The early morning chill crept through Bevis, and she shivered in her sleeping bag. Last night was something she would never forget. The fire was finally set and lit; dinner was tinned beans and dried meat. She had been ravenous all night, hardly slept from hearing the sounds of nature around them. She was unused to the roaring sounds of the river and snores of various people in her group and the shadows against the side of her tent that looked like many things her imagination must have stored up over the years. Stiff, groggy and tired, Bevis reached for her folder to find the "joys" lined up for the day. Reading through them, she sighed. It was to be a long day, starting with finding somewhere private to relieve her aching bladder. There was no way she was going out there in the solid darkness to do anything; grabbing her shovel and re-reading the instructions, Bevis stepped from her tent. Silence met her. The fireplace was cold, and no one else was awake; this was her chance. Heading into the forest, Bevis found the perfect spot and quickly took care of business. Relieved, she started toward the direction she thought was making her way back but stopped. Turning in a circle, Bevis felt lost. Which way was the direction back to camp? Everything looked and smelt the same, and she felt panic rise. Closing her eyes and using her breathing exercises to clear her mind ... to think, Bevis exhaled and opened her eyes again. She turned in a circle sighing with relief as she spotted Jason through the trees, coming her way. Stowing her ablution gear, she started toward him.
"Morning," Jason called, "everything okay? You've been a while," he looked around, "wasn't sure if you were lost or something had happened to you."
"I'm okay now," she said, smiling, "morning, and thanks for coming to look for me. I ... got a little turned around."
Nodding, he smiled, "It happens to the best of us. Let me give you a tip..." he moved to stand behind her, gently resting his hands on her shoulders, "... close your eyes and listen." Following his instructions, she closed her eyes and listened, "What do you hear?"
Bevis frowned at his words; what was she supposed to hear? Always open to new experiences, she listened to the sounds around her.
"Tree branches," she whispered, "birds ... rustling ... it may be leaves," she paused, "gurgling ... is that the river?"
"That is the river," Jason said, "you're not that far. Follow the sound of the river, and you'll get back to camp."
Turning, Bevis looked at him, taking in his features, kind eyes, strong chin, softly looking dark hair, and lush lips ... she didn't know any other man she would say that about, but there it was... lush lips.
"What?" he asked.
Shaking her head, Bevis glanced away, "Thank you," she whispered, "for ... taking the time to help me. I know it's your job ..." she sighed, "but thank you anyway."
Smiling, she moved toward the sound of the gurgling thankful to be heading toward the rest of the group.
Jason watched her go. Had he ever been thanked for heading someone in the correct direction? Nope, didn't think he ever had. She didn't look back or try anything flirty or coy with him. She was different from most women he had met, even though she was clearly out of her depth in every way. He chuckled, out of her depth ... Bevis was totally in uncharted waters, yet she tried. The wood brought back yesterday was ... different, an axe had to be used on most of it, which was a good exercise for the men in the group, the fire built was so hot they had to wait nearly two hours before they could heat the beans or even sit around it. While the rest of the group was talking around the fire, she lay on the sand, watching the inky night sky scattered with stars. Chelsea had joined her after a while, and the two had chatted quietly but never had she made a push to join in with the rest of the group. Not that he could blame her. They all seemed superficial and shallow, and their conversation was centred around themselves and their lives. They showed no interest in getting to know anyone outside their small group. Bevis didn't fit. She was made from a different mould. She valued other things and experiences. So much was kept close to her chest, and he wondered how often she felt fear and panic. If she did, it was held close to home and hidden from everyone around her. There was a good reason he had placed Chelsea and Bevis to look after the gear and luggage while they were on the water. The others simply didn't care if anyone else's possessions were lost, Bevis cared, and Chelsea cared because Bevis cared. They would have what they needed for the conclusion of this journey because it didn't matter whose it was. It was required; therefore, it was necessary. A massive change from what he was used to. He looked around as she made it to the edge of the woods, one down ... now to find number two, who he was sure was doing it on purpose to get some "alone time" with him. Jo was a flirt and frustrated her husband, but he had a job to make sure nothing had happened to her, and he would check. Even if he left her to find her way back, he would still ensure she was unharmed.
Bevis inhaled the fresh air from the river, "Thank heavens," she exhaled as she walked back to her tent, "home."
"Hey, Bevis," one of the men called.
Turning Bevis' forehead puckered, "Charlie, right?"
Grinning, he nodded, "Have you seen Jo?
"No," Bevis said, shaking her head, "Jason is in the forest. He'll check on her or bring her back if she is in there."
Nodding, Charlie moved away, concern etched on his face, "Okay, thanks."
Quickly dressing for the day, Bevis began taking down her tent. She had gotten most of the pieces packed correctly but felt stumped by how she would fold the tent small enough to fit the bag. Following the slight creases, she got it to a point but couldn't seem to roll it small enough to get back into the bag, and the space for it in her gear bag was precisely the size of the tent bag. Chelsea stepped from her tent, stretching.
"Morning, Bev," she called, yawning and looking around, "how long have you been up?"
"A while," Bevis said, trying to roll her tent tighter, "sleep well?"
"Like a rock," Chelsea said, kneeling next to Bevis, holding the bag wide for the tent, "no, I think it needs to be tighter."
Bevis nodded, resting her hands over the rolled material, "I may need to ask someone with more muscle than I have to help me."
"Need a hand?" Charlie asked as he walked past, "It can be tough keeping it the size it needs to be."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate it," Bevis said, moving to one side as Charlie knelt, unravelling the tent, "you're rolling from the wrong side," he said, turning it around, "this is what you need to look for," he indicated a yellow plastic line, "use that as a marker and start rolling it on the yellow line, rolling it from this side helps keep it tight."
Bevis and Chelsea took it in, asked questions, and finally, her tent was in its bag and stowed in her gear bag.
"Thanks, Charlie," Bevis said, smiling as the man moved toward the forest; turning to Chelsea, she whispered, "he seems so different without Jo around."
"I've noticed as well," Chelsea said, "do you think he behaves a certain way for Jo?"
Bevis shrugged, "If he does ... he's crazy," she sighed, "shall we do your tent ...or aren't you ready?"
"I am at least a half hour behind you, plus I need to ..." she cleared her throat, "...go."
"You do that while I start the fire for coffee," Bevis said, watching Chelsea disappear into the forest.
The fire fell into place quickly this morning. Soon, Bevis had a healthy blaze in the pit, allowing her to appreciate her surroundings. Drawn to the beauty of nature, she loved to soak it in. Wandering toward the river bank, Bevis watched the trees on the opposite bank move in the gentle morning breeze as it played across the surface of the flat water in occasional ripples before the river flowed on, bubbling between the rocks lower down. It was beautiful to watch and calming, yet it had the potential to be dangerous.
Is this why people made these trips?
Why would anyone want to intentionally experience the danger?
Prove they could come out the other side triumphant?
She didn't understand the necessity of that experience, it seemed insane, yet she was doing it herself.
"I'm not here intentionally," she whispered.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The only requirement she wanted out of this week was to come out alive and healthy, without too many bumps and bruises.
"What another hectic fire?" one of the women complained, "are we going to wait another two hours for breakfast?"
"Tiffany, if you're hungry, have one of your protein bars," her husband snapped, "at least there is a fire, and no doubt coffee will be coming."
Bevis turned toward the couple, trying to place their names, "Tiffany and .... Peter," she whispered, "trouble in paradise?"
"It looks like it," Chelsea said, "they are not very happy about something. She was complaining just now and most of last night as well."
"Never heard it," Bevis said, shaking her head.
"Of course not," Chelsea said, "why do you think I joined you stargazing?"
"Because of the constant complaining?" Bevis asked, grinning at her friend.
"Exactly," Chelsea said, "from what I can make out, this trip is something along the lines of couples therapy ..." Chelsea frowned, "like a getaway to get to know each other better."
"They're married," Bevis said, "didn't they know each other better before the vows?"
"Probably," Chelsea said, "but this is something to do with understanding each other better."
"Are we supposed to do that?" Bevis asked, looking askance at Chelsea.
"Staring into each other's eyes," she shuddered, turning to look at the view, "if getting through this week is a success, then I'd say we know each other just fine," Chelsea grinned.
"Agreed," Bevis said, "let's get the coffee started."
"Have you noticed most of our couples tasks are day-to-day things," Chelsea said, "I was looking through the daily list before I went to sleep last night ..." she stopped grasping Bevis' arm, "... we're doing all the grunt work while everyone else is sitting around doing nothing."
"That may be so," Bevis said, "think about it. Would you prefer to be doing romantically intimate tasks instead?"
Bevis continued walking, leaving Chelsea to think about her point while gathering all the items to make coffee and heading back to the fire. This morning, coffee will likely be an intense strength and way too hot to drink.
Why did she care?
Emotions bubbled and churned as she did the task of making coffee. Chelsea's words had cut to the quick. Bevis knew the reason why they were given the essential things to accomplish. It wasn't for any reason other than she knew nothing about what was happening on this trip. Bevis felt small and stupid but had never cried in front of anyone and wouldn't start now. Squaring her shoulders, she watched the coffee brew over the fire as her mind mulled over the action of the coffee, letting her thoughts wander from her surroundings. Was the coffee brewing or stewing? Something she would have to look into when she got home.
Home.
The name and the place seemed detached from her current reality. It seemed far from what she was experiencing, and more than that ... it seemed far from her mind. Frowning, Bevis wondered what it would be like after this week of ... all this. The smell of ready-to-drink coffee wafted to her nose. Finding the strainer, she prepared to strain the brew into Chelsea and her mugs.
Where was Chelsea?
"Coffee ready?" Charlie asked, holding two mugs.
"Sure," Bevis said, moving to fill the mugs, "how did you know?"
"Chelsea is telling everyone to move it or lose it," Charlie chuckled, "it'll be good for the girls to get pushed around a little. They are too spoiled and need a little reality."
"Well, I think this trip is going to bring out the strength in those that truly have it," Bevis said, smiling, "has Jo come back?"
Charlie nodded, "Complaining about something Jason said to her in the forest," he sighed, "I thought if we came on the trip away from everyone and everything, we could connect ... really connect."
"You still may," Bevis said, "we still have the rest of the trip and all those classes of rapids to get through," she chuckled, but it was half-heartedly.
"Yeah, at least five of us know how to do the rapid classes," Charlie said, shaking his head, "we all went on courses before the trip. The women were also supposed to come, but there was always something better to do or more important to attend to. Sorry ... you don't need to hear this."
"It's nothing I didn't suspect," Bevis said, shrugging, "Charlie, if I may ... a question ... why do you behave differently around Jo? Why not be yourself?"
"She doesn't want the real me," Charlie said, shaking his head, "she wants something else."
"Then she should look elsewhere," Bevis said, "if the real you is the guy who took the time to help me with my tent ... I'd want him rather than the superficial jerk from the fireside last night."
Charlie's eyes snapped to her own, "You're very direct," he said, grimacing, "have you always been this way?"
"Used to be this way," she murmured, "until the last few months ... when I wasn't much different than your wife and the others."
"What changed?" Charlie asked.
"My boyfriend, who had expectations without knowing me, broke up with me because I was too ... vapid, superficial and vacant."
"Wow," Charlie winced, "that was harsh."
"But true on so many levels," Bevis sighed, "I tried to be something I wasn't so he would find me more ... appealing. I doubt we would have gotten past the first date if I was myself."
Charlie listened, his expression thoughtful, "Thank you for sharing," he said, "you've given me a lot to think about."
Nodding, Bevis continued filling the mugs as they arrived while sipping her much-needed coffee. The couples gravitated toward the fire and chatted as they enjoyed the morning beverage.
The sun was sparkling off the waters when they were ready to paddle the next section. Jason warned it would be a long stretch, so everyone had to be prepared to lend a hand and listen to the instructions as they paddled downstream. Bevis nodded along with everyone else, but her heart sat in her throat most of the day, and panic threatened to rise when luggage or gear nearly went off the raft's side. Sinking into the bottom of the large vessel, she struggled to pull the ropes tighter. Suddenly a scream filled the air as they hit some rough water. Bouncing to her feet and scanning the river behind them, Bevis noticed Jo floundering in the water.
"What is she doing?" Charlie asked as he divided his attention between the waters and his wife being swept downstream.
"Focus on the river," Jason bellowed as he prepared to enter the water.
Bevis noted the course the water would take her and groaned. Jo was so focused on the act she wasn't aware of her surroundings. Without thinking, Bevis launched off the back of the raft and hit the water feet first, swimming toward the position to grab Jo before they slammed into the rocks and either got knocked out or hurt. Instead, Jo slammed into her all arms and legs, begging to be saved until she realised who it was and started pushing and shoving at Bevis.
"Hey, you're going to drown us both if you don't stop," Bevis spluttered, not waiting for an answer as a looming tree trunk just above the water line came into view. Bevis ducked, thankful for the depth of the water. Yanking the life vest in front of her, Bevis pulled Jo under. The trunk passed narrowly above their heads, fresh air hitting their lungs as they went over the small waterfall in the pool below. Bevis was thankful again that the pool was deep, the sharp rocks narrowly missing their limbs. Still holding onto Jo's life jacket, Bevis surfaced, looking around for the raft. It was almost in line with them but on the opposite side of the jutting rocks in the middle of the river.
"You're going to pay for that," Jo spluttered as she surfaced.
"Drop the act, shut your trap and swim for those rocks over there," Bevis said, "we need to catch up with the raft before we're left behind."
Muscles screaming, Bevis paddled toward the rocks, grasping one she felt the sting as it sliced into her hand. Wincing, she bit her lip, pushing the lid down on rising panic and pulled herself onto the rocks. Checking Jo's progress, Bevis groaned when spotting the flying limbs of the beauty hanging on by a hand. Carefully moving along the rocks, Bevis grasped Jo's loose hand, the back of her life jacket and braced her feet as best she could.
"No one else is coming to save you," Bevis yelled, "help yourself get out of the water or stay behind. Use whatever version of a backbone you may have, but this Barbie doll stuff is pathetic. Now, brace your feet, and I'll help you get out of the river."
Jo stared at her for what felt like an eternity, glanced at the raft coming closer and the men battling the class five rapids. Nodding, she helped herself out of the water, gasping for air.
"Just need a minute," she gasped as Bevis pulled her to her feet, pushing her along the rocks to the point they disappeared into the water again.
"We don't have a minute," Bevis yelled over the roar of the water as she waved frantically until she gained the attention of the raft crew, "thank God, they're moving this way."
"How are we going to get in?" Jo asked, her eyes filling with genuine fear.
"The only way we can," Bevis said, as the front of the raft came close as it dared, "jump."
Pushing Jo into the front of the raft between two crew members, she looked for an opening for herself but couldn't mark one. She was running out of time.
"Chelsea, take my paddle and watch for rocks," Jason called, thrusting the paddle into Chelsea's hand and reaching over the side for Bevis' hand, "grasp at the elbow," he yelled, extending his arm as far as he could over the edge and gripping Bevis at the elbow as the raft moved past.
Bevis felt her feet tugged from the rocks landing hard on the edge of the craft, her feet dangling in the water behind. Another slicing sting drew a cry of pain from her before Jason pulled her to the bottom of the boat. Blood gushed from a cut on her leg and another on her hand. Looking up, Bevis noticed Chelsea staring at her bleeding leg and called for her to focus on the rocks.
"That is a nasty gash," Jason said, "can you hold something over it until we're over this part."
Nodding, Bevis took the towel he handed her and pushed it against the wound. This she knew how to do ... learned how to cope with; she knew this kind of task from the multiple injuries sustained over her life. In the far corner of the boat, a drenched, shaking Jo stared at her with an expression of intense anger and hatred.
What has she done now to deserve that kind of reaction?
Bevis couldn't think. Now all Bevis was grateful for was being back in the raft ... never had she been happier. Breathing in, she rested her shoulder and head on the raft's side and waited.