The ranger stopped his jeep and climbed out. He looked over the river and spotted the woman he was searching for. A pretty woman with long blond hair, dressed in a floral bikini, sitting in a rowboat looking dejected as she floated away from land. She was on the biggest river in the county; 300 feet wide and deep enough for the multi-millionaires’ mega yachts to sail up from the ocean to their mansions. He walked down to the river and shielded his eyes. He cupped his hands beside his mouth and yelled, “Need any help?”
She frowned and asked, “Who are you?”
“My name is Alexander Grant and I’m a ranger at this park. What’s your name?”
She smiled. “Hi Alexander. My name is Katie Miller. Why are you here?”
“Some boaters who passed by thought you were in distress.”
She put her hand over her heart. “Me? No, I’m fine. Just trying to learn how to row. That person was mistaken.”
He frowned. “We’ve actually have had 10 calls about you.”
“Well, I like that,” she said annoyed. “I’m trying to experience the joys of boating.”
“Unfortunately, this river is very challenging, and not a river you should learn to row on.”
“Yes,” she said. “I noticed that. But I’m resting while I wait for the river to calm down.”
He smiled. “That river never calms down.”
“Oh.” She looked defeated for a moment, but then she said, “I’ll get back in eventually.”
He nodded. “You do have a life vest and radio on the boat, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. I didn’t think I would need them. I just wanted to row a little bit to see if I could do it.”
“And how’s that going?” he asked, as he walked over to a sign.
“Not as well as I expected,” she admitted. “I’m not sure what my next steps should be.”
He pointed at the sign. “Did you read the boating safety rules before you started?”
“I skimmed them, but the print is tiny and there were bees around.”
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this but you’re drifting further out into the river. Pretty soon you’ll be in the path of the big boats that sail up and down the river.”
She turned around and saw all the boats. “Hmm, that could be a problem. I looked for an anchor, but the boat didn’t have one.”
“Row boats usually don’t have anchors.”
She frowned. “Why don’t you go back and protect the animals. They need you more than I do.”
He was shocked. “You want me to protect some animals who aren’t in distress, and let you drown?”
“I’m not going to drown. I’m sure one of those nosy boat owners will pick me up.”
“I don’t think that’s something you can count on.”
“Are all of the rangers as pessimistic as you are?” she asked.
“No, I’m just realistic. People don’t always follow the rules.”
“Did you write those rules?” she asked. “You seem kind of obsessed about them.”
He was getting exasperated with her. “They save people’s lives.”
“What do rangers do, other than bother people who are trying to learn how to row?” she asked.
“We take care of the park and animals, help people in the park, and teach them about nature. We teach several courses including a boat training class. You might consider enrolling in that.”
“Maybe I will. Do you teach it?”
“Sometimes,” he said. “Do you have a husband who can help you?”
“No, I’m single. I moved here last year and just finished my first year of teaching.”
“I’m single too. This job keeps us too busy to have a social life.”
“Yes, I haven’t had much of a social life either,” she admitted.
“I suggest we strategize on how to get you back to shore. Can you swim?”
“I can swim and I tried, but the current was too fast, and I couldn’t get to the
riverbank, so I climbed back into the boat.”
“You’re too far out for me to swim to you and pull you in. What I’m going to do is use my reel to get you. Are you okay with that?”
She made a face. “I guess so, but I really wanted to learn how to row.”
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “We’ll get you back to the shore and on my first day off, I’ll teach you how to drive a motorboat.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Yes, and teach you all the boating safety rules.”
She made a face. “Okay.”
He jumped into the jeep and backed down to the edge of the river. He unrolled the hook. Before he threw it, he asked, “Can you catch it?”
“You know for a guy who’s obsessed with safety, I don’t think catching a hook is a very safe thing to do.”
“It’ll land in the water. Just pick it up and I’ll reel you in.” He threw the hook out. It didn’t make it to the boat. “See if you can reach it with one of the oars.”
“I lost my oars,” she told him. “Maybe those boaters saw them floating down the river and that’s why they called you.”
“How did you lose the oars?” he asked, as patiently as he could.
“A bee flew over the boat and was bothering me. I tried to hit it with an oar. The boat rocked and the first oar fell into the water. Then when I was trying to get that one, I knocked the other one into the water and they floated away.
Alex stood silently for a moment. This woman should never try to row a boat again. “Can you reach the hook?”
She looked down. “I think I can.” She reached over the side of the boat and grabbed it.
“Excellent,” he said. “Now sit down and I’ll pull you in.”
She sat. He got into the jeep and started to reel her in. She landed on the beach a few moments later.
She put on her T-shirt and hopped out of the boat. “Thanks, I appreciate your help.”
He jumped out of the jeep and handed her a piece of paper. “These are the safety rules.”
She started to read it. “The print is still a little small and it’s laminated.”
“That way, you can bring it onto the boat, and it won’t get wet.”
She shook her head. “I should have known.”
“Where’s your car so we can get this boat loaded up?”
“Oh, I rented the boat. I can leave it here. They’ll pick it up. They’re not going to be happy about the oars.”
“When I tell them that I’m going to give them a ticket for not having a life safety jacket in the boat, they’ll forget about the oars.”
She smiled. “That would be so cool.”
“Do you want me to give you a ride to your car?”
“Yes please,” she said. “You’ve been so sweet to me and I really appreciate it. I was more scared than I let on.”
“I know you were,” he said smiling. “You should learn how to drive a motorboat and give up rowing.”
“That would be fun. I could zip up and down the river.”
He rolled his eyes. “The Coast Guard doesn’t like boats zipping up and down the river.”
“Do you and the Coast Guard work together to take the fun out of boating?”
“We’re trying to keep people who are boating safe.”
“When can we go out on your boat?”
“Next Saturday,” he said.
“Really?” she asked.
He nodded. “Really. Would you like to go to dinner tonight to discuss it?”
She smiled, as she handed him a card. “I would love that. Actually, I’m Captain Katie Miller of the Coast Guard. Your boss asked us to test all the rangers this summer to see how they handle people who are stranded in their boats. But then, I actually got stranded in the boat, so I do appreciate your help.”
“And?”
“You did an excellent job, although you’re a little obsessed with the safety rules. Please don’t mention this to anyone though. We don’t want the rangers to know.”
He was surprised. “Thank you! Does this mean dinner is off?”
“No,” she said. “I would still love to go out to dinner and go out on the motorboat with you.”
He held out his hand. “I guess you don’t need my laminated rules.”
She put the card against her chest. “I want to keep them as a reminder of the day you saved me and our first date.”
Please note that I may be quizzing you on our motorboat ride.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
After they left, all was quiet. Two oars washed up on the shore. The river continued to flow; after all, the river rules.