I consider asking Valentina what she knows about Silvie, but I don’t want to even hear her talk about her ex. I need to ask Sofia.
It is scorching today, even though the water will probably still be too cold for comfort. I can already feel the beads of sweat developing on my forehead. I grab the iced tea Valentina brought us, twist the top open, and take three long gulps. The ice-cold black tea coats my throat with sugar and lemon. I have to physically stop myself from chugging the whole bottle and subsequently giving myself a cramp.
We crowd the beach just off the riverbed, with our floats in tow. We are instructed to just walk into the water, and when the river reaches our knees, and there are no longer any obstacles, we can hop on our tubes and float down. First go the men. They lift the tubes above their heads one by one and race into the water, lifting their knees toward their chests as if they are about to jump across the river. Once they get about a third of the way in, they slam the floats on top of the water and, in the same motion, jump right on top. We watch as each one waves and begins to float away.
“Wait for us!” Araceli shouts as she clumsily climbs into her tube.
She has her arms in the water to paddle herself faster toward the men.
“You can do it!” Alessandro shouts from a distance, paddling against the water to slow himself down. Finally, Araceli latches in and they keep floating away.
A few more people go before us, but it is finally our turn.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” I suggest.
Valentina scoffs. “Isa, what are we? Five?”
“Uh, yeah,” I assure her.
“You’re on, then.”
Valentina makes a ball with her right fist and places it on her left palm. I follow suit. We both look at Sofia.
“Fine.” She sighs and puts her hands in.
“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” I shout.
I hold out my hand flat, like paper. Valentina has a paper as well. Sofia holds her hand out with two fingers in a shape of a V, meaning scissors. She cut our hands with her scissors.
“Looks like it’s down to you two,” she says, amused.
“Loser goes first,” Valentina states.
“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.”
I hold my hand in a fist to signify rock. Valentina has her hand out flat. Paper. Paper beats rock.Damn.
“Looks like it’s you first, Isa,” Valentina says, giving me a thumbs-up.
I grab my tube and walk into the water. This is definitely not like the lazy river in Splash City. Splash City had Goldfish crackers floating in it. There are real fish in this one. Maybe even…piranhas. No, that would be ridiculous. Right? They wouldn’t put us in a river full of man-eating piranhas. I think. I hope.
“Are you going to go?”
“Shut it, Sof. I’m concentrating.”
“You should just brace yourself and make the jump,” Valentina says.
Her words of encouragement are surprisingly effective. With this newfound burst of energy, I hold my breath, sprint into the water, and jump on my float. I look around and watch as the scenery starts to move around me. I did it.
“Let’s go, ladies!”
As if I had shot a gun for a horse race, they look at each other and race into the water after me. Sofia slips, and Valentina pulls ahead. Valentina has trouble getting onto her tube, allowing Sofia to catch up. The two are neck and neck for the final round of the race. They climb onto their floats and paddle toward me as fast as possible. It is a tough race, and it is anyone’s game. Valentina is clearly stronger. Those biceps could lift me in an instant. The thought tempts me. I’m not sure what Sofia does for exercise, but she looks like she’d beat me in any race with those quads. Who is it going to be? I watch the water splash around as they slap the river with the sheer force of two determined women. With just a few seconds left on the imaginary clock, two hands slap my tube. But whose are they? Is it the bicep queen, Valentina, or the possible deadlift fanatic, Sofia? The verdict is in. The winner is…both of them! It is a tie!
We hook our floats to each other and settle into our tubes. It is finally time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Unlike that famous Jersey water park, there are beautiful views here. At Splash City, you’d see drunk grown men being loud and obnoxious. You’d see bandages floating around the kiddie pools. You’d see teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs as they shot down the waterslides. You’d see overpriced hot dogs and warm Pepsi. Here? Instead of crying children floating past you, there are sounds of crickets and birds singing their favorite tunes. I lean my head back against the inflated pillow attached to the tube and stare at the blue sky above me. I watch as the clouds drift by, making out their different shapes each time. One looks like a teddy bear. Another one looks like a boat.
These past several days at camp have been a stressful and strange blur. Sofia’s wedding is happening so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. I still haven’t secured the investment with Luciano. I need to work on the business plan tonight. I haven’t figured out my father’s big secret yet. Meanwhile, tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner. I’ll be leaving in a couple of days. I’m not ready to go just yet. I feel like I haven’t made sufficient memories with Sofia now that we’ve reconnected. My to-do list looms over me, like a dark cloud, in contrast to the fluffy white ones passing me by.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Sofia’s voice startles me as my eyelids already begin to feel heavy with each blink.
