Katllas - Canoe Trip

[Dallas Kennedy]

Dallas had met Kat at her dorm around ten that morning. He borrowed a friend of his' pickup so they could haul everything and not have it cramped in the back seat of his Chevelle. They had to make an hour drive to Oak Orchard Waterport to get their shuttle to the river. Dallas had brought two coolers, a tent, three thick sleeping bags in waterproof bags and two extra outfits that he had shoved with them.

Now that they were arriving, Dallas could feel his excitement brewing. "I'm really glad you could come. I didn't want to have to ask Jett as a back up." He laughed to himself at the thought of that cityfied mother fucker trying to row a canoe. He found an open parking spot near the registration building and parked. "You ready?" He asked, jumping from the truck. He slid the keys into the front pocket of his light blue faded Levi's and walked to the passenger's side.

"I'll go let them know we're here. They should have a shuttle coming soon and we'll unload the truck then." He took her hand and pulled her along with him so that no one would have the opportunity to hit on her. When they got the the building they had to wait in a ridiculous line, or maybe it just seemed ridiculous because Dallas was ready to get on the water and didn't have the patience to wait behind a bunch of geezer tourists.

Their turn finally came a short five minutes later and Dallas quickly got everything in line and ready to go. "Thank you, Mr. Kennedy." The lady in the window started. "Your shuttle number is 13B and it should be here in the next thirty minutes. You two have a great trip now!" They moved out of line as she called for the next person.

Dallas walked backwards in front of Kat, "I guess I should have asked you this before we got here," He started, almost tripping on the uneven dirt under his feet. "Have you ever been canoeing before?" It probably wasn't a good thing for him to be walking like this, what if he bumped into some big fat biker man or something? Would that be an interesting trip. He decided to turn back around and walk side-by-side with Kat. Definitely much safer.

[kat]

Shuttle? Wasn't that something from space? Or...an airport? We're they going to space? Kat was honestly confused about this whole thing. She really didn't even what a canoe was, or how the fuck you...row it? Or was a canoe one of those things you see at the fair with the little bicycle peddles? Oh dear. She was probably going to die today.

"I haven't the faintest idea," she replied with a smile. She wasn't sure if that was going to upset him or not, but right now she couldn't care less. That excited little smile on his face just made everything seem perfect.
She opened the door to the truck and got back in it since they were waiting for...whatever the fuck a shuttle was. She was a wee bit anxious about this trip, honestly. He told her to pack warm clothes, even though it was August, and she'd also brought a two other outfits aside from the one she was wearing. She packed pajamas, but she was really hoping she wasn't going to be wearing very much when they were in the tent. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Dallas that.

Actually, she probably would. But not right now.

She sighed and put her feet on the dashboard, picking at a hole in her weathered jeans. She had on a black Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt, and a light pull over was sitting next to her on the seat just in case. Dallas's comment on the weather had really made her nervous about the temperature.
She looked over at him, still nearly bouncing with excitement. "Baby...I'm not going to die, right? I mean...I know how to swim but...I'm from fucking Vermont. We're not exactly known for our great lakes." She gave him a weak smile, but it was clear that she was nervous. Dallas was more adventurous than she was, so there was really no telling how this was going to end up.

[Dallas Kennedy]

"Ah, well I'll just have to teach you then." Dallas smiled at her. He was resting on the open passenger side door because his ass hurt from having to sit still for an hour. He couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked sitting like that in the truck. She was always doing cute things that he noted and she probably didn't even think about.

"It's easy once you get your balance. Just.. don't stand up in the canoe." And I hope you're not afraid of snakes or wildlife because they're bound to be out there. Dallas thought to himself. What if she was one of those girls that saw a snake and then freaked out, stood up, tipped the boat and was now in the water with said snake? He just hoped she wasn't.

About forty minutes later, their shuttle came. It was a large, grey van pulling about a dozen canoes behind it. A short man stepped out with a megaphone and called out, "13B, Shuttle 13B is ready for boarding." Dallas tapped the dashboard "That's us, ready to go?" He said, heading for the stuff he had packed in the bed of the truck.

He loaded their things up into the back of the van. There were only three other small groups going with them and most of their stuff was just coolers and floaties. When everything was loaded and ready to go, Dallas climbed inside and scooted toward the window. What is Kat wanted the window seat? He didn't mind sitting next to a stranger if that's what she wanted. "Do you want the window, Kit-Kat?" He asked.

They had a forty minute drive up river and when they finally reached their destination, Dallas' excitement was almost through the roof. Everyone unloaded their things and started to grab their assigned canoes. Dallas helped the tour guy with their two, one for them, and one to pull behind for their coolers and tent. He pushed the one they would be sitting in into the shallow part of the water. There were ugly orange life vests in each canoe which he didn't plan on using himself. "If you want to get in, I'll push us off." He started, making sure the rope connecting the two was tight and secure.

[kat]

"Yeah," Kat answered him quietly as she climbed in the car headed for the window seat he offered. She was so nervous, she felt like she could cry. What if while they were camping they got attacked by a bear or something? Or what if there were like...rattlesnakes or scary shit in the water? She was terrified! She was bitten by a garter snake when she was little and hated snakes ever since. Wasn't Satan a snake? Now she was sitting in the car, picturing herself getting bitten by Satan in a fucking canoe with her sexually frustrated boyfriend.

When she pulled up, she was practically shaking. She didn't even hear him when he talked to her, she was too busy trying to get the life jacket on without squishing her boobs.
"Huh?" She asked when she finally realized he spoke to her. "Oh...yeah, I guess..." she eased herself into the little boat, doing fifty Hail Mary's and praying to God Almighty that she didn't die on this trip.

[Dallas Kennedy]

Dallas could tell Kat was nervous and more than likely a little scared. Just the way she was hastily buckling up the life vest around her almost made him want to laugh. Did she not trust him enough that he wouldn't let anything happen to her? He would seriously let her have the head start if a bear was to attack, which he hoped wouldn't happen - he didn't feel like becoming a meal today.

Dallas loaded up the rest of their things into the second canoe and pulled his jeans off. He had blue swim trunks in place of boxers and left his shirt on because he honestly wasn't too sure where the sunblock was. He was probably going to burn anyways, but oh well. "Ready?" He asked, stuffing his jeans into one of the waterproof bags and shoved the first canoe off. Dallas made sure the other wasn't going to drag before he waded into the water until he was almost waist deep.

"Okay hold onto the left side so I can pull my fat ass up." He laughed which didn't help because it took his strength away. He found a larger boulder and stood on the slippery surface to hoist himself into the back of the canoe, which he did with surprising ease and grabbed an oar. "Here you go, you take left and I'll take right." And they were off, setting sail into the afternoon light. Dallas hoped that now they were on the water, Kat would start to relax a little bit and enjoy the ride. "This isn't so bad, is it?" He asked, putting his paddle in his lap and just letting the boat coast.

[kat]

Kat wondered if she should go ahead and get in her bathing suit as well, but there was no chance she was going to make the movements for that to happen right now.
"Oh, yeah...I'm having an awesome time, babe," she tried to sound convincing, but by the way her voice shook she knew it didn't work at all.
She pushed her oar through the water for a few minutes, trying with everything she had to calm down. Why was she so afraid right now? She'd always been bad with new experiences, but she should know that Dallas wouldn't let anything hurt her. Just like with the horses, and this didn't even compare to how bad she'd reacted back then.

She cleared her throat, "Um...so...how much longer do we have to be in there? Not that I'm not having a good time, but..." she bit her lip and felt color rise her her cheeks. She was glad he couldn't see her right now, or else he'd feel bad. She didn't want to ruin this trip for him. She'd just feel so much more comfortable if there wasn't a possibility of drowning, getting bit by water moccasins, or being attacked by the giant sea monsters she assumed were prowling the bottom of the river.

[Dallas Kennedy]

Well, that wasn't very convincing. Dallas stifled his laugh the best he could, not that he was trying to be mean or anything. He loved that even though she was clearly uncomfortable trying out all of these new adventures, she was trying. That had to mean something right? She had mentioned many times about how big of a couch potato Kegan was and how he almost never did anything like this.

"Well, maybe about an hour or so? Keep an eye out for a good bank to stop on.. like, something flat and kind of open. Like the view I'm getting back here." Dallas couldn't hold it in any longer and in a slight attempt to make her ease up a bit, he sloshed his paddle in the water towards her. It didn't manage to get her wet, but it came close. "Just relax, boats were made to float so you're not going to sink sweetheart, I won't let that happen."