16
JOHN
“I don’t have any charters booked for today, let’s do it!” Brian offers when I call to ask if he’d take us fishing sometime. I’m caught off guard. I wasn’t expecting him to be able to go today.
“Okay, great. Thanks, man.”
“No problem. Meet me at the marina in an hour?”
“Sounds good.”
I hang up and text Mia to make sure she still wants to go. When she texts back a “YES,” I resign myself to the fact that I’m definitely going fishing today. I let out a deep breath, take a quick shower, throw some clothes on, and walk over to the cottage. I knock on the front door as I open it.
“Mia? You ready?” I call as I step inside the entryway.
“Yes! I just had to shower real quick after my run, but I’m ready now!” she replies, rushing to set her coffee cup in the sink, and snatching up her sunglasses.
“Is this what people wear fishing?” She holds her arms out and looks up at me, and I push my lips together to hold my smile in, not wanting to laugh at her. She’s wearing jean shorts and a white T-shirt that says I LOVE TO FISH across the front.
“I saw this in town this morning before my run... I wanted to be prepared.” She pulls her ponytail through the hole in a baseball hat.
“You look stunning. Don’t forget your sunglasses.”
She grabs them again off the table and tucks one arm in the V of her T-shirt, and I remind myself to keep my eyes up.
As we drive to the marina, I can feel the nerves start to creep up. I shouldn’t feel nervous. It’s just Brian, and we’re doing something I used to love, but it just doesn’t feel right. I’m willing to try, though. Maybe going through the motions will somehow help my brain remember that this used to be second nature to me. We park, and I spot Brian’s boat right away. I grab Mia’s hand, wanting to feel stronger than I do. I thread my fingers through hers just as I feel my throat start to close up, and I swallow hard.
“John! My man! How’s it goin’?” Brian calls out when he spots us approaching. I reluctantly release Mia’s hand to shake his.
“Brian, this is Mia. Mia, Brian.” He smiles at Mia.
“Nice to meet you, Mia.” Turning back to me, he says, “I hope you don’t mind; Matt kind of invited himself along. He should be here any minute.” Before I can respond, Matt’s voice booms behind us.
“Yo! John, what’s up? Glad you finally want to go fishing. Mia, nice to see you again.” He slaps me on the back and leans in to give Mia a kiss on the cheek. Matt is a natural flirt; I guess that’s part of what makes him a great bartender. My jaw clenches, even though I realize I have no right to be jealous.
“I’m so excited, thanks for taking us out today,” she tells Brian. We climb in the boat and set our stuff down while Brian finishes some last-minute prep.
“I brought some Dramamine if you want any. Do you get seasick?” I ask her.
“I don’t think I do… I’ve been on a cruise ship before and I was fine, but I’m sure this might be different since it’s a smaller boat. Maybe I’ll take some just in case?”
“Probably a good idea. One tablet or two?”
“One’s fine,” she replies. I hand her a tablet and a bottle of water from Brian’s cooler.
“All right, we ready? Let’s get out there!” Brian starts up the boat, and we make our way through the channel until we’re out on the open water. I sit with Mia on one of the benches on the side of the boat, hanging onto the rail to brace ourselves as the boat bobs up and down in the choppy waters. Once we’re a couple miles offshore, we stop to catch some bait fish. Mia jumps right in, asking for guidance on what to do. Once we’ve got a couple of buckets of bait, we continue back out in the open water. Brian decides on a good spot about fifteen miles out, and we drop anchor and then start getting our lines ready.
For the next hour, I try to make a conscious effort to enjoy myself. I used to love fishing, and I’d like to try and figure out a way to enjoy it again. Besides, all I have to do is look at Mia—she makes me want to smile. In spite of the fact that fishing isn’t her thing, she was so quick to offer to come with me. I know I wouldn’t be nearly as relaxed if she weren’t here next to me.
We each catch a few fish, mostly grouper and snapper. I get a small rush of excitement each time I feel the tug on the line, which is more than I expected. Brian manages to reel in a trophy Marlin, which he’s pretty pumped about. Mia looks genuinely excited every time we reel a fish into the boat and insists on taking our picture with each one. She seems to get along with Matt and Brian well too, but that’s one of the things I like about her—she can make a friend anywhere. I look out at the water and feel a small sense of peace. This is familiar, and there is something comforting about being out on the ocean without another boat in sight.
“You look good, man,” Matt says next to me. We’re at the bow, while Brian’s in the back, showing Mia how to hook the bait fish. “Does Mia have anything to do with that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just saying… you’ve barely ventured out of your house since you’ve been home, and then Mia shows up, and all of a sudden, you’re at the bar fighting off drunk idiots, eating dinner with her at my restaurant, and now agreeing to go fishing after you turned me down how many times? I’m not busting your balls, man. I think it’s a good thing. I think she’s a good thing.”
Not sure how to reply, I keep it simple. “I like her.” He grins and slaps my back.
I’ve known Matt since grade school. His family moved to Hawaii in fourth grade, and he walked into the classroom like he owned the place. The teacher told him to sit in the seat next to mine, and he leaned over and asked if I wanted to play at his house or mine after school. I said mine, and we became instant friends. His confidence has always been alluring; people tend to gravitate to him. He’s also got a mean right hook, which I discovered in high school when he caught me kissing one of his four sisters. I never made that mistake again. Needless to say, he’s been a loyal friend to me, and even though I turn him down every time he asks me to do something, I appreciate that he keeps trying.
I glance back just in time to regret not giving Mia two Dramamine, because she’s leaning over the side of the boat, dry heaving into the ocean.
Oh, shit.
Passing my rod off to Matt, I hurry to her side, grabbing one arm to make sure she doesn’t lose her grip and go overboard.
“Are you okay?” I ask, and immediately want to punch myself in the face. Of course, she’s not alright!
“Ughhhh,” is the reply. She’s still gripping the railing, and she leans her head down to rest on her arm.
“That’s our cue to head back,” says Brian. He and Matt reel in all of the lines and secure all of the latches while I tend to Mia. I grab a Sea Band from Brian’s bag and slide it on her wrist, then move her to the middle of the back of the boat, assuming that will be the best place for her to sit. She puts her head in her hands, and I keep my hand on her back the whole ride back to shore, brushing my thumb back and forth.
As the boat slows down and we’re getting closer to the marina, the water gets choppy and Mia throws up again over the back of the boat. When the boat comes to a stop, Brian and Matt wave us off, saying they’ll deal with cleaning things up.
Once back on land, Mia staggers a bit and attempts to wave to the guys as she keeps her eyes pressed shut. I grab her waist, pull her arm around my shoulder, and help her walk back to the car.
* * *