Fishin' Buddies

It was a crisp Autumn morning as Jimmy waited down his old dirt road for the school bus to arrive.  He held his Superman lunch kit tight in his hand and all of his school supplies were stashed neatly in his backpack.  Jimmy's mother had made sure he was buttoned as snug as he could be in his light jacket before she sent him off to school.  His best friend, Molly, sat at his side.  She was a gorgeous yellow Labradore Retriever with a bright red collar.  Molly let out a small whimper and looked up at Jimmy with her big brown eyes.  Jimmy knew that the bus was close.  Molly hated to see him go and Jimmy never wanted to leave her side.  The tension grew in the pit of Jimmy's stomache.  Oh, how he dreaded going to school.  He didn't have any friends and he wasn't very smart.  Many times he tried to make good plays during his 3rd grade P.E class so that just once he would be the hero.  But most times he just ended up making a fool of himself.  

The bus arrived and he gave Molly one last rub on the head before stepping in.  The bus driver popped her gum and just glanced at him as he walked past her to his seat.  He liked sitting by himself and he usually didn't have a problem getting a seat a lone because none of the other kids wanted to be caught sitting with him.  Mostly the kids on the bus left him alone but ever-so-often he would feel a spit-ball stick to the top of his shoulder and hear snickers from the children behind him. 

Jimmy had one good friend, besides Molly.  Buck was what a lot of people would call a "good-old-boy".  He was very down to earth.  He liked his muddy cowboy boots and his base ball cap.  He spent a lot of his spare time down at the lake with his fishing pole.  Jimmy would often join him but would never fish.  He just enjoyed Buck's company.  Buck had a way of making Jimmy feel like a completely different person outside of school.  When Buck was around, he felt smart and important.  Buck never really said anything special to make Jimmy feel the way he did, he simply accepted Jimmy for who he was. 

One day while the two boys were fishing at the lake, Buck asked Jimmy why he never fished.  Ashamed to tell Buck the truth, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said "I don't know".  You see, Jimmy's father went away to the war when Jimmy was just a baby.  Months past when his mother received a knock at the door by two U.S Army soldiers.  Jimmy's father would not be returning.  His mother never married again so Jimmy didn't have anybody to teach him to fish.  Jimmy was afraid that if Buck realized he couldn't fish, he'd loose his only friend in the world, besides Molly that is. 

Several weeks went by and Jimmy had forgotten about the conversation at the lake until one day he met Buck at their favorite spot and noticed that Buck had 2 poles with him.  Buck made an announcment that this day, Jimmy was going to learn how to fish.  "How did you know that I didn't know how to fish" Jimmy asked him.  "Well, I was thinking about why it was that you don't fish the other day and I kind of figured...well...you know....not really having... a dad and all.....well, I just thought I'd teach you how to fish."  Buck replied rather awkwardly.

Jimmy had told Buck years ago about his father but this was the first time Buck had brought it up.  Something struck him and for a brief moment Jimmy realized that outside of these casual meetings at the lake Buck thought about him.  That was the moment that Jimmy realized that maybe, just maybe, he was worth a little more than what he gave himself credit for.  

Buck spent hours showing Jimmy all the different bait and lures.  He taught him how to string his pole and use the reel.  Jimmy was a fast learner and realized within a couple of weeks that he was almost as good-a fisherman as Buck.  Soon, Jimmy was catching fish large enough to keep and would bring them home to his mama.  She was so proud of him.  She would fillet the fish and they would feast at least once a week.  It made him feel good to please his mama and to know that he had contributed to the good of the family.  He knew his dad would be proud.

Years went by and Jimmy and Buck rarely missed a weekend to fish.  Molly had since passed but had left Jimmy with, Trout, the runt of her last litter.  Trout turned out to be just as loyal and just as protective as his mother.  Trout loved to spend weekends at the lake with the boys.  Occasionally, he would fetch his own fish, right out of the lake. 

The year came when they were old enough to participate in the annual Bass Tournament.  Several of the kids from school participated.  As it goes, mean kids grow up to be mean teen-agers.  Several of the boys involved in the tournament began to razz Jimmy.  Buck, being the laid-back person he is, had taught Jimmy over the course of the years how to let the comments roll off his back and just smile.  And that's just what he did.

Jimmy ended up winning the tournament that year and every year after that.  He and Buck would find more tournaments to enter and before they knew it both boys were bringing home several trophies a year.  Jimmy began to hear less and less from the bullies at school.  In fact, many of the kids began to 'like' Jimmy.  By his senior year, Jimmy had become pretty popular and ended up as "most likely to succeed" in the yearbook.  But he didn't let that blindside him.  He knew who his one true friend was.

Graduation came and went and Jimmy went on to be a world famous fisherman.  He fished anywhere from the swamps to the deep seas.  He made TV shows and starred in commercials. He had his very own trophy room in his custom-built home on his 20 acres of lake front property. 

Both boys settled down and had families and their weekends at the lake together became rare.  But Jimmy never forgot about the little boy at the lake who was too afraid to admit his fears.  And he would always be grateful to the person who saw the value in him and cared enough to help instill in him the self-worth he carries to this day.  

Sometimes it's the smallest of things in life that can mean the most to a persons' self-worth.