“All right,” I answer, holding back a grin.
I lean over where she tells me to.
“Can you see them?” she asks. “They’re about six inches from the surface.”
“I don’t see—wait,” I tell her. “I think I do—”
And that’s when she does it. Ash simultaneously rocks the boat in the direction I’m leaning and, with her foot, she pushes me over the side of the boat.
The water’s cold, but not frigid, but that’s not my concern.
“Help!” I scream. “I can’t swim!”
“Oh my god!” Ash cries. “Grab my hand!”
My arms are flailing as I try to stay above the surface of the water, and Ash is reaching out for me, but the push out of the boat put me farther out than our arms reach.
“Mason!” she shouts, grabbing an oar and holding it out toward me.
I grab onto the oar with everything I have and, just when it looks like Ash is standing nice and precariously at the side of the boat, I give it a good, strong tug. Her mouth is open and she’s cursing me as she hits the water.
She comes up and I grab onto her, but she swats my hand away.
“You jerk!” she teases, splashing water at me.
“Oh, I’m the jerk?” I ask, splashing her back. “You’re the one that dumped me in in the first place!”
“You looked hot,” she says. “You looked like you needed a drink.”
“Well, it was so refreshing I thought you should join me,” I tell her.
“Uh, Mason?” she says, looking past me.
“What?” I ask.
“The boat?” she answers, pointing.
I turn around to find the boat is about fifty feet away and gaining distance with the help of a moderate breeze.
“We should probably…” I start.
“Yeah,” she finishes and we take off swimming after the boat.
We’re swimming after the boat and I can hear the rental guy screaming something at us from the shore, though I can’t make out the words. At first, I think he’s just being an ass, but as I turn back toward the boat, something looks a little off.
“Does that,” I breathe, still paddling, “look like,” I breathe again, “it’s sinking?” I ask. I’m not used to swimming, and I’m getting a substantial amount of the lake in my mouth.
Ash doesn’t answer, but increases her speed.
“Why’s it sinking?” she asks, now well ahead of me in the water.
“I don’t know,” I gasp, having to slow down to keep the waves I’m creating out of my mouth and nose. “This isn’t part two of your evil plan?” I ask.
She’s almost to the boat now, and I’m treading water, trying to catch my breath. I really need to get better at swimming. I’m good enough to keep my head above water, but I think I’ve drunk about a gallon of Lake Park Lake.
Ash gets to the boat and turns around, seeing I’m still a ways back. “Come on!” she calls. “I can’t save this thing myself!”
I’m starting to feel really sick, but I suck it up and start going again, this time resolved not to let my mouth open for anything. Still, every time I bring my head up to take a breath, my mouth comes open automatically and I get another gulp of lake water.