Sink or Swim

by Laura Dower

  Lake Dora staff members sent families to wait and mingle in areas outside the main pool deck. All of the chairs had been removed and placed on the beach by Lake Dora. Madison spotted Aimee and Fiona there and waved them over.

  “Hey,” Fiona said, running up to Eliot. “Are you swimming today?”

  Eliot nodded. “Kickbad thwimming.”

  “They have this kickboard swim for the little kids,” Madison translated.

  “Wow,” Aimee said. “That must be fun. How old are you, Eliot?”

  Eliot looked up at Madison and held out his fingers. “How many birthdays?”

  Madison whispered into his ear. “I’m two half,” he said proudly, holding up three bent fingers.

  “You’re so big,” Aimee said, smiling.

  Unfortunately, Madison’s BFFs couldn’t hang around for long. Fiona was meeting her swim group by the other side of the pool area, and Aimee had volunteered to organize and help pass out the winners’ ribbons.

  “See you later on,” Madison said.

  Aimee and Fiona waved to Eliot. “Bye-bye!”

  Eliot grabbed Madison’s leg. She couldn’t really move when he did that, but Madison didn’t mind.

  “YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE,” a voice bellowed over the loudspeaker. “THE MAIN POOL EVENTS ARE POSTED AT THE LAKE DORA SOUTH AND NORTH ENTRANCES. PLEASE REMAIN OUTSIDE THE PERIMETER OF THE POOL DURING THESE EVENTS. BLEACHERS HAVE BEEN SET UP FOR GUESTS.”

  Madison directed Eliot over toward the bleachers so they could sit down and play until his big event happened. On the walk over, she bumped into Hart, Egg, and Drew. They were all wearing tropical colored T-shirts in orange and yellow.

  “Nice T-shirts,” Madison quipped.

  “Finnster,” Hart said. “What’s up?”

  Madison felt giddy when he said hello. All she could think about was what Aimee had said the night before.

  “Not much,” Madison replied. “Eliot is here. He’s feeling much better since yesterday’s spill.”

  “How’s it going, Eliot?” Hart asked.

  “Hi!” Eliot cried. He giggled automatically.

  “Hey, Maddie, your boyfriend looks cute today,” Egg said, laughing.

  “You know, if you’re trying to be funny, Egg,” Madison said, “try getting a new joke.”

  Hart and Drew gasped.

  “Good one!” Drew said. He gave Madison a high five.

  “Whose side are you on?” Egg said, punching Drew on the shoulder.

  Hart snickered. “We have to go. We’re referees for some of the events.”

  They ran off together to meet up with the other junior lifeguards.

  “ATTENTION, PLEASE,” the loudspeaker boomed again. “WOULD ALL PARTICIPANTS IN THE SWIM EVENTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CLUBHOUSE FOR A PHOTO? THE EVENTS WILL BEGIN SHORTLY.”

  Madison searched the crowd for any more familiar faces. Eliot was standing on the bleacher next to her, eyes darting from one person to the next.

  “When do we go thwimming?” he asked. “Where’s Mama?”

  Madison didn’t know what to tell him. She pulled one of his books out of his bag and dangled it in front of him. He swatted it away.

  “No! NO!” Eliot cried. “I want Mama!”

  Madison wanted to shrink down to the size of a pea. Was Eliot going to cry all day today? Things were going so well!

  “Maddie,” Eliot said. “Don’t feel good.”

  “Huh?” Madison asked. “What’s the matter?”

  “Tummy ache,” Eliot said. “Real bad one.”

  People had begun to fill in the bleacher seats. There was still plenty of room, but the area was feeling a little closed in. It was hot outside, and Madison was beginning to feel it.

  “Do you want to go somewhere else?” Madison asked Eliot. She looked into his eyes. “Are you feeling sick?”

  Eliot shrugged. “I wanna play with the boat.”

  “The boat?” Madison asked. She remembered. “Well, we can do that later, when we go home, Eliot. Right now we have to wait here until the swimming—”

  “Noooooooo!” Eliot howled.

  “Is everything okay?” a woman behind Madison asked. “He seems a little upset.”

  “Oh yes. Everything is okay,” Madison said, trying to ignore the woman.

  “I wanna thwim, Maddie,” Eliot said again. Madison decided to take him for another walk around the property before the swimming events began.

  The contest, as it turned out, wasn’t much of a contest.

  For freestyle, or “the crawl” stroke, some ninth grader Madison didn’t know won. Fiona and Chet competed, but neither of them won a big prize. Fiona was faster than her brother, though, which counted for something.

  In diving, Dan came in second place. Madison hadn’t known what a great diver and swimmer he was. When she looked way up on the diving board, even Dan looked cuter than cute. Fiona belly flopped her dive twice, but she didn’t get embarrassed or anything. Poison Ivy also got a ribbon for dives, which annoyed Madison. But she had to admit Ivy was a good diver and swimmer.

  Only the IM, the Individual Medley combination swim, had one clear winner: Egg Diaz. He beat Hart by more than a length. Madison hadn’t known what a good swimmer Egg was, either. His backstroke was flawless. And Madison had to clap loudly for her best guy friend, no matter how obnoxious he was.

  Aimee came and sat with Madison so they could watch a lot of the races together. By the time the Lake Dora staff got to the kiddie events, Eliot was wired on sugar. He’d eaten half a bag of cookies and drunk two juices-in-a-box, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

  The loudspeaker finally announced the kickboard swim, and Madison breathed a sigh of relief. She followed Eliot over to the kiddie pool to compete in the event for kids two to four years old. A staff member handed out flat, red kickboards to everyone.

  “Oh, goody, oh, goody,” Eliot kept saying. “Look, Maddie. Surfboard.”

  Per Mrs. Reed’s instructions, Madison pulled off Eliot’s little T-shirt and checked to make sure that he was wearing enough sunblock. She checked to make sure his little bathing suit was tied, too. Eliot slid on special water wings that had been distributed by the pool staff so kids didn’t sink.

  “You’re going to be GREAT!” Madison cheered, checking to make sure that the Band-Aid on his scrape from the day before was firmly in place.

  Eliot grinned from ear to ear.

  The lifeguards helped toddlers into the water. Eliot looked like he was shaking, but he got used to the water temperature. Soon he was laughing—and kicking—with everyone else.

  The contest was to see who could kick and keep the water splashing the longest. Each child was assigned a lifeguard who stood behind him or her to make sure no one went under the surface.

  Before the judges blew the whistle to begin, Madison felt a nudge behind her on the bleachers.

  “He looks so happy,” Mrs. Reed said. Becka was asleep in her arms. “We got in and out of the doctor’s faster than I expected, so I rushed back here to see you both.”

  “Eliot’s been really good today,” Madison said.

  “Yes, he’s a good boy. I think he’s just having a hard time adjusting to you-know-who,” Mrs. Reed whispered, kissing Becka gently on the forehead.

  “This is my friend Aimee,” Madison said, introducing her to Mrs. Reed. The three were in the middle of saying hellos when the whistle blew.

  Wheeeeeeeeep!

  The kickboard countdown began. Eliot started smart, Madison thought. He didn’t kick with all his strength right away. He splashed a little bit and then worked up speed. He was just getting in gear when half the kids were already tired and stopping.

  Water splashed and sprayed everywhere. Parents flashed cameras. Lake Dora staffers kept people as far from the pool as possible for safety reasons. It sounded like a thousand birds flapping their wings.

  “Go, Eliot! Go, Eliot!” Madison and Aimee cried above the crowd noise.

  In the pool, Eliot powered his l
ittle legs as fast as he could. He was laughing hysterically. The race was between him, a boy with blond curly hair, and one girl in braids. Eliot was the youngest.

  “Go, Eliot! Go, Eliot!” Madison and Aimee yelled again.

  But then he stopped. His skin was flushed from the exercise.

  “STOP YOUR ENGINES!” one lifeguard yelled. All the little kids started giggling. The gallery of watchers burst into a round of applause. As each kid exited the pool, he or she was handed a crisp blue ribbon.

  “I’ll be back in just a sec,” Aimee said to Madison. She wanted to find Fiona—and Ben—before the lifeguard swim started.

  With her arms waving wildly in the air, Madison ran over with a towel to retrieve Eliot. He was shivering a little and his bottom lip had a bluish hue, but he looked happier than happy.

  “Maddie,” he said, hugging the towel close. “Again! Again!”

  Madison laughed. “Maybe later,” she said. “Let’s see your mama now.”

  “Mama?” Eliot asked. His eyes lit up, and he ran toward Mrs. Reed. She handed Becka to Madison for a moment and reached out to give Eliot a big hug.

  Madison froze. Becka was so tiny. But although she was afraid the baby would drop right out of her arms, Madison snuggled her close and cooed in the baby’s little ears. She was feeling a lot more confident about all this baby-sitting stuff.

  “Mama, I was in the pool!” Eliot said proudly. He held up his blue ribbon for everyone to see. Mrs. Reed slipped his T-shirt over his head and picked him back up.

  “I know, I saw you,” Mrs. Reed said. “You were kicking up a storm. Isn’t that a nice ribbon, honey?”

  Eliot started to babble, most of which didn’t sound like real English, but Madison was envious. Would he ever talk to her the way he spoke to his mother? After all the trauma of the week, Madison wished that she could share more in the excitement of the pool moment. But at the same time, she fully understood why Eliot would want to be with his mother instead. After all, Madison wished her own mom was here and not in Australia. Wasn’t that the same thing?

  Thank goodness Mom would be home soon.

  “ATTENTION! PLEASE ASSEMBLE ON THE BLEACHERS FOR OUR ANNUAL LIFEGUARD SWIM-OFF. JUNIOR LIFEGUARDS WILL BE SWIMMING FIRST.”

  Still holding Becka in her arms, Madison whirled around to see if she saw Aimee or Fiona anywhere nearby. Where had Aimee gone? This was the moment of Pool Day she’d been waiting for.

  “Madison,” Mrs. Reed said. “I’d like to get going now. I want to get him home, and there are a few errands we need to take care of….”

  “Huh?” Madison looked at her, mouth open. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “Is all the stuff we need in these bags?” Mrs. Reed asked, gathering their belongings together. “Last time I think we left a towel here.”

  Becka started to squirm, so Mrs. Reed took her back.

  Madison was still speechless.

  “Why don’t you take those bags?” Mrs. Reed went on. “I’ll take the baby and Eliot. Got it? Perfect. We’ll see you at the car. I’m parked in the north lot.”

  Mrs. Reed extended her hand, and Eliot grasped onto it. He was holding his blue ribbon proudly in the opposite hand. They started to walk ahead.

  Madison stood there alone with the bags.

  “Um…um…” Madison said to herself as she pulled everything together and up over her shoulders. Then she saw Aimee and Fiona walking toward her.

  “Maddie, what are you doing?” Aimee asked. “The lifeguard swim is starting. Why are you packing up? Where’s Eliot?”

  “I have to go,” Madison said in a monotone voice. “Mrs. Reed left. I have to meet her right now in the parking lot.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Fiona asked. “But the lifeguard swim is the best part of today. They have the obstacle swim and everything. You can’t miss this!”

  “I know,” Madison said dejectedly. “I know. But I have to miss it. I have to go. Mrs. Reed—”

  “Just tell her that you’ll be ready to go with her in a little while. You want to see your friends swim first,” Aimee said.

  Madison shook her head. “I can’t,” she said.

  A whistle blew. Madison could see the boys getting ready across the pool. Hart was shaking out his arms, and Egg was doing stretches.

  “I’ll see you both Saturday at the barbecue, right?” Madison said.

  “Of course,” Fiona said. “Oh, Maddie…I am so bummed….”

  “I’m sorry you can’t stay, Maddie,” Aimee said, giving her friend a little hug. “I’ll E you later.”

  “ATTENTION! THE LIFEGUARD SWIM-OFF WILL BEGIN IN FIVE MINUTES.”

  Madison sighed and watched as Aimee and Fiona went to find their seats on the bleachers. She wanted to yell, cry, scream…do something. This didn’t seem fair, after all she’d done for Eliot. Why couldn’t she have this one thing?

  She heaved the baby’s bags onto her back and hobbled slowly out of the pool area—away from her friends, her crush, and one summer memory that she wouldn’t get to share.

  Mrs. Reed was waiting by the car. “Thank you,” she said. “It was a busy day, and you made it so much easier.”

  “That’s cool,” Madison said as she loaded the bags into the car.

  “It was nice to meet your friend, too. Thanks for introducing me,” Mrs. Reed said.

  Madison nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I can’t believe how lucky we are to have found you, Madison,” Mrs. Reed said. “Eliot was just telling me that you and he had a wonderful day together.”

  “He said that?” Madison said. Mrs. Reed nodded.

  Madison glanced inside the car. Eliot was playing with one of his bendable toys. He still hadn’t let go of his blue ribbon. In the background, Madison heard a roar of applause and screaming. She knew it was the lifeguard swim-off. Someone must have done something spectacular.

  Was Hart winning?

  A part of her wished she was inside watching with her friends. But deep down, Madison knew that the swim-off wasn’t where she belonged. She belonged here with Eliot. This job wasn’t taking Madison away from something. It was giving her something back, something she had never experienced before.

  Chapter 13

  MOMS

  Yahoo! Mom is back!!! I have never been so happy to see her in my whole life (except of course for the last time she went away to work on a film, but anyway …). She’s back from Australia, and she brought me these awesome shearling slippers and a funny hat and an orange belly T-shirt with a koala bear on it. She knows me so-o-o well.

  Rude Awakening: Home isn’t where the heart is. It’s where the MOM is.

  “Where are you, Maddie?” Mom called upstairs. “Didn’t you hear the telephone ringing? It’s Fiona!”

  Madison hit the snooze function key on her laptop and leaped off the bed.

  “I’ll grab it up here,” Madison said. She rushed into Mom’s room and clicked on the portable phone.

  “Hello, Fiona?” Madison said. “What’s up?”

  Fiona was calling to ask if Madison wanted to come over to the barbecue a little earlier than everyone else.

  “I figured if you and Aim came over soon, we could paint our nails or something. We haven’t really had a chance to hang out since last weekend, right?” Fiona said. “You don’t have to baby-sit or anything, do you?”

  “Not today,” Madison said. “I just have to check with my mom first since she just came back from her trip. But I know she’ll be cool about it.”

  “That’s great,” Fiona said. “Bring some nail polish so we can trade colors. I have these little adhesive stars and moons we can apply, too. I got them in this nail-decorating kit at the store.”

  Madison hung up and thumped downstairs to find Mom. She was busy in the kitchen making a cup of tea and pouring Phin his bowl of kibble.

  “Hey, you,” Mom said. “How’s Fiona? Have they finished painting the house yet?”

  Madison shook her head. “She was call
ing about the barbecue today,” Madison said. “She wanted to know if I could come over earlier. Like now.”

  “Sure!” Mom said. “To tell you the truth, Maddie, I think I might need to lie down and have a nap. I’m beat.”

  “So it’s okay if I go now? You can come over later and grab some food with us,” Madison said. “Mrs. Waters wanted all the moms and dads to stop by for hot dogs and hamburgers…well, in your case maybe just some salad.”

  Mom laughed. “I’ll walk over after my nap. I’ll call Fiona’s mom to see when they light up the grill, okay?”

  “Perfect!” Madison said. Normally Mom wouldn’t be a cool addition to an event like this, but right now Madison could think of nothing she’d like more than to have her friends and her mom in one place.

  Madison raced back upstairs and pulled on a pair of overall linen shorts, a blue shirt, and her wedge sandals. She tied back her hair in a blue ribbon with little beads on the end and applied lip gloss to make her lips shine. It tasted like berries.

  Fiona had told Madison that Hart won the junior lifeguard swim-off after all. Madison wanted to look good when she waltzed right up to congratulate him on his victory.

  The Waters house was in total disarray. The painting job was in full swing, and the mess of paint cans and rollers and tarps was all over the place. Madison nearly tripped on a ladder when she went up the front steps.

  The paint colors were beautiful. Madison stared and stared. Mr. and Mrs. Waters wanted to restore the shingles, trim around the windows, finials, and porch rails to the original Victorian colors. They’d picked out a deep blue and a pale yellow. It was starting to look like frosted cake.

  “Hey, I did the porch,” Chet announced as he opened the door. “Pretty good work, right?”

  “By yourself?” Madison asked suspiciously.

  Chet put his hands on his hips and squinted. “Duh, of course.”

  “GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!” Fiona yelled. She pushed her brother out of the way and pulled Madison inside. “Come in! It’s so hot outside!”