© 2002 suzanami
song © tim mcgraw
Chapter One
"C'mon, Daddy!" the bright-eyed little boy pleaded. "If we don't get goin', all the fish are gonna be gone!" He clutched the handle of his tacklebox eagerly.
The boy's father laughed, ruffling his son's wild green hair. "Relax, Ferio. That lake's full of fish. There'll be plenty for you to catch."
Ferio's eyes sparkled. "Can we bring one home to Mom and Emeraude?" he asked, his face plastered with a huge grin.
His father nodded. "Tell you what, kid," he replied, grinning back at the eight-year-old. "If you catch some big ol' fish, we'll bring 'em home and grill 'em for Mom and Sis for dinner. You think they'd like that?"
Ferio nodded so hard his father thought his head was going to fly off his shoulders. "They love fish! And I'm gonna catch the biggest ones in the lake so we'll have a huuge dinner tonight!"
His father laughed, making a mental note to himself to decrease his son's sugar intake.
As father and son walked to the car in the driveway, the little neighbor girl poked her head around the garage. Ferio's father noticed her and smiled. "Hey, Fuu. What's up?"
Fuu shyly came out, dragging a small fishing pole with her. She didn't say anything, but her big green eyes were silently begging to go fishing with them. She bit her lower lip and blushed a little, glancing at her pole. Finally, she spoke up in a soft voice. "Do you have room for one more?..."
Ferio's jaw fell open in disbelief. This was his and his dad's day! They'd been waiting a month and a half to go fishing together, and now this... this girl was trying to ruin it all! He turned to his dad, frowning up at him. "No!"
His father sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Ferio, we can't leave her behind..."
"No!" Ferio protested hotly. "This is our day, Daddy, and I'm not gonna let a girl mess it all up!"
The older man knelt down and began talking to his boy softly while Fuu looked on, feeling a little bad for upsetting Ferio and making trouble for his daddy. Maybe she should have just stayed in her own yard...
"Look, son," Ferio's father said gently, putting a strong hand on Ferio's little shoulder. "I know you don't want her to go. But," he continued. "Someday you'll change your mind."
Ferio's eyebrows lowered. "Take Eagle, or Geo or Lafarga! Take Ascot, my best friend! Take any boy! Any boy in the whole universe! Daddy, please don't take the girl!"
~~~
