Posted by Allison Smith
Fishing seemed like a good idea an hour ago. When our faces were red and we spat with every word said, taking a break to fish seemed like a good idea.
We are sitting on a carpeted dock, smoking, fishing and not speaking. The sky is covered in grey clouds so it starts to get dark early.
He wants to go home.
I want to talk.
He wants to eat.
I want to keep fishing.
He puts out his cigarette on the dock, and then throws the butt into the water. He looks at me as if to dare me to challenge him. He wants me to tell him to not litter in my childhood pond. He wants me to tell him that he shouldn't have burned a hole in the carpet on the dock where we are not supposed to be. He wants to respond to me that he does not care and I am such a nag.
He stares at me with watery brown eyes and furrowed brows, tempting me to start another fight.
I wordlessly pull his butt out of the water and place it next to mine in a tin. My eyes meet his. Tension builds and then is broken by laughter. Not ours.
I jump at the sudden sound. He rolls his eyes.
We both look back and see two teenagers holding hands walk through the path in the woods and step onto the dock. I recognize them as they walk towards us. The girl is Elizabeth Rummel, she use to be a tomboy in elementary school and we were friends for a short period of time because I liked her pet chickens. She was also the first girl in our grade to have a boyfriend. In 5th grade she and Geoffrey Stevens would walk around the playground holding hands.
Now she is holding hands with someone who I recognize but I dont remember his name. Wesley? West? Walker? Walker Littlehand. Littlehale? Littlehan? Linahan? Ned Linahan. Elizabeth Rummel dated Ned Linahan in middle school. Now, in high school, she is dating Walker ...
Elizabeth Rummel and Walker ... slow their bouncy walk when they see us sitting on the dock fishing. We exchange greetings but mainly stay quiet. I'm not sure if she recognizes me since I left our public high school where she attends three years ago.
Elizabeth Rummel and Walker ... stand to the right of the dock and we fish on the left. They keep whispering in each other's ear. We remain silent. I can tell that my boy wants to leave as he starts to wind up his fishing line. My attention keeps getting pulled to the right but sudden burst of laughter.
Elizabeth Rummel pulls her dress up over her head. She is wearing a white string bikini that loosely sits on her low set hips. She has always had short legs and a long flat torso. Nothing much has changed, even her breasts still barely fill out the top of the bathing suit.
Walker ... pulls of his shirt while smiling. He reaches out and puts his arms around Elizabeth Rummel's long waist. They kiss quickly before jumping into the water.
When they bob up, both of them notice me staring at them.
My boy gets up and walks away. I grab my pole and leave Elizabeth Rummel and Walker ... behind.