Chapter 16: third morning

The next morning, after another great breakfast - scrambled eggs this time - Randolph and I started playing some video games. I hadn't played these much so I wasn't very good, but it was fun.

Then we got changed and went down to get the paddle boards again. Mr Keaton warned us not to go out too far; I think he wasn't confident that I was a good enough swimmer if I fell off in deep water. He had a point; I had essentially taught myself to swim and I knew I wasn't great. So we had to remain within the cove that was in front of the house and he watched us.

I was definitely getting better. I could stay upright provided I didn't try to do anything too adventurous. Yeah, right. I got overconfident and decided to splash Randolph. Of course, he immediately splashed me back . . . and then I did something really dumb.

"No, Randy, you are not allowed to splash girls."

Perhaps I was trying to be sarcastic and funny, but I realised quickly that what I was actually trying was to do, was to provoke him into saying that I wasn't a real girl . . . but he took it seriously and responded with "sorry" and stopped splashing me. That really annoyed me and I tried desperately to splash him again. Of course, I fell off.

I climbed back on and tried again, same result. I started yelling, "Come on, I dare you to come closer."

He did and I got him on my third try. "Ha, ha, got you, Randy."

"Only a tiny bit, hardly anything."

"Noooo, go on admit it, Randy."

He paddled closer, grinning and said, "Try again."

I frowned at him and waited until he got more daring and came a lot closer, then I got him with a good one.

"Ahhhh, what a nasty girl," he called out and started laughing.

I was trying to regain my balance, but started laughing too. We both fell in.

We leant with our elbows on our boards and continued to chuckle and snigger at each other until Randolph said, "Okay, let's be sensible so that you can get some more practice."

We paddled around with Randolph giving me occasional suggestions. It was a warm, still day and the lake surface was very calm in the little cove where we were. I loved the way I could just glide so easily over the water.

Like it or not, I was feeling good and enjoying myself. We eventually went back to the shore. Mrs Keaton had come down.

"What's the water like now, kids?"

"It's quite warm on top, Mum, but cold down lower," Randolph replied.

"Good, I was hoping that the sun had warmed up the surface, so let's give it a go."

She threw off the robe she was wearing and waded out. Her swimsuit wasn't like the ones you mostly saw women wearing, it was more like what Olympic swimmers wore, and I saw why - she swam like an Olympic swimmer.

"Wow," I exclaimed.

"Mum used to be a competitive swimmer, Lynda," Randolph advised.

"She went to the State Titles a few times," Mr Keaton added, "and she's a qualified swimming instructor."

So over the next few days, I got some lessons on how to swim properly from Mrs Keaton.