They sat at the waters edge, the sun shimmering on the water making the small waves dance as it passed over small rocks and twigs. Kevin had his bait box opened and searched its contents ignoring Nick who was sitting there and staring at him. He looked like a man on a mission, that his very life depended on whatever was in that box.
“Kevin, I think my pole is broken.” He said after a few minutes of staring at Kevin hoping that his older friend would feel his gaze and look up. The way Kevin was so intently staring into that box, Nick just knew he was going to get yelled at for interrupting him in the first place.
“Why do you think your pole is broken? What did you do to it?” He answered rather calmly.
“I did nothing to it, it just doesn’t look right.”
“You were using it as a ski before.”
“I didn’t break it; it’s just all well stringy and shit.” That made Kevin look up.
“Stringy and shit? You know you have an incredible talent for description.”
“Oh I could really describe you right now if you’d like than I’d be really descriptive…”
Kevin stood up and walked over to Nick, “Let me see it.” He said holding out his hand and examining the pole. “It’s fine.” He handed it back to Nick and once again sat down right under a tree with his tackle box.
“It’s not broken? It’s supposed to be this stringy?”
“Yeah Nick it’s supposed to be that stringy.”
“I think you’re wrong.”
“You always think I’m wrong but I’m always right aren’t I?”
“Oh please…” Nick once again tried to make sense out of the mess in front of him. There was a long fishing line that looped around and around until it made its way into a coil eventually ending up in a neon plastic bag attached to a triangle.
“Kevin is there supposed to be a triangle on this thing? I don’t get it.”
Kevin shook his head, “Have some patience I’ll be right with you.”
“This is the oddest thing I have ever seen. It looks like some damn alien fishing pole or something.”
Nick stared at Kevin as he started working on his fishing pole, whistling a song as he did his thing and he couldn’t help but smile watching Kevin in action. The way he was threading and looping his fishing line like a seasoned pro all the while whistling… “What are you whistling?”
Kevin stopped mid whistle, “You don’t recognize one of your songs?”
“That’s one of my songs?” Kevin nodded still looking shocked that Nick didn’t realize that.
“Which song is it?”
Kevin began to whistle it again but slower and once Nick realized what it was he smiled, “I Got You.”
“Yup, I love that song.” Nick beamed with pride which made Kevin smile and continue his whistling as he assembled his pole.
“So Kev…what’s the triangle for?”
“Patience Nick, I’ll be there in a sec, just let me get mine all set up.”
“I don’t have to kill a worm or anything right man?”
“No worms will be hurt during the making of this fishing trip.”
“Cool.”
Once Kevin hit the chorus to I Got You Nick joined along in harmony, both whistling away. “You know we should make an all whistling album after this one.”
“An all whistling album?”
Nick laughed, “Yeah can you imagine? Listen as the Backstreet Boys whistle their favorite tunes…also features a bonus humming track.”
“I’m sure the fans will love that.” Kevin said standing up and admiring his handy work. “Our fans are never happy remember?”
“Now Kevy Kev…that’s not a very nice thing to say. It’s true but not nice.”
“Okay hand me your rod.”
“Now once again that sounded like you want to cuddle with me Kevin and I’ll have none of that!”
“Just hand it over smartass!”
Nick giggled and handed Kevin his fishing pole. Once in his hand he started to loop the line around the rod like a seasoned pro.
“This whole fishing thing looks complicated. I don’t get what all that stuff is for.”
“Patience…”
“You know it’s funny because you have NO patience at all, if I said that to you you’d be freaking out.”
“You know what the neat thing is though?”
“What?”
“You didn’t say it and I did, so patience Nick, why don’t you go try to catch a frog or something.”
“Catch a frog?”
“Or something.”
“If I caught a frog I suppose you wouldn’t let me keep it in your car huh?”
“Frogs aren’t meant to be kept in a car Nick, they’re meant to be kept out here in the wild.”
“Then why are you telling me to go catch a frog?”
“I just thought it’d be something you’d want to do.”
“Oh so let me get this straight…”
“Oh boy…here we go.”
“You look at me and think hey! Here’s a boy that wants to go fishing with me and catch frogs!”
Kevin looked up, “Right now I’m thinking something else.”
“Well that’s not very nice at all Kevin.”
“So you’re psychic now?” Kevin laughed.
“Are you almost done with that? According to you the fish are due for their mid morning break in a bit.”
Kevin pulled the last hoop through the line, “Yup, all done.” He said handing the pole back over to Nick who held it in his hand as if it was something he had never in his life seen before.
“Now what do we do?” Kevin looked over at his friend and smiled; “Now we fish!”
“Guess any frog catching opportunities I may have had are gone huh?”
“Yup...now come on follow me.” Kevin led Nick towards the water, as they got closer the slight moan of the water as it ran over the rocks could be heard. It was a peaceful sound, one you might hear on one of those serenity CD’s you buy in a new age store.
“When I was little…” Kevin said as he put both of his feet in the water and submerged himself up to his ankles, “I was terrified to come into the water. My dad would try everything in his power to get me into the water but nothing would work.”
“It looks a little rough…” Kevin nodded as he was struggling to stay standing.
“It is, but after awhile the water calms down and you get used to it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll get used to it.” Nick said now allowing his boot to hit the water but going no further.
“Anyway, the only way I’d agree to get into the water with him was if he let me ride on his shoulders.”
“You’re not going to make me ride on your shoulders are you Kev? Because it would make all those people who think we cuddle very happy.”
“I’m beginning to think that you are one of those people Nick.” Kevin said turning around and smiling. “Now are you coming in or what?”
“I’m getting there.” Nick said inching into the water a little more and gasping, “It’s cold in here.”
“It’s early in the morning; the sun just came up, so of course it’s cold.”
As Nick inched his way in a little farther now standing behind Kevin and holding his arms out to his side to balance himself he said, “So did that mean your poor father had you on his shoulders the entire time?”
Kevin shook his head, “No, after awhile I wanted to see what it was like first hand.” The way Kevin was looking down at the rocks through the water you could tell his mind was drifting to that faraway place where his father still lifted him off his feet and held him on his shoulders.
“Did you do this a lot with you dad?” Nick asked now standing right beside his friend, knowing how melancholy thought of his father made Kevin.
“Not often enough.” He whispered in reply before looking up and grabbing onto Nick’s arm, noticing he was about to topple over, “Don’t worry you’ll be steady in a minute. It’s just like standing on the beach and letting the waves roll onto your feet.”
“I think I should have worn different shoes, I feel like these are going to make me fall.” Kevin’s grasp on Nick’s arm was firm and stayed right there until finally Nick felt confident enough to stand straight.
“The rocks are slippery, so you have to be careful or you will go down.”
“Well it’s not like there’s man eating fish in here if I fall right?”
Kevin ignored Nick and moved further into the water, now almost up to his knees. “Shit it is cold isn’t it?”
“Kevin on every corny, sappy show I have ever seen of people fishing they are sitting on a dock, hanging a fish pole off the side and most importantly they are dry!”
“Yeah maybe for regular fishing Nick, but this is fly fishing. Two totally different things.”
“Of course you can’t like the normal fishing that would be too easy.”
“Dad said there was something special about fly fishing and I’d have to agree.”
Nick took a step towards Kevin and slipped on a rock falling down on his butt as he splashed down. “Son of a bitch!! God dammed mother of…”
Kevin turned, “Stop yelling or the bears will be drawn to you.” That shut Nick up real quick as he continued to sit in the water looking like an overgrown baby ready to take a bath in a sink.
Kevin tried not to laugh as he walked over to Nick and helped him up. “I told you to be careful.”
“Now my ass is all wet.”
“So is your shirt.”
“I suppose you have a spare somewhere in your car?”
Kevin smiled, “Of course I do but let’s not change just yet because I can tell this is going to happen more than once.”
“Oh really? You think I’m that much of a klutz huh?”
“I KNOW you’re that much of a klutz.”
Nick made his way right next to Kevin now as they stood knee deep in the water, looking down at the moldy rocks and seeing small little guppies pass.
“I didn’t know that yelling attracts bears.”
“It doesn’t, I just didn’t feel like listening to your gutter mouth.”
“Oh very nice Kevin, very nice.”
Kevin smiled and once again looked at the rocks. Thinking back to his childhood and the fond memories that fly fishing possessed for him. Just for a minute he regretted not asking his brothers to come with him instead. They would have appreciated this trip so much more than Nick. They could have reminisced, laughed and cried together. Those moments would be lost on Nick.
“So tell me we aren’t going to fish for those little guppies right?”
“Right.”
“Because I can probably catch one of those in my mouth.”
“I’d love to see you try.”
“Yeah I bet you would, that’s why I’m not gonna do it.”
“Uh huh…”
“Because I wouldn’t want you to enjoy so much pleasure.”
“Uh huh…”
“Hey! Are you tuning me out again?”
“Uh huh…”
They stood in silence again staring at the water before Nick started humming I Got You which made Kevin smile.
“So…you really like that song huh Kevin?”
“Yeah Nick I really do.”
Yes it would have been nice to have his brothers here but now he remembered why he invited his little brother. He needed this trip, almost as bad as Kevin did.
For any of you readinf ISWY sorry about the little swicth. I had no time to write this week. I'll try to be back with a new ISWY chapter on Saturday but again no promises. Enjoy :D
