Lifeguard off Duty

Chapter two

One week had passed in Sydney for Iris Rose and no one had come to claim the apartment. The reality and situation had sunken in slowly for her as she got more and more adapted to her new surroundings. She had been out exploring whatever Sydney could offer everything from the beaches and stores. Iris Rose had also used a lot of time with George to finish all the paperwork for her inheritance but also for her relocation to Australia. It could take up to months before they could put a closure to her inheritance. It was also slowly sinking in that her aunt had been rich, but to Iris Rose it was new found money and she had no idea what to do with them. Growing up in a one bedroom apartment in Dublin with her mother who liked the bottle a little more than her own daughter and a bit more than one should she was used to sleeping on the couch and taking care of herself. She had always been an outdoor person since she never liked staying home where her mother would be sleeping till noon or be passed out in her bed late at night. Iris Rose had been working since the age of 14 and in her spare time she used to go for long runs around Dublin. Fitness had become something that would take her mind of things and help her keep focused on herself and what she wanted to do with her life. The best thing she had ever done for herself was to save enough money to take a bachelor’s degree in physical education. The degree was supposed to be her escape from her mother. During her studies she had lived in a flat with three other people that she had had nothing in common with. While they would rather party on Friday nights Iris Rose liked to go for a run and apart from her running and study she had two jobs. It was through her study she met her former boyfriend Michael and she was also the one who introduced him to long-legged Megan, which was probably something she should never have done. Her degree was supposed to take her away from her crowded life and give her a break from her alcoholised mother, but when she had finished it she had kept her job at a shop and become a full time worker. It was at that shop Iris Rose was accused of stealing money. Having grown up with a drunken mother she was immediately pointed at when a large amount of money had gone missing in the cashier. Without any prove they hadn’t been able to draw charges against her, but they had fired her and promised her that she would never be able to work in any shop in Dublin again. Of course that was a promise they would never be able to keep since they wouldn’t be able to keep track on what she was doing and where she was applying for job. However it had frightened her still and especially because she felt like she was being accused of this all because of her mother’s drunken habits. While this had been something her mother would probably have done it wasn’t something she would do. In many ways Iris Rose was not her mother’s daughter and if she could have it her way they wouldn’t even be related. As much as she wanted to escape from her mother she also felt responsible of making sure that she was not lying dead in her apartment from alcohol poisoning or drug misuse. At the same time her mother had caused her so much pain that a part of her just felt like leaving her to take care of herself. She had spent some of her money to get her mother into rehab, but every time her mother had failed her, just like she had done all her life.

Iris Rose had stayed off the beach in its peak time the whole week to avoid any damages from beach goers. Getting a black eye on her first day in Sydney had been enough action for her, but luckily the bruise was beginning to fade slightly however turning yellow – a colour that didn’t really suit her skin or face.

“I would not do that,” Iris Rose heard someone say as she was on her way into the water. She stopped in her tracks, water reaching her knees, confused about whether the person was speaking to her or to someone else. She thought he was speaking directly to her as there weren’t many people at the beach yet. Her past came into her mind and she immediately thought that she had done something wrong or that someone would accuse her of a crime again. She hadn’t done anything wrong but she still felt the fear and the stereotypes from coming from a low class community even though no one knew anything about her past in Australia. And past was exactly what it was. She turned around to face the man who was now standing next to her in the water. It was Jake. He had morning duty and was out putting the signs up.