‘Well, we started out as the Farleigh-on-Avon River Swimming Club,’ Sandra explains. ‘But some people who swim with us prefer to just bob about and float, so we added “bathing” to make it more inclusive.’
‘I’m more of a dipper than a swimmer,’ agrees Jazz.
‘Exactly. We want to welcome everyone, whether they want to zip up and down like Hester or drift with the current like Jazz and I.’
‘What about the “Recreational Water-Based Activities” bit?’ asks Phoebe.
‘You’ll see later,’ replies Sandra. ‘But, come on, I think it’s time we got in, don’t you?’
Together, they head down the riverbank towards the water, mud oozing between Kate’s bare toes. It’s nothing like the concrete poolside at the lido. A bee buzzes past her nose, thelong grass tickles her legs, and the perfectly clear water of the lido flashes into her mind. This is certainly no lido. At the lido there was the smell of chlorine and neatly marked out lanes. Here, there is mud, leaves, mysterious ripples and an earthy smell in the air. A scuffling noise in the undergrowth makes her turn quickly in that direction.
‘Probably a water rat, or maybe a vole,’ Sandra says, following her gaze.
‘Arat?’
Is she really about to share her swimming spot with rats?
‘I’ve heard there are otters here, although I’ve never personally seen one,’ says Sandra. ‘Pretty magic to think they might be about, though.’
‘I likethatidea,’ says Phoebe.
Looking around her, Kate can’t deny that there is a certain magic to this spot. The way they’re tucked away under the trees with only the meadow and fields surrounding them makes her feel as though everything else in her life is far away.
Hester is the first in, heading for the diving board and diving elegantly. When she bobs back up, the expression on her face has been transformed from somewhat sullen into a huge smile that opens her face, making her blue eyes sparkle. Sandra goes next, taking strides through the shallows before launching herself forward with a big splash and lots of puffing. There’s a little shriek as Jazz follows her.
‘We better not get left behind,’ says Phoebe and she gives Kate a nod and then joins the other women. ‘Bloody hell!’ Phoebe shouts, kicking her arms and legs in a vigorous breaststroke. ‘I forgot how cold it was!’
The lifeguard on the bank glances in their direction but simply shakes her head, smiling.
‘We come here all year round, this is practicallytropical, dear,’ says Sandra, treading water in the middle of the river. ‘You wait until the winter. Although, there’s something lovely about seeing the frost in the meadow. And walking down the bank in the snow … Now, that’s really something.’
‘It sounds bloody awful!’ says Phoebe, but there’s a big grin on her face. ‘Are you coming, Kate?’
Kate tilts her head towards the trees for a moment, enjoying the feeling of a breeze on her face and freedom in her heart. Being here and meeting these women … She feels like herself again.
‘Just you try to stop me!’
Kate doesn’t just step into the river. She leaps.
CHAPTER 21
The river stretches ahead of them before curving around a bend. Side by side, the women set off at a leisurely pace, following the river’s wiggly route.
‘How does it compare to your lido?’ asks Phoebe.
Kate looks around, taking it all in. Everything looks different from this level, her nose in line with the reeds and the bluebells growing on the banks. She spots a huddle of lily pads, a bloom swelling but not yet ready to unfurl.
‘The water feels different. It’s almost … silky. It’s weird not having any lanes. I could swim anywhere I like!’ She demonstrates by zigzagging her way across the breadth of the river, making the other women laugh. ‘But it’s wonderful to be back in the water.’
There are things she misses, of course. The familiar faces of her friends, the thought of warm showers afterwards. But the feeling of being in the water is the same. The way it loosensthe knots in her shoulders and makes her take deeper, slower breaths; that pleasant ache in her limbs as she kicks and pulls, making her feel connected with her body again. God, she’s missed this.
‘I’m glad to be back too,’ agrees Phoebe. ‘I came here the first time sort of by accident. This lot forced me in.’
‘But you didn’t regret it, did you?’ says Sandra, her colourful swimming hat like a beacon as she leads Kate, Jazz and Phoebe upstream. Hester has raced off around the river bend in a confident front crawl, but every now and then she turns back to swim with the group for a while, that same smile that appeared when she jumped in never leaving her face.
‘Well, I’m back again, aren’t I?’ teases Phoebe.
‘You never regret a swim,’ says Kate, thinking of her old friend Rosemary as she does.
