“I really detested being inside that hotel, Zahra,” she confessed. “This is so much better, being out here on the river. I know you don’t like to swim, but are you enjoying it at all?”
Zahra laid her head on her arm. “It isn’t that I don’t like to swim, Vienna. I sink like a stone. I can go underwater and hold my breath. I’m not afraid of the water going over my head or anything like that. I just can’t float or swim. I sink.”
Vienna couldn’t imagine not knowing how to swim. Mitzi had been terrified of Vienna drowning and had her take swim lessons every summer, all summer long. She wouldn’t accept excuses from Vienna on not attending either. Consequently, Vienna was a very strong swimmer. She’d learned to dive as well as rescue in the water, and eventually she became certified in CPR.
“I could teach you. We could use Shabina’s pool.”
There was a small silence. “I’ll think about it. I do want to learn. It’s just that when you get to be old, learning seems to take longer. The things you could have learned that seemed no big deal now look dangerous.”
“That’s true, but I’d never let anything happen to you.”
Zahra didn’t lift her head, but she turned it so she was looking at Vienna. “I feel so lucky that I found this group of women. Most times we’re lucky to find one really great friend in our lifetime, but I’ve got five and they’re the best.”
“You’re not wrong,” Vienna agreed. She picked up the paddle. “I think it’s our turn to go in. You get ready with your camera. You’re really good at taking photographs.”
“If I remember to turn the camera on.” Zahra giggled and sat up straight again, pulling out her cell phone and getting it ready. “What makes the water in the cave so green? I know Benny must have told us, but I was sleepy and I took a nap during some of his stories.”
That made Vienna laugh. She lined up her kayak behind Stella and Harlow. “It has the deepest and cleanest water from Lake Mead. There was something about the hot springs dumping hot mineral water into the river. The explanation of volcanic activity beneath the surface creating the hot springs. Then that water evaporating and condensing into rainwater, giving the Colorado the cleanest water ever. Don’t ask me to explain the process, I wasn’t listening either.”
“What?” Zahra turned around again.
Vienna laughed. “Before you look outraged, I do know the sun has to shine to the bottom of the water just right to give you the full effect of that brilliant emerald green. It glows and can make you glow as well. Some say the sun hits the cavern walls and produces the light, but it’s really the sun piercing the water and hitting the floor from above.”
“You could have been a scientist.”
“Not really. If I pay attention, I can pick things up. Stella told me Emerald Cave is gorgeous, so I kind of wanted to learn a little bit about it.”
Vienna paddled slowly into the cave. Her breath caught in her throat as at once there seemed to be a brilliant strobe effect as green danced over their bodies. The emerald was brilliantly green, bright and vivid, more than she ever expected, even after seeing photographs others had taken. She knew the color depended on time of day and even the river itself and fluctuations, rain and lack of it. She hadn’t expected to see the intensity of color displayed. Just coming into the cave was worth feeling the animosity she’d felt from so many players when she’d worked her way up to the final table in the tournament. The cave was that beautiful.
They couldn’t stay, there were too many kayaks lined up behind them. Vienna and Zahra paddled out and set their way to go down the river toward Willow Beach Marina. Most of the others were ahead of them. Vienna had kept in the rear of their group to ensure everyone was safe. Harlow tended to lead the way while Vienna stayed for the rear guard.
She could see the catwalk built around the canyon and, looking up, saw that some of the boards did appear to be rotting.
Zahra turned her head. “I have to pee.”
“No, you don’t,” Vienna said firmly.
“I do. Really bad. We have to find a place to dock the kayak. It will only take me a minute, and it isn’t like we’re going to get lost.”
“Why didn’t you go at lunch? There were those outhouses.”
Zahra wrinkled her nose. “Seriously? And stand in line to go to a smelly outhouse? I’d rather dig a hole in nature. Come on, Vienna.”
“You were planning this all along.”
“Maybe,” Zahra conceded.
“It’s only a couple of miles to the marina, and there are bathrooms.”
“No, Benny will say we have to hurry and get on the shuttle or we’ll be left behind. Please, Vienna. I really have to go.”
Vienna looked toward the heavens. It wasn’t as if they were going to get lost. “You are such a pain in the butt, Zahra.”
Zahra flashed her a grin. “I know, but you’re so sweet you love me anyway.”
Vienna looked the bank over. Most of it wasn’t very approachable. The current was getting stronger and the wind was picking up. She didn’t want to fight her way back to the marina.
“If you see somewhere, give me the heads-up. The current’s pulling at us.”
“Just ahead, it’s a small sandy spot. I know they said to be careful where you pull up your kayak, that the river fluctuates fast, but I won’t be a minute and if you stay with it, we won’t lose it.”
“That’s all we’d need,” Vienna groused, but she really didn’t care. They were fairly close to the finish of the trip, and she was enjoying every second on the water. The slight delay was only going to allow her to be on the river longer.
It did take some strength to fight the current in order to get to the little beach Zahra had spotted, reminding Vienna of Liza’s inability to manage to dock at Sauna Cave. Zahra hopped out, caught up her daypack and raced to an outcropping of boulders a short distance away. Vienna found herself laughing and looking up at the sky where a couple of birds circled lazily. This was so Zahra. She marched to her own beat. Quirky. Funny. Giving. She was her own person all the way.
True to her word, Zahra was back in the kayak within minutes and they were once more paddling down the river toward the marina.
“I noticed you managed to get into the kayak all by yourself,” Vienna observed. “I wasn’t certain you could take a step without support.”
“If I was good at wielding these paddles, I’d smack you the way Stella is always saying I smacked her. I sacrificed for you.”
The sound of terrified screams was loud, reverberating off the canyon walls. The screams came from multiple sources and went on and on, seemingly increasing in volume. Vienna poured strength into her paddle, Zahra adding her muscle so that the kayak shot through the water.
Just up ahead they saw their group of kayakers gathered around two of the kayaks. Clay was fastening a tow rope to both kayaks. He tossed one to Harlow as Vienna and Zahra swept in close to them.
“You sure you can do this?” Clay called to Harlow.