“How could this be happening?” I thought.  I have never been able to  swim in deep water before in my life, and here I am at Mark Stedmiester’s pool...again.  Coming here everyday this summer is going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life.  And the fact that no one knows - not even my two best friends - makes it all the worse.
 “Hey Alice.  Why aren’t you swimming with the rest of us?” Pamela asked.  Pamela is one of my best friends.  My other best friend is Elizabeth.  They are both absolutely gorgeous, well, they at least look better than I did at the moment.
 “Hi Alice!  Let’s go swimming.  Everyone else is going to go in the pool now too,” Elizabeth said, being her naturally bubbly self.
 “No, I think I’ll be fine just sitting here watching you all swim.  Besides, I need to work on my tan,” I responded as cooly as I could.
 “Are you sure?  Mark was going to have his dad put the volleyball net over the pool so we could all play.  Girls on the deep side, boys on the shallow side.  It’ll be really fun!” Pamela tried to persuade me.  But there was no way I was going into the water.  If the girls got the shallow end then I’d play until I had to go home, but no.  Pamela said that the boys got the shallow end and the girls got the deep end.
 “Don’t worry, I have never been so sure about anything in my life,” I responded, knowing that every word of it was nothing but the truth.
 “Well only if your sure,” Elizabeth commented, reassuring herself that I would be okay.  Then she and Pamela jumped into the pool, read for a game of volleyball with the rest of the gang.
 The truth was, I would do anything to be out there with everyone.  The only thing was I was so afraid of deep water, just the thought of jumping in, and water filling my lungs...It was enough to make me gag thinking about.  Of course Dad and Lester, (Lester is my older brother.  He and my dad are my only family, because when I was little my mom died.  For a long time my Aunt Sally helped to take care of me, but now she is back home with her family) didn’t know. If they did know that I couldn’t swim, they’d probably ship me off to some type of swimming boot camp!  That would officially end my life.

 “Hey Al, do you want to go to the beach tomorrow to go swimming?” Lester asked me at the dinner table that evening.
 “Umm sure.  Why not,” I replied, and I suppose the reluctance in my voice was noticeable.
 “Al, are you feeling okay?  You usually jump at the chance to go swimming in deep ocean water,” Dad said cautiously, waiting to see how I would react.
 “No, I’m fine.  I just think it’s weird you want to all of a sudden up and go to the beach, that’s all.”
 “Well if you wanna be all fussy about it, we won’t go,” Lester added, in a not too disappointed voice.  I had a feeling going out to the beach for the day wasn’t his idea of what he wanted to spend his afternoon doing.
 “Sorry, maybe I just don’t want to go swimming in deep water.  Maybe I don’t like swimming anymore.  Maybe I don’t want to go swimming ever again!” I shouted, my voice rising as the panic rose in me.
 “Listen Al, don’t use that tone with me.  And you’ve always loved swimming.  What’s wrong with swimming now?  Why don’t you like it anymore, as you say?” Dad firmly stated, hoping I had a reason for being so upset.
 “Fine it’s nothing.  I’ll go to the stupid beach,” I said, in one of my quietest voices.  I knew dad was getting angry, and I really didn’t feel like fighting, not today.
 “Fine then we will,” he exclaimed.  Suddenly he got up, and slammed the kitchen door with a thud.
 “Well there you’ve done it.  You’ve made dad mad, and now it’s all he’s going to complain about tomorrow.  Why don’t you want to go to the beach?  Tell me the truth.  Don’t lie to me,” Lester sternly stated.  I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I didn’t want to cry over something so stupid, so juvenile.
 “Lester, I, I don’t know how to swim!” I bawled.  Now I was all out crying.  Now I’m going to be teased by him forever!
 “Wait.  Are you serious?”  Lester asked disbelievingly.  When i nodded my head, he just leaned back and let out a low whistle.
 “Wow Al.  I had no idea. Dad doesn’t know either dos he?  We’re going to do something about this.  We have to,” he reasoned.
 “But how?  There is nothing we can do!  I’m never going to be able to swim!  It’s not just that I can’t, it’s also because I’m scared!  I’m scared I’ll drown, and never be seen ever again,” I complained.  More for my own benefit not for his.
 “Tomorrow we are going to the beach.  But dad’s not coming.  it’s going to be just me and you.  And I’m going to teach you how to swim.  Not but’s about it.
 

 “Come on! Let’s get going!” Lester yelled from the bottom of the stairs.  I was still asleep in my dead, very dazed.  Then I remembered what I was going to have to do today.
 I groaned and mumbled, but I was eventually in my bathing suit and shorts and a t-shirt, downstairs, and eating cereal in he kitchen.  Well, I was trying to eat my cereal.  I kept feeling sick, but every now and then I could force down a spoonful, but not very often.
 “So how exactly did you get dad to decide not to come with us today?” I questioned Lester as he sat down at the table and looked at me.
 “I did it the only way I knew how.  And I’m not about to tell you what I did.  Since your not eating much, let’s go.  Now.  Meet me at the car.”
 He sounded frustrated, although with what I’m not sure.  He could’ve been angry, but angry with what?  That I couldn’t swim?  That he had to tell dad he couldn’t go to the beach?  Well whatever it was, I could tell he wasn’t in the mood to tell me.

 “Get in,” Lester demanded.
 “Get in?  Get in where?  The water?” I started panicking.
 “No Al, get into a boat.  Of course I want you to get into the water.  That’s what people do at the beach.  They get into the water and swim,” he retorted.
 “But Lester, I can’t.  I just can’t!  You have no idea how scared I am of the water.  Just thinking about drowning...the water filling my lungs and not being able to breathe!  I t’s so scary!”  I shrieked.
 “Listen Al, everyone has their fears.  You have to face up to them some time or an other in your lifetime, and if you don’t they will always be in the back of your mind, eating away at you.”
 “I don’t care!  Do you honestly think that matters to me?” I shouted with a laugh.  “Give me one really good reason why I should do this, and I will.”
 “If you don’t do this, I’ll tell all your friends how you can’t swim.  Then they will make fun of you.  Always, and will never let you forget.”
 “Fine.  But how exactly are we going to do this?  You don’t expect  me to just go in and be able to swim?  Do you?”
 “Well of course not,” he said with a sigh,” I’m going with you.  I’ll be by your side the whole time to make sure nothing happens.”
 “Fine, but you had better keep your promise.”
 

 “I can’t believe this has happened.  I can’t believe that of all things that could of happened, this did,” Alice's dad commented.
 “Dad, do you blame me?  I honestly didn’t mean for any of this to happen, and I really still can’t believe it has.  I never meant for the accident to happen.  I mean, the current got so strong so fast, and the storm came on so quickly.  No one could possible have seen it coming,” Lester cried.
 “Listen, I know it’s not your fault Al died.  It wasn’t any ones fault.  It was meant to be.  It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t supposed to.  Just tell me one thing.  Why exactly did you want to take her to the beach?”
 “It was her ‘last wish’.  She wanted to learn how to swim.”