learning to swim – and I can tell you are by that determined look in your eyes.”
I blushed, looking away. I was determined alright. Determined never to come anywhere near a swimming pool ever again.
“What is it? What do you want me to do?”
He slipped back into the pool and turned to face me. “I want you to reach your arms out towards me and I’m going to lower you into the water, holding you all the time. And then I’ll lift you out again as soon as you want me to. That’s it.”
“No, I can’t.” I shook my head, moving back.
“Seriously, Becky. You’ve got to trust me. I’m not going to do anything silly. Just put your legs round my waist, hold onto my shoulders and everything will be fine.”
It was as if I was in some sort of hypnotic trance. I leaned forward, still shaking my head, as Mack lifted me up and lowered me down into the pool. It was so cold I gasped, grabbing his shoulders and digging my nails in as hard as I could. He didn’t even flinch. He just held me in the water, bobbing very gently up and down. I didn’t know whether to die of embarrassment or fear.
“Don’t drop me,” I said. I was nearly in tears.
He pulled a face. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to – you’ve surgically attached yourself to me with your nails.” I started to laugh then, but dug my nails in deeper just in case he thought I was okay.
The water lapped against us. Gradually my heart slowed down and I relaxed my grip. It wasn’t nice exactly, but I didn’t feel as if I was about to die. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t born scared, it was just something I’d learned along the way, and Mack kept bouncing very gently, moving me around so that I didn’t get too cold.
“You’re doing so well, Becky,” he said. “In fact you’re my best student ever!”
“Your only student, you mean,” I said.
“So far,” said Mack. “And you see, even if I let go of you – which I won’t – nothing would happen because you’d be able to just stand up on your own. It’s too shallow for anything to go wrong.” He smiled and I could feel myself melt. He was just so nice.
“Next time,” I said, surprising myself, “next time we come, I’ll stand.”
Mum was in the kitchen when I got home. There were dishes everywhere and it was beginning to smell. She was sitting at the table with a piece of red puzzle in her hand.
“Look, I’ve made a start on the poppies,” she said. “They’re so much easier than the sky.” The sky was finished and there were little piles of red dotted about in front of her. I didn’t get too close in case she realized I’d been swimming. My hair was dry but I could still smell the chlorine on my skin. It would’ve been so great to tell her. To share the day. The secrets between us were growing out of control, like some sort of mutant bacteria.
“Have you called up about any of those jobs in the paper?” I asked. “I mean, the puzzle looks great, but you haven’t been doing it all day, have you? Maybe you could even speak to someone at Hartons? See if they have something else you could do.”
“Don’t start nagging, Becky. I’m not feeling too good. I’ll get onto it tomorrow, I promise.”
Another promise she wouldn’t keep. Mum had changed so much since we got to Oakbridge. She’d always been secretive about the past, but now it was as if she was disappearing inside herself. She was hiding something from me, something bad, something to do with Oakbridge and my dad and the photo under the bed, and I badly needed to know what it was.
I stopped at the doorway watching her for a moment. She was concentrating on the puzzle, fiddling around with one of the pieces, but her face was as sad as I’d ever seen it. “Mum, I was just wondering, are you sure we never came to Oakbridge, you know, after you moved away?”
She looked up, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“It just seems weird, in a way, that you left and never came back. And I keep getting this
I blushed, looking away. I was determined alright. Determined never to come anywhere near a swimming pool ever again.
“What is it? What do you want me to do?”
He slipped back into the pool and turned to face me. “I want you to reach your arms out towards me and I’m going to lower you into the water, holding you all the time. And then I’ll lift you out again as soon as you want me to. That’s it.”
“No, I can’t.” I shook my head, moving back.
“Seriously, Becky. You’ve got to trust me. I’m not going to do anything silly. Just put your legs round my waist, hold onto my shoulders and everything will be fine.”
It was as if I was in some sort of hypnotic trance. I leaned forward, still shaking my head, as Mack lifted me up and lowered me down into the pool. It was so cold I gasped, grabbing his shoulders and digging my nails in as hard as I could. He didn’t even flinch. He just held me in the water, bobbing very gently up and down. I didn’t know whether to die of embarrassment or fear.
“Don’t drop me,” I said. I was nearly in tears.
He pulled a face. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to – you’ve surgically attached yourself to me with your nails.” I started to laugh then, but dug my nails in deeper just in case he thought I was okay.
The water lapped against us. Gradually my heart slowed down and I relaxed my grip. It wasn’t nice exactly, but I didn’t feel as if I was about to die. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t born scared, it was just something I’d learned along the way, and Mack kept bouncing very gently, moving me around so that I didn’t get too cold.
“You’re doing so well, Becky,” he said. “In fact you’re my best student ever!”
“Your only student, you mean,” I said.
“So far,” said Mack. “And you see, even if I let go of you – which I won’t – nothing would happen because you’d be able to just stand up on your own. It’s too shallow for anything to go wrong.” He smiled and I could feel myself melt. He was just so nice.
“Next time,” I said, surprising myself, “next time we come, I’ll stand.”
Mum was in the kitchen when I got home. There were dishes everywhere and it was beginning to smell. She was sitting at the table with a piece of red puzzle in her hand.
“Look, I’ve made a start on the poppies,” she said. “They’re so much easier than the sky.” The sky was finished and there were little piles of red dotted about in front of her. I didn’t get too close in case she realized I’d been swimming. My hair was dry but I could still smell the chlorine on my skin. It would’ve been so great to tell her. To share the day. The secrets between us were growing out of control, like some sort of mutant bacteria.
“Have you called up about any of those jobs in the paper?” I asked. “I mean, the puzzle looks great, but you haven’t been doing it all day, have you? Maybe you could even speak to someone at Hartons? See if they have something else you could do.”
“Don’t start nagging, Becky. I’m not feeling too good. I’ll get onto it tomorrow, I promise.”
Another promise she wouldn’t keep. Mum had changed so much since we got to Oakbridge. She’d always been secretive about the past, but now it was as if she was disappearing inside herself. She was hiding something from me, something bad, something to do with Oakbridge and my dad and the photo under the bed, and I badly needed to know what it was.
I stopped at the doorway watching her for a moment. She was concentrating on the puzzle, fiddling around with one of the pieces, but her face was as sad as I’d ever seen it. “Mum, I was just wondering, are you sure we never came to Oakbridge, you know, after you moved away?”
She looked up, frowning. “What do you mean?”
“It just seems weird, in a way, that you left and never came back. And I keep getting this
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