The River of Time

Chapter 1

The day I went back in the water was the day Tony Fisher kissed me.

At first, I hung back, standing with my toes together on the beach while he packed the canoe. I watched Tony, knee-deep in the narrow stream, blond hair flying in all directions in the most beautiful way, as if he had summoned the wind that blew through the valley. I watched his hands, so graceful, as he secured bags to the rods in the canoe, setting aside a backpack full of snacks and a pair of water bottles. I watched his face, saw the familiar way his blue eyes twinkled in a mischievous yet innocent expression. I watched the stream as it wound its way between the forested hills, bobbing the canoe up and down and it continuing lazily into the distance and around a bend. The sun beat down on my back, and the clear water before me looked so refreshing. But I did not go in.

Tony took a sip from his water bottle and glanced over at me. "You gonna come in, Allie?" He gestured at the water, the canoe, himself. I wanted to run to him, run through the water, the splashes shouting my freedom. But still, I hesitated. Tony and I stood, looking at one another, not talking, not moving. Finally, it was he who tromped back onto the beach. "Come here," he said, holding out his arms and pulling me tight into an embrace. A hug. A hug, but never a kiss.

"You know," he said softly, "if you don't want to do this, we don't have to. We can turn back, turn around." His voice floated into my ear, swam around inside my head. "We can do whatever you want."

"What do you want?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"I want you to be happy."

Happy. I had heard the word, but I had no idea what it meant anymore, what it felt like.

Happy. Tony. Love. Freedom.

"I want to do it."

And that was when he kissed me.