"Are we done yet?" I whined for what had to be the millionth time.
"You want to eat tonight, don't you?"
"Yeah but you've caught enough for the both of us."
"My fish...my dinner. You on the other hand, my lady...well it's looking pretty sad", Ronnie teased with a wink and grin.
"Ha ha, very funny, Mr. Bass."
"What? You're not having a good time? It's called trolling for trout."
"It's called being bored and cold and hungry if you ask me", I muttered.
I was being a brat and Ronnie knew it. That's just the way we teased each other. We'd always had that playful type of relationship. Granted I was hungry and cold, I was actually far from being bored. It had been a good day. Ronnie woke me up at the butt crack of dawn and after a hearty breakfast we had spent the morning hiking in the hills and woods near his house. It had been a long time since I'd had an adventurous day out...in fact, it hadn't been since my days at T.C. Williams when our little gang would often get together for camping and such. I'd almost forgotten how much fun it was. And it was fun! Ronnie and I were having a blast. I loved pattering through the trails with him and talking about everything under the sun. It was nice to be friends again and be together without all the drama and heavy baggage looming all around us.
After our morning hike, we had ventured into town where Ronnie showed me around. Greenville was a small city but nice with a very homey and comforting quality to it. We spent the afternoon window shopping and browsing antique shops. It was the little things, the simple stuff that I enjoyed the most. And it was something so familiar and refreshing about being with him after all those years.
After a trip to the grocery store and a brief discussion concerning dinner plans, Ronnie had suggested that we take his small powered boat out on the lake and go fishing. It was nice...calm and peaceful as we laughed and joked as the boat guided aimlessly across the smooth waters. Ronnie was an excellent fisherman and had zero trouble with his catches. I on the other hand was entering my third hour losing streak.
"This sucks", I muttered. "You're cheating."
"Cheating?" Ronnie laughed. "Mary-Courtney, how can I cheat at fishing?"
"I don't know", I shrugged, trying to hide my burgeoning grin. "You just are. It's no fair because this is your territory."
"Oh yeah. The fish and I have a little pact going."
"Probably so. You probably warned them ahead of time not to go anywhere near my line", I laughed.
He shook his head and smiled that beautiful heartwarming smile of his that lit up his entire face. For a few minutes it was like our own little heaven. Just Ronnie and me away from the weight and worries of the world, at one with nature and our surroundings guiding across the still lake.
"Oh shit!" I screamed.
"Mary-Courtney, you okay?" Ronnie asked with a worried look.
"Oh...oh my God! My line! I think I got something."
He grinned at my excitement as I tugged and tried my best to reel in the fish.
"Reel a little harder."
"I am...I got it!"
Sure we were trolling for trout so to speak but it felt more like a killer whale on the other end of my line. The fish and I were in a battle to the death and it felt like he was winning.
"Let me help you..."
"Nah, I got it."
I stood up, bound and determined to secure my catch.
"Mary-Courtney, be careful."
"Ronnie, I'm fine."
"Just be careful, I don't want you to..."
Too late. Before he could say the word, it happened. I lost my balance and overboard I went. Immediately I bobbed to the service where Ronnie was holding my rod.
"Oh God, get me out of this water!" I screamed as he helped me back in the boat.
It was a pleasant surprise to see the squirming fish at the end of my hook.
"Congratulations! I'm impressed."
"That's a big trout."
"No it's not", he chuckled. "You caught a bass."
We took one look at each other, my drenched clothes and the subject of his intended pawn and burst out laughing. We laughed for what felt like forever. I hadn't had that much fun in ages.
"What are you doing?" Ronnie asked as I released our little friend back into the water.
"What? You saw the way he was flopping around. I felt bad. I didn't want to kill him."
"Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. That's the law of the land, Mary-Courtney. I mean, it's kind of the point of going fishing. That was dinner tonight."
"It'll be okay. I didn't want to kill the poor fella. I just wanted to prove to you that I could catch a fish. I did, my point was well taken, the fish lives and everybody is happy."
Ronnie laughed again and just shook his head.
"What?"
"Nothing, Mary-Courtney. You're just still the same impossible brat. Man, what am I gonna do with you?"
"I'm so offended", I teased.
"Whatever. Come on. Let's get back to the house and get you out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia."
Ronnie steered the boat back to land and we giggled like school girls as we raced to the house. By that time I was freezing but I didn't mind. I was just enjoying my good time. I smiled all the way through my hot shower onto when I sat bundled up in blankets and flannel pajamas teasing Ronnie as he cleaned then cooked our supper.
"Kudos to the chef", I laughed as I helped clear the dishes.
"I try my best even though that big old bass would have been mighty tasty..." he joked.
"It was a good deed. We'll go to heaven."
Ronnie laughed again, this time long and hard until tears rolled down his cheeks and he clutched at his sides.
"Do I amuse you that much, Sunshine?"
"Yeah...yeah you do. I guess I missed that, you know? Didn't know how much until just now. You crack me up and more importantly you can laugh at yourself and that's pretty cool. I'm glad you came down, Mary-Courtney. I like having you around. This is fun. Just like old times."
"Yeah...just like old times."
Our smiles began to fade and were replaced with awkward, longing glances filled with nostalgia from long ago. I felt something heavy come on and it unnerved me. I didn't want to think or be serious. I just wanted to keep having fun. Ronnie must have sensed and shared my sentiments.
"Hey, you want to do something with me?"
"Pardon me?" I asked with a confused expression.
He gave me a small smile and then removed his sweater, exposing tanned and muscular arms that protruded from his wife beater tee shirt.
"You remember the moves, don't you?"
How could I forget? Tai che, of course. I smiled as we went through the movements in front of the roaring fire place. It was calming and relaxing and I had always loved watching Ronnie do it. His moves were so graceful yet at the same time still managed to be masculine and sexy.
Afterwards, we sat on the floor and just meditated. I felt like all the tension and the pressure just evaporated from my body. It was a nice feeling.
"So...are you having a good time?"
I nodded as I sipped cocoa from my mug. Enjoying hot chocolate in front of the fire seemed to be our nightly pre bedtime ritual.
"I'm having a great time."
"So...what happens now? With us? With everything?"
"I don't know. I don't want this to sound bad but right now I don't want to think about it and I don't want to talk about it, you know? Eventually it's something we'll have to deal with and that's primarily the reason why I'm here but for now I just want to have fun. I just want to enjoy this time together when it's uncomplicated and lighthearted and wonderful. I want us to just be for now. Does that make sense?"
"All the sense in the world", he nodded. "I'm really glad you're here, Mary-Courtney."
"Me too", I smiled.