I was now so friendly with the lifeguards at the gym that I would often pop in and out of their staff room for a chat.

One day when I left the staff room to return to the swimming pool, I noticed a small hand-written note taped to the back of the door. It read ‘Keep an eye on Rousse. She consumed five spring drinks before coming to swim’.

It was dated the day after my birthday, and the details corresponded with my celebrations of that day. Even so, I was embarrassed that the lifeguards would think that I needed special observation.

This could also be the reason that some of my friends, notably AC and AF, were leaving the pool without saying goodbye to me; they believed that I was a drunkard.