Taking The Plunge

By Allison Hay

Illustration: Shutterstock

WRITTEN BY BETH MCKAY

Onlookers thought they were mad, but it kept Simone sane!

Simone glanced at her watch.

Late again! She sighed in exasperation. Why did she always try to fit in those last few jobs before heading out? She seized her swimming bag, crammed it into the basket of her bicycle and hurtled down through the park to the seafront.

The promenade was quiet at this early hour, with just a few joggers and dog walkers peppered along the broad esplanade. Simone paused to catch her breath. The waves glittered in the morning light, breaking gently on the empty shore. Seagulls swooped and dived over the crumbling red cliffs, their noisy clamour scattering smaller birds on the pebbles below. With clear skies and sparkling blue water, this beach could rival Italy or France, Simone reflected. Only the chill air reminded her that she was still in England.

“Are you coming?” Lisa’s voice was impatient. She was waiting on the slipway along with a huddle of Simone’s friends.

“Sorry I’m late!” Simone moved hastily to lock her bike to the railings and join them. Several of the group were shivering. Definitely a wet-suit day, Simone decided. She whipped off her summer dress and attempted to hoist legs and arms into the unforgiving neoprene. It made for an unflattering dance as she tried to avoid falling over on the stones.

“I’ll zip you up,” her friend, Lisa grinned cheerfully. She stood behind and yanked the ribbon up to the neckline, cutting off most of Simone’s circulation in the process.

“This thing shrinks every year,” Simone muttered ruefully as she wriggled into a more comfortable position. She looked around at her friends, whose attire ranged from the tiniest bikini to full length wetsuits and gloves. Together they braved the first waves. The shallows were icy. Simone’s toes shrivelled up in protest.

“Come on!” Lisa called.

You just have to take the plunge!

One by one they threw themselves into the freezing water, all talk silenced by their determined strokes to keep the chill at bay. Then they gathered in groups like ducklings, treading water, before setting out for the rocky headland at different paces. It was not long before they were laughing. easing into chatty camaraderie as their bodies adapted to the cold sea. They would be down here most weeks, challenging each other to swim, whatever the weather.

Simone scanned the familiar faces of the group. These were friends she had made when her children were babies. They had stuck together through all the ups and downs of crazy toddlers, grumpy teenagers and everything inbetween. She felt lucky to have them. Freedom beckoned now as their children spread their wings and left home.

Somehow the appeal of wild swimming had become an irresistible reason for meeting up on summer mornings, even when most of them had to go to work afterwards. Onlookers thought they were mad. It was hard to explain the sense of elation which accompanied the plunge into cold British waters. Simone loved the tingle in her limbs when she towelled herself dry on the beach and felt the warmth return to her skin. She enjoyed the hilarity of getting dressed again. It was like watching a comedy as her friends stumbled back into undies and clothes, holding up towels and hastily passing garments to rescue each other from indecent exposure.

“Shall we get a coffee?” Lisa suggested, taking Simone’s arm. They were wrapped in warm fleeces and their teeth had stopped chattering.

“Sure,” Simone replied, checking her watch. She could afford another twenty minutes before she had to head back to her computer.

Soon Simone was cradling a warm latte in her hands and resisting the urge to order hot buttered toast. She would save that pleasure for the weekend.

“We should be celebrating your new job,” Simone declared, clinking coffee cups together. “It’s not every day, the right person gets promoted.” Lisa had been the best candidate at several recent interviews, as far as Simone was concerned, but it was still an uphill struggle for women after a career break. She was delighted that her friend had finally landed the position she deserved.

“We’ll break open the prosecco on Friday evening,” Simone reassured as they left the café.

A brisk stroll took her back to her bicycle and the swift ride home to her office. The emails would be mounting up and she did not have long before the first online meeting was due to start.

Simone combed her fingers through her tousled hair. It was the memory of the swim that made her smile as she powered up her laptop.