Life starts now - A Bondi Rescue story

Tryouts

Two weeks later, Melanie entered the public pool where the first portion of the try-outs was being held. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly as she walked in.

She was early, but about 20 people were already there. Some of them seemed to be spectators, friends or family members, but there was also a small group that stood by a couple of film cameras.

Before Melanie could even begin to wonder what she had to do now, a voice to her left made her jump.

"Hello Melanie, how're you going?"

Turning, she was met with Deano's friendly smile. "Oh...hi", she stuttered. "I'm fine, thanks, and you?"

"Good, thanks. Are you here to try out?"

She nodded and he grinned. "Fantastic! It'd be great to have a woman on the team."

With Deano by her side, Melanie suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. She was still terrified, but he showed her where she could put down her gear and explained what the test included.

Hoppo, who she had already met with when she'd handed in her application, came over to them. He knew about her complicated living situation and had assured her that it wouldn't affect her chances of becoming a lifeguard. "Your skills have to be solid, you need to be ready to work hard and you should fit in with the team, those are the main points", he had told her.

Patting her on the shoulder, Deano wished her good luck and left her to face the boss. Hoppo greeted her and she quickly put her signature next to her name on the clipboard to confirm her presence.

"How are you feeling?", he asked, studying the young girl. Her brown eyes were filled with anxiety.

Melanie shrugged. "Uhm...nervous", she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up.

He nodded. "That's normal. Even the longest serving guys get a bit twitchy."

Melanie breathed a soft laugh, not exactly reassured but appreciating the effort.

As Hoppo's attention turned to other things, she began to prepare herself. She took off her clothes and put them in a neat pile, already wearing her sports bikini underneath. Letting her gaze roam across the pool, her nervousness grew even more when she saw just how tall, fit and strong all these men were. Even the shorter or bulkier ones looked confident and in excellent shape.

"Oh God", she whispered to herself. "What am I doing here?" She was an athlete, she certainly wasn't in bad shape and she had a good portion of stubbornness to help her as well, but compared to these men, she felt unbelievably tiny.

Thankfully, she didn't have time to dwell on her doubts as Hoppo got their attention, outlining the test and explaining the rules before he went on to announce who would be in which heat.

"Heat 3: Ben Quigley, Greg Bishop, Patrick Alley, Ben Sutherland, Melanie Finnigan, Chris Chapman."

***

As the first group got ready, Melanie found herself a spot on the side from where she could watch. She began warming up when the start signal sounded. A young woman, probably around 25, approached her.

"Hi", she smiled. "You're Melanie, right?"

"Uh...yes?", she replied. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

She laughed and ran a hand through her long, perfectly straight blonde hair. "No. I'm Alicia. So, you want to become a lifeguard, too?"

Melanie nodded, not sure what to say. It didn't matter because Alicia took her nod as an invitation to go on. "Me too", she enthused. "Can you imagine, wouldn't it be awesome to work with these guys? They're so hot!" She grinned and eyed the men. The first heat was approaching half-time while the rest of the guys were either calling out encouragements or warming up.