Fishing Trip

Hunter inspected his tackle box and added a few fishing lures he bought for the trip. He packed his overnight bag and put his bag and gear in the Jeep. He was excited for the weekend fishing trip. He and his buddies did a fishing trip at least once a summer, but he didn’t know how much longer the tradition would continue. They were all getting older, and living off pretzels, caffeine and warm beer was less attractive every year. Still, his friend, Scooter, had a cabin on the lake and a decent boat, and Hunter was looking forward to getting away.

He kissed his wife, Marlene, goodbye and gave the kids a smooch on the top of their heads. Next he swung by and picked up Matt, and then they headed out for the lake. It was early June, and the nights were still cool, so when they got to the lake that morning there was fog over the water. It looked mysterious. They parked by the little cabin and were greeted by Scooter and Jinx

“Alright! ‘Bout time you guys got here! Bring your stuff inside. Got a fire going,” Scooter said. They unloaded their gear and brought their bags inside. Scooter had made coffee in the percolator on the camp stove and Hunter helped himself.

They were out on the water soon after, everyone was a little tired and quiet. The morning was a success, and they had several bass in the well. It was close to noon and they headed back to the cabin.

It was warm and sunny, so the guys changed into trunks and sat outside in the sun, drinking beer. Every now and then they would go down for a swim. They were slightly drunk and happy, and conversation flowed, laughter rising up from their chests. They started teasing Jinx, who was the unluckiest son of a gun anyone had ever met.

“How’s the wife, Jinx?” Matt asked.

“Still as ugly as ever, but God knows I love her. She’s got this idea that we need to take the kids to Disney World this summer.”

“That place’ll kill your wallet,” Hunter said

“Don’t I know it. She got me to promise to take them, but I don’t know if I can,” Jinx sounded a bit sad.

Hunter piped up, “Oh, that’s just one of your promises never meant to be kept.” They all chuckled at that. Jinx’s word didn’t hold much water, and everyone knew it. “But don’t worry, Jinxie, it ain’t worth it. Take ’em to Six Flags. It’s just as good.”

Scooter laughed, “Yeah, Hunter knows all about Six Flags!”

“I never seen anybody scream so much on a roller coaster before in my life!” Matt said, “Like a little girl!” Laughter and taunts continued until their faces were sore from smiling.

They cleaned and fried the fish they caught in an old cast iron pan on a grate over the fire. With corn on the cob wrapped in foil in the fire cooked to sweet perfection, it was a feast. They had all they needed right here. Friends, food, fire, beer, it didn’t get any better than this.

After dinner they dressed in jeans and flannel shirts. A long sleeved shirt and a cool summer evening went together like pancakes and syrup. It was perfect weather for fishing. They went down to the boat and brought a cooler of beer this time. The men could be heard laughing and talking quietly, their voices carrying across the water. The sunset was orange and yellow, then purple and the reflection on the still waters made it seem like they were floating in the sky.

photo by Lisa Paul

This week’s prompts are:

1. a long sleeved shirt and a cool summer evening
2. caffeine and warm beer
3. promises never meant to be kept

OLWG#419- Only Prompts