Fishing With Wotsits
“I…” he began, with a flourish, as he pranced along the riverside, the vodka having gone to his head a little, “do not understand fishing.”
“Really,” she laughed, “and why is that?”
He looked her in the eye, trying to seem suave and sophisticated, hoping that the glint in his eye seemed attractive and not cheesy. “Because,” he replied, “I can sit at home and not catch fish.”
“I think the point is that you actually catch fish,” she smiled back at him, the glint in her eye was undoubtedly attractive, and he wondered if it had been placed there deliberately or if she just looked at everyone that way.
“No, no, noooo,” he continued, acting just a little more drunk than he was in the hopes that it would be endearing, “the point is to sit and get cold. I have been fishing exactly two times in my life, and there was no catching of fish involved on either occasion.”
“None at all?” she smiled, and he momentarily lost his train of thought.
“Um…” he stammered for a moment, “no! Admittedly the first time I was using a toy fishing rod and a packet of cheesy wotsits for bait…and there may not have actually been any fish in that stream…but that’s besides the point. The second time there was an actual proper fishing pole and actual proper bait, and an actual proper river…”
“An actual proper one?” she laughed.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “And yet there was still no catching of fish!”
“Actual proper fish?” she asked, giggling lightly.
“Actual…proper…fish…” he nodded in reply.
“So…” she looked thoughtful.
“So,” he replied, “that’s why I don’t like fishing.”
“Yes, you do,” she said, enigmatically, and skipped slightly ahead of him.
“What?” he asked, a little confused, and quickened his pace slightly to catch up with her.
“You love fishing,” she smiled. “You’re doing it right now.”
He stopped and smiled at her, and simply said, “Oh…”
“And so am I.”
David Baillie
This placed a glint in my eye!
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georgelondon
But was it placed there deliberately?
Nice work Ian. Has me smiling. Always time for a little he-said-she-said I reckon.
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Schmurgen Jonerhaffs
This eyed a place in my Glint!
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Rivka Jacobs
Excellent! I like how you move from a conversation about some objective topic, to insight about a relationship. Also love how you linked the basic concept of fishing — as in attempting to catch fish, to another definition of the word — attempting to elicit some response from someone by doing a little subtle poking and prodding with the appropriate verbal “bait.”
I also like how you analyzed the act of fishing itself! We call it fishing, when we’re actually sitting there trying to catch fish. I really appreciate that kind of exact analysis. Kind of like a George Carlin routine. The word “fishing” should only apply if we actually catch something by engaging in the act of “trying to catch something.” LOL!
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