We dragged her ashore

She said it was one of those moments when you swim out and out, feeling the water grow cold and you dare yourself to keep going, she said, she stopped and looked back towards the beach, saw us all sitting on our towels, next to tricolour windbreakers, playing cross-generational paddle ball, the lifeguard, yellow haired, too good for us on a high chair, the red flags, and those at the edges of the red flags, and those outside the flags and happier for it, she saw all this and got it – had a feeling for the whole lot of it – the things we were trying to do like idiots, again and again – she felt a huge amount of compassion – like a health professional, a bed nurse – and she waved, she said, thinking that we would not notice, but the lifeguard stepped down with his red buoyancy device and training and a few people stood up, shading their eyes, she just thought, please, don’t ever take me back.