I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Jennifer, it's time to wake up." said Bisho softly. "What time is it," I mumbled. "It's 5:00," he replied. I got out of bed and walked downstairs. I took a vanilla yogurt from the fridge and a plate of cut up fruit. I took them to the table. Bisho joined me downstairs. "Are you ready for your big day," he asked. "I think so. I've been training really hard and I can't wait to see how much money I raise for the cancer society," I replied. Bisho and I ate our breakfast. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I changed into a pair of white shorts and a pink tank top. I brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail. I walked downstairs. Bisho grabbed some water bottles, food, and a towel and put them in a cooler. "Are you ready to go," Bisho asked. "Yes," I replied. Bisho took the cooler to the car and we got in the car. We left for Bondi.
Within five minutes, we got to Bondi. Bisho carried the cooler and we walked to the beach. We were greeted by Sharon, the president of the cancer society. "Hello Jennifer. Are you excited for this event," Sharon asked. "I'm very excited," I replied with a smile. "This is Ashley, the organizer of this event," said Sharon. "Nice to meet you Ashley," I told her. We walked to north Bondi. "The event is going to take place here. You will start the challlenge in one hour. If you finish at or before eleven o'clock, the amount of money you raised will be tripled. "I'll try my best to finish before then," I replied.
A crowd had gathered around the large stage that had been set up near the north Bondi. Sharon and I walked on to the stage. The crowd cheered. Sharon took the microphone from its stand. "Hello everyone and welcome to the 2014 cancer rally. I'm Sharon and I'm the president of the Australian Cancer Society. Today Jennifer, the Bondi trainee, will be attempting to do 1,000 sit ups in less than five hours. If she finishes with time to spare, the amount of money she raises will be tripled. Five large donation buckets have been placed near this stage so feel free to donate money at any time during this event. I would like to say thank you to all of you who have taken the time to be here for this event. Let me hand it over to Jennifer," she said before passing me the microphone. "Thank you Sharon. Once again, thank you to everyone who is here to accomplish two common goals: To find a cure for cancer and to help cancer patients afford their treatments. Recently, I lost my grandma to spine and breast cancer. We have seen friends, family members, and other loved ones fight cancer and unfortunately we lost some of the most important people in our lives from it. We have seen firsthand the devastating effects of cancer. We have to find a cure. We need to put an end to the disease that has taken millions of lives. Today, we truly can make a difference," I said with determination. I looked into the crowd and saw a few tears being shed. I saw quite a few off duty lifeguards supporting me.
Sharon and I walked down the beach to a huge overhead canopy that had been set up for this event. A towel, a few water bottles, and some food was on a table near the far side of the canopy. I took a deep breath. This just became very real. Bisho, Hoppo, Kerrbox, Harries, Deano, and Bacon came inside. "Are you nervous," Bacon asked. "I'm not nervous. I just hope my stomach muscles will hold up," I answered. "You will be fine," said Harries as he put his arm around my shoulder. "Thanks Harries," I replied. "We'll be supporting you and will check up on you every hour or so," said Hoppo. I turned to Sharon. "I just had an idea. How about we let members of the public do sit ups as well to raise money," I suggested. "That's a great idea! Then more money can be raised for the cancer society. I'll make the announcement," Sharon replied. She walked back to the stage.
The boys gave me a few hugs before returning to work. Bisho stayed with me. Tom, Jesse, and Gonzo came to watch. They said a quick hello before taking a seat a few feet from where I would be doing my sit ups. Sharon brought the donation buckets to the canopy. "We've already had to empty the buckets. So far, we've raised $1,000," she exclaimed. "That's amazing," I replied excitedly. "We're going to be starting the challenge in two minutes," Sharon informed me. I took a few sips of water before sitting on my towel. One minute passed. I laid down and got ready to begin. Hundreds of people were standing under the canopy to watch. "3-2-1 go," said Sharon into the microphone. I started doing my sit ups. I was careful about managing my pace. Two hours passed and I did 400 sit ups. "Bisho, can you please hand me my towel," I asked tiredly. Bisho got up and handed me my towel. I wiped my forehead and face. My abs felt like they were on fire. The boys kept encouraging me. I saw Reidy and Deano doing sit ups near me. They each did 100 sit ups. Once I reached 600 sit ups, I decided to take a ten minute break. Bisho helped me sit up.
"The challenge will continue in ten minutes," Sharon told the crowd. Jesse passed me an energy bar and a bottle of water. I ate the energy bar and had half a bottle of water. Hoppo, Bacon, and Kerrbox stopped by to visit me. Tom got me a bag of ice to cool me down. "How do you feel," asked Bisho. "My abs feel so sore and I'm pretty tired," I replied. "You're doing a great job Jennifer. Keep it up," said Hoppo. "Thanks Hoppo," I replied. "It's time to continue the challenge," said Sharon. The boys went back to the tower and I laid down on the sand. "You have two and a half hours left to complete the challenge and to have the amount of donated money tripled," said Sharon. I nodded. I should be able to finish under that time. "3-2-1 go," Sharon said into the microphone. I began doing the sit ups. Even though my abs hurt, the thought of all the support I was receiving from the boys and the crowd was incredible. Many people in the crowd began doing sit ups to help raise money. "Good on ya guys," I commented. I concentrated on keeping my breathing steady. Concentrating on my breathing made time move a little quicker. I had one hour to have the donation money tripled. I just had to do 30 more sit ups. Once I was down to my last ten sit ups, the crowd started a countdown. "10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1," they shouted. The crowd cheered and clapped. I sat up and pushed myself up from the ground. "Thank you everyone for the support! I couldn't have done this without you," I said breathlessly into the microphone. Tom handed my a water bottle. "Take smalls sips," he said. I took many sips of water. I walked over to the table and picked out a banana. "Bananas are a great post-workout snack," said Bisho. I peeled the banana and ate it. I threw the peel in the garbage bin and patted my face with a towel. "My abs are so sore," I commented. "You're going to have rock hard abs for sure," said Bisho. "I hope so," I replied.
For the next hour, I signed autographs, took pictures with fans, and talked with cancer families. A lot of stories brought tears to my eyes. A few moms lost their children to cancer. One mom told me that her 19 year old son who has brain cancer was recently put on hospice. My brother is that age. The thought of losing a sibling made my heart break. I gave her a hug and my cell phone number in case she wants someone to talk to. After the crowd left, Sharon returned to the canopy with a smile on her face. "You're never going to believe how much money we raised," she said excitedly. "How much money did we raise," I asked curiously. "Since you finished in under five hours, the money was tripled. We raised $250,000," Sharon said excitedly. "That's incredible! We're going to be able to help so many families with that amount of money," I replied with a smile. "I have to go to my office and record the amount of money and a few other things so I will have to leave. Thank you so much Jennifer for helping us raise so much money," said Sharon. "It was a pleasure working with you. This has been such a great experience," I replied. Sharon left the canopy and walked to the car park. Bisho grabbed my towel and water bottle. Bisho, Tom, Jesse, Gonzo, and I walked to the tower. Everyone gave me a round of applause. "We're so proud of you Jennifer," said Deano. "Thanks guys," I said with a small smile. "How are your abs feeling," asked Bacon. "It feels like someone set them on fire. That's not even an exaggeration," I replied with a wince of pain. "I'm sure you'll be sore for a few days," said Harries. "You might want to get some more ice," Gonzo suggested. I went to the ice machine and put some ice in a bag and placed it on my stomach. "That is so much better," I said with relief. "You should probably go home and rest for the rest of the day," said Kerrbox. "I will," I replied. The boys gave me some hugs and Bisho and I left the beach.
Bisho and I drove back home. It was noon so we decided that we should eat lunch. "What would you like for lunch," asked Bisho. "A tuna melt sounds fantastic. Do we have the ingredients for that," I asked. "I believe we do," Bisho replied. He started making the tuna melts. Within seven minutes, they were ready. I took a big bite of my tuna melt. "This is amazing," I exclaimed. "This is really good," Bisho replied. For dessert, Bisho and I had an apple. Bisho wrapped his arms around me. "I'm so proud of what you did today Jennifer. Your grandma would have been very proud," said Bisho thoughtfully. "Thanks Bisho," I replied. Bisho let go of me and I got up from my chair. "I'm going to take a shower and see if I can get an appointment at a local spa. Then I can use Ben's gift certificate that he gave me. I'll save Deano's gift certificate for another time," I stated. "That sounds like a good plan," said Bisho.
I walked to my room and grabbed a pair of jean shorts, a dark purple t-shirt, and my undergarments. I took my clothes, grabbed a towel, and walked to the bathroom. I decided to try my Fresh Lavender shower gel. I closed the bathroom door. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to become slightly warm. Once the water was at a good temperature, I undressed and got in the shower. I washed my body with my shower gel. The Fresh Lavender scent smelled very nice. Once I was clean, I opened the bottle of Pantene Icy Shine shampoo and squirted some into the palm of my hand. I worked the shampoo into my hair and rinsed it off. I turned off the water and got out of the shower. I picked up the towel and dried my body. Then, I put on my undergarments, jean shorts, and t-shirt. I put on my shower fresh deodorant. I squeezed my hair with my towel to get the excess water out of it before brushing my hair. I untangled my hair and squeezed my hair with my towel again. Once I was happy with my hair, I opened the door and put my dirty clothes in the hamper. I walked to my room and put on a pair of navy blue thongs. Bisho was watching TV. I walked to the living room and sat down next to him. "You smell lovely. Did you use the lavender shower gel," Bisho asked. "I did," I replied. "It smells really nice," Bisho commented. I found the yellow pages phone book and looked for local spa options. I came across the Samsara Day Spa. I turned on my laptop and looked at the services it provides. I decided to call and see if they could take me this afternoon. "Hello, this is the Samsara Day Spa, Michelle speaking," said a young lady over the phone. "Hi. I was wondering if there were any openings for this afternoon," I replied. "Let me check. We have an appointment at 2:00 available," said Michelle. "That would be great," I replied. "What services would you like and what is your name," asked Michelle. "I would like the European Facial, a 30 minute Swedish Massage, and the Nurturing Body Scrub. My name is Jennifer Doran," I replied. "Okay, Jennifer. See you at 2:00. Bye," said Michelle. "Bye," I replied. "I have an appointment at the Samsara Day Spa at 2:00," I told Bisho. I decided to go on twitter till it was time to leave. I saw that I had been tagged in a lot of tweets because of the cancer rally. All of the lifeguards on twitter tweeted about the cancer rally. That made me feel so happy. After twenty minutes of being on twitter, Bisho and I left for the spa. I put my gift certificate, cell phone, and my wallet in my handbag. Bisho told me he was going to hang out with Whippet, Yatesy, and Kerrbox at Kerrbox's house. "I'll probably be there till 5:00. If you're not done by that time, call my cell phone and I'll pick you up wherever you are," said Bisho. "Alright. I might go shopping or go to Bondi after I'm done at the spa," I replied. "Okay. We're at Samsara Spa. Have fun," said Bisho. "I will," I replied as I grabbed my handbag and got out of the car.
I walked into the spa and breathed in the smell of vanilla sugar. I made my way to the reception desk. "How can I help you," asked a young lady. "I'm Jennifer Doran. I have an appointment at 2:00," I replied. "Oh yes. I'm Michelle. Nice to meet you. Here is a robe for you. Go to the changing room and take off your shorts and t-shirt and put the robe on. Then, go to the waiting area. If you walk to the end of the changing room, you will sit the entrance door for it," Michelle instructed while handing me the robe. I took the robe and walked into the changing room. The changing room was empty. I took off my jean shorts and t-shirt and put on a comfy white robe. I put my clothes in my handbag and walked into the waiting room. There were only a few other people waiting. After a few minutes, a woman who seemed to be in her mid twenties walked into the room. "Jennifer," she called. I got up and walked over to her. "Hi Jennifer. How are you," she asked. "I'm doing well thank you," I replied. "I'm Jaime and I will be providing your spa treatments today. Is this your first time coming to our spa," asked Jaime while we walked down the hallway. "Yes it is," I replied. "Excellent. Everything is pretty straightforward. I just want to let you know that for the body scrub and the Swedish massage, you will always be covered by a towel or by your undergarments," Jaime explained. "That's good to know," I replied.
We walked into a large room with many chairs and tables set up. "First, you are going to have your European Facial done. This is a really nice facial because it is filled with vitamins and calms your skin from environmental stress," said Jaime as we walked over to the chair on the far left side of the room. I sat down on the chair. Jaime began mixing the facial mixture. After a few minutes, the mixture was the desired consistency. Jaime grabbed a hand towel and soaked it in warm water. Then, she reclined my chair a little bit and placed the towel on my face. I love having warm water on my skin. After a few minutes, she took the towel off my face. "I'm just going to put your hair up in a towel so your hair can stay clean," said Jaime. She wrapped my hair in a towel. Jaime took a face brush and dipped it into the facial mixture. She carefully spread the mixture on my forehead, cheeks, and chin. "Now, we're going to let that set for half an hour. While we wait, I'll give you a hand and foot massage," Jaime informed me. She gently massaged my fingers and the palms of my hands. Then, Jaime massaged my heels, toes, and the rest of my feet. It was so relaxing! I'm going to have to give Ben a great birthday present when his birthday comes up. I made a mental note to thank Ben again for this great gift. "Now, it's time to gently wash off your face," said Jaime. She took a wet towel and wiped off my face mask. She dripped a couple drops of water on my face and took a fresh towel and patted my face to remove any remain particles on my face.
"Next, we will do your Nurturing Body Scrub," said Jaime as we walked into a private room with a massage table in the middle of it. "The nurturing body scrub has jasmine, lemongrass, and naturally crushed walnut seed. You have the option of having floral Ylang Ylang or uplifting Kaffir Lime body lotion to finish up the body scrub," said Jaime. "I'll try the floral Ylang Ylang lotion," I answered. "Okay. Please take off your robe and lie down on the table," Jaime replied. I took off my robe and laid down on the table. I rested my head on the pillow near the front of the table. Jaime put a towel over my lower back. She mixed the ingredients for the scrub and brought the mixture next to the table. Jaime put her hands in the scrub and rubbed the scrub on my back of my legs. A tent was brought down from the ceiling and steam came out of it. After ten minutes, she washed off the scrub. Jaime got a towel and put the scrub on the top of it. "Roll onto your back and put the towel over your chest. My eyes are closed," said Jaime. I sat up, took the towel, and put it over my chest. "I'm covered up," I told Jaime. Then, Jaime put the scrub on my shoulders and my legs. Steam began to come out of the tent. After ten minutes, the tent went back into the ceiling. Jaime brought over a bottle of floral Ylang Ylang lotion and put it on my back and legs. After twenty minutes, it was time for me to wash off the scrub and lotion. "In the corner of this room there is a shower. Go wash off the scrub and lotion. Wear a towel when you come out of the shower. Then, I will give you a thirty minute Sweedish message," said Jaime. I held the towel tightly around my body as I walked to the shower. I got into the shower and closed the door and pulled the curtain behind the glass door. I turned on the water and found a slightly cool temperature that I enjoyed. I used the washcloth and washed off the scrub and lotion. After five minutes, I turned off the water and dried myself. I found a dry towel and wrapped it around my body before walking back to the table.
Jaime finished cleaning the table and motioned for me to lie down on my stomach. I laid down on my stomach. Jaime massaged by back with frangrant essential oils for thirty minutes. After my massage was over, Jaime handed me my robe. "You can put on your robe and get dressed in the changing room. Then, I will meet you up front to pay," said Jaime before leaving the room and closing the door. I took off my towel and put on my robe. I grabbed my handbag and walked to the changing room. I put on my jean shorts and dark purple t-shirt. I took my handbag and walked to the front desk. Jaime was waiting at the front desk. "Your total is $175," said Jaime. I handed her my gift certificate. She scanned it. "You have twenty-five dollars left on this gift certificate," Jaime informed me before handing it back to me. I took my gift certificate and put it in my handbag before pulling out my walltet. I handed Jaime twenty dollars. "Keep this for yourself," I told her. "Thank you so much," Jaime replied.
I walked out the door and looked at my cell phone. It said it was 3:00. I still had some time so I decided to walk down to the Bondi Joint. I saw Cafe Bondi. A snack sounded like a really good idea. I walked into the cafe. I looked at the menu. "Hi. How can I help you," said a guy with dark brown hair and blue eyes that looked to be around my age. "I would like a chocolate milkshake, please," I answered. "Coming right up." he replied. He walked over to another guy to tell him my order. "That will be $6," he told me. I reached into my wallet and gave him my money. "Thank you," he replied. He turned around and handed me my milkshake. "Hey, I saw you in the newspaper this morning. Are you Jennifer Doran," he asked me. "I am. Today was a cancer rally and I was involved," I explained. "That's really cool. I've heard a lot about you," he replied. "How's that," I asked. "A lot of the lifeguards come in here. They told me that you're the new trainee," he answered. "Okay. What's your name," I asked. "I'm Josh Williams," he replied. "It's nice to meet you. I guess I'll see you around," I replied. "I would love to hang out sometime. Here's my number," Josh replied while writing down his cell phone number a a piece of paper. "Thanks. See you around," I said while taking my milkshake and walking out the door. I sat down on a bench near Bondi and drank my chocolate milkshake. It was delicious. "It's kind of cool I met a guy around my age. Josh is really cute and he seems like a fun guy to hang out with. At least we could be friends," I thought to myself. After ten minutes, I finished my milkshake. I took out my cell phone and called Bisho. "Hello," Bisho answered. "Hi Bisho. I'm at Bondi. Can you pick me up," I asked. "Sure. I'll be there in five minutes," said Bisho before we hung up. I threw my plastic milkshake holder in the garbage bin and watched the boys do a few rescues. I saw Bisho's car pull up and I grabbed my handbag and got inside. "How was your spa day," asked Bisho. "It was amazing. I am so relaxed," I replied. "That's good. Did you do anything else," he asked. "I got a chocolate milkshake at the Bondi Cafe," I replied. "Very nice. I'm guessing you met Josh," said Bisho. "How did you know," I asked curiously. "Josh is a local surfer around here and he's the same age as you," Bisho replied. "Okay," I replied. "He's a good kid," Bisho replied. "He seemed to be a really nice guy. He said he wants to hang out with me sometime and gave me his number," I replied. "It's good that you've met someone your age around here," said Bisho.
Bisho and I got home. We decided to have a movie night. Bisho and I made a frozen pizza. We decided to watch the rest of the Harry Potter movies that we didn't get to watch when I came back. At 10:00, we decided to go to bed. I put on my pajamas, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. I walked into my room, got in bed, pulled up my covers, and went to sleep.
Hi everyone! I'm back! I am so sorry it took me this long to post this chapter. I have had so much homework and my life has been crazy. Thanks for putting up with me. On the right is a picture of Josh. We'll have to see what happens :)
-jhorses
P.S. The Samsara Spa is an actual spa near Bondi