Long TextExercise 78 of 90

I was the only person in my group of friends who couldn't swim. For years, I managed to hide it. At pool parties, I would sit on the edge with my feet in the water and say I just didn't feel like swimming. At the beach, I'd offer to look after everyone's bags. Nobody ever questioned it, or if they did, they were kind…

• For many years, the writer dealt with his inability to swim by
• What caused the writer's fear of water?