Walter missed his opportunity to get a summer job and now no one is hiring. Had he known how much money lifeguards made, he would have applied before the pools opened for the summer. But he thinks he’s caught a lucky break: the pool near his house just happens to need a new lifeguard. Unfortunately, they’re only hiring female lifeguards because male lifeguards apparently make some women feel uncomfortable.
But on his way home, he comes across a gumball machine, adorned with a faded label: Wishing Gumballs. As a joke more than anything, Walter buys one and wishes he could be a lifeguard at the pool for the summer. And when he wakes up in the morning, his wish has come true.