Page 30 of The Legend
“I thinkyou’re having a reaction to something.” I whispered in her ear as she scratchedat her neck. “Did you eat anything strange?”
“No, but Idid get a lot of sand in places I didn’t wish to.”
Aidenhuffed. “Is that what took you so long?”
I shot hima glare. “Why don’t you just look over the menu and stay out of this. Our foodwill be here before you finally decide what to drink.”
Emmagiggled. “He has a point babe.” She set her menu down. “I have some Benadrylback at the hotel. Should I get it?”
Swaynodded. “Yeah, I think that might be a good idea.”
Emma leftafter ordering her meal and went to retrieve the Benadryl. When she returnedour meals had arrived and Sway had turned to drinking as a way to forget aboutthe allergic reaction she was having. I felt bad. What if it was the sand ormaybe there was something in the water?
Aiden andI got to talking about the Texas night race coming up when Emma returned andtook Sway away to get her reaction under control. Her eyes were now bloodshotand I was beginning to wonder if we were going to need to find a hospital soon.
They weregone something like thirty minutes when Aiden suggested that we might go look forthem. We’d finished eating and hadn’t seen them since.
Just as wewere getting ready to leave, that’s when my very drunk wife appeared holding abrochure for white water rafting.
“Look!”Sway waved the brochure in my face, flushed cheeks, glossy eyes and holding adrink in her right hand. “White water rafting,” she pointed to the displayholding it across her blotchy chest in front of her. “It’s for those who wantan adrenaline filled heart pounding vacation! We want that!”
“Why areyou yelling?” Ripping the brochure away from her, I threw it aside. “And if Iwanted adrenaline filled I’d be racing. We’re supposed to be on vacation, ordid you forget?”
She had noanswer but scrambled to capture the brochure. “Our tickets are in there. Don’tlet it get away.”
“We don’tdo boats,” I had to remind her, “and I told you no activities.”
“Jesus,”Emma appeared staggering behind Sway. “Live a little brother.”
“I thoughtI told you to give her Benadryl, not alcohol.”
“I didgive her Benadryl, and then I gave her alcohol.” Emma defended. “If you wereme, you would have too. She looked horrible.”
She had avery good point.
So like Isaid, I had no choice in the matter of white water rafting as apparently theyvoted on that activity.
Thefollowing day, we made our way to San Jose and I tried like hell to get out ofwhite water rafting with no success. I was so desperate that I even tried toconvince Sway that I had some sort of stomach bug. Still drunk and heavilymedicated, she said, “Buck up and getyourfucking asson that raft.”
The tourguide, as he introduced himself as “Tour Ted” looked at me and smiled as if hehad some sort of plan for us, or me. We weren’t exactly fond of each other. Hespent more time eyeing my sister and her bikini than navigating. How Aidendidn’t notice was baffling to me.
The areawhere we got on the raft was beautiful with clear water, white sand and flowingwaterfalls surrounding a canyon.
“I don’tlike this.” I said never taking my eyes off the tour guide as we stepped on theraft. I looked directly at Emma when she strapped her life jacket and helmeton. “You couldn’t have worn something more appropriate?”
“This isappropriate jackass.” She reached up to her chin to buckle the helmet. “We’rein the water.”
Looking atmy wife, she was wearing a bikini top but at least had board shorts on to coverherself a little more than my sister had.
“Thisisn’t spring break on Lake Havasu.”
“Shut up.”Emma kicked my shin.
I got upwanting to smack her when Sway grabbed my hand. “I’m so excited!”
Pushingout the breath I’d been holding between my teeth, I mustered a fake smile.
Just tenminutes into the adventure onPacuareRiver, and abruised ass, I had to let the tour guide know he had no business operating thisraft. I’d never been white water rafting but this was hardly adrenaline filledand more annoying filled. Every other bend in the river he was fighting the waythe raft would come around and slamming me into another rock.
