A few posts ago, I mentioned a time when Trea had to hoist me up onto a bridge so I could get some water. As exhilarating as that sentence sounds, I thought that I would go into more detail, because believe it or not there is more to that story. So here we go. Trea darling, if I get something wrong, I apologize for it in advance.
It's 10 o'clock in the morning, Trea and I have been out on this water for two and half hours already. During the end of May, the sun is ruthless. It does not hesitate to boil your skin and soul until they have been welded together in some inhumane fashion. It sends any chance of a breeze running for cover, and rightly the breeze should. We were the fools who wanted to be in those conditions, asking for trouble. When we set "sail" into the water I realized that I had left my water bottle, my lovely one liter iced filled water bottle, in the car. I being the fool thought that it wouldn't be that bad without it, we wouldn't go too fast and we wouldn't go too far, I could make it until we made it back to the car. Yes, I know, I win the award for biggest fool. Two and half hours later I quickly realized that. Trea had water, but it too had been damaged by the cruel sun hanging maliciously in the sky, and there was no way I was about to drink after him. When we paddled through the golf course I spotted a small shack just off the bank. It housed two bathrooms and a water fountain that from my perspective seemed to be blessed by the Gods themselves. I quickly looked around the edges of the water, searching for a place that would sit my kayak comfortably while I could easily step out onto firm earth. Unfortunately there was no such luck, all edges in that area are covered with thick tall grass that grows out from the muddy bottom of the water making it impossible to pull a kayak into it never mind trying to step out. I already had a death wish with the sun, I wasn't about to up the chances by battling a water moccasin. After deliberating, I sheepishly look over at Trea who was fishing for golf balls. "Trea?" I call out to him. "Hmm?" he responds curtly. I stutter, "Could you help me?" He sighs and points his kayak in my direction. As he gets closer, he reaches out for the side of my yak and grabs hold of it, pulling us side by side. "What?" he smiles. I gesture up towards the bridge, "Could you maybe give me a lift?" He shields the sun away from his eyes with his hand as he peers upward. "I'll hold your kayak steady. You stand and pull yourself up." That sounded as good a plan as any so I didn't object. He reached his arm over so he could hold the other side of my kayak as well. Finding my balance was the tricky part, my kayak was not made to be stood upon. I reached up for one of the beams in the bridge before I really found my footing and hoisted myself onto it. The kayak wobbled beneath me as I pulled one leg up after another. Just as I had both feet up, we hear a golf cart approaching. We had no idea if trespassing was.. well, trespassing, but we didn't think these golf members would take too kindly to two kids kayaking and then busting up in their club to use their facilities. Trea yelled quietly at me as I leaped across the bridge into the grass to the water fountain, "GO! Go go go! Act like you belong! If someone says something, say we just paddled in from New Orleans! Go!... Don't run! Calm, Jillianne, calm!" Anything that happened after that was a blur, because I had water. To be honest, I don't think I have ever had anything that tasted sweeter. It was by far the best thing that had ever graced my lips in a very long time. I pulled away and held my head to the sky as I took a breath and then took a few more gulps before running back across the bridge. Now, due to the extreme euphoria that had just entered my life, the next few actions probably didn't happen exactly the way I remember them happening. What I remember is me flinging both legs over the railing of the bridge while holding it with one arm and balancing with the other and placing both of my feet just so in my kayak that all I had to do was just sit down and take the paddle from Trea. I remember all of this happening in one quick fluid movement that I felt like I needed to be cast in the next James Bond movie. I'm sure what actually happened was me landing in my kayak like a sack of potatoes, Trea laughing at me for five minutes, and my outfit becoming completely soaked by my lack of grace, along with multiple bruises and scrapes appearing from getting too cozy with the wooden bridge. But I am going to go with the first one. On the way back, Trea paddles next to me and says, "Oh!" as he reaches for something in between his feet, "While you were making a fool out of yourself, I got you this." He opens his hand and reveals a bright yellow golf ball with a small shell pattern printed on it. I smile and take it, "Thank you, Trea! I will keep it always." He scoffs with a smile, "Yeah, whatever," and paddles on in front of me.
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