Liz started unloading our gear from the truck. Gerald ate his donuts and watched us work. Sam stood beside him with her arms crossed. She wouldn’t help us, either. At one point, I saw Gerald offer Sam one of his donuts. She took it. Progress, I thought. We were only an hour into our trip, and they were already starting to bond. Liz loaded her dry bag and the bags of food into her own kayak, pushing them under the enclosed front and back ends of the boat. I had learned that Liz liked to do things her own way. There was hell to pay if Jason loaded her kayak and she later found her food supplies damaged. We said our goodbyes to Jason and put on our life jackets. Liz and I stood in shallow water as we held the kayaks steady for our clients. I helped Gerald and Liz helped Sam climb into their boats. We told them to sit just to the rear of the cockpit, placing their feet inside. Then, using their arms for support, they slid their behinds down onto the cockpit seat and stretched their legs out in front of them.
