Beat The Clock.

September 20 - Raft

"So then, the storm turned for the worst, turning the tide against everyone in the raft!"

A gaggle of nieces, nephews, and distant cousins sat in small crowd around Luke's feet. For a rare moment silence reigned as they listened to his death-defying tale of our trip out on the river this last summer. Their young faces watched as he moved his hands in an animated fashion, simulating his fight against the raging rapids, trying desperately not to give in to the water's demands.

My mother, bless her dear heart, handed me a mug of hot cocoa to keep the winter chill from invading my already cold body. The ride up to the family cabin had been a rocky one, our car being the last to travel through the pass before it was closed due to the harsh snow. Slowly, surrounded by my massive family and a crackling fire, did I finally feel some warmth come back to my face.

Suddenly Luke hopped up on the nearby coffee table, grabbing everyone's attention as his boots thudded with the hard wood. "I was commanding the raft, ordering everyone behind me to row in a synchronized motion, thinking that our perilous situation couldn't get any worse when..." He paused dramatically, his dark eyes scanning the faces around the large cabin. "Sue dropped her oar in the water throwing the whole raft off-balance."

Gasps echoed everywhere as they turned to look at me in astonishment of my folly. Embarrassment flooded my face with crimson as murder shone brightly in my eyes. I loved my husband dearly, but there was a limit to how far I'd let him go with his antics. But before I could debate the point, Luke was back into the story, drawing his audience's attention back towards him.

"Somehow the entire crew made up for the loss, fighting against gigantic river swells and riding against the current. We battled, braving through the waters, and when we didn't think we would make it, our landing spot came into view."

The crowd clapped in applause as Luke gave them a clown-sized grin, bowing deep at the waist, his story coming to a climatic. As my older brothers and cousins gave him slaps on the back and praise saved solely for the male of the species, my husband turned to me and winked. No matter how furious I was at him, he still managed to get a smile out of me.

For we both knew it was me who headed the raft that clear, storm-free day down the river with him losing his ore the first five minutes into our river route. Yet with every telling the command changed, the rapids grew higher, and the risk of death more severe.

Still, if it earned Luke the respect and awe of my family, I'd let him take the glory...for now.