Benjamin carefully stepped towards the back of a rented canoe while Isabella sat on the bow to keep it steady. On the other side of the breakwater and a little bit upstream of the canoe, he could see Lock 7. The water cascaded violently over the dam and down the 27 foot drop. Once Benjamin was seated in the stern, Isabella stood up. The shift in weight elevated the bow, making it easy for Isabella push the canoe out into the water. She hopped in. A few rapid draw strokes from her paddle oriented the craft in the correct direction.
"Just stick to J strokes. Let me do the steering," Isabella told Benjamin.
"If you plan on steering, why aren't you in the back?" Benjamin questioned.
"Because you're heavier. The heavier paddler goes in the stern."
Benjamin eyed his pudgy companion. "I'm heavier than you?" A glare from Isabella made him retract the challenge. "Ok. Fine. I'm heavier. I'll just keep paddling, and you call the shots." Benjamin looked at the fields and groves to either side of the canal. He listened to the natural quiet, the dull, boring quiet. "Remind me again why we're on this boat trip."
"Chris wanted to canoe while we were up here. He has a huge contact list, and I want to keep him happy. He's bringing 4 dozen people to the rally tomorrow."
"The depressing thing is you mean 'contact list' literally. What does the guy see in this? It's just a bunch of undeveloped real estate."
"He's an environmentalist. He likes anything natural."
"We're on the Erie Canal. He does realize that it's a man made waterway, doesn't he?"
"He sees it as natural," Isabella replied.
"So he's an idiot."
"He's not an idiot. He's very sympathetic to LGBT causes. Every time we're trying to get something passed in Albany, I can count on him and his network to draw in support."
Benjamin looked back at Chris launching his kayak behind them. "Ok. So, he's a useful idiot. I could live with that."
"New topic please," Isabella requested in a sing song voice. "Blake and Mark will be at the rally. I promised them you would fuck them if they showed up. Keep your calendar clear for tonight."
"You mean you pimped me out for political support."
"Of course. If I pimped you out for cash, we would both end up in jail. Besides, what's the point of you having a big cock if you can't get things with it?"
"You only want me for my cock?"
"Well, if you
had
friends, I would be using you for your friends. Since you don't, I just use your cock."
"Hey, I have friend."
"Name someone you've talked to in the past year who you didn't need for business or sex."
Benjamin thought silently for half a minute. "There's you."
"Hmm. I'm 12 years younger than you and fresh out of college. I'm more of a protégé than a friend. It's even a bit early to call me that. We just met 1 week ago when you picked me up at the airport."
"We chatted online most of your senior year at UCLA."
"A middle aged man who's only friend is a college kid he met online. Yeah, that's healthy."
"It's not like I was trolling the chat sites. You responded to my ad for a website editor," Benjamin retorted.
"Boy was that a mistake. No offense, but I'm happier on Madison Avenue than with the geeks."
"Sure, sell your soul."
"It's a steady pay check, and it gives me the weekends for activism. Anyway, aren't you the one who says that any honest work is good work."
"You're right. I misspoke. I was just a bit sore at you."
"Sorry. I didn't realize I hit a soft spot. Mingle some at the rally. There'll be good folk there." The canoe rocked a bit. "Heads up. Rapids."
The pair devoted their full attention to dodging the rocks beneath the water. Benjamin's muscular arms delivered powerful strokes, but his ineptitude reduced their effectiveness. Isabella was forced to paddle with all her might to steer the canoe from the bow. Both were grateful when they reached calm waters. Behind them, Chris adeptly glided between the crags. Shortly after the rapids, the trio passed under a truss bridge. Around the bend from that, there was a pier where they docked the boats. The group broke into their packed lunches on the pier.
"Isn't this river great?" Chris asked over this avocado and cashew nut sandwich.
"Personally, I prefer to see more buildings," Benjamin admitted.
"No, we can't build here. Watersheds are very fragile. You can't build on a watershed. Take the New Jersey Pine Barrens for example. The cedars there are very sensitive to changes in the water table. They once tried to build a road in the Pine Barrens. They thought they knew what they were doing. They even added a tunnel under the road so the water could flow underneath it. Only, they forgot about the beavers. Beavers came and dammed up the tunnel. They tried tearing the dam out, but the beavers built another one. Every time they tore one dam up, the beavers just replaced it. Eventually, they gave up. The dam blocked the water. The water flooded the area. All the cedars died. That is why we can never build a road in the Pine Barrens."
"Sure we can," Benjamin countered. "All we have to do is shoot the beavers. You like eating beaver, don't you Isabella?"
"He's joking," Isabella assured Chris. Benjamin declined to correct her. The rest of the afternoon was awkward. The group arrived back in their hotel in Albany, NY near dinner time. Chris parted with a promise to be at the rally tomorrow along with is contacts. Isabella and Benjamin had dinner from room service in their hotel suite. After the meal, they sat on their respective twin beds.
"You look glum," Benjamin observed.
