The theme of Rogers' essay is being alone and being together each come with their own uncertainties and challenges, but are both enjoyable in their own way. This is highlighted in this passage: "What is safer? The folly of two or the caution of one? Neither and both" (167).
"River grass snag my paddles, so each dip is like treading, with my arms, in the thickest milkshake" (163). This quote is just plain beautiful, as well as a very accurate portrayal of paddling against the current. I was right there in the moment - my arms felt heavy just reading the description.
The entire essay builds up to the climatic moment of Susan kissing Emily, "I couldn't hug or kiss the river, the sky, the factory across the river, or my kayak, which sat five miles south, and so I kissed Emily, fast and sweet" (167). This is the turning point where Rogers realizes she does want to travel with Emily, compared to an earlier proclamation that she had been resisting doing so. Just like the essay, the sentence builds tension (often of the romantic sort), before finally reaching the climax.
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