.
"How are you enjoying your membership?" the man said.
"Oh, I'm enjoying it very much, thank you."
"Very good. We're implementing a new system whereby you will need to book a slot to swim. This should ensure the lanes don't ever get too busy. You can book in the app."
"OK, got it, thanks."
When Owen tried to book on the app he found that there were only a few slots available each day. Luckily they were at times he usually went for his swim. Sure enough, the lane wasn't too busy and, when he had finished, the other men in the pool seemed to finish too. This, of course, meant that the shower was particularly busy.
Owen found a vacant shower at one end of the communal area, on its own wall. He undressed, hung his swim shorts on a peg and began to lather up. Only when he turned around to sluice the lather from his butt did he notice that he was the only one naked. The other men still wore their shorts and a couple of them quickly looked away, as if they had been watching him. Was there a new non-nudity rule he'd missed?
He quickly finished his shower and dressed. The handsome receptionist was at his post and so Owen approached and asked:
"Erm, I don't have to shower in my swimming shorts do I?"
"No," the man smiled, "nudity is fine."