Musical Lifejacket's

EMMA'S BOAT

Part Seven

Mike was trying to wipe the mud off his legs. “Well we better do one more at least, if just to get clean, then climb out on the boats maybe?”

Jamie nodded “Ya ok, I might ditch this jacket tho It’s a real pain in the ass to swim with it on”

Emma chirped up at that. “Ya I bet it’s like three sizes too big for you.” Jamie was stripping the lifejacket off. “Ahhh I wouldn’t do that if I were you, god forbid you do hit a rock you'd go under in a second and we wouldn't be able to do shit.”

Jamie already had the jacket off, but stopped and looked at Emma. “I mean you're not wrong, but I can’t swim for crap with this thing over my head and I’m not sure it would do much to help anyway to be honest”

“Probably some truth to that” Emma clearly didn't think much of the oversized jacket. With a look of distaste Jamie tossed the discarded jacket to the ground in the middle of the circle.

Surprisingly it was Mike who spoke up further. “Ya... I’d listen to her. I know you can swim and everything but you don't want to take a hit right before those rapids without backup. It might not be great but definitely better than nothing” Jamie looked torn.

“I’ll trade with you” That was Steph jokingly.

But Jamie didn't seem to take it as a joke. “I would honestly probably take the kiddy one over this.”

Steph wasted no time, taking this as a verbal agreement she popped up to her feet and started unbuckling her jacket. Emma frowned but said nothing for the moment. Jamie looked skeptical but didn't move to reclaim their discarded jacket. With the jacket undone Steph started pulling it off and got stuck part way. Emma was standing next to her, she hesitated a moment before stepping over to help, pulling the jacket the rest of the way over her arms. With a look of obvious uncertainty Emma walked over to Jamie and held the jacket out. Jamie seemed surprised to see it actually offered up and didn't react right away, instead looking over at Mike who just shrugged.

“Hey, you asked for it, now it’s yours” That was Steph, who had snatched the larger jacket from the ground and was slipping it on.

Emma was still holding the jacket out in front of Jamie, who hesitated just a moment longer before making a decision. Turning back to Emma, Jamie reached out and accepted the smaller jacket from her, holding it out to look at it. The jacket was muddy and dripping wet, the collar and straps hung from it limply.

“Jeez, … ok” Jamie began by putting one arm through the vest all the way and then tried to reach around for the second hole. The jacket was much too small and it was clear Jamie wouldn’t get their other arm through. Emma, unsurprisingly, walked around to help from behind.

“Here...” Emma took hold of the jacket, sliding it halfway down Jamie’s arm so that it was over their right elbow. “Give me your arm”

Jamie was busy trying to turn around to see where the other arm hole was, Emma grabbed Jamie’s forearm and pulled; guiding it through the jacket, Jamie bent and twisted slightly to accomplish the feat of getting both arms bent around far enough to clear both holes and looked like they were having second thoughts about the whole thing. Their arms were pulled back well past the point that they could easily reach, for a moment Jamie was stuck like that with their elbows through the children's life jacket. Emma grabbed the jacket and pulled upward on it, sliding it up over their arms and onto their shoulders so that it came to rest around Jamie’s chest, releasing their arms.

“Ya I think this is too small haha” Jamie laughed, trying to slow Emma down. Emma was focused on the jacket though.

“I think it’s actually ok, I’m surprised, I thought it would be” Emma was in front of Jamie again now.

Steph was quick to jump on the bandwagon. “Ya, ya, it looks like you'll squeeze in!” Jamie stepped backwards away from Emma, looking like they would be in the process of sliding the jacket off again if they were able to do so without help. Jamie made no move to try and do the jacket up instead looking around awkwardly, aware that trying to get the jacket off by themself would only succeed in getting them stuck. Jamie glanced first at Mike who just shrugged and then at me. I just smiled, enjoying the show.

Emma seemed to take no notice of Jamie’s body language and stepped forward taking Jamie's lack of initiative as a sign to continue doing up the vest for them. I was barely able to avoid laughing as Jamie jumped, startled as Emma grabbed the front of the jacket. It looked like she had to pull hard to get the panels connected, giving the jacket a good tug. But she got the zipper connected and done up in one fluid motion, sliding the fly quickly to the top of the vest. Jamie grabbed the shoulder of the vest and pulled awkwardly, trying to step backwards away from her again but Emma was holding onto the chest strap, loosening it to get it secured around Jamie’s larger torso.

“Hold still would ya?” Emma was reaching around to get the other end of the strap.

Jamie did not respond but stopped pulling away. Emma connected the chest strap with a loud click. And pulled on the strap tightening it up around their chest, then moving wordlessly to the ties at the top and bottom of the front panel. She secured the top one first then dropped to her knees to do up the second. Jamie seemed to have given up on escape at this point; arms hanging by their sides, seemingly consigned to letting Emma get the life jacket secured onto them. Jamie was looking over at me again, as though to ask what Emma’s deal was, and so didn't notice Emma move on from the second tie. Emma reached around Jamie’s waist, grabbing the long end of the crotch strap leg strap, sliding the adjuster down it slightly to give some room for the larger torso. It was as Emma reached between Jamie’s legs that Jamie looked down to see what she was doing. Her left hand was holding onto the buckle at the bottom of the vest, her right was retrieving the long end of the strap from between Jamie’s legs. Jamie, surprised to see Emma going for the crotch strap, pulled away stepping backwards again, but Emma didn't let go of the jacket, instead pulling the strap up and firmly snapping it into the buckle. Jamie kinda tripped as a result of Emma’s holding onto the jacket as they stepped back, causing them to bend over forwards to keep their balance, this made it easy for Emma to get the strap clipped in securely. Despite it looking very tight and bunching up Jamie’s swimsuit as they straightened up. Emma dusted off her knees as she got to her feet and gave Jamie a look over.

Jamie was now strapped into the small red and yellow jacket that had been Steph’s until moments ago. It was an even more ridiculous site than my own reflection. Jamie was twisting in the tiny jacket and unashamedly pulling at the strap between their legs.

Emma’s attention was back on Steph tho. Wordlessly, Emma approached her, a skeptical look across her face. Steph noticed her approach and seemed to shrink away even though she didn't move. Emma walked around Steph so that she was positioned directly behind her and took her large life jacket by the shoulders.

“Put your arms straight up” Steph didn't look like she wanted to but complied anyway lifting her arms slowly so that they were held up above her head. Emma pulled the jacket up and slid it clean off of Steph’s torso taking a couple steps back and dropping the jacket to the ground.

“Ya, that does not work at all on you, You’re a lot smaller than Jamie and it didn’t work on them, so not surprising.

Jamie looked up, clearly not happy with their new vest. “Guess we have to trade back then Steph sorry.”

Emma scooped the old jacket back up. She sighed “Let me check the boat, I MIGHT have something, kinda doubt it tho.” Emma walked off toward the boat taking the large jacket with her.

Jamie pulled at the new kiddy jacket some more. “Ok I’m going to go get the other one back, this is a bit too much.”

Steph was pacing “Just give her a minute, honestly it’s easier trust me, Emma can be annoyingly fixated sometimes.”

Mike returned. “I mean she isn't wrong that you want something going down those narrows”

“This is a bit over the top” Jamie pulled on the front panels of the jacket and twisted back and forth trying to get more comfortable.

“It honestly isn't so bad in the water” I tried to sound casual but thinking back to my own trip down the rapids that was easier said than done and my voice cracked. Luckily no one seemed to notice.

Jamie just kinda shrugged, not entirely taking my word for it.

Looking toward the boat I smiled in spite of myself. Steph followed my gaze and frowned.

“Looks like you’re in luck guys, she found something” I was really pretty amused by how badly Steph’s plan had backfired.

Emma no longer had the large life jacket, instead there was something bulky and bright yellow under her arm. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the trade Steph had in mind.