Hello all,
Summer has officially begun here in Tallahassee and it has been absolutely beautiful here for the past week or so. Mother Nature has been especially kind to provide a slight breeze to make the accelerating heat more comfortable. The weather was basically calling me to come outside, so I did yesterday.
Well, I sort of got out in it a few days ago when I rescued a monstrous ancient looking turtle from what was sure to be certain death. The poor thing was trying vainly to get back to the nasty little retention pond that he called home sweet home. I say vainly because there was a chain link fence that separated him from his watery paradise. I was just pulling up in my apartment complex on my way home from work when I saw this amphibious cutie trying to claw his way through the mesh wiring. I couldn't stand to see him struggle. He kind of looked like I did trying to put on skinny jeans that were far too tight so I felt his pain. I stopped the car and assessed the situation. I mean, this was one big ass dinosaur looking turtle. I couldn't just leave him there so I decided to do what I am good at; I talked to him. Yep, literally had a conversation with him whilst trying to calm him down and sneak up on him at the same time. I kept waiting for someone to drive by and hear me talking to it. I had a vision in my head that this person would park quietly close by, call 911 and then two very large men (one possibly a woman who could be named Olga) would approach me with a large sedative and net. I mean, I did look pretty darn crazy. If I saw someone going full Steve Irwin on a turtle I would definitely think they had a screw or two loose. When I finally mustered up the courage to bend down and pick him up, I spied a raccoon mocking me behind the pale yellow cement wall of that separated us from the pond and wooded area. I tried to snap a picture of him, but he wasn't feeling up to it I suppose because he retreated back into the darkness. I have a feeling he continued to watch me. Needless to say, my apartment complex really is a freaking zoo. I eventually scooped up the at least 15 pound turtlesaur and hoisted him over the fence. He snapped into his shell but as soon as he hit the water, he popped out and swam for his life into the dirty water as if it were made of gold or something. When nature has a problem, I guess I am the chick for it.
My natural encounters did not stop with my new found amphibian friend. I woke up Monday morning and had a sudden itch to go kayaking. By the way, if you spell kayak backwards, it is still kayak. I know, you are mind blown. You're welcome. If you haven't yet caught on to how random I am by now, the fact that I woke up wanting to kayak should really put it into perspective for you now. Who just wakes up and thinks, "Hmm, it's a lovely day for some kayaking." This girl right here does.
Where does one go kayaking in Tallahassee? Well, FSU is so cool that they have their own lake. Not really their own. It is Lake Bradford, but we Seminole savages took it over some time ago and established The Rez. It is seriously the most beautiful place I have yet to come by in Tallahassee. For all my Tally cool cats, get over there before you graduate. Seriously, go and do something fun. Everything there is free for students, from rock climbing to kayaking to paddle boarding. And then for people who aren't students, the rates are like dirt cheap.
I approached the rental store to procure a kayak for myself. I thought about how awkward that would be to ask for just one kayak. Like if that doesn't spell out loner loser then I don't know what does. But whatever, I like doing random crap like kayaking by myself. I can't really picture Cassie kayaking either, she's probably allergic to the lake water or something, so by myself it was.
I walked up to the desk where I was met by a very sweet girl. I asked her if I could rent a kayak. She replied, "Just one?" Ugh, and I thought I had almost gotten away with it. I wanted to be like, "Bitch do you see Casper the friendly ghost here with me? No? Okay, then just one." Instead I smiled and said, "Yep, it's just me today." I am about as confrontational and hateful as a butterfly.
My vessel was waiting for me on the shore. Mind you, I haven't kayaked in about 6 years so I was a little lost around the slender plastic boat. It was turned backwards and I thought how fun it was going to be trying to get it to turn around. After awkwardly straddling the kayak, I got it turned around and I was off!
Seriously, it was the most relaxed and at ease I have felt in a very long time. The water and sun have always had that effect on me though. It's like all my worries and cares were lost in the choppy waters as I glided along the black surface. Ha, who am I kidding? I probably looked like a baby seal trying to swim for the first time the way I was smacking my paddle down into the water. At least for the first few minutes anyways, but then I started to get the hang of it. But for the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about anything. It was nice, to not be concerned with all the crap I am normally concerned or irritated with. I must have looked like an idiot with the goofy grin I had plastered to my face, but I was genuinely having fun all by myself.
I was determined to make it all the way around the lake that day. The wind was trying to kill that dream but I wouldn't let it. I was about half way around the lake when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was a big red and white sail to a tiny little sail boat that wasn't much bigger than my kayak. It was still off in the distance but I could tell that the boat was really flying with the wind that powered its sail. I just stared in awe as I daydreamed about how much fun that would be. I guess I stared a while longer than I meant to because the captain of this vessel finally waved to me. This captain was a boy. Freaking great I thought, he probably things I am some weirdo now, thinking I was staring at him. He shouted a pleasant hello. Hmm, not really someone who sounded disturbed after being stared at by some lunatic. I decided to respond with a cheerful greeting of my own. He leaned back as the wind was really pulling on his sail and said, "What a wonderful day to spend the first day of summer classes huh?" I chuckled and replied how very marvelous it was indeed. And that was the end of our little conversation.... At least for then.
After making my way a little bit further close to the shore, this mystery boy pulled up in his sailboat again. Hmm, maybe he was lost. No dummy it's a huge circular body of water that you can see clear across, one doesn't need directions to navigate this, I thought to myself. What ever did he want?
He got very close to my kayak and asked me, "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
I'm lame, all my friends have gone away for the summer, my boyfriend isn't here because he doesn't exist, all came to mind. Instead I said, "Oh, all my roommates have left for the summer and I just needed some alone time."
This boy was in a safari hat sort of like the one Nigel Thornberry would wear and had on a blue button down fishing shirt. He seemed friendly enough. Although he didn't look exactly like a prince charming, he was still had a cute look about him. Why was he alone then?
Naturally I blurted out what I was thinking, "Why are you all by yourself today then?" He said it was something to do with everyone he knew had class and because he had some free time before his first class of the day which would be at five. I thought we were making small talk, which was nice because it is the most contact I have had with a boy since New Years, and suddenly he did something I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dream:
"Have you ever been sailing?" He asked.
I shook my head and gave him a no that sounded sadder than it should have. I had been wanting to sail though, I love boats. Of all kinds. Seriously, if I could live on one I would. I plan to someday for some time.
After he assessed my answer for a split second he said, "Would you like to join me?"
I am pretty sure my mouth actually did fall open, but in my mind my jaw hit the floor all cartoon like. Did a boy on a boat just ask me, a random stranger girl to go sailing with him?
Not wanting to sound like I was too eager to jump in his sailboat I said, "Well, I do have to be out of here by 4 because I work at six. I can't waltz into work smelling like nasty lake water." Playing hard to get: nailed it.
He didn't seemed phased by my attempts to say no, which was pleasant because that meant he actually wanted to hang out with me. He looked down at his outdoorsy looking watch and said, "Ah c'mon, it's not even three yet!" I took two seconds to deliberate something I had already decided on when he first asked.
"I'd love to join you." I said smiling. He told me he would meet me at the shore. And away he went sailing smoothly over the water, leaving me floundering like a fool in my desperate attempts to sort of keep up with him. I mean I think a sailboat against a kayak on a windy day is a clear winner, but I didn't want to keep him waiting, so I paddles my little arms off trying to meet him in ample time.
He actually walked to meet me and led me over to the sailboat. We struck up a conversation about something that must have had to do with our names because I remember saying mine. I don't remember much of it though, I was still in a daze that this was happening. He told me where to sit and how the biggest thing about sailing was to duck and dodge the big swinging metal pole that would suddenly swing across the boat when the air shifted. I gulped as I envisioned myself getting my two front teeth knocked out as this boy witnessed and had to drag me out of the water. It was bound to happen, I thought as he pushed us out into the lapping water.
His name was Max. Max had me help him do sailboaty type things, like push this rudder looking thing into the water as we got into deeper water. We chatted about school and friends and pretty much anything when the wind suddenly picked up hard and took us away. Oh my, we were really flying! I started giggling uncontrollably as I was suddenly filled with excitment. Like I said, I love boats, but I love them even more when they are going fast.
We continued to talk and dodge the murderous looking metal pole of possible death for about an hour. He even taught me how to "sail" by letting me control the rope. You have to hold it in close to your body to make you go fast, and then when the boat starts to tip, you let it out a little before it tips too far. I was so giddy that I kept laughing like a small child. He seemed to find it funny that I found it so awesome.
Needless to say, it was one of the best days I have had in a long long time. I love meeting strangers and making friends so it was nice. By the way, he asked for the digits, and got them. I figured anyone who has the balls to ask a stranger girl in a kayak to come sailing with him deserves them. He is free on Mondays until his class, and we are probably going again. Who knows, we shall see.
I mean, if that is the kind of luck I was going to have, The Rez may be my new hang out. I will be out there every damn day of the week if that is the kind of action in brings. By the end of the summer, I'll be a world class kayaker from spending all my time out there. And possibly a sailor. I have decided to take the sailing clinic and join FSU's most prestigious sailing club. More tales of mermaids and Atlantis to come!
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