EXTRACT FOR
The Lifeguard
(Mark Klein)

FROM MY VANTAGE POINT at the dining room entrance I would see each guest as they filed in for dinner.  I overheard the Maitre D asking two girls their age, before directing them to the teenage table.  They were fifteen and sixteen, but could have passed for eighteen.  In weekends to come, checking the talent at the dining room door would become a ritual.  I would see who was escorted and who was not.  I would see unattached women asking the hostess to seat them with single men.  The social cards would be stacked in my favour from the moment a new guest arrived. 



Families, singles, the young, the old, Columbus weekend attracted the full spectrum of Catskill visitors.   



The dining room was beautiful.  Tables were crisscrossed with two contrasting autumnal coloured tablecloths.  A floral centerpiece, a candle lit lantern, sparkling crystal and polished silver adorned each table.  The dining room had the opulence of a `once in a lifetime` wedding reception, yet I would experience that elegance each night of my stay.



Five young men in tuxedos approached table # 2, the table nearest the door.  The band was seated.  I took my place at the table and introduced myself to each member of the band.  I was at least ten years their junior, but they involved me in every aspect of their conversations.  The number one topic of discussion was women.  Who laid whom?  Who in the dining room looked approachable?  What neighbouring hotels had better prospects?  It was great!  I was the hotel`s lifeguard.  I was their peer.  They had experienced things that I had only heard about, and some things that I never dreamt of.  I was in the company of five musicians ages twenty-five to forty two.  I was beginning to understand that as musicians, they were constantly on the road.  Their social experiences were far more adventurous then their contemporaries, and light years beyond mine.



Dinner was served leisurely, leaving time for conversation.  Vic the trumpet player told me that a girl at the next table was checking me out.  I was sure he was teasing me.  When I turned to investigate, I saw only adults, five women and four men.  By the time the main course had arrived Vic's hunch was supported by Sal the drummer, they both agreed I was being stared at.  I protested, 

"I bet they`re at least twenty five, probably married with kids."  



They responded in unison, "So What! Ya never been with someone a few years older than you?"   



"Sure I have."  I'm sure they thought that I was near twenty.  They had no idea that the kid at their table was a teenager and a virgin.  



Dinner was fantastic.  Each of the four courses seemed better than the last.  The service was great.  The waiters and busboys, mostly college students or grad students, had a natural empathy for other hotel employees.  The band and other staff members were always appreciative, never rude or demanding.  When a waiter received a tip from a fellow working stiff, it seemed to be appreciated far more than the required gesture expected of paying guests.  If a guest changed his mind about an order, or sent something back to be prepared differently, it was easier for the waiter to leave the unwanted dish at our table and to go to the kitchen for a new one.  The band`s table was inevitably served more food than we could consume. 



Intrigued by the evening`s conversation, I had all but forgotten the band`s razzing about me being checked out by a young woman at a neighbouring table.  I didn`t see her messenger as he walked from that table to ours.  His hand was on my shoulder as he addressed the band.  



"Are all of you guys with the band?"  



Sal responded by introducing each member of the band and finally introducing me, the hotel`s Lifeguard.  Alan, our visitor from the adjacent table speculated that the band would be leaving shortly to prepare for the evening`s entertainment and that I would be left alone.  He invited me to join the group at his table.  Vic encouraged me to go.  I had no choice.



I sat down as my host, Alan, introduced me to everyone at the table.  Alan called to the waiter and asked for coffee and desert for his new friend, the lifeguard.  Then, Alan asked the strangest question.  He wanted to know if staff quarters were the dungeons he had heard about.  I promptly, braggingly, responded that I and other important employees had guest rooms.  Alan protested in disbelief and demanded to see my room key.  With the pride and the naiveté of youth I produced my key.  I brandished the key to Room 317 like a trophy.  Alan asked for a closer look and pulled the key from my hand.



Within seconds my key along with four others was placed in an empty ice bucket.  The men seemed quieter.  The women giggled nervously.  A ceremony of which I had no knowledge had obviously begun.  The bucket was passed from women to women.  Each drew a key without looking.  I had no idea who had picked the key to '317'.  I watched the ritual as a spectator.  I had no understanding of the rules.  I had no idea that I was a participant.  I announced my ignorance by asking, 



"Who has key #317?  Can I have it back?" 



 The words had no sooner left my lips when Alan grabbed my shoulder and offered to buy me a congratulatory drink.  I had no idea what I was being congratulated for, but I was being unceremoniously pulled from the table and escorted, dragged, out of the dinning room.  As soon as we were out of earshot of the table Alan began his tirade.  



"I don`t know what the fuck you're pulling here, but you`ve got the prettiest one at the table.  If you don`t spend the night with her, you'll fuck it up for the rest of us."



I agreed to follow the plan.  I had no choice.  I would return to the table.  I would tell Alice, the attractive blond in the black dress, how lucky I felt.  I would make plans to ensure that from 11:00pm until morning Alice would be with me.  It was akin to the domino theory, if Alice wasn`t with me, then her roommate would have no place to entertain her partner, and each of the four couples would have their evenings loused up.  I HAD NO CHOICE. 



Alan and I returned to the table.  Everyone had left except Alan`s date Pam, and my date to be, Alice.  As I approached the table Alice jumped to her feet and began to apologize.  She felt that I had been trapped and then coerced.  She insisted that I did not have to go ahead with our evening`s plans.  I explained that the events of the evening were initially a surprise, but a beautiful, exciting surprise, and now that I had a moment to put my good fortune in perspective, I'm looking forward to our evening.  Alan was pleased, Alice was comforted, and I was scared shitless.



I agreed to meet Alice and the gang in the nightclub for the ten o`clock show.  I had about an hour and a half to myself.  I tried to sort out my feelings.  



On one hand, I had a sure thing with a beautiful woman.  I had my own room, no interruptions and a whole evening to enjoy lovemaking.  



On the other hand, the woman was ten years my senior, and far more experienced than me.  I had no idea what she would expect and less of an idea as to what to offer.



When you`re a teenage guy, caressing a teenage girl, there's no way to do it wrong.  She has little to compare your skills with.  It's an environment where the incompetent appear proficient and the inexperienced can pretend they`re pros.



No such luck tonight.  She may even be married.  She`s done things that I don`t even know about.  My biggest fear was looking like an awkward inexperienced kid. 



THE TRUTH WAS, I WAS AN AWKWARD INEXPERIENCED KID.



I had a plan.  I would admit that I was concerned about her being more experienced, and rather than spending the night feeling insecure, I would gladly follow her lead.



The nightclub was impressive.  The large room was tiered, insuring that each table's view would not be obstructed by another.  The stage was as big as a Broadway theatre`s.  The rear walls of the club were all glass permitting those in the bar to watch the show without having to be concerned about the tenor of their conversations.  The band was positioned stage left.  They sounded great. I`d remember to compliment them in the morning.  There was a dance floor between the first tier of tables and the stage.  People were dancing, the music was playing and I was hiding.  I stood in the corner of the bar, peering anonymously through the large window hoping to see Alice and the others before they saw me.



The bartender asked if I would like something to drink.  I asked for some club soda.  When he asked if I wanted the drink charged to my room, I explained that I was the lifeguard, and didn`t know if I could.  He welcomed me and said the drink was on him.  He suggested that I pay all my bills directly, but assured me that there would be special pricing.  He went on to introduce himself.  His name was Tim.  He had tended bar for the Gibbers for a dozen summers, but this was his, and the new Night Club's first fall and winter.  He lived, with his wife and son, in South Fallsberg, a neighbouring town.  Tim mentioned that his family was excited about the possibility of using the new indoor pool.  I assured him that they would always be welcome and would be treated like royalty.  We had an understanding.  I wasn`t much of a drinker, but I knew that Tim the bartender would be a valuable ally.



I spotted Alice.  She was seated, with her girl friends at a table in the second tier.  I felt like a voyeur as I evaluated every inch of her body, a body that I would soon become very familiar with.  The high heels accentuated her long legs.  The plunging neckline teased with a hint of cleavage.  The tight fitting black knit dress left little to the imagination.  She was beautiful.  She looked like the kind of woman a kid my age would have a crush on.  Someone in a magazine that you could safely lust for, and fantasize about, from afar, comforted and frustrated by the fact that you would never meet her.  I was going to meet her.  I was late already.  



I finished my drink and took a last safe look through the nightclub window before going in.  Alice wasn`t there.  She had left her seat.  I was scanning each row in nightclub when my efforts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.  It was Alice.  She was half serious when she asked if I needed to get loaded before our date.  I assured her that I didn`t.  She suggested that we watch the show from the bar so we could talk privately.  I agreed. We found a corner table that afforded us some privacy while providing a view of the stage.  Almost immediately a waitress approached our table and asked for our drink order.  Alice asked for a glass of Chablis.  I said I`d have the same.  



The truth was I wouldn't know Chablis from elephant piss, but it sounded so appropriate to say, 



"I`ll have the same."  



After a few moments of small talk, the waitress returned.  She placed two empty glasses on the table and then presented a whole bottle.  Before I had a chance to protest the waitress said,



"Tim said this was your usual, the finest Chablis in the house."



The waitress poured the first two glasses and left the check.  I discreetly opened the folded bill.  The note read, "The wine is on me.  Remember to tip the waitress.  Have a nice evening.  TIM."  



Perhaps it was Tim`s set-up, "your usual wine, our best Chablis," or perhaps it was feeling as though I fit in, at dinner with the band and now with Tim, I'm not sure why, but I was getting more confident every minute.   



I raised my wine glass and proposed a toast; "To a beautiful evening, with a beautiful woman."  



Alice eagerly raised her glass.  Alice volunteered that she had some apprehension about the evening.  She was aware of an age difference and was becoming self-conscience about her advanced years.  She wondered if the nineteen year old college girls, I no doubt, were dating would be more attractive.  After all, she remembered being much firmer before her baby.  I assured her that any college co-ed would be envious of her looks.  



The show had begun.  A comedian was on stage.  The performance allowed me the opportunity to meter my conversation.  I could talk when it felt appropriate, and pretend to listen to the comedian when I was really rethinking my next comment.  I shared that I had some apprehension as well.  Alice seemed threatened by my words.  My explanation soon comforted her.  I told Alice that I knew that I was less experienced than she, and was afraid of disappointing her.  Her face lit up with relief.  She said that just the thought of a man being concerned about pleasing her had already given her more pleasure than she could have hoped for.  Not bad,??"the Virgin-Freshman from Brooklyn had already given her more pleasure than she expected, and we hadn`t even left the bar.   



She had been in a bad marriage, and through a worse divorce.  She had a year old baby that her life revolved around.  She had not been out socially in almost two years.  She had not slept with a man since before the baby was born.  We kissed and held hands for most of the show.  Alice`s hand on my thigh followed by the question, 



"Do you want to see the rest of the show?" was a cue that even the most inexperienced kid couldn`t miss.  I got up and helped her out of her seat without a word.  I left a generous tip for the bar maid, and said thanks and good night to Tim.  As we left the club Alice gave me back the key to my room.  She said she needed to get a few things and would meet me there in a half hour.  We kissed good-bye.



Sex at my age was a perversely one-sided affair.  Your teenage date 'put out' because she had to, or was expected to, or was begged to.  It was the dues she paid to get or keep a boy friend.  It was offered out of fear or insecurity or guilt.  It was a short cut to popularity.  For her, it was never a source of pleasure.



Alice was no sixteen-year-old girl.  She had needs, drives, desires, and expected me to satisfy them.  My sexual experience had gone as far as heavy petting under the boardwalk at Rockaway Beach, and being jerked off by Myra Lazinski.  No date ever expected me to bring her to orgasm.  



Alice and her gang were here looking for sex.  Alice would have expectations.  I had stomach pains.  My excitement over-powered my fears.  It was becoming obvious that if I were gentle, and showed concern about Alice's feelings, all my blunders would be forgiven.   



Caring about her would be easy.  She was sensitive, and vulnerable.  This kind of a rendezvous was not the norm for her.  Couple swapping was the kind of thing she would do once in a lifetime and only in a resort setting where you could leave responsibility and accountability behind.



I brushed my teeth, washed my 'parts,' and peed one last time before she would arrive.  My tie and jacket were off.  Music was playing.  



Alice was now ten minutes late.  Perhaps she had a change of heart.  There was a time when getting out of tonight`s events would have been a relief.  That time had passed.  I wanted to be with her.  I wanted to touch her.  I wanted my shot at pleasing her.  I wanted to be touched by her.   



The knock on the door was barely audible.  For a moment I didn't recognize Alice.  She had changed into jeans and a shear linen blouse.  She looked great.  She looked years younger.  She looked appropriate in my arms.  I kissed her as gently and as passionately as I could.  Her body told me that my kisses were being appreciated.  Alice stepped back and began unbuttoning my shirt.  She remembered my concerns and my wish that she would guide her young partner.  I heard her say, "I have buttons too."  My shirt was off while I was still fumbling with her top button.  She began to help me.  



My first glimpse at the lace trim of her bra had an immediate reaction, my penis, already erect with anticipation now felt painfully trapped in my tight jockey shorts.  As we kissed, with Alice's bra pressed to my bare chest, her hands found their way to my erection.  She teased, 



"Is this because of me?  I`m flattered."  A minute later she was on her knees undoing my pants.  With my slacks off, my shorts did little to hide my excitement.  Still on her knees, the sight of her breasts swelling from within her bra was overwhelming.  Her hands were caressing me through my shorts.  I heard her whisper, "You don`t seem very comfortable in there, let me get you out." It wasn`t me she was talking to, but I certainly didn`t feel neglected.  She slid her hands into my shorts and held me gently.  My Jockeys fell to the ground.  It took all the control I could muster to keep from cumming at that moment.  Then to my surprise and pleasure she kissed my penis.  The kisses were just pecks at first, then cat-licks, then the entire length of my penis disappeared in Alice`s mouth.  I never wanted her to stop, but I knew that if she didn`t, the evening would be over before it started.  She sensed my urgency, she whispered to my cock, "I`ll see you later," and stood up.  We kissed for a moment.  I was completely naked; she was still in her bra and jeans.  "Isn`t it time for you to catch up?" I asked.  Alice agreed.  She was pleased with my boldness.  She asked me if I`d like to help or watch.  I chose the latter. 



Now, on the bed for the first time, I leaned back on some propped up pillows as I watched the beautiful woman standing at the foot of the bed.  Alice asked, "What comes off first?"  I pointed to her jeans.  Promptly, obediently, she complied.  Now with just her bra and panties on, she posed shyly.  "What next?" she asked.  I motioned bra then panties.  I realized that this was the first time I had ever seen a woman fully naked.  I had seen all the pieces, but not all at once.  There she was, just standing there.  She was hoping that I was enjoying.  I was, she was gorgeous.  She was pleased with my pleasure.  She continued to pose for a moment and then joined me in bed.



My hands explored every inch of her body.  My touch seemed to please her as much as touching her thrilled me.  She was on top as we kissed each other.  Her lips left mine as she began to kiss my chest, then my waist, then my penis.  I stared at the clock, the cracks in the ceiling; I struggled to remembered scenes from horror pictures, anything to distract me.  I didn`t want to cum.  Not yet.



Now, kneeling astride my legs, Alice put me inside her.  She was warm and moist.  Her movements were initially slow and rhythmic as she raised and lowered her body.  Her breasts followed each movement with a moment of hesitancy, allowing me to enjoy each stroke twice.  Her pace quickened.  My thrusting responses to each move robbed us both of any remaining control.  Her breasts were now violently flailing inches from my face.  Alice cried, "put them in your mouth!"  I obeyed.  I put one nipple in my mouth, then the other.  I could hold back no longer.  My orgasm seemed to last forever.  My ecstasy was the catalyst for a similar reaction from Alice.  Screams and moans turned to sighs of exhaustion.   



Hours ago she was the "grown up" at the next table.  Now, with her head on my shoulder, taking shelter in my arms, Alice seemed quite appropriate as my first real lover



I don`t remember who fell asleep first. 

  

My alarm clock woke us both at 8:00am.  I was to meet Sol Gibber at the pool before nine.  I kissed Alice and told her I would see her later.  



I was off to be a lifeguard.



The main dining room was open for breakfast from 8:00am until 10:00.  There was plenty of time to grab a glass of juice and a roll.  I was apprehensive about my meeting with Sol Gibber and unsettled about my evening with Alice.



I was looking forward to breakfast with the band.  I would be stoic, and only hint as to last night's events.  



The dining room was only partially full.  Breakfast was the one meal where guests came and left on their own schedule.  I sat down at table #2 and then realized it was the only table not set for breakfast.  My waiter approached me and invited me to sit at another of his tables.  He explained that the band never comes to breakfast.  I should have realized, these guys don`t get in until well after two in the morning.  My bragging would have to wait.  No one from Alice`s group was in the dining room.  Eight AM was early for those people as well.  I drank my juice, and ate my bagel alone.



I passed the front desk on my way to the pool.  I asked Janet if she knew where Sol was.  She hadn`t seen him yet but was sure that if he had a meeting with me, he`d be there already.  It was Sol`s style to be 'one-up' on any employee.  I quickened my pace as I headed towards the indoor pool.



Sol was waiting just inside the two massive glass doors that formed the pools main entrance.  He was an overweight burly man in his early sixties.  His unshaven face and work clothes telegraphed his role as head of maintenance in the Gibber Clan.



Sol began his orientation.  "Are you the lifeguard?"  



I nodded indicating that I was.  



"OK. This is what you`ll do when you open the pool, when you open the health club, when you check the chlorine levels, when you check the towels in, when you close for lunch, when you open after lunch, when you send the towels to the laundry, when you close at 5:30, when you turn the pool lights on at night. YOU GOT IT??   OK here are the pool keys.  Don`t lose them.  Don`t forget them and take them home with you."



I nodded my head in the affirmative again, and Sol disappeared.  His brevity didn't bother me.  I got the sense that he would have spent more time with me if my body language showed doubt or concern.  Sol had sized me up, and trusted me.



Alice was still on my mind.  The pool would not be officially open for another half hour, and I toyed with the idea of returning to my room to say good morning.  I knew that Alice could not, and should not, be part of my future.  I realized that this job would be.  I opted to stay at the pool and get more familiar with the facilities.  



I did not realize that there was a full health club with exercise equipment, steam room, sauna, and locker rooms.  There was a room marked 'massage.'  The note on the door read, "Our masseur will not be in residence this weekend.  Arrangements can be made at a neighbouring hotel for those seeking these services."  I tried the keys on the ring of pool keys that I was given.  The door to the massage room opened.  The room appeared barren with the exception of a leather couch and a massage table. 



The health clubs, male and female, flanked both sides of the corridor leading to the pool.  Each facility had its own entrance from the corridor, and another leading directly to the pool.  This arrangement made it possible to get to and from the pool without leaving the warmth of the health club area.



The first guests to arrive at the pool would be the children.  The older kids would arrive first.  The younger ones, with mom in tow, would arrive later.  Two counsellors were hired to provide organized activities for the kids.  On short weekend holidays they provided little more than a glorified baby-sitting service.  They and their flock would be arriving shortly.



My first adult visitor was Mrs. G.  She was on top of everything.  She seemed pleased to see me on duty at poolside.  She then reoriented me to a Catskill Mountain lifeguard`s most important responsibility, 



"NO TOWELS LEAVE THE POOL."



I assured Mrs. G. that I understood and I would remain vigilant in my quest to keep pool towels at the pool.  I had no idea why towel counting was so important, but I realized early on, that my success as a lifeguard would be measured by how few towels disappeared from the pool.  



Telling guests please leave your towel at the pool didn`t always work.  The sign at the doors making the same request was also not foolproof.  



I would eventually beat the system.  After the dirty towels were picked up, counted, and removed from the pool, security surrounding them became very lax.  Evidently there is little demand for wet dirty towels.  In time I would hijack a gurney of dirty towels from the laundry and hide them in a nearby utility room.  From that time on, my 'towel counts' would be right on.  I could return more towels than I was given.  This anomaly would be explained by guests committing the grievous crime of bringing their room towels to the pool. 



The morning went quickly.  The guests were lovely and the kids were kids.  There was no visit from Alice.  I closed the pool for lunch and returned to my room.  Alice was not there.  I did not expect her to be.  I changed for lunch and headed for the dining room.  



Some of the guys in the band had already been seated.  I immediately complimented them on how great they sounded.  Vic responded, "Thanks, but how would you know?  You and the blonde were nowhere to be seen last night?"  I explained that she and I were in the bar during the show.  The interrogation continued.  "How`d it go with you two?"  



I answered "great."  



When no further information was forthcoming voluntarily the interrogation stopped, at least for the moment.  Alice`s friends had all arrived and had started to eat without her.  I got up to approach their table.  Alan had already started toward me.  Alan spoke first.  "Alice`s kid got sick.  Her Mom called this morning.  Nothing serious but she felt she had to go.  She asked me to tell you that she had a great time."



I shook hands with Alan and went back to my table.  If Alice wanted the relationship to continue, Alan would have had a message or phone number for me.  That chapter was over.  I was glad it happened.  I was glad it ended without strings or false promises.  As I returned to the table the band looked concerned.  I explained about her kid and changed the subject.



I was no longer a virgin.  The differences that I felt had little to do with a sexual act.  I had learned something about the insecurities that we all are burdened with.  I learned about the vulnerabilities that plague us all.  I learned there`s strength in a gentle touch.  I was no longer a virgin.



The weekend continued relatively uneventfully.  Mrs. G. asked about a late evening swim session.  I agreed enthusiastically, and suggested preceding the adult swim with a teen's only poolside dance.  I was lifeguard turned Disk Jockey/social director.  Mrs. G. provided refreshments a sound system and records.  I asked the Hotel`s day camp counsellors if they would make decorating the pool an arts and crafts activity.  When Mrs. G. visited the first   GIBBER-A-GO GO at her new pool she was delighted.  Mrs. G. asked me to stop by her office in the morning to discuss scheduling for the rest of the season



My meeting with Mrs. G. was brief.  She had prepared a schedule with dates and holiday or event descriptions.  She asked if I could commit to next weekend.  I told her I could.  She requested that I check the remaining dates and tell her next week of any conflicts.  Then she handed me an envelope.  She explained that it contained my paycheque and cash reimbursement for my bus fare.



I had totally forgotten that a check was coming.  I appreciated the money, but the weekend`s events confirmed my initial feelings, I'm here as a paid guest, and loving it.