| Women Drivers . . . the conclusion |
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| Baby Ann's eyes flicked from Kay's shoes to the speck in front of them that was the checkered flag. Kay gripped the side of the boat and the sharp edge of the dash with such force her elbows were locked. Baby Ann's mind raced faster than the boat: Keep the front of this thing up, so that where ever---gash, slit--the water is coming from, it would stay above the water line. The second they passed the flag she planned to drop her speed, letting the boat's front come up and out of the water. There wasn't a boat close behind them so no worry with that. More water was coming in. They were under Patterson Bridge and just a few feet from the checkered flag. It dropped. They had finished the first leg of the Rogue River Marathon. No other all-woman's team had done so. Now to get the boat safely tied to the dock before it sank. Just inches from the dock they slowly eased toward the end where they would tie -up to the other side. Baby Ann waved to Doug Barnes as he ran along the bank in front of Jot's Resort. She motioned for him to come to them. Kay jerked her helmet off and threw back her hair. She grabbed for the dock as the boat hit hard against it. Baby Ann scrambled out, and on hands and knees looked for the opening where the boat was taking on water. She could see a long scrape and a sharp sided gash just below the water line. She jumped up and pulled up on the bow line raising the boat up just enough to keep more water from going in. A wide grin spread across Kay's face as Doug took the bow line from Baby Ann. "Worked great." Kay said as she twirled Doug's belt hanging from her life vest. Baby Ann was thinking at least this whole racing business is over. They had decided, before the race, if they had trouble with the boat--any kind of trouble--they would quit the race. A long gash was trouble. The race was over. They had to hold the front of the boat above the gash until the last boat finished the race; then they could pull it down the dock to the boat ramp and get it on the trailer. The truck and trailer were parked across the river at the boat ramp where they launched that morning. Doug took Kay to get it after he was sure the boat was tied up high enough so that Baby Ann didn't have to pull up on the bow line very hard. Water was sloshing around in the floor of the boat just in front of the seats. She sure didn't want any more to get in. Baby Ann found a comfortable position sitting just inches from the bow of the boat. She used her leg to lever it up a few inches. It was working. Two more boats finished the race causing the dock to move . Her hold on the boat became a fight. To her count these should have been the last of the boats. One of the boats pulled in next to Baby Ann. Both driver and navigator offered to hold the boat for her but she declined. "I'm okay, thanks." She was doing just fine. She expected the boat and trailer to pull into Jot's parking area any minute now. An awful thought came to Baby Ann's mind: what if Kay has dinner with Doug this evening. She took a deep breath of cool river air, letting it out slowly--much too slowly. Oh sure they would ask her to go along. She wouldn't. The thought of spending the evening alone was making her sad. Don't borrow trouble, she said firmly to herself. She missed her husband. Kay was good about not leaving her alone. She wouldn't leave her tonight. Baby Ann looked up just as Doug and Kay started down the stairs . . .to be continued |
| MORE WATER WAS COMING IN! THIS WAS TROUBLE --THE END OF THE RACE! |
| The boat was on the trailer sitting in Jot's parking lot. Baby Ann was leaning on the wood balcony rail looking out over the parking lot. A few feet away in their room Kay was getting ready to go out to dinner "just across the way" as Kay had put it to the night spot that was also a dinner place. To Baby Ann's surprise her sister had not invited her to go along. The evening stretched out forever in front of her. She counted on Kay too much. When asked Baby Ann decided that this was the end of the race for them. The boat had a hole in it and that was how she was feeling. She had a hole in her. Feeling sorry for herself. She smiled, allowed herself a chuckle. Well, darn it, how was she suppose to feel? This race business was bring back memories that she should probably be trying to forget. Memories about the husband that was no longer . . . At the bottom of the stairs Steve waved to Baby Ann. He shaded his eyes with both hands and yelled, "What are you doing?" Baby Ann motioned for him to come up. He turned and rested his arms on the rail and started in about the boat and how he could get it fixed and up and running by the morning. "Nope," was all she said. "Why?" "It was fun. Kay and I are the first woman's white water jet boat team. . . .That's enough. It's time to get back to real life." "Racing's real life." He turned looking her square in the eyes. "I know you mean well, but the race is over for us. We decided if anything went wrong with the boat that would be it. We wouldn't fix it, in an all night work fest, but just leave it and have it fixed when we get it home." "You know, Baby Ann, you two still could place. Why don't you stay until the awards ceremony tomorrow afternoon. Just one boat has trouble and there you have it--you place!" "I'll talk to Kay about it." She glanced at her watch for no reason except habit. "Are you hungry? Had dinner yet?" "No to both, but I guess I should eat something." "You want to go across the street . . .or something?" Across the street was the night spot where the racers partied and talked over the race. No, she didn't want to go there. She shook her headjust as the phone rang. "Who was that?" Steve asked as Baby Ann joined him at the rail after taking the call. "It was Kay. Something about Doug wanting to buy my boat and Kay being his navigator." She moved her head from side to side and laughed. "Leave it to my sister. That's not all, Doug wants Kay and I to race again as an all-woman's team." Baby Ann glanced at Patterson Bridge. The sun lit the west side of it and the Rogue River's water sparkled gold. She loved rivers. It reminded her of the scripture going something like "peace like a river." "I love the idea--but Kay will have to be the pilot!" The End |