by Eric Vall
“So,” Tara said after a few moments. “What are we doing today? Any waterfalls to keep us entertained?”
“Afraid not,” Paige said through a bite of danish.
“Damn,” the platinum blonde said with feigned disappointment.
“We could play a game to keep us entertained,” Bailey suggested.
“I have another idea,” I said.
“What’s that?” Anna asked.
“We got some fishing poles yesterday,” I reminded them.
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “Some fishing might be nice.”
“Ew,” Tara said.
“Not ew,” I chuckled. “We’ll be able to catch our own lunch and have fresh fish. Doesn’t that sound good?”
“The fishing part is still ew,” the platinum blonde said, “but the fresh fish lunch has me listening.”
“Well, good,” I said. “It might take us a while, so we can set up our lines here in a bit.”
“There is one problem,” Bailey said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I don’t know how to fish,” the blonde admitted.
“What do you mean?” Tara asked. “We fish at the college, like, every day.”
“That’s not fishing,” Paige pointed out. “That’s trapping. We just have a line set up. That’s not how you fish.”
“She’s right,” I agreed.
“Oh,” the platinum blonde said. “Well, then I don’t know how to fish, either.”
“Paige?” I asked.
“Oh, I know how,” the brunette assured me. “I was practically raised on a sailboat, remember? What else do you think my dad did on the water?”
“Fair point,” I chuckled. “Anna?”
“Yeah,” the redhead said, and she bit her lip. “I’m with Bailey and blondie.”
“We’re both blonde,” Tara said with narrowed eyes.
“Yeah,” Anna said with a grin. “But I called Bailey by her name.”
“Alright,” I laughed. “I guess we’ll have a quick fishing lesson today.”
“It can’t be that hard, right?” the redhead asked.
“It’s pretty simple,” Paige said.
“Says the girl who’s probably been fishing since she was five,” Tara said with an eye roll.
“Three,” the brunette corrected with a smile.
“My point exactly,” Tara said dryly.
“Paige and I will teach you,” I said. “I probably should have taught you a long time ago, but we set up trotlines so there really was no need.”
“I can set up one of those in my sleep,” Anna said. “But I’ve never been fishing where you have to throw the thingy and wait around all day.”
“That’s not exactly right,” Paige laughed.
“Fairly close, though,” I chuckled.
We finished our danishes and our coffee, then we divided up the last of the coffee that was in the pot and I gathered the fishing poles and tackle box the girls had found the day before. It was lucky they had even grabbed the tackle box, considering that Paige was the only one who knew how to fish, and she had stayed by the fire with me.
The box itself was covered with a nice layer of dust, but inside was well maintained after being closed for over a year. It was nicely stocked, too, with plenty of options for the girls to choose from. I figured I would let them have some fun with their bait and bobbers, it might help them get into the spirit a little more.
“Okay,” I said. “First things first, we get our poles set up.”
Whoever had lived there had good taste. The poles were well made and in good shape. It was a wonder nobody had taken them before we got there.
Paige and I went through the basics with the girls on how to set up their lines, hooks, and fake bait. Tara and Bailey caught on easily, but Anna seemed to have a bit of trouble tying her hook properly.
Eventually they were all ready, and it was time to teach them how to cast.
“Alright,” I said. “Watch Paige first, then try to do what she does. We’ll go one at a time.”
The brunette stepped up to the back of the boat, flicked the pole back over her shoulder, and released the line with expert precision.
“Hers went so far,” Tara said.
“Yeah,” Bailey agreed with a frown. “Do we need to get it that far?”
“No,” I said. “Not on your first try. Just do your best. Tara, you go first.”
“Alright,” the platinum blonde said, and she stepped up by Paige.
“You got this,” the brunette assured her with a playful elbow to the ribs.
Tara took a deep breath, flung the pole behind her in an exaggerated motion, and flicked it off the boat, and nearly out of her hand. As sloppy as it was, she managed a decent cast, about half as far as Paige’s.
“Good job,” Paige said with a smile.
“Thanks,” the platinum blonde grumbled, obviously disappointed with her cast.
“Alright, Bailey,” I said. “Your turn.”
The blonde stepped up by Tara, flicked her pole back with expert precision, and cast nearly out to where Paige had landed.
“Wow,” Paige said with wide eyes. “That was great. You’re a natural at everything.”
“I dunno about that,” Bailey said with a smile.
Tara glared at the other blonde, and I had to laugh.
“Good job,” I agreed, then I turned to Anna. “Your turn.”
“I think I’ll sit this one out,” the redhead said. “I don’t need to eat lunch today.”
“Don’t be silly,” I chuckled.
“Hey,” Tara said. “If I have to be humiliated over here, then so do you.”
“You got it,” Bailey encouraged.
“Easy for you to say,” Anna mumbled under her breath, but she sighed, stepped up to the edge, and prepared to cast.
The redhead flung her pole back, but released too early and on her flip forward her hook got stuck in the hood of her sweatshirt.
“Ah!” she screamed. “What the fuck!”
“Oh my God,” Tara laughed.
“Tara,” I hissed.
“Are you okay?” Bailey asked with concern.
“You’re caught,” Paige said. “Hang on.”
We unhooked the redhead and got her line ready once more, though she sulked the whole time.
“Okay,” I said with a smile. “Try again.”
“Nah,” Anna said. “I’m good.”
“Oh, come on,” Paige pushed. “We’ve all done that.”
“Really?” the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Really,” I said. “I’ve done that.”
“You have?” Tara snickered.
“I wouldn’t get too cocky,” Paige said with a nod at Tara’s line. “You are next up.”
“Whatev,” the platinum blonde said with an eye roll.
“Come on, Anna,” Bailey said. “Just try one more time. I’m sure it’ll be better.”
“You got it on the first try!” the redhead exclaimed.
“And you’ll get it on the second,” the blonde retorted with a wide smile.
I had to chuckle at her optimism. It was endearing as hell.
“Alright,” Anna sighed. “Once more.”
“Great,” Paige said. “Just remember to not release until you flick forward.”
“Okay,” the redhead said, and she took a deep breath.
Anna flicked her pole back once more, then quickly flicked it forward. She released a little late and only went about half as far as Tara, but she got the line into the water, and that was the most important part.
“Hey,” I congratulated her. “Good job.”
“Thanks,” the redhead said with a small smile.
I sent my line out with the girls, and stuck it in one of the built in spots to hold the fishing pole, then I took hold of the rudder once more to make sure we stayed on track. We had cast off from the back of the boat, and there wasn’t much wind, but there was enough that we moved along at a s
teady pace.
“How long does it take to get a fish?” Tara asked.
“It can take hours,” Paige said with a shrug. “Sometimes you don’t get any at all.”
“What?” the platinum blonde asked. “And people do this for fun?”
“It’s more fun with beer,” I said with a grin.
“Now that I could get behind,” Tara agreed.
“So we just wait?” Bailey asked.
“Yup,” Paige agreed. “And since we’re still moving, you need to make sure you lock your line so no more extends out.”
The brunette showed the girls how to lock their lines, then they each took a seat by their poles. There was a nice built in couch area at the back of the boat that was just big enough for all of us, so we sat and waited for the fish to bite while we continued our slow journey down the river.
I watched my redheaded second in command as she looked out at the water. I knew it had been difficult for her to not be good at something on the first try, since she was typically someone who succeeded at everything, but I was proud of her for not giving up. She was tenacious if anything, though it seemed a little less so when she was embarrassed.
“So,” Anna said. “If we can get, what, ten drums full of fuel, then how long do you think that will last us?”
“Well,” Paige said. “Each drum will be fifty five gallons most likely.”
“So five hundred fifty gallons of fuel,” Bailey said. “That’s a lot.”
“It is,” I agreed. “But farm equipment will use up a lot of that.”
“Right,” Paige agreed with a frown. “It would probably be enough to plow the fields and get them ready, but definitely not enough to harvest.”
“Well, shit,” Anna said.
“So we either have to go on more missions for Brody,” Tara said. “Or find something to trade.”
“We talked about this before,” Bailey said. “What could we possibly trade with him? He has pretty much everything.”
“It’s true,” I agreed.
“What if we offered to train the civilians?” Bailey suggested.
“I’m pretty sure he wants them untrained,” Anna said with a shake of her head.
“Oh, right,” the blonde said with a frown.
“I got it,” Paige said quickly.
“What?” I asked.
“What about vehicles?” the brunette asked with an excited smile. “I didn’t see any vehicles at the fort. Brody probably only has one or two.”
“That’s true,” Anna agreed. “But the Guard guys at the refinery probably do. So they’ll have one soon enough.”
“Shit,” Paige huffed. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that.”
“And if we can get fuel for the harvest, then that will be a lot of food,” Bailey said. “I doubt we have enough canning supplies to do that again.”
“We would definitely need more,” Paige agreed.
“That means we’ll have to find some,” Tara said. “So summer runs are a definite yes.”
“It’s alright,” I chuckled. “The important thing is that we’ll have a good haul of fuel to bring home after this. We’ll figure the rest out soon enough.”
“Yeah,” Anna said, and she looked down, but her pole began to bend.
“Anna,” I said with a point.
“Yeah?” the redhead asked, and I pointed again.
“Your line!” Paige exclaimed.
“Oh, fuck,” the redhead said. “What do I do?”
“Just reel it in like we practiced,” the brunette said.
“Nice and slow,” I said.
“It feels so strong,” Anna said as she picked up the pole and began to turn the reel.
“Keep going,” I laughed.
“I’m trying,” the redhead said, and her eyes were wide as she pulled one way and the other while she tried to reel in her catch.
“You got it!” Bailey cheered.
“I think it’s close,” Anna said through clenched teeth, and after a few more reels the fish finally broke the surface of the water. It flailed around as it hung above the lake and searched for water.
“Looks like a bass,” Paige said as she grabbed the line and pulled the fish onto the boat.
“Ew,” Tara squealed. “It’s flopping around.”
“We should kill it quickly,” Bailey said. “I don’t want it to suffer.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, and I quickly pulled out my karambit and spiked the fish so it died quickly. Bailey gave me a small smile, and I smiled back at her.
“Nice catch,” Paige said with a grin as she picked up the now dead fish.
“What is it?” Bailey asked.
“It’s a bass,” the brunette repeated.
“It’s huge,” Tara said. “This is way bigger than the fish we catch in the stream.”
“Well, yeah,” Paige chuckled. “This is a largemouth bass. Probably ten pounds.”
“If only we had a camera,” I said with a grin.
“I’m glad we don’t,” the platinum blonde said with a wrinkled nose.
“Do we need to catch any more fish?” Bailey asked. “This seems like plenty for us.”
“You’re probably right,” I said. “We should all reel our lines in and thank Anna for lunch.”
The redhead gave me a smile and a blush as she worked on gutting her catch.
“How were you the worst fisher and yet you’re the one who got a catch?” Tara asked with her hand on her hip.
“Pure skill, I suppose,” Anna laughed.
“Sometimes it’s all about luck,” Paige said with a shrug.
“No fair,” the platinum blonde pouted.
“Just be glad you still get fresh fish,” Bailey said happily.
“True,” Tara said. “Thanks, Anna. You sexy bitch.”
“Don’t mention it,” the redhead laughed.
“I’ll cook,” the platinum blonde offered.
“I trust you completely when it comes to cooking,” I said. “However, today I think I’ll take care of the fish.”
“You have some sort of special recipe?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Not exactly,” I said. “But I have eaten my fair share of fresh fish, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Alright,” the platinum blonde laughed.
“Do you need any help?” Bailey asked.
“No,” I said. “But let’s find a bucket or something to put these guts into. We can use them as bait next time.”
Anna finished cleaning the fish while I got the fire going, then she handed the large bass off to me.
I pan fried some diced potatoes with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic. Then I cooked the fish very carefully. The worst thing to do was overcook your fish, but of course undercooked was dangerous. There was a fine line between the two where the fish was moist and perfectly cooked.
Most often at campus we smoked our fish, or Tara would cook it in a stew. We didn’t often eat fresh fish, so this would be a treat for the girls, especially with it being a nice large bass. I was excited to get to cook for them for a change, especially since Tara had become our resident chef.
I ate plenty of fish during my time in the woods, but it had been a while since I had anything quite as nice as a fresh caught bass. I knew that some people didn’t prefer them since they could have a very fishy flavor, but those people didn’t know how to cook them properly. A well cooked bass was meaty and firm, and with the right seasoning the flavor was nothing but wonderful.
If I had some lemon, it would have been a perfect meal, but I settled for a dash of the bottle of homemade vodka Brody had thrown into the box, which I had since hid from Tara.
“What the fuck is that?” the platinum blonde asked.
“Nothing,” I said, and I quickly put the bottle behind me.
“You’ve been holding out on us,” Tara tsked.
“Yes,” I chuckled. “Because we need to focus. We’re steering a boat twenty- four-seven now.”
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br /> “Fair enough,” the platinum blonde agreed. “But you didn’t have to hide it. I wouldn’t just get drunk on my own.”
“I know,” I said with a soft smile.
“How are you using it for cooking, though?” Tara asked.
“Well, some lemon would have been perfect,” I said. “But obviously that’s out of the question, so a dash of this will just add a bit of acidity.”
“Hm,” the platinum blonde said. “I’ll have to remember that.”
“As if you’d waste alcohol on food,” Anna chuckled.
“It’s not a waste if it makes it taste good,” Tara snickered.
“So is it almost ready, then?” Paige asked. “It smells delicious.”
“Not too much longer,” I laughed.
I finished the fish while the girls chatted, then I made each of us a plate and handed them out. There was still fish leftover since the bass had been so large, but I dished each of us a nice portion.
“This looks amazing,” Tara said when I handed the plate to her.
“I’m not you,” I said. “But I think you all will like it.”
“Oh my God,” Anna moaned through a mouthful of fish.
“That good, huh?” Bailey chuckled.
“So good,” the redhead said with a nod.
“Oh, wow,” Bailey said after she took a bite. “This is really good.”
“It’s so moist,” Paige sighed.
“Ew,” Tara said, and I looked at her with surprise.
“You don’t like it?” I asked.
“I haven’t taken a bite yet,” the platinum blonde said. “I was ewing Paige’s use of the word moist.”
“What’s wrong with the word moist?” I chuckled.
“It just sounds gross,” Tara laughed.
“You like wet better?” Paige snickered.
“Oh, I love being wet,” Tara purred as she winked at me.
“Just try the fish,” I said with an eye roll.
“Whatever you say,” the platinum blonde said with a smirk, and then she stuck a bite in her mouth, and her eyes grew wide. “This is really good.”
“I’m glad you all like it,” I said.
The girls were quiet as we ate our moist fish and potatoes, which I took as a good sign. Once everyone was finished, they leaned back with full bellies and wide smiles of contentment. It had been a while since I had cooked for everyone, but I was happy it had worked out so well.