Fishing with The Boys

Sitting in the passenger seat, I grew nervous in anticipation of seeing Ravi for the first time in years.

We've talked quite a bit through our group chat this past week... but if texting in high school has taught me anything, it was that hitting it off with someone through DMs doesn’t translate to getting along in person.

“Ravi texted,” Prius said. “He needs help carrying the fishing gear, so let’s grab the door.”

We barely reached the doorbell before the front door swung open, revealing a cheerful looking man. I was given the impression that we would've been wrapped in a huge bear hug if his arms weren't occupied by fishing rods and tackle buckets.

This man looked nothing like the dorky, short Ravi I was used to—the person in front of me was tall and remarkably stylish, rocking a brand-name windbreaker and flawlessly pulling off platinum-dyed hair. Model scouters should be all over this guy. I was impressed. If I were to match his hair colour, I'd get bullied in an instant.

“WAZZAAAAP!!” Ravi boomed. I was too overwhelmed to reply. Even his tone was completely different than what I imagined.

“What’s up bro!?” Prius responded.

Ah, the things I’d give to be socially adept.

I didn’t know how to start a conversation with this foreign creature in front of me. A weight started growing in my stomach as I desperately tried to untie my tongue.

Come on, you talked to Prius just fine.

As Ravi and I made eye contact, he nodded upwards.

“Hey Via, long time no see.”

…Smooth.

It was an unspoken rule of the bro code that an upwards nod was reserved for your homies—a downwards nod was more formal and used for strangers. Things were off to a good start. To set the tone between us, I should go for a tease.

“Yo. I didn’t expect you to be this loud.”

“Hahaha, what the heck?! That’s the first thing you say to me?”

“…Who changed you man?”

“I’m just excited. Here, take the fishing poles. I’ll carry everything else.”

“What’s the cooler for?”

He gave us a thumbs up.

“Fish!”

o

Flowers turned from dots in the distance to a blur on the sidelines, as the moist smell of manure wormed its way into the car. The scent was accompanied by an air of accomplishment, as if we had achieved independence by heading far away from home, with no adult chaperones.

Once again, we had set out early in the morning to a remote destination— this time with one extra person and the hopes of catching fish. Our gear rattled in the back.

Now who were these young men, driving ten above the speed limit down craggy country lanes while singing sea shanties?

You already know—it was me and the boys.

“This feels different with friends,” Ravi said.

“Do you go on trips often?” I asked.

“Yeah, I spent a lot of time outdoors with my dad.”

“The fishing trip was Ravi’s idea,” Prius said. “Look, we’re almost there!”

A mountain’s mirage barely made its impression through the hazy morning forest. It was hard to tell whether the mountaintop was snowy or covered with clouds.

“It’d be nice to climb one of those,” I said.

“Let’s go hiking next time!” Ravi replied. “I know a couple places.”

“Don’t you guys have finals?”

“I got early acceptance for environmental biology, so I can take it easy. I think Prius was planning to take the year off, right?”

“I actually applied for mechanics, but they don’t need high grades anyways. What about you, Via?”

“I got accepted into sciences, but I don’t really know what I want to do yet.”

“So I guess we’re all free to play around during finals,” Prius teased.

“Oi…”

“I’m just kidding. Hanging out once a week is okay, right?”

“…I guess so. You’re not hanging out with your b-ball team?”

“They’re studying,” he said bluntly.

“I’m down,” Ravi added. “My parents knew you guys pretty well. I don’t think they’d let me hang out with anyone else during finals.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” I replied. “You and Coco both have the strict parents.”

“It’s gotten better for me. It might be different for Coco, since her parents are more protective about girls. She’s not even allowed to have pics on social media.”

“That’s true,” Prius said. “Her parents might not let with her hang out with a group of only boys.”

“Yeah… I wonder how she's doing though," I said. "Didn't she come back because of problems at her new school?”

“Look, we’re here!” Ravi exclaimed.

We pulled into a large dirt field, with a few other cars hanging around. A lush blue lake peered through stray strands of trees in the distance.

“As long as you park within the invisible lines, you can park anywhere,” Ravi said. “I’ve been here before.”

“Hey, someone here has the same truck model! Should I park next to them?”

“…Would you stroll into a public bathroom and pick the urinal right next to someone else?”

“…Right.”

“Bro code, man.”

We hopped out of the car into the warm, musty air. If it weren’t for the cool lakeside breeze, I’m sure we would have felt early signs of a heat haze.

The three of us started hauling our gear from the back of Prius’s pickup truck.

“Oh no…” Prius said.

“What?”

“There’s only two folding chairs.”

“…”

“Let’s rock paper scissors.”

“You can take a chair since you drove us,” Ravi said. “I’ll play with Via.”

“No no. You’re letting us use your fishing rods, so I can sit on a rock or something,” I offered.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Thus, it was decided through our brotherly chivalry that I would be the only one without a lawn chair. Despite drawing the short end of the stick, I felt a little proud about it.

“Look over there! That’s the perfect spot.”

Ravi pointed towards a large tree overhanging the water. It’s branches were long and crooked, with leaves scarcely scattered among its tips.

“Fish enjoy shady areas. Plus, Via can sit on that rock over there.”

“What kind of fish will we catch?” Prius asked.

“Probably walleye.”

“Can we cook them?”

“Only if they’re over fifty centimeters.”

The confidence in which Ravi spoke impressed me.

“You seem to know your stuff,” I complimented.

He smiled in response.

“I come here a lot with my dad.”

“Is that why you want to do environmental biology?”

“Yup. I want to help keep nature the way it is, so people can continue to enjoy these kinds of outdoors activities in the future.”

“Come on, let’s start!” Prius insisted.

“Fishing is about developing the virtue of patience,” Ravi replied dramatically.

He seemed like such a saint. No, a monk? Monks love nature, right?

We opened a can of worms, unleashing the musty smell of dirt and decaying leaves. It reminded me of how we used to dig them up as a summer sport, way back in grade school.

“Ravi used to be the fastest worm digger,” I said.

“You still remember that?!” He laughed heartily. “I dug these up myself too.”

“Come on, let’s swing!” Prius whined, having prepared his rod already.

At his suggestion, we sat down a couple meters away from each other and flung our hooked worms as deep into the lake as possible.

o

Silence, with the occasional plop of a hook into the water and a snore from Prius. That was all I heard since we had started fishing.

I watched as patches of cattail swayed with the wind, sporadically accompanied by the passing dragonflies. The forest on the opposite end were reflected upside-down in the lake like bristling rows of evergreen teeth.

How fast was time passing now? I knew not.

The moment our bobbers had hit the water, Ravi fell hook, line, and sinker into a state of zen. His eyes reverted to exactly as how I recalled from junior high: calm and focussed. Whenever we played Ninja Turtles, he was always cast as Donatello. Watching him fish made me sleepy too…

“I got one!!”

I turned to Prius. He was wide awake, frantically spinning his fishing reel. The tip of his rod was significantly curved, as it tried its best to haul in its slippery victim.

With a flourish, the fish was whipped out of the lake into the hand of the grinning youth.

“Yoo nice catch!” Ravi said, reeling in his own rod. “Grab the measuring tape.”

“Can we eat it?” Prius asked.

“Check for fifty centimeters.”

“It’s legal. Can we kill it here?”

The poor creature was writhing in Prius’s hands with a hunk of metal still stabbed inside its cheek.

How pitiful, I lamented internally. Maybe you have a family too. A wife? Children?

“…You should catch and release for now,” I suggested “We still have a few hours to catch more. I feel… kinda bad.”

“Come on, it fell for the bait!” Prius argued. “We’re higher on the food chain, it’s nature.”

“Well, this one’s legal to skeep so you guys decide,” Ravi said, shrugging us off. “We’re still within the regulations and all. It’s fine as long as you don’t waste any of the food.”

“Even so…”

“It’s just a fish man.”

In a moment of irritation, I retorted with an impassioned assertion of equality in favour of the aquatic defendant.

“It is a fish,” I declared. “But hath not a fish eyes? Hath not a fish consciousness, organs, dimensions, senses; breath in his lungs and blood in his heart? Fed with food, hurt with weapons, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as humans are?”

“Fish don’t have lungs,” Ravi whispered. I ignored him.

“I… uh…” Prius stammered.

He seemed visibly troubled by my spirited speech. Maybe I went too far? He might’ve not understood the Shakespeare reference.

“Fine, I’ll release it if that’s what you really want.”

“Ah,” Ravi exclaimed.

“What?”

“It died.”

“…”

The three of us stared at the lifeless fish hanging from Prius’s grasp. Combined with our dumbfounded expressions, this scene would’ve made for a nice renaissance painting.

“I’ll grab the cooler,” Ravi said.

“Sorry buddy,” Prius said. I couldn’t tell if he was speaking to the fish or to me.

Oh well.

“Are you gonna cook it today?” I asked.

“Yup. I’m sure it’s better fresh.”

“Can I have some?”

He looked at me quizzically, while Ravi chuckled.

“Weren’t you against catching it?”

“Well it’s already dead,” I replied. “Refusing to eat it isn’t going to bring it back to life.”

“I agree,” Ravi said with a smirk. “It’s best not to waste anything.”

o

We sat around a portable table in Prius’s backyard, waiting for two of the fish to boil over a camping stove. The early summer sun had yet to set, although its warmer colours were starting to appear along the distant horizon.

Our trip had concluded with Ravi bringing back two more walleyes by dinnertime, with the rest of us running out of luck.

“Here’s a cold one,” Prius said, tossing us cans of apple soda. “We can start cracking open adult drinks once everyone turns eighteen.”

“Ravi’s the only one that’s still seventeen,” I said. “We can still do it.”

“Let’s keep it kid-friendly for him.”

Scanning his yard, a rusty old firepit caught my eye.

“I saw a lot of firepits back by the lake,” I said. “Was that a camping spot too?”

“No, just a picnic spot,” Ravi answered. “Not many people use it though.”

“It’d be great to go camping though,” Prius sighed.

“Ahh, I’d love to crack open a cold one over a campfire.”

“Let’s go camping next!”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Coco joined the group chat.”

I checked my phone, which had just started vibrating intermittently.

Coco: Hey guys

Prius: Hey, we were just talking about a camping trip. Wanna come?

Coco: I can’t do overnight

Ah. We had been planning our trips under the assumption that all of us had total freedom.

“Should we just go without her?” Prius asked out loud.

“Wait,” I interjected. “I’m okay with hiking too, just for a day trip. You okay with that, Ravi?”

“Yup!”

I texted her back.

Via: Let’s go hiking next weekend!

Coco: Yeah sure. I’m only available Saturday.

Prius: I’m going in for maintenance next Saturday morning. Could you guys meet me at the shop at 10?

Coco: Sure.

Via: Ok

Ravi: Sounds good!

Hiss.

Our silent texting session was interrupted by a violent noise coming from the table. The pot was vigourously shaking and foaming, as it released a pleasant aroma into the cool evening atmosphere.

“Fish is ready!” Prius announced, battling the dish with a rag wrapped around his hands.

It’s refreshing scent mixed with today’s post-travel exhaustion and next week’s pre-travel excitement crashed into me all at once, increasing my appetite exponentially.

Don’t worry, Mr. Fish. We won’t waste any of you.