Nick looked down at his watch thinking it was so much later than it actually was. Could it be possible that he was already bored with this trip even before reaching the destination? Why on earth did he agree to do this? Fishing wasn’t something he actually ever even had the urge to do. His father had tried more than once to coax him out to fish but Nick always found ways to get out of it.
Aaron by default ended up being Bob Carter’s fishing buddy which by all accounts was just fine with Nick. He loved his dad, enjoyed his company but just like his mother and everyone else in his family, he began slowly distancing himself away from the drama. He had yet to even say more than a few words to his new step mother and had no desire to go to their wedding which he was certain only helped to further distance father from son.
“Well?” Nick looked over at Kevin and shrugged, “Well what?”
“Haven’t you been listening to what I have been saying...Damn you know what? Never mind you totally weren’t listening to me at all!”
Nick bit at his bottom lip, feeling guilty but it was true, he had managed to drown Kevin out with his own thoughts. He did that often and it irked everyone in his band. “Sorry…I was just thinking about my dad.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know…probably because he always wanted me to do this with him.”
“Really? Your dad doesn’t strike me as the fishing type.”
“And I do?”
“I never said that.”
“But you implied it by asking me to come with you.”
There were a few moments of silence in which Nick could tell Kevin was thinking of something mean and hurtful to say, well in Kevin’s head it would come out witty and clever but in the sudden mood swing he had just encountered thinking about his family, anything from Kevin’s mouth would end up hurting.
Thankfully Kevin just shrugged off what he was going to say and instead decided to repeat himself, “I asked you if you liked the last song we recorded.”
“Yeah… why?”
“Just wondering, I’m not overly crazy about it and neither is Brian. Just trying to get your take on it.”
“It’s a song; it’s okay…as songs go I guess.”
“What’s the matter Nick?”
“What? Nothing why are you asking?”
“Because you suddenly seem very humdrum.”
“Just tired,” Kevin glanced over at Nick and frowned, “Okay…I won’t press.”
“Thanks…”
“So there is something wrong than?”
“What?”
“You said thanks that means there’s something wrong and you’re thanking me for not pressing.”
“Kevin who are you trying to be? One of the Hardy Boys?”
“I’m surprised you know who they are.”
“Why? Everyone knows who the Hardy Boys are Kev…sometimes you scare me.”
“I scare you?”
“Yup,” Nick said with a smile which made Kevin smile in return, happy to see that maybe the sadness he caught in his little brother’s eyes had passed for now.
“Ooh a general store…you want to stop?” Nick fidgeted in his seat once again afraid that maybe it was some kind of trick question. Kevin didn’t wait for an answer and pulled into the driveway of the store making Nick grateful for the chance to get out of the car and stretch.
“Wow I didn’t know tiny stores like this really existed,” Nick said stretching his legs and yawning as he walked towards the general store complete with a rocking chair sitting out front.
The door opened with a small metallic ding which caused the one man in the store to look towards the door and then quickly look away. Nick walked behind Kevin as if he was a shadow, trying to hide from the eyes that oddly seemed to have no interest in him at all.
“There’s the drinks,” Kevin said picking up his pace and walking towards the back of the store where an old fashioned ice box stood saying pop $1.25.
“What do you want to drink Nick?” When there was no answer Kevin just grabbed him a Coke and closed up the box. “I got you a Coke.”
“Okay…yeah cool…you think that’s a real head up there?” He asked pointing to a deer mounted on the wall.
“Yup it certainly looks like one.”
“Think they have a bathroom?”
“We have one right behind the register son.” Nick nodded at the old man, “Thanks.”
“Yip.”
Kevin walked down one of the four aisles the store contained looking for something which they could snack on while fishing, deciding on a bag of corn chips and a package of peanut M&M’s.
By the time he made his way to the counter Nick was out of the bathroom and smiled at Kevin. “You got me a Coke? I said I wanted chocolate Milk.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yeah I did Kev. I said I wanted chocolate milk.”
“Nick you said no such thing.”
“He’s right son, I didn’t hear you say anything like that at all.”
Both Kevin and Nick looked over at the guy behind the counter who was very good at eavesdropping and couldn’t help but notice that he never took his eyes off of the paper he was reading. A tabloid that had a picture of Nick and Paris plastered on the front cover.
Kevin grimaced when he saw that and Nick decided to move back to the end of the store to grab himself the milk that he asked for…well in his head anyway.
“Do you know how to get to Guppy Lake sir?”
The man nodded before licking his finger and then flipping the page, “It’s about twenty miles from here, just get back onto the road and head straight. You’ll run right into it.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh huh.”
“Wow milk is cheap here Kev…” Nick said walking towards the counter carrying a gallon of Chocolate milk. “Nick what on earth are you going to do with all that milk?”
“Duh Kevin…I’m going to drink it!”
“A whole gallon?”
“It’s really cheap Kevin…” Nick leaned in close to whisper into his friend’s ear, “It’s only $2.50 for an entire gallon!!”
The old guy laughed, “Where do you usually get your milk son?”
“Don’t mind him…he doesn’t get out much,” Kevin said almost embarrassed.
“What?”
The man finally put the paper down and added up the total leaving off the milk which Kevin forced Nick to place back into the fridge. “That’ll be $6.75” Kevin handed the money over to the man who counted the money and gave him back his change.
“Have fun fishing boys…and be careful it’s hunting season.”
“Thanks,” Kevin smiled and grabbed Nick by the arm and shuffled him out of there.
“Hunting season? Why would we have to be careful?”
“Because hunting season means people with big guns shooting stuff.”
“Not randomly or anything right?”
“Nick don’t worry no one will mistake you for a bear. Who by the way would know that milk is that cheap everywhere!”
“A bear would know the price of milk?”
“Yup”
“You are such a liar man!”
Kevin laughed and shook his head before Nick continued.
“I can’t believe you made me put my milk back.”
“I can’t believe you actually did!” Nick looked over and sighed, he was right; he did exactly what Kevin had ordered him to do. “Seems like I have you well trained SON!”
“Ugh…I just decided a gallon was too much for me, that’s all!”
“Uh huh…right, and did you just actually say ugh?”
“Yeah I did, you have problem with that?”
“Nope but if I did I’m sure you’d apologize for it because I have managed to train you well,” Kevin said surprising Nick by grabbing his cheeks and squeezing.
“Ugh! Quit that, you loser!”
“There’s the ugh again...”
“Did you see my face on the cover of that magazine?” Kevin wanted to lie, or change the subject. He was hoping that Nick hadn’t noticed that. Truthfully, he wanted to grab the magazine out of the old guys hand and fling it across the room. He was so tired of seeing the same old garbage written about his friend.
“Yeah I saw…”
“At least they used a good picture. Not the one of me crying like an ass!”
Kevin placed an arm around his little brother, “Come on….we’re almost there,” He said, opening the door and waiting until Nick was in all the way before handing him the bag and closing it.
Once in the car, Kevin adjusted his seat, placing his seatbelt on, “Seatbelt!”
“You’re not the boss of me Kev…” But one of those ‘looks’ Kevin perfected over the course of the eleven years he had known Nick, made the almost balding brunette ugh once again and fasten his seatbelt; of course making Kevin smile.
“So you said we’re almost there?”
“Uh huh, according to that guy he said it’s down the road a few miles.”
“Okay, cool. So you think we’re going to run into any hunters or anything?”
“I highly doubt it, but I guess you never know.”
“Bears like water…what if they show up while we are fishing?”
“Nick has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?”
“Me?” Nick snorted, which caused Kevin to look his way and laugh, “I worry too much?”
“Yeah you do…actually, about dumb things like bears eating you or getting shot by hunters.”
“We’ll see how dumb it is when that old geyser back there is mounting your head up on his wall.”
“Yeah that’ll show me…”
“He’s going to mistake those brows of yours for raccoons.” Kevin shook his head, “Hey that guy has raccoons on his face better shoot em’, gist in case yip yip yip.”
“Nick people don’t hunt raccoons.”
“Oh sure…that’s what you think.”
“Weren’t you taking a nap before? Maybe you should continue?”
“Sorry buddy, I’m wide awake now, and thirsty,” Nick fished through the bag and grabbed out a Coke.
“Hey that’s mine! You wanted chocolate milk remember?”
“Kevin I never said I wanted chocolate milk,” He said opening the bottle and chugging some out of there with a sheepish and slightly evil grin on his face.
“I really do hope a bear eats you!”
“No you don’t…you love me too much…and besides you got two Cokes anyway.”
“Of course I did because I KNEW you were going to do that! You always do that. You say you want something but you end up eating or drinking whatever we all get instead.”
“That is SO not true!” Nick said tearing open the bag of M&M’s
Kevin just shook his head again as he watched Nick gulp his Coke.
I'll be back either tomorrow or Monday with another chapter :)
