Aboli

Part 77

Happy Birthday dear @NILA2763!! May you achieve your goals in the year ahead! Here's wishing you the very best in life!!

"Good Morning, everyone! I am going to be your substitute coach until Coach Barnes recovers from his illness! You can call me Coach RS!" Randhir smiled at the eager beavers looking at him curiously. 

The children, in the age group of four to nine years, were trying to size him up. Randhir was much younger than Coach Barnes and appeared friendly. Today was the children's first swimming lesson and most of them had no prior training before. Randhir and his assistants would have to start from scratch. 

Randhir, who had spent six months in Mumbai helping with his father's business, was filling in for Coach Barnes as an emergency measure. He had known the man since Barnes used to coach the students in his father's club in Goa and when the request came Randhir agreed without any hesitation. After all Randhir was an ASCA certified professional and had trained amateurs in the USA on a part-time basis, especially after Nicole moved to university.

"Now I'd like to know something about you. Let's start from our two young friends here! Can you tell me your name and age?" Randhir asked.

"My name is Pebbles, I am four years old, and I like you!" The little girl spoke confidently, looking him in the eye.

"That's great! Do you have another name besides Pebbles?" Randhir smiled, warmed by her spirit. He liked feisty children like her. He was a proud uncle to Vidushi' s six month old daughter Megami to whom he was very attached.

"My true name is Virushka because my Mom likes Virat and Anushka, but I like the name Pebbles more. My boyfriend calls me by that name!" The girl replied.

"My name is Bamm-Bamm, and Pebbles is my girlfriend!" The little boy sitting next to her spoke without batting an eyelid, as he splashed his feet in the water.

The older children stared at the pair and began to laugh. Randhir shushed them.

"What is your real name, and  tell us how old you are!" Randhir wondered if he was getting too old for the new generation! Boyfriend and girlfriend? These two were preschoolers!

"His name is Suketu, but we call each other Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. He is also four years old!" Pebbles spoke for her "boyfriend"!

"Nice, but since Bamm-Bamm is too long we shall call you Pebbles and Bambi!" Randhir asserted himself.

"Bambi sounds like a girl!" The boy protested.

"But even your Mom calls you that sometimes!" Pebbles intervened.

"Mom calls me K2!" Bamm-Bamm corrected her.

"Fine, we'll just call you Pebbles and K2! Moving on, names and ages please!" Randhir looked toward the others.

"Rohit, 8!"

"Sakshi, 7!"

"Neil, 8!"

"Nysa, 6!"

"Sajid, 7!"

"Dylan, 9! Coach, I can swim!"

"Fine, Dylan! We'll just work on improving your skills!" Randhir told him encouragingly.

"Before we begin, let's have an icebreaker! All of you have to tell me what you enjoy eating for breakfast! Let me start, I usually have sprouts and a fruit smoothie in the morning! What about you?" Randhir asked the children.

"I like cheese sandwiches. But Mom always makes dhokla or idli!" Pebbles complained.

"Aloo paratha!" Rohit said.