3WW - "The Date"

Breath, Scattered, Tomorrow

I was terrified that I had finally went too far. I said yes but maybe I should have voiced my fears that night on the phone. Something in his voice calmed my scattered thoughts, forgetting my limitations. The idea to go river rafting, before my illness, would have impressed me for a date so my old thought processor jumped at the chance. That’s the problem when your body deteriorates, your brain keeps forgetting what your body is capable of.

I spent extra time in dressing the part of a hot, athletic girl (ok, my walker was a tad distracting). This was a very important date, feelings were developing and I wanted to look like I was in control. I was concerned that the forecast predicted 102 degrees for today. I’m like a Cinderella at midnight but instead of turning into a pumpkin I turn into a rag doll in extreme heat. I sat on the couch waiting for him to come and pick me up, while convincing myself I could do this.

On the drive to the river I sensed a little nervous tension so I started asking questions. He reluctantly admitted he had never rafted before and he had reserved a private raft. We would be on our own but he assured me there were no rough rapids. I masked my panic while constantly reminding myself to breathe. When we arrived, I realized getting to a raft and into it might be the hardest part of the day. He gently helped me down to the cool, calm water and I felt myself start to relax.

When they pointed to our raft, we both gasped as the same time. It was huge and held up to six people. We also found out it was a five-hour ride to the pick up location. I knew right then this was not a good idea but he was very special so I took a deep breath and prayed. They handed me an ore and I took it but my arms dropped to the bottom of the boat with its weight. My partner not wanting to show his fear asked the guy if there was help along the way in case we needed it. A few houses was his only reply as they pushed us off down the river.

We were armed with life vests and two ores, I sat in the front and he manned the rear. The river took us through tree branches and over sandbars where we became stuck but as a team we began to find a rhythm. The river was so still in some places that I had to row and it took everything I had as the sweat from the sweltering sun beat down on our heads. We would finally get a moment to enjoy the serenity of the river when another obstacle would arrive. Taking a dip was not an option due to how hard it would be to get back in but they had a rest stop with restrooms. The cool water beckoned me as my make-up was slowly dissolving down my face. I was not a pretty sight as I began to slowly wilt as my face turned red as a beet. My partner in crime was starting to panic and we were entering hour number three.

He spotted a house and used all the power he had to steer us under a tree onto the bank. He cupped his hands with water to cool my body and when I was feeling better he hiked up the bank, disappearing into the brush, as I waited. He eventually reappeared and dragged me up the bank into an air-conditioned van. The driver was a sweet lady and asked us how long we had been married. We replied that we had just started dating and she said that the way he was with me she would have never guessed we were newly dating. I smiled at him with new eyes as the lady turned back and said tomorrow is supposed to be cooler. We looked at each other and laughed because unless we were with a group we would never do that again.

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