Donna and the Husker woke not together, but each alone in their own beds. The Husker as was quite predictable was up early, it was his first day of rowing. Not long after rising he found himself at the boat house and then only moments later on the water with a group of other newbie’s and a few less conditioned veterans. Robert was in good shape his body hard and lean from a lifetime of running mixed with an obsession about his diet. He lifted weights twice a week, nothing extreme just a little strength training but it was religiously in his routine.
Rowing is most often not an individual sport but one where his height and his leverage was solely his advantage, there was the lure of the perception that it was an elitist sport, in part that is true but the true lure was the peace found in the rhythm as darkness and the cold of night gave to the warm bright light of the day. Within minutes he found himself struggling, to fall into rhythm, it was not unusual but also not completely his fault. The Skull was an eight man job, still in good repair but past its competitive peak just like the men who were manning her. The Husker’s hands grew tired, aching as the oars would dig into the water propelling the boat on it’s less then perfectly straight course, a strong drive from the legs followed by a pull from ones arms and back to make the boat dance across the water.
The Husker’s legs were tiring, burning deeper and deeper across the front of his thighs, the intensity growing like a spreading southern California forest fire. The Potomac was quite as the light of day slowly overtook the blackness of night, cars drove along the water and passed through the bridges overhead, winding their way through the district, most head to some anonymous unknown job, passing the boat intermittently, their passage not steady or noticed. Still the boat glided across the water, oars slowing and the force lessening but each man began to fall more into rhythm with the other, soon the oars were lifted and as the brief rest began the team readied themselves for a brisk sprint this time down stream with the assistance of the current. The clubs other boats had already reached the point to make the turn having passed back through the novices, most of who were not in anywhere near the physical condition of the husker.
Around the same time Robert was catching his breath Vincent was stepping off the elevator and out of the front door on to 47th catching Broadway and winding up to Central Park, a morning run after a night of nothingness. He would return to the hotel an hour later, gulping water and waking Nadrea, Donna still was sleeping soundly in the darkness of her own bed on the comfort of her own pillow top mattress, the XM radio playing alternative and metal tunes quietly in the background.
Chapter 52 Black Saturday
Chapter 50 Just Like Heaven
