The lake was calm and the air was still. The flies swarming around my head were annoying, but I was focused on the big bass circling the fat worm on my hook. Actually, the lake that morning was pretty close to heaven for a ten-year-old boy like me – if not for the fact that my two younger brothers were also on the dock trying to learn to fish.
Memorial Day, 1980. As soon as they dropped their lines in the water, their red and white bobbers floated away because they weren’t tied correctly. Those clowns didn’t know how to properly bait a hook, either, so one by one, the hungry fish snatched their worms and darted away. The final indignity came while I was trying to fix my youngest brother’s snarled line.
Head bent over in deep concentration, I didn’t see my other brother whip his rod back to make a big cast. That’s when his big, shiny hook burrowed deep into my scalp. For a moment, we all froze, stunned. Then the little monster laughed. Meanwhile, every May fly on the lake instantly sensed a great meal of blood, and I was promptly smothered in a cloud of them.
I could have sworn that big bass was gazing up at me from the depths of the lake, his tail calmly wagging in the clear, cool water. He seemed oddly amused. His mouth was opening and closing slowly. I think he was trying to say something to me. “Sucker!”
Memorial Day kicks off the start of summer, but there are challenges. I’ve had my share: boats that won’t start, boats that sink, lifeless pool pumps, and, possibly the worst, grills with no gas just when the guests are hungry for burgers. Summer’s opening weekend often offers some unpleasant surprises.
Here’s an idea. Skip the stress of starting summer and come to FCG. At Furniture Consignment Gallery, we’re offering 15% off this weekend until closing on Tuesday, May 31. Leave the boat on the trailer, the pool under cover, and the fishing hooks in your tackle box.
At FCG, the only surprises are good ones. So come visit our three stores this weekend. We loaded them with beautiful furniture, lots of which we’re still tagging and posting to our website. Let us reel you in with 15% off. No stitches needed.