“I can’t either,” he admitted.
They sat on the blanket near the bank of the river while they watched the fishing poles and waited for bites. Adam opened the cooler and took out the special bottle of wine he had packed. It was the same brand Maddie had brought to their first date. She smiled in appreciation. He poured the wine into two plastic cups, and they sipped while they chatted about random things. It was very peaceful and relaxing.
The fishing was slow. They got a few small bites here and there but nothing really to speak of. After about a half hour of catching nothing, Maddie said, “Do you want to see how I was taught to fish?”
This amused Adam for some reason. He wondered just how many ways there could be to catch a fish. He was curious to see what she was going to do.
“Sure,” he said. “This should be interesting.”
She stood up and nudged him playfully as she said, “Watch and learn.” She then proceeded to strip down to her bra and panties.
Adam’s eyes widened. She grinned at him slyly like the Cheshire Cat.
She had his full attention now. Yes, this was going to be very interesting.
As she walked toward the water she said, “Remember, you didn’t tell me what we were doing today, so I didn’t dress appropriately. I don’t want to get my clothes wet.”
Adam said, “I like your method of fishing already.”
Still grinning, she proceeded to walk into the water, about mid-thigh deep, without any hesitation. This surprised him because he knew that, even though it was a sunny day, the water was still very cold this time of year.
He said, “Isn’t the water a bit too cold for swimming?”
She laughed and said, “It’s only too cold if you think it is. I think the water is very warm today.”
He noticed she wasn’t shivering or showing any signs of being cold. He was amazed.
She said, “Tell me what would be considered a prize fish in this area.”
He thought for a moment and said, “Well, a six-pound bass would be considered a very nice prize fish in these waters.”
She nodded, leaned over, put her hands into the water, and said, “I’m thinking of a prize fish, a six-pound bass or bigger.”
She stood very still for a few moments, and then Adam saw a big splash in the water. Her hands move quickly and grasped onto something. To his astonishment, she lifted a huge bass out of the water and held it over her head triumphantly.
He didn’t know why it amazed him so much because he knew she could do these things, but he still hadn’t gotten used to it. He guessed he might never get used to it. He felt like a young boy watching a magic show unfold right in front of him. She was a master magician, and he was her captive audience.
Adam suddenly became aware that his mouth was gaping open and closed it. He jumped to his feet and almost shouted, “Holy shit! I think that’s the biggest bass I’ve ever seen.”
Maddie beamed.
Adam walked to the edge of the riverbank to get a closer look at the fish. He was already mentally calculating how he was going to fit it in the cooler, along with everything else, so he could show it off to the guys. They would never believe it. He reached for his cell phone so he could snap a picture for proof. But before he could get the shot, she was already lowering the fish back into the water.
He shouted, “No!” and almost ran into the water to stop her, but stopped short when he remembered that the walking cast was still on his leg. Before he could say or do anything else, she had already released the fish.
“Why did you do that?” Adam whined disappointedly.
“Because he is a very old fish, and we’re probably not going to eat him.”
Still a little miffed, he said, “Well, somebody we know would have eaten it. I wanted to show it off to the guys. They will never believe me now.”
She tilted her head ever so slightly and raised one eyebrow, like a mother who was about to scold a child, and said, “And just exactly what were you going to tell them? That I caught it with my bare hands? Like they would really believe that.”
She had a point, but he wouldn’t admit it. He countered, “I could’ve told them we caught it the normal way. You know…with a fishing pole.”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe in fishing for sport and killing the fish if we’re not planning to eat them. I was taught to fish for food and survival. Otherwise, I catch and release.”
She washed her hands and began walking toward the shore. Adam watched her walk toward him with the sun shining on her hair and the water dripping off her scantily clad body. She looked so sexy walking out of the water like that. In that moment his annoyance with her vanished.
He met her at the water’s edge, pulled her close to him, and said, “Well I do have to admit that was the sexiest fishing I’ve ever seen. You can fish like that in front of me anytime.”
She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. They stood like that, kissing and caressing each other for several minutes, before he led her to the blanket. They made love there in the grassy clearing with only Mother Nature as a witness.
Afterward, they lay on their backs in the sun, dozing and just enjoying being together. After a while, they got dressed and had a picnic lunch of cold cuts, cheese, grapes, and other snacks Adam had thrown into the cooler.
He was still thinking about watching Maddie catch the fish in her underwear when he said, “So when do my private lessons on how to use RTP start? I think I’m ready to learn.”
She considered it for a moment and said,
