Secrets 3: The Road to the Future

On Wednesday, Dad told us we’d be going on a half-day rafting trip with a different company than we used on our previous outing.  When we arrived at the outfitters, we discovered that Lonny and Clint were already there and they waved discretely before starting in our direction. 

“I was able to get us added to each of the rafting activities that you told us about,” Lonny enthusiastically told Dad. 

“That’s great.  It’s always more fun when you have more people that you know when you’re doing things like this.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait,” Clint added. 

“Then I hope you put some weights in your shorts this time,” Devin followed, “So you don’t get bounced out of the raft.” 

Clint giggled.  “You’re right, maybe I should have done that.”

“I was told this would be a six-person raft with a guide again,” Lonny stated, “so is it ok if we join you?”

“Of course it’s all right,” Dad responded.  “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”  

Before long, the lead guide called for our attention.  “There’s quite a few of you here today, so we’ll have eight rafts with six people and its own guide.  If you already have a party of six then get your group together so we’ll know, and if you’re not in a group already, step over here and we’ll assign you to one.”

There were only three groups that already had six people, including ours, and then the lead guide started assigning the other people into groups.  When all eight groups had been formed, we received some basic instruction for those that had never done this before, followed by a safety lecture.  After that, each group was assigned a guide, and then we were all given life jackets and helmets to put on. 

“We’ll be taking you by bus to the launch point, and all of the rafts have already been loaded onto the trailer that will be pulled behind the bus.”  We then went outside to load onto the bus.

As soon as the six of us were onboard, I spoke to Lonny, because he and Clint were sitting in the seat in front of the one Devin and I had chosen.  “If you want to switch places with me on the raft today, so you can keep an eye on Clint, it’s fine with me.”

“No, I have a feeling that you’ll do a better job of protecting him than I would.  Besides, Clint seems to like and trust you.”

“Maybe it’s just the remorse he feels about what happened on Monday, but I don’t blame him for that.  It wasn’t like he planned for his head to land on my ‘nads.”

“I felt really bad when I found out what I’d done.”

“I know you did, but as you can see, I’m fine.”

“Is this trip going to be on the same part of the river as the last time?” Clint asked. 

“No, because this trip will be nearly twice as long, they’ll be doing it on a different part of the river, and the rapids will be a little rougher this time.  On Monday, the rapids were mostly class I and II, with one that was nearly a class III, but on this trip the rapids will all be class II and III.”

“Oh, I hope I’ll do ok with that.”  

“We’ll make sure of it, and the first thing you can do to help yourself is to stop placing your feet against the base of the bench.  That’s why you got bounced forward and had to struggle to keep your balance.  It would help if you extend your feet out in front of you and spread your legs slightly apart.  That will give you three points to keep your balance, both feet and your butt.” 

“Will you show me what you mean when we get in the raft?”

“Of course I will.  I’m actually more worried that my mom will be ok in the front of the raft again, because she isn’t very strong.  I just wanted her to be in the front the last time, because I knew the trip wouldn’t be quite as difficult and I wanted her to experience what rafting was really like.  The difference is that today these rapids may be more difficult for her to deal with.”

“What if I switch places with her then?” Lonny asked.  “I rafted a few times when I was younger, so I’d be happy to take the position at the front, and then she can take my spot in the middle of the raft.”

“That would make me feel better and Devin will be able to keep an eye on her as well.”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Devin agreed. 

Now that these things had been discussed, I asked if they were able to do the duckies yesterday, and they said they had, and then they told us all about their experience. 

“I’m glad you guys told my dad about that,” Clint said with a grin.  “It was a total blast.  I’m having a lot of fun on this vacation.”

“We’re glad to hear that,” Devin agreed for both of us. 

When we arrived at the launch point, everyone exited the bus and our group met up with our guide and went to collect our raft.  The paddles were already in the raft, two at each area, and the guides paddles were there as well.  Before we carried the raft down to the river, I told my mom about what we’d discussed with Lonny.”

“Do you have a problem with being in the middle,” I asked her?”

“No, I’ll actually feel safer there, because you and Devin will be behind me.” 

“Yes, that will probably be better for her,” Dad added.  “I was afraid that she was going to get washed overboard when we went through that one area on Monday and this course is supposed to be even worse.”

“I’m glad we’re all in agreement then.”

We then carried the raft down to the river and I had Clint get in the raft first, so I could show him where to place his feet to give him better balance inside the raft.  “Thanks, now I understand what you were talking about,” he said with a huge grin. 

My mom, dad, and Lonny were already in their places as well, so our guide, Devin, and I helped to push the raft farther into the river before we hopped into the raft.  Just like before, the launch point was in a calmer part of the river, so we didn’t have to worry about the current taking us downstream before we were ready.  We also had to space our raft out with the other rafts so we wouldn’t crash into any of them as we went through the rapids, and then we played follow the leader down the river. 

We were the next to last raft in this procession, so we had a chance to watch the others going through the rough spots first, so we knew what to expect.  It wasn’t too bad at first and the rapids weren’t very difficult to handle.  However, that started to changed when we hit the first of the class III rapids.  We made it through there without a major incident, but we all had to paddle like crazy in order to get through this section unscathed.  As soon as we made it through that section, Clint turned around and smiled at me, and I think it was because he didn’t have any problems this time, since I showed him what he was doing wrong on the previous trip. 

We did well through the next couple of rapids as well, and then we came to a real nasty section of the river.  This area was quite narrow and the waves were smashing against the raft and violently pushing it around.  There were also some fairly large rocks along the shoreline, and at one point an extremely intense torrent of water pushed us toward the right bank.  This caused us to crash into one of the larger rocks, which was like riding in a car that was T-boned, which meant a car just slammed into the side of the car that you were in.  As soon as it happened, our bodies all lurched in that direction. 

Even though I didn’t have a great deal of trouble staying in my seat, my body did lean in that direction, but Clint was thrown off balance and his body was propelled toward the side of the raft.  I happened to catch this movement out of the corner of my eye and was worried that he might end up in the river, so I reached out with my left hand and grabbed ahold of his life jacket.  It was enough to stop him from being completely ejected from the raft, and then Clint scrambled his way back onto his seat. 

As I was grabbing his life jacket, I realized how close Clint’s head had come to striking the rock, and even though he was wearing a helmet, who knows how much damage that might have caused.  I was just grateful that I’d been able to stop paddling long enough to grab his life jacket and keep that from happening, and now the current was dragging us away from that area. 

The rest of the trip went without further incident, although I won’t say it was easy.  When we eventually reached the spot where the bus was waiting for us, we all paddled the raft toward the shore.  As we got out of the raft, we placed our paddle where we’d found it when we arrived, and then we all helped to carry the raft and load it onto the trailer.  Then we all got back on the bus for the trip back to the outfitters. 

As soon as we were all back in our seats, Clint told Lonny about what had happened.  “Michael had to save me again, because I almost fell out of the raft this time.”

“It wasn’t his fault, though.  It was when the raft was forcibly slammed against a large rock and all of us were thrown sideways.  He was just thrown a little farther than the rest of us, and all I did was to grab his life jacket so he didn’t fall out of the raft.”

“I thought I was going to take a header into that rock and then land in the river before you saved me.”

“Michael, I’m really glad you were sitting behind him instead of me.  I probably wouldn’t have reacted as quickly.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.  I was just making sure he didn’t get injured or land in the river.  I wanted to make certain an accident didn’t ruin his claim that he was having ‘a really good time’ on this trip.”

When we got off the bus, Lonny shook my hand and thanked me one more time, and then he went over to speak with my dad. 

“I don’t know about the two of you,” I said to Devin and Clint, “but I’ve got to pee.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” they agreed. 

“Ok, let me tell my mom so she won’t wonder where we went to.”

After walking over to where my mom was talking to another woman, I waited until they were done before I spoke.  “We’re going to the men’s room.” 

“Good idea.  I’d better go to the lady’s room before your father takes us out for lunch.”

The four of us then made our way over to where the restrooms were located.  As we entered, we noticed there were a couple of stalls, but instead of individual urinals, there was just a long trough.  I stepped up to it first, and Clint quickly moved next to me again, so Devin had to stand on the other side of him. 

As I was unzipping my shorts, I noticed that Clint had unsnapped his shorts so he could lower them and his underwear again.  And as we began emptying our bladders, Clint gave a long hard look at my dick, and then he turned and did the same thing with Devin. 

“Damn, your cocks are almost identical!  I wish mine was as big as yours.”

“It will get bigger as you grow older,” I told him.  “Who knows, you may end up having a bigger one than us by the time you’re our age.”

“That would be great, and I’m really glad my dad wasn’t in here, because he would have given me shit about saying damn.”

We all finished up and washed our hands, and just as we were about to leave, Dad and Lonny entered the men’s room.  “Sorry, we were talking about what we had planned for the rest of the day,” Dad told us.  “We’ll go to lunch as soon as we finish up in here.”

We all nodded in agreement and left, and then we went outside and waited for the others to join us.  Mom showed up next, followed by Dad and Lonny, and then Dad explained what we were going to do. 

“Lonny and Clint are going to join us for lunch, and then they’re going to hang out with us until we head over to the free concert.”

“Are we going back to Yesterdays for lunch?” I asked. 

“No, we’re going to eat al fresco style at the café your mother pointed out to us previously.”

“What does that word mean?” Clint asked.

“You mean al fresco?” Lonny asked and Clint nodded.  “That term is a fancy way of saying were going to eat in the open air.”

“He’s right, because my wife wants to sit outside at the café so she can imagine that she’s at a café in Paris,” Dad added, pronouncing Paris the same way it’s said in France.  “This will be a late lunch, so make sure you fill yourselves up, because we won’t eat supper until after the concert, which takes place from 5:30 to 8:30.”

“Do you know who’s playing at this concert?” Devin asked.

“Yes, there will be three groups.  The first two are local groups, “Social Climbers” and “’Shrooms”, and they’ll both be playing music from the 21^st century, at least according to the blurb I pulled up on my phone.  The final group is a touring band that formed in 1991 and it’s called ‘Boys of Summer’, and they’ll be playing music from the 60s to 90s, so there should be something for each of us.”

“Ok, that doesn’t sound too bad.” 

“We’re going to go back to our motels first so we can shower and change, and then Lonny’s going to drive back to our motel so we can all walk over to the café together.  I’ve entered my information into his phone so he can call me when they’re on the way back, but for now, let’s head out to the SUV.” 

Lonny and Clint got into their car and started to drive away.  Clint was waving at us as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Once we returned to our motel, Devin and I took a quick shower and changed, and then we waited for Dad to call us so we could walk outside together.  We should have known that Mom would take longer than the rest of us, so Devin and I had a chance to watch the news on the TV before my phone rang.  After I answered it, we went into the hallway to join my parents, and then we walked outside to wait for Lonny and Clint. 

“I’m so excited about eating at this café,” Mom said.  “I want to thank each of you for agreeing to do this.”  

“It’s not a big deal,” I replied, “I just hope the food is good.”

When Lonny and Clint arrived, Lonny walked with my parents as we headed over to the café, and Clint walked between me and Devin.  “I’m really glad that my dad likes your parents and we get to do all these things together.”

“We’re glad too, and it’s nice that you’re having such a good time.”

When we arrived at the café, we discovered they only had round patio tables outside and nothing large enough for six people, but they would seat four comfortably.  The tables also had an umbrella to keep objects from falling into our meals, such as a bug falling out of a tree or a present from a passing bird.  We quickly agreed to break into two groups of three, and Lonny sat with my parents so he could chat with them.  They obviously had more in common and could talk about being married or having children, and Clint seemed happier sitting with Devin and me. 

The cafe had a nice selection of sandwiches, and we each ordered one, along with fries and a salad.  Devin, Clint, and I also ordered a milkshake to drink.  The food was very good, and then Dad urged us to have a dessert as well. 

“Dang, I don’t know if I have room for dessert,” Clint replied, and I noticed he said ‘dang’ instead of damn this time, since his dad was within earshot. 

“Oh, I’m sure you can force some of it down and what you can’t eat you can take with you,” my dad responded. 

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Clint quickly agreed. 

“Devin and I will do that as well, and then we can eat them before we go to the concert.”

The others decided that was a good idea, so we all got our dessert to go, and then Dad picked up the check for everyone.  “Please let me pay for Clint’s and my meal,” Lonny urged my dad. 

“No, I’ve got it covered this time,” he replied, and then they wanted to talk about what we were going to do next.  “Does anyone have a suggestion?”

“I don’t think we’ll want to carry our desserts around with us,” Mom offered, “so let’s head back to the motel first, and then we can leave them there.” 

“We could just watch TV when we get there,” Clint suggested.

“If you don’t mind,” Lonny began, “we could let the boys watch TV in their room, and then we can talk about what you’ve got planned for tomorrow, after our next rafting trip.” 

“Sure, we can do that,” Dad concurred, “but we’ll have to leave in a couple of hours if we want to make sure we find a place for all of us to sit together at the concert.”  

When we reached the motel, we stopped at the soda machine first, so we could purchase drinks to have when we ate out dessert.  As soon as we each had a drink, we headed back to our rooms.

Devin and Clint went into our room first, but Lonny grabbed my arm to stop me from following them.  “I just want to let you know that Clint looks at you as a hero after you’ve saved him a few times now, or maybe even a super hero.  I just want to thank you because he’s enjoying this vacation even more than I hoped.  It’s the first time he’s really had any fun since his mom died.”

“I’m glad Devin and I are able to help.” 

“You’d better go in your room before Clint starts to wonder what you’re doing.”

“No problem, and thanks,” I said as I unlocked the door to enter my room as Lonny knocked on my parents’ door. 

I can’t believe this is happening and it must be payback for how I used to tease Devin, and now someone thinks that I’m a superhero as well.  I hope Devin never finds out or he’ll never let me live it down.”

Devin and Clint had already agreed on which movie to watch, and when I entered the room, Clint asked a question.  “Where were you?”

“My mom wanted to talk to me about something.  Sorry!”

“It’s ok, just come over here and sit by us on the bed.”

About halfway through the movie, we all ate our dessert and opened our drink while watching the movie.  Dad called before the movie ended, but there was only about five minutes left, so I asked him to let us watch the rest of the movie first, and he agreed.  As soon as the movie ended, we went out to join the others and Dad made an observation. 

“There’s no sense in using two vehicles, so let’s take the SUV.  We can put the third seat up for now, so we can all fit inside.” 

“I want to sit with Michael in the third row then,” Clint quickly stated. 

“I guess it means that you and I will be in the middle row,” Lonny said while looking at Devin. 

“Yeah, it certainly looks that way,” Devin agreed while raising his eyebrows at me.

When we got to the concert, we found a spot where all six of us could sit together, and Clint sat between Devin and me.  As Dad told us, the first two bands were local groups and they were both actually pretty good.  They played songs that Clint, Devin, and I were all familiar with, maybe Lonny as well, and when they finished playing, the final group took the stage.  They were also pretty good, but I think only Mom and Dad recognized any of the songs they were playing, and when the concert ended, we all loaded into the SUV. 

“Is everyone up for Italian?” Dad asked before starting the engine, and the answer was a resounding yes.

“Let me pay this time,” Lonny said when we reached the restaurant. 

“No, this will be much more expensive than lunch. 

“Then let me split the bill with you.  We’ll go 50-50.”

“Ok, if that’s what you want to do.”

As we were eating, Clint asked his dad a question.  “Can I stay with Michael and Devin tonight?”

“Whoa, you haven’t wanted to do anything like that in ages, but Michael and Devin are quite a bit older than you, so they might not be interested in having you spend the night with them.  Besides, you don’t have a change of clothes for tomorrow.”

“You can bring my clothes in the morning when you come back here, because we’re all gonna do stuff together again, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are, but you don’t even know if Michael and Devin are willing to let you stay with them.  I think you might be getting a little pushy and making a pest of yourself?”   

“Michael, do you and Devin mind if I stay with you tonight?” Clint asked while flashing me a puppy dog expression.  I glanced at Devin and he merely shrugged his shoulders in response. 

“If it’s that important to you do this, then you can stay with us tonight, as long as your dad agrees.” 

“Thank you, thank you,” he said, and then he gave both of us a hug, since he was sitting between us.  After that, he turned toward his dad and spoke.  “Can I stay with them?”

“Ok, but remember that you’re a guest, so behave yourself.  I still think you kind of forced them into agreeing to this.”

“It’s ok and we understand how he feels,” I told Lonny.  “Devin and I used to stay over with each other all the time until he moved away, and we were around Clint’s age the last time we did it.”

“Ok, if you really don’t mind, then I’ll leave him here with you,” he replied.  “I want to thank both of you for being so considerate and doing this for Clint.”

When we came out of the restaurant after we finished eating, there was a torrential downpour and it was thundering and lightening.  “Dad if you don’t want to get wet, then give me the key and I’ll run out to the SUV and drive it over here so the rest of you don’t have to get as wet.  And I’ll even drive back to the motel and let you guys out in front of the lobby before taking Lonny over to his car and parking the SUV.  After that I’ll run back to my room to join Devin and Clint.” 

“Ok, and I think we all appreciate what you’re doing for us.” 

After I got in the SUV and drove it back to pick everyone up, I headed over to the Quality Inn.  As I was dropping my parents, Devin, and Clint off in front of the lobby, Clint took an extra minute to give his dad a hug. 

“Thank you for letting me stay with Michael and Devin tonight,” he added, “and I’m sorry that you’re going to be alone.”

“I don’t mind, as long as you’re happy.  And be sure to thank Michael and Devin for agreeing to this.”

“I will.”

I then drove Lonny over to his car, but before he got out, he had something to tell me.  “Thank you for doing this for Clint.  He hasn’t wanted to sleep over with any of his friends since his mom died, so I was surprised when he asked to do this.  It seems that you’ve made a huge impression on him.”

“He’s a good kid and like a little brother to Devin and me already.  He also told us that you’re thinking about attending the Colorado State-Colorado football game this fall.”

“Yes, he originally wanted to do that last year, but then he decided he wasn’t ready yet.”

“If you want, I’ll get tickets for the four of us and you can sit with us in the student section.  You can even spend the night at the house with us, because we don’t reside in a dorm.  We live in a house that Devin’s grandfather owns, so there’s plenty of room if you want to join us.”

“I think Clint would love to do that.”

“Devin’s grandfather and great-uncle may be there as well, but you’ll like them.”

“Ok, it sounds like a deal.  Oh, and you can park the SUV in the parking spot that I vacate, and the I’ll drive you over to the lobby so you won’t get any wetter than you already are.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.  And remind me tomorrow and I’ll enter my information into your phone.”

Lonny then got out of the SUV and hopped into his car, and after he backed out of his parking space, he waited for me as I drove into the space and parked the SUV.  As soon as I got into his car, he dropped me off in front of the lobby, and I thanked him before he drove away alone.  Then, I hurried back to my room to join Devin and Clint. 

“Pa told me to tell you to set you’re alarm for 7:00,” Devin told me as I walked through the door. 

“Ok, but now I need to dry off and get out of these wet clothes.”

Rather than getting dressed again, I opted to only put on a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt, because that’s what I was going to sleep in.  When Clint realized that’s all I was going to wear, he stripped down to his underwear as well, so Devin did the same thing. 

“Are you and Devin boyfriends?”

“Actually, he is my fiancée.  We’re going to get married after we graduate and get jobs.” 

“Neat.  Do you hold on to each other when you sleep?”

“Yes, one of us usually drapes an arm over the other one, no matter if both of us are sleeping on our sides or one or us is lying on his back.” 

“Then can I sleep in the middle tonight so you can both do that with me.” 

“Ok, but just out of curiosity, why do you want us to do that?”

“Do you promise not to laugh if I tell you?”

“Of course.”

“My mom used to lay beside me and put her arm around me when I was sick or if I had a bad day or a nightmare.  Nobody’s done that with me since she died, so I thought it would be nice if you guys did it.” 

“Your dad won’t do that for you?”

“I haven’t asked him to, because I was afraid it would remind him of when he used to do it with my mom and make him sad.  I also think he feels that I’m getting too old for stuff like that.”

“Then we’ll be happy to do it for you.” 

“Thanks, I’d really like that.  Are we gonna shower before we go to sleep?”

“No, we all took a shower after we finished rafting earlier, and we’ll do that again tomorrow after we get done with the next rafting trip.” `

“Oh, ok.”

Seeing it was getting late and I’d already set my alarm for 7:00, we decided to turn in.  I believe Clint was agreeable because he was looking forward to us cuddling with him.  After we brushed our teeth and used the toilet, we got in bed, with Clint between us, just like he wanted.  He was sleeping on his back, while Devin and I were going to sleep on our sides, and both of us draped an arm across his body, as well as giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

“What was that for?” he asked. 

“It was a kiss goodnight,” we answered, and he had a huge grin on his face as Devin turned off the lamp and we settled in to sleep. 

When the alarm went off, we got up and Clint looked at us and began to laugh.  “We’ve all got boners,” he said as he pointed at our morning wood, so we took turns going into the bathroom to pee. 

Devin and I then started to get dressed, but Clint had to wait for his dad to show up with his clothes.  Lonny arrived just as Devin and I were finishing up and I let him into the room to give Clint some clean clothes.  At the same time, he asked Clint a question. 

“Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

“Yeah, I did.  Michael and Devin are great and I really liked that I got to spend time with them.”

“I’m glad to hear that, so hurry up and get dressed.  I’ll go across the hall to speak with Mike and Cindy while we’re waiting for you.”

Lonny gave Devin and me a wink and a smile in thanks before he left the room, and to our surprise, Clint stripped down and started getting dressed as soon as the door to our room closed.  We thought he’d go into the bathroom to do it, but since he’d watched Devin and me get dressed and we’d all seen each other in the men’s room, I guess it didn’t bother him. 

Once we were all ready, I called Dad to see if they were ready to go.  “Yes, just meet us out at the SUV and we’ll go have breakfast.  Your mother found an interesting place listed in the courtesy binder in our room, so that’s where we’re going to eat.”

“Ok, we’ll meet you at the SUV.”

As soon as we got to the restaurant, we ordered quickly, and then we chatted briefly while our meals were being prepared.  “It rained really hard last night,” Lonny stated, “so I wonder if it’s going to impact today’s trip.”

“I’m sure it will have some effect,” Dad replied, “but the extent will depend on whether it was merely a local storm or if it was more widespread.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” Lonny replied. 

As soon as we finished eating, we headed over to the outfitters.  When we arrived there, Dad and Lonny checked in and made sure we’d be able to remain together today.  After everyone else had arrived, the lead tour guide began his normal instructions, and then he made an announcement. 

“I’m sure you’re all aware that we experienced some extremely heavy rain overnight, but what you may not know is that it wasn’t a localized event.  There were torrential downpours all along the upper Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers, which means the current is flowing much faster than normal today.  This in turn means we’ll most likely be encountering some Class IV rapids today, which is highly unusual for this time of year. 

“Unfortunately, this also means that we’ll have to enforce our rule that no one under 13 will be allowed to actively participate under these conditions.  We are, however, willing to allow those under 13 to ride as passengers on the raft, if they wish.  If you don’t find this option acceptable, then you may rebook your trip for another time.  We don’t expect these conditions to persist for longer than just today, unless of course there is another heavy rain, so we’ll give those of you affected by this change a few minutes to decide what you wish to do.”

Once the parties with children under 13 had made their decisions, our personal tour guide introduced two individuals that would joining our group today.  “I’d like to introduce you to Luther Chadwell and his son, Marcus.  They’ll be joining us on this trip.” 

As soon as they were introduced, we introduced ourselves, shook hands, and welcomed them.  I believe we were all a little intimidated by Luther’s build, however, since he had a broad chest and very muscular arms, but soon discovered he was a rather pleasant guy. 

“You appear to be in great shape,” Lonny stated.  “Do you work out a lot?”

“My dad’s a Navy SEAL,” Marcus stated proudly before his father could respond.  

“We train a lot as SEALs, but I’m on leave and spending some quality time with Marcus, because I don’t get to see him as often as I’d like.  Unfortunately, the weather has temporarily benched him for today.”

“Yeah, I’m only 12, so I’m not allowed to do anything.”

“Yeah, me too!” Clint added.

“Are you going to be in the area long?” Dad asked Luther.

“Yes, we’ll be here for another two days.  I considered not doing this today, since he’ll only be able to observe, but he still wanted to see what it was like.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it together tomorrow, because I want to share my enthusiasm and some of my knowledge with him.”

As we were talking to Luther, Marcus and Clint started chatting, and  Clint told Marcus how old he was.  After that, the two boys began commiserating with each other about not being able to participate today, but hopefully it will still be exciting and satisfying for them.

After we were driven out to the launch area and had placed the raft at the edge of the water, our guide helped to arrange us in the raft.  He asked Luther and Lonny to take the positions in the bow, with my parents in the middle, and that left Devin and I in the stern again.  Clint was going to sit between Devin and me, while Marcus sat between my parents, so he would still be fairly close to his dad.  

As soon as the raft was completely in the river, we could immediately tell that the current was much swifter today.  The first two rapids we encountered were a little tougher than normal to get through than on our previous outings, and Clint wrapped arms around my chest after he started getting bounced around a bit.  I believe he did it because he was afraid of getting bounced out of the raft and the water seemed much colder than during the past two days, due to the recent rain. 

By the time we hit the worst section of the river, the rapids were jerking the raft around like it was a child’s toy.  We were being tossed from side to side as the waves battered the sides of the raft, and at one point Mom was thrown completely off balance and started to fall out of the raft.  Fortunately, Devin saw this happening and was able to react quickly enough to grab her life jacket and pull her back into the raft, but not before Mom’s head had entered the water.  She came up coughing and spluttering due to the experience and the unfortunate intake of water. 

“I’m glad I wasn’t paddling today,” Clint stated, “or that could have happened to me.  Maybe even worse, if you didn’t have time to save me.”

“That’s why they’d only let you and Marcus ride along where you’d be safer.” 

As soon as we got through that area and reached some calmer, although fast moving water, my mom turned around quickly to thank Devin, before she started paddling again. 

When we eventually reached the area where the trip ended, we paddled the raft over to the shore, and then we all got out and placed our paddles inside the raft.  As soon as we’d carried the raft over to the trailer, we got on the bus for the ride back to the outfitter’s, and that’s when Marcus turned to speak with my mom. 

“Were you scared when you fell out of the raft?” he asked. 

“Yes, I wasn’t ready for being tossed around like that and didn’t have time to take a big breath before my head went underwater.” 

“You were lucky the guy behind you was able to pull you back into the raft.”

“Yes, I was very lucky that Devin was behind me,” she said as she turned to smile and wink at Devin. 

“I prolly would have ended up in the river and had to float along with the current until I caught up with the raft again.”

“Are you a good swimmer?” I asked. 

“Yeah, my dad made sure I could swim when I was little.  I’m on the boy’s swim team at the Y now.”

“Which races do you compete in?” 

“Freestyle and backstroke.  I sometimes swim in the relays too.”

“Sounds great and I hope you do well in future competitions.”

“Thanks.”

After we’d turned our equipment in, Lonny asked a question.  “I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with us, but I was wondering what you’ve planned to do next?”

“Right now, we’ll go back to the motel to clean up quickly and change, and then we’ll go somewhere for lunch, and you’re welcome to join us if you want.  After that we’ll probably relax for a while, and then we’ll be having our supper at 5:00, because we’ll be going to the Music on the Mountain Concert afterward.  It’s a free classical music concert, in case you’re wondering, and you’re welcome to join us for that as well, if you’re interested.”

“What do you think, Clint?  Are you interested in going to the concert with them?”  

“Yeah, I like hangin’ out with Michael and Devin.”

“Do you even know what classical music is?”

“Yeah, it’s Mozart, Beethoven and a bunch of other guys.”

“Ok, I didn’t even realize you knew that much about classical music.  What should we wear for the concert?

“The information I read said casual attire is acceptable.”

“Ok, then it appears that we’ll be joining you for the rest of the day after we run back to our motel to shower and change first.” 

“Ok, and don’t forget to bring your swimsuits with you when you return, because we’ll have time to hop in the pool between lunch and supper.”  Lonny nodded and then he and Clint got into their car as we loaded into our SUV. 

As soon as they left, Mom turned to Devin.  “I waited until Lonny and Clint had gone before I did this, because I was worried I might say something I shouldn’t.  I just wanted to thank you for keeping me from going into the river, and normally I probably would have asked how you were strong enough to be able to pull me back into the raft.  After our last trip, though, I think I know the answer to that question.  I now realize that your ability isn’t a bad thing, because you and Michael continue to show us that you only use your ability to protect and help others, rather than harm them.”

Devin glanced at me before he responded.  “We’re both glad that you understand that now.”

As soon as we reached the motel, we headed directly to our rooms to get ready.  After we’d showered and changed, we waited for Lonny and Clint to return, and then we went to Yesterdays for lunch.  They were both amazed and fascinated by the place, the same as we had been, and we dined in the 80s and 90s room, at Lonny’s suggestion. 

After we finished our lunch and returned to the Quality Inn, our parents wanted to take a short break before hitting the pool for a while, but Clint was antsy and wanted to go in the pool now.  After we got Lonny’s permission to take him with us, the three of us changed and spent the next couple of hours in the indoor pool.  Of course, Clint tried to dunk Devin and me, but his plan backfired and he got it worse than we did, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

After our parents joined us, we were a little less energetic, but we still had a great time.  Eventually, my dad stated that we needed to go back to our rooms to shower and change, so Lonny got his clothes from my parents room and brought them over to join us.  It never dawned on me that he would have to go into the bathroom to change into his swimsuit while he was with them, since he’d been chatting with them when we left for the pool.  So, once he had his clothes, he joined us in our room and we took turns in the shower to rinse off the chlorine before we got dressed. 

After we ate supper, Dad drove us to Aspen to enjoy a classical concert on Aspen Mountain.  “The musicians will all be students at the Aspen Music School,” Dad informed us. 

“How old are they?” Clint asked. 

“They have students of all ages, but they have to be 18 or older to perform in the orchestra.”

It was an absolutely fantastic concert with a good selection of pieces.  The concert started with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and that was followed by Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, or ‘New World Symphony’.  The orchestra received such a resounding round of applause that they played an encore of Rossini’s Overture from the Barber of Seville.

As soon as the concert ended and we were heading out to the SUV, everyone was commenting about the performance.  “The pianist playing that first piece was outstanding for someone that young,” Lonny stated, and we all concurred. 

“Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony’ has always been one of my favorites,” Mom added, “so I really enjoyed it when they played that.” 

“Personally, I enjoyed “Fanfare for the Common Man” the best, since I’m a common man,” Dad followed. 

“And I recognize that last song because I’d heard it before in a cartoon,” Clint stated. 

“I knew it sounded familiar, and now I realize where I heard it before,” Devin stated.  “The Overture from the Barber of Seville was used in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.” 

“Yeah, that’s right,” I agreed, “Bugs Bunny was the barber and he was shaving Elmer Fudd.  I remember watching that cartoon when I was younger.”

I don’t believe Devin or I realized that we had been enjoying listening to classical music back then, but now the overture and the cartoon are linked together in our memories forever.