Nick sat pretzel style watching as Kevin fished. They decided shortly after their little race and ensuing talk of inadequacies that maybe they should at least try to catch one fish while out here. “Kristin won’t even believe we went fishing if I come back empty handed.” Kevin had said grabbing Nick’s rod and walking back into the water.
“Do you usually catch a lot of fish Kev?”
“Huh?” Kevin asked turning his body to face Nick.
Nick tried again this time raising his voice to try to compete with the small roar of the water. “I said how many fish do you usually catch when you go fishing?”
“Oh…usually one or two.”
“Wow that’s it? You kind of stink at this don’t you?”
“I don’t see you catching anything either buddy.”
“I know but I never said I was a fisherman, I don’t fish, besides I’m not allowed in the water anymore remember?”
“Vaguely, and I never called myself a fisherman either. I just said I loved to fish. There’s a difference you know.”
“What do you do with the fish you catch?”
“I bring them home and tell them jokes…what do you think?” The fast, witty comeback had Nick break into laughter.
“You know Kev, when you want to you can be quite funny.”
“Why thank you Nickolas.”
“Kevin, tell me another story about your dad.”
Kevin who was about to toss his line into the water hesitated briefly before continuing his forward motion; you could tell he was surprised by the request he had gotten. “I always thought my stories bored you.”
“Sometimes they do but I like hearing about your dad.” Things like that always had a way of shocking Kevin.
Nick was odd that way. He could be so brutal sometimes, say the most insensitive things to everyone, and make everyone mad then at the last second this soft side appeared. It blew the guys away from time to time, to see how much the kid actually did love and care about his band mates.
Like out of the blue he might go up to Howie, who he managed to tease horribly and give him a hug and tell him how much he loved the guy, sometimes buying D an elephant to bring home to his mother. After he and AJ would fight, (which happened a lot when they were both young and stupid) it would be Nick going over to AJ and giving him a freshly made caricature or perhaps a friendly hug from behind. It was his way of making up, being overly affectionate.
It was probably all the “you’re an old fart.” Talk that sparked this bout of niceness, but Kevin decided to turn the tables.
“Why don’t you tell me a story about your dad kiddo?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve been doing most of the talking today. I mean you have babbled here and there but catch me up.”
Nick’s posture changed as he slid his legs out from under himself and placed his toes in the water, “I really can’t think of anything…I can do this right?” He asked which made Kevin smile.
“Yes no harm in sticking your feet in the water, just try not to fall in.”
“You know Kevin I can swim…” He stopped when he got the look. The one that told Nick, you’re not going to win this argument little buddy so don’t even try.
“So…no stories at all? I mean with such a big family I bet there’s tons of stories you can tell.”
“You’ve heard all the good ones.”
“What about recent? Like the last time you all got together.”
“It was good, nothing too out of the ordinary.”
Nick felt like there was more fishing going on than the simple rod cast out into the sea kind. For some reason, he felt like Kevin was trying to catch him in a lie. Maybe it was just his own insecurity, but he did feel himself getting defensive. A feeling he tried his hardest to suppress, after all it’s not Kevin’s fault his own family was so messed up. But then again maybe if he just told the guys the truth every now and again he wouldn’t always feel so attacked.
“Actually Kevin I haven’t really seen them all together in a long time, we barely talk anymore honestly. I mean dad has his own family and mom is…well…nuts, so family and I are kind of non existent. It’s all good though.”
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, Nick shifted once again this time moving one leg under his body while the other still dangled in the water making circular motions as it moved. He hated revealing things like that, even though he was certain Kevin knew, that most likely everyone knew, it still made him feel so vulnerable. Maybe that’s why he never opened up to people, it wasn’t so much the getting it out there but more the reaction once it was.
“I’m sorry man; that must be hard for you?”
“It’s all good, I mean I spoke to Aaron the other day, he seems to be doing well.”
Kevin nodded and gave Nick a half smile. He admittedly never understood Nick’s family and how they could behave as dysfunctional as they did. True he never was exposed to that at all; there was barely any dysfunction in his own family. Maybe in the whole Richardson bloodline there might have been one divorce. Family meant the world to him and what broke his heart most is that he knew that family meant just as much to Nick. The only difference being at the end of the day he had a solid one and his friend didn’t. When Nick got into trouble with the law, he called Kevin first, didn’t even hesitate. At first Kevin couldn’t figure out why, not until he actually saw the non existent reactions that Nick’s parents had to the arrest. They seemed so ho hum about it, no lecture, no sympathy, no love. By that time, family had just become a word to the Carters all except the oldest one. So Kevin took over the role, being there for his little brother, letting him cry on his shoulder then sternly lecturing him about what he had done. Even though Nick had rolled his eyes through much of that lecture, Kevin also saw gratitude. Those eyes saying ‘thanks for caring.’ It was the same look he was getting from Nick now.
“Next time you talk to Aaron you tell him I said hello okay?”
“Sure thing, when he finds out about this fishing trip I’m sure he’ll be highly amused.”
“Well anything I can do to amuse the kid I guess.”
“And when I tell him I whooped your butt in a race...”
“He won’t believe you.”
“Nobody will… damn, I knew I should have brought my camcorder.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, you kind of get on my nerves sticking that thing in my face all the time.”
“What? It’s your fault I do that to begin with! You used to be obsessed with filming things. Don’t you remember?”
“Yeah but that was different.”
“How so?”
“It was me.” Kevin wiggled his eyebrows which made Nick giggle once again.”
“My, aren’t we being the comedian on this trip…got any jokes Kev?”
“Me? I’m not the jokester that’s AJ’s job.”
“Come on Kevin, you must have something?”
Kevin looked up at the sky for a few minutes which seemed to amuse Nick even more than a joke would. “You know whenever you think; you look up in the air and wiggle those hairy caterpillars.”
Kevin laughed, “Well you stick your tongue out.”
“I guess I do…okay so you got one yet?”
“Yeah I have one, it’s kind of dumb but I heard it the other day.”
Nick leaned in looking like an excited child, “Cool! Let’s hear it Kevy Kev!”
“Okay here it goes…” Kevin took a deep breath, “A pair of chickens walk into a library and say Buk buk BUUK!” Kevin now imitated a chicken which had Nick fall on the ground laughing like an idiot.
“What? Why are you laughing I haven’t even finished yet.”
“Sorry but this is all very surreal…keep going Kev.”
“Okay…so the librarian decides that the chickens want three books so she hands them the books and they leave the library.”
“Okay and?”
“Well later on that day the chickens come back and once again say Buk, Buk, BuKKOOOK…stop laughing Nick.”
“I’m sorry maaan keep going…”
“So the librarian gives them three more books and they leave.”
“Uh huh and then what?”
“Well a few hours later they come back and once again they go Buuuk, Buuuk. Buukoook!”
“Kevin you’re killing me dawg.”
Kevin ignored Nick and continued, “So the librarian gives them three more books but this time she decides to follow them out of the library. She follows them over to a park where there was a frog in the middle of a pond. The chickens were throwing the books at the frog who kept saying Rred-it Rred-it Rred-it.”
Nick held his stomach and just burst out in his explosive laughter, which Kevin couldn’t help but join in on.
“Oh my God…I think I’m going to pee myself Kev…that was the dumbest joke ever but it was freaking awesome hearing you tell it…I can’t even breathe.”
“Don’t pee in those pants those are MY pants!!” Kevin said walking towards Nick but staying in the water.
“Kevin you have to promise me that when we get back to the studio you will tell everyone that joke using the same voices you used with me okay?”
“No way man.”
“Come on Kev...promise me. I let you squelch on the Twinkie bet, that’s the least you can do.”
Kevin pretended to be disgusted but it was hard for him to hide his smile, “Okay fine.”
“I like seeing this side of you Kevin.”
“Oh come on Nick, I’m not always serious.”
“Yeah I know, but I don’t think in the almost 12 years we have known each other, I have ever heard you tell a joke.”
“Really? Well maybe you were just young. Many of my jokes from back in the day were a little dirty.”
“Oh come on, I find that hard to believe Kevin.”
“Seriously.”
“But you just told a joke written for a 4th grader.”
“I have mellowed in my old age.” Nick giggled once again.
“Okay I have one you want to hear it?”
Kevin nodded and cast his rod out into the water once again, “Nothing dirty though, I don’t want to scare the fish away.”
“This one isn’t dirty, Angel told me it a few years back.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Okay so there were these two race horse brothers named Mo and Joe and they were always really competitive…” At this Nick started cracking himself up.
“You suck at telling jokes Nick because by the time you get to the punch line you are near hysterics. Stop cracking yourself up and tell me the joke.”
Nick sucked in some air, making ‘phew’ sounds before he continued, “So one day they run this race and they are about neck and neck as they cross the finish line. Mo says YES! I won the race. Well Joe said WHAT? Are you KIDDING me? I won by a mile!!”
“I like the voices there Kaos, but if they’re brothers how come one has a Spanish accent and one an Italian one?”
“Oh hush and let me finish…”
“Okay sorry,” Kevin said already giggling about the outcome.
“And stop laughing; you’re going to make me crack up again.”
“Just keep going Nick.”
“Okay…so anyway they argue back and forth asking everyone they come across, so who won the race? Joe or Me? And all the other horses kind of shrugged and wouldn’t say. So they get fed up and finally this dog comes out of nowhere and says to the brothers, ‘well I saw the whole thing guys and from my vantage point, it looked like Mo won the race…” once again Nick started to crack up and Kevin shook his head.
“Nick…come on!”
“Okay sorry…so after the dog says that Mo and Joe look at each other and say….what? A talking dog?” When he was done with the punch line, once again Nick went into hysterics almost hyperventilating.
“That was cute.” Kevin said bringing up his rod without a fish on it.
“I love that joke.” Nick said now lying on his back with both feet in the water.
“I can tell.”
“So caught anything yet?”
“Not a blessed thing…I’m thinking we should give it up for the day.”
“But we just got here…well back here.”
Kevin leaned against Nick’s leg now, “I thought you’d be anxious to get going.”
“I’m enjoying this…I mean somewhat of course.”
“Oh Nick why don’t you just admit it, you think I’m too cool for school and you love hanging out with me.”
“I shall never admit to anything even remotely close to that Kevin, although if you keep telling jokes I just might.”
Now Kevin jumped out of the water and sat beside his friend, “Okay I have one more.”
“Cool what is it?” Nick sat up, back to his pretzel style stance.
“This is one my father would say when we would have a dry fishing day like this. Not a fish to be found anywhere…he’d say, what advice can you give a fish so he will never be caught?”
Nick tried to solve the riddle himself, but after a few minutes gave up, “I don’t know what would you say?”
“Don’t fall for any old line…get it? Line?” Kevin asked holding his fishing rod up for Nick to see the line right before he cast it back into the water.
Nick look confused but it didn’t stop him from laughing. “I don’t think all this laughing is helping you on your quest to find Nemo Kevin…we’re probably scaring them all away.”
“Nick you are probably correct about that but…well I’ll be damned!” Kevin said getting excited and walking further into the water.
“What is it? Did you catch something?”
When Kevin reached his destination he grabbed it in his hand and showed Nick, “Look, it’s my rod!”
Nick felt his smile grow so wide it almost hurt his mouth. “Seems like your father pushed it down this way as a reward for telling his joke.”
Kevin looked up at the sky and nodded, “Maybe you’re right about that Nick.”
They exchanged brotherly smiles as Kevin made his way back towards the shore with both rods in his hand.
Hey guys! YAY I actually managed to update this one two weeks in a row. *waits for a cookie or a gld star* lol anyway thanks for reading it!
