Little Men

Yesterday after work I drove over to my little neighborhood creek for some decompression and angling.

As I stood in the door of my truck stringing up the one weight I saw them headed my way. Seven and five years old and dressed in standard issue little boy summer attire...shorts, that is all.

"Are you going fishing?!"

"Yep, sure am"

"Have you fished before?"

"I've fished a few times"

"Do you know how to put that all together?"

"Yes, I believe that I do"

"Do you have the dealy-thing? If you don't you can borrow mine"

"That is very kind of you to offer; I think I'll be OK"

"There is a big old snake down there!!"

"There aren't any fish down there. (pointing to the stretch of weedlined bank below). There is a big fish down there!"

"I saw a gold fish! it was BIG!!" (resident koi)

"Guys, I am going to be casting this thing down there so please be sure to stay back. I sure would feel bad if I were to hook one of you"

"OK, we'll just go jump in the water a while"

"Oh please don't do that. It'll ruin the fishing for me"

"OK"

Then they were off to score Popsicles from apparently grandpa or a neighbor who dotes on them. I last heard them discussing the relative merits of sharing candy.

What I had initially knee-jerked as a big ding in my angling time turned out to be a refreshing break in my initial refreshing break.