Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
When he saw that my sweaty self was a bit stuck to the chair, Hayes offered a hand and hoisted me to my feet, impressing me with his strength and receiving a kiss of thanks.
We walked down the beach, staying on the sand that was wet from the ocean so that our bare feet didn’t burn. By the time we reached the banana boat, there were four other people who had approached, wanting to ride the boat as well. Luckily, it held six riders at a time, so none of us would have to wait.
The man operating the jet ski had dark skin and a thick island accent. He was friendly and appreciative as we all paid him for our ride (I paid for Hayes, receiving a kiss of my own).
“Okay,” the man said after he’d collected our money and placed it in a fanny pack around his waist, “My name is Jamal and I’ll be taking you on your ride today. Has anyone ever been on a banana boat before?” The other four people in the group raised their hands, and Jamal smiled a big, pearly grin. “Awesome. Well, for the two of you who haven’t, there aren’t many rules except to hold on and have fun. And, everyone must wear a life jacket.”
Jamal walked over to a nearby pile of yellow life jackets on the sand. He picked them up one by one and passed them out to the group. When it was time for my jacket, he lifted a blue one from a different pile. “You’ll need my big-boy jacket. Try this on and see if it fits you okay.”
I appreciated that he had a different size option; I didn’t want to squeeze my body into a sausage casing, but I wanted to be safe. I was a good swimmer, but not a great swimmer, and was grateful for the precaution. I slipped the jacket over my shoulders and snapped the buckles over my chest for a perfect fit.
“That looks good,” Jamal smiled. “Okay, everybody, hop on and let’s get the party started.” He climbed onto the jet ski and waited for everyone to board the banana boat.
Hayes and I hung back to watch the four people who had ridden one before to see how it was done. It looked simple enough; they each swung a leg over the boat like they were mounting a horse. Once they were straddling the raft, they held onto a rope handle in front of them.
I offered Hayes a hand while he climbed onto the raft, and then I took up the rear behind him. It was a bit of a stretch, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I gripped the rope and asked into Hayes’ ear, “Are you ready?”
“I’m so excited!” He answered over his shoulder.
“Here we go,” Jamal announced, and revved up his jet ski.
He went at a slow pace as we pulled away from the sand and into the water, but once we were several feet out, he sped up. The breeze felt amazing as it whipped by, drying the sweat from my skin, as did the mist that sprayed up from the ocean. It immediately cooled me and put me in a better mood.
The group of us laughed and cheered as Jamal went even faster. He took tight corners, making us grip our handles as our bodies swayed side to side. Although the water was calm, the jet ski created waves behind it, causing the banana boat to bounce and jump as we hurdled forward.
It was exhilarating, and I was thrilled that Hayes suggested it; I would have never taken the ride if I were alone. Hell, I wouldn’t even be on this vacation if left to my own devices. But he was helping to expand my horizons, and it turned out that it was a great thing.
I whistled as Jamal gave us our money’s worth on the ride of our lives; he splashed us, sent us on hairpin turns, and went so fast that our hair whipped in the wind. I was disappointed when he began heading back towards the sand, but nothing was stopping us from taking another ride later.
But just as the thought crossed my mind, something crazy happened with the float; I don't know if it hit an exceptionally large wave from the jet ski, or if it caught a sand dune beneath us, or even if a turn was just too sharp, but before I could figure it out, the whole banana turned over, dumping all of the passengers into the water.
Going head first into water while wearing a life jacket was a tricky thing; it pushed my bottom half towards the water's surface while holding my head underneath it. I kicked my legs and pumped my arms until I managed to roll onto my side. From there, I pulled my face above the water and righted myself before taking a giant breath to fill my lungs.