Page 88 of Baby Blue
“Yeah! I like to fish. Have Polly and Toady ever gone?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so, unless my dad took them sometime when we were there.”
“So let’s go. We can leave about one o’clock and go down to the riverfront in town. That’s good enough,” Blue said. “I’ve got the gear all gathered up. All we’ll need are some lawn chairs and some bait, and we’ll be good to go.”
“Well, okay, but I think you’ve lost your mind,” Anne muttered as she left the room.
The kids were happy about the idea. Blue had cane poles for them and an old rod and reel for himself. They sat down in the chairs there by the river. The sitting down part lasted all of two minutes for Indigo, and Anne spent her time chasing after the little one. More than once, she said, “Hey, little minnow, get back over here!” as the baby crawled away in her little overalls with the reinforced knees.
They’d been there for about thirty minutes when a voice said, “Mind if I join you?” Blue watched as Anne looked up and saw her dad and mom.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, obviously stunned, and Blue fought to keep his composure.
“Oh, Brent let us know you guys were doing this, and you know how your daddy loves to fish,” Anne’s mother, Mary, said as they sat down in their own lawn chairs.
“You came two hundred miles to fish?” Anne asked, still bewildered.
“We wanted to see our grandkids too,” Miles, her father, said.
“Well, okay then,” Anne said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Hey, who’s that down there?” Mary asked and pointed down the bank, playing along.
Anne squinted and looked in the direction she pointed. “Looks like… That looks like a lady who was at the courthouse with us, Blue,” she said.
“Well, you know, I believe it is. Polly, let me hold your pole. See that lady down there?” Blue said, pointing, and Polly nodded. “Run down there and ask her if her name is Patty. If she says yes, ask her to come down here.”
“Okay,” the girl said and took off. In just a couple of minutes, she came running back with the woman behind her. “It’s her, Blue.”
“Hey, all!” Patty called out, and everyone waved. “Fancy seeing you here!”
Blue rose and hugged her. “Hey! I’m so glad to see you! Isn’t this great?”
“It sure is!” the gray-haired woman said, her whole face lighting up.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Anne asked, side-eyeing Blue. “Something’s up?”
“What makes you say that? Don’t you think this could just be a happy coincidence?” Blue asked, trying hard not to laugh.
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Well, let’s pretend it is and just keep fishing.” Blue sat back in his lawn chair and watched the bobber in front of him.
“Ms.Patty, I only caught one tiny little fish,” Toady whined.
“Oh, you’ll catch more, I’m sure,” Patty told him with a smile.
“I could sure use some more bait,” Miles said to no one in particular.
Blue leaned down and picked up a small carton of worms. “Toady, please take this to your grandpa.”
“Here, Grandpa,” the little boy said and stepped up beside his grandpa.
“I think I got one!” Polly called out, but when she pulled her line in, there was nothing there. “I was sure I got one.”
“I think I got one,” Miles said. A little louder, he added, “And it’s a big one too!”
Everyone turned to watch as he reeled in his line and, on the end, something flashed in the sun. “What is that?” Toady asked, staring.
