AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey babe, look over there.” I looked to where Parker was pointing and saw more dolphins in the distance playing around, jumping in and out of the water. I loved being on the water.
I looked at Parker and smiled. “They’re so cute.”
He laughed at my choice of words for dolphins. “You’re so cute,” he said.
I went over, put my arm around his back, and kissed him on the cheek. “So, how much longer?”
He looked at the electronic maze on his dashboard. “About forty minutes, give or take.” I shook my head and took a seat next to him. We hummed along to the song on the radio as the sun warmed us up. I put my head back to get the full effect of the sun on my face after tightening my hair, which had worked its way loose.
Feeling we were nearing the perfect location, I noticed Parker had turned his ball cap to place it on his head backward; I couldn’t help but think how sexy he looked with it on like that. He glanced over at me, and I could feel his anticipation and excitement growing as he smiled. “Almost there, baby. Are you ready to catch some Tarpon?”
My laugh sounded a bit nervous even to my ears. “I think so. Maybe.” He laughed and said it would be fine. We’d havefun and then fish for Grouper or Tuna, something we could take back to feed the gang. He explained that Tarpon fishing was just a catch-and-release sport. I was okay with that; I loved his Tuna steaks, so that was a win, and Grouper was always an excellent choice regardless of how he cooked it.
Parker tooled around, navigating around other boats, looking for the perfect spot. He spotted Captain Clay and waved. I watched, amused, as he maneuvered the boat seamlessly. It was hilarious that he’d run into someone he knew, way out here.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Captain Clay. He was the first person I went Tarpon fishing with, and he taught me all I know about fishing.”
I smiled as Captain Clay and Parker exchanged pleasantries over the C.B. radio.
After a few moments, Parker started to prepare for fishing.
Olivia
Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. Robert A. Heinlein,Stranger in a Strange Land
I anxiously waited for Parker to complete his setup regimen, wondering if he was a little obsessed with his ritual. He brought out the six large fishing poles I had seen him put on the boat the day before. Some of the rods were massive in size and girth and I watched as he leaned them into the boat.
“Okay, now it’s time to get some bait.”
I looked at Parks, brows furrowed. I always brought bait when I’d fished in the past. He explained with a slight upturn on his lips as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. He waved for me to join him at the side of the boat; pointing down at the water, he said, “See the crabs on the water’s surface? We scoop them up with this net, where we get out bait. This is the easiest part of Tarpon fishing.” I smiled, thinking I could do that. I took the net and scooped up three crabs. Parks put the crabs in the live well used for bait and did that until we had a dozen or so.
“Okay, sit in one of the fighting chairs, and I’ll explain the rest to you.” Intrigued, I sat in the fighting chair on the right. He joined me with a pole. I watched as he baited the biggest hook I’d ever seen. He explained that it had to be at least three inches long and it was a circular hook. There was a large, heavy weight attached as well. He then proceeded to put one of the crabs on as bait; the crab was still alive. Kicking its legs, trying to escape as if it knew it was about to become dinner.
“Now, you’ll hold your thumb here; this will keep the line from fraying. You’ll release the line and let it sink until you feel it stop when it hits the bottom. Once that’s done, you’ll need toreel the line up five times. Only five. At that point, you’ll rest the pole on your lap, holding it with both hands, one on the stub and one on the mast.” He showed me where to put my hands as he told me about it. My hands shook nervously as I did as I was told.
“Liv–whatever you do, don’t let go of the pole.”
I thought, well, no pressure there,as I took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of my nerves. He continued to explain the process. I felt a little overwhelmed; after all, fishing was supposed to be fun.
“When a fish hits, the pole will bend into the water. When that happens, just yell, fish on! Then, I’ll go to the wheel and drive forward to set the hook. Again, whatever you do, do not let go of the pole.”
I’ve got this.I’d listened to the instructions, and they seemed easy enough. I started to relax as I felt the weight hit the bottom. Then, as I was told, I reeled the line back up five times. Relaxing a bit more, I sat and waited. “So, how long does it usually take before a Tarpon takes the bait?”
“Sometimes it’s right away, other times it takes a while, if at all.” Parker tinkered with the other rods, checked the area and the fish finder, then returned to me.
We chatted for a few minutes, then I screamed in excitement, “Fish on!”
Parker quickly got to the wheel and took off suddenly with such force, I flung forward, and damn if I didn’t lose the rod. My face became hot, pink crept up, and my ears reddened with embarrassment.
“I’m so sorry, Parks. I tried; I guess I wasn’t ready or didn’t expect it to have so much force.”
Parks looked at me. “Honey, it’s okay. Here, I’ll fix up another rod and we’ll try again.”
Even more nervous now, I knew I just lost a rod that cost a couple of grand. Visibly shaking when he handed me another baited rod, I took it and tried again.
“Relax, babe, it’s only a rod. There are hundreds of rods at the bottom of this bay. Have fun, and don’t think for another second about the other rod. You’ve got this.” Parker leaned over and gave me a swift kiss. I wondered if he was enjoying this because I wasn’t enjoying it at all. My nerves frayed and I held onto the rod as if it were life support; I dropped the line as I’d been told once more and felt it hit the bottom. Reeling the line back up five times and placing my hands where I’d been shown, I tried to relax as best as possible. My arms were already tired from being so tense.
