The Beauty and the Fisherman

Readers, it's been a really long time since I've posted anything here. Two reasons really. One, I have a few unfinished stories posted here, and decided I wouldn't do that again. The other is life... death, divorce, marriage, work... I wrote this as a stand alone story, a beginning, a middle and importantly, to me, an end. It's a long story and not a lot of sex, but it does contain sex so if that offends you, what are you doing here... Don't read it. It is entirely fictional, not intended to portray anyone living or dead and the characters are strictly a figment of my imagination.

All rights are reserved by the author. Please comment or vote. It's the only form of payment we get. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

JJ1

*****

It was hot and sunny. John enjoyed the warmth of the sun on the back of his hand, traffic surprisingly light. He always loved driving over the bay bridge, over 4 miles long, rising high with a curve then the slow tapering as it led onto the "slower" shore. The hustle of DC and Baltimore fading in the rearview.

The older pickup, smooth but with a hidden muscle, was a pleasure to drive. It went where he pointed it and often that wasn't between the lines. Fishing was his passion. Work was hectic, his wife gone in a tragic accident, the particulars he didn't like to think about, his kids were distant, living their own lives.

Now it was just John and his friends, a few minor dalliances, never enough to really call a relationship. 50 was a wakeup call. He worked off the mid-life bulge and now at 55 he realized he would never look 19 again but he stayed fit. He didn't care if he was fishing off the beach or on his boat he just wanted to be fishing. He loved the atmosphere of the marina, trading stories with the boat captains and mates, the smell of diesel fuel, dead fish and the ocean a surprisingly pleasant mix.

He saw the Mercedes on the side of the road. About midway between towns on the eastern shore, it wasn't a walk that would kill you, but it was at least uncomfortable. As he approached, the woman kicked the tire on the car then hobbled to the berm next to the highway. He laughed, made a split- second decision and slid over onto the shoulder as the truck slowed.

"Shit-fuck-Damn!" He stifled the laugh, as he thought 'that about covered it all.'

"Having a little trouble?" he asked with a smile as he stopped at the front of the car. He thought she might feel nervous if he approached her so he kept the car between them. She glared at him and the first thought he had was 'It's not my fault.' The second thought he had was, 'Holy shit she's beautiful!'

"Fucking thing just died. Just died. Everything went dead, the radio, everything. I tried to start it and nothing, it doesn't even fucking click."

"Pop the hood and I'll check a few things." John walked to his truck, backed it a little closer and got out with a Multimeter. John looked under the hood and there was a hot terminal but no battery. 'What the fuck, must be in the trunk' He thought. "Can you pop the trunk for me please?"

"Why do you want the trunk open?" She looked at him questioningly, as if her family secrets were hidden there.

"That's where I'm hoping the battery is. It isn't up here."

"Bullshit. The battery's always up front."

"Not in this car." John was getting irritated. All he had to do was get in the truck and drive away. He could be at the marina in an hour and a half and this self-righteous bitch would be a distant memory. Of course, she had to look for herself.

"Huh!"

She sure did have nice legs. Long, trim with a decent tan. John wondered why all the beautiful women he'd ever met had to have such an attitude. They led up to an equally nice ass, the rest of her body hidden in the diaphanous fabric of her Sundress.

The deck lid wouldn't open with the button so John took the hard key out of the electronic key, found the hole in the deck lid and popped the trunk. John placed the leads on the battery and barely got a reading.

"If it was American, I would say it was your alternator but with this... I just know it's dead. Calling a tow truck is really your only option."

"Shit-fuck-damn!" as if it was a single word. "Fuck, I don't know who to call."

"You certainly have a way with words." John replied chuckling. "I can find someone local on my cell if you want. I really need to get on my way but I don't feel right leaving you on the side of the highway."

She looked around, as if only now realizing that this may not be the safest place. "Can you please? I mean call someone and stay with me a while? Please?" John couldn't really tell where she was looking, her eyes hidden behind her sun glasses. She had nice cheeks, a cute nose. She was certainly pleasant to look at. The only problem was... she kept opening her mouth.

"Are you a mechanic?" she asked as they settled onto the grass of the berm to wait for the tow truck. The traffic passing on the highway was loud and made conversation difficult.

"No, mechanical not a mechanic. A motor is a motor, just the stuff they hang on it changes." They watched the cars drive by for a while, not really looking at each other. No one stopped to check on them. He glanced at her a few times leaning back on her elbows in the grass. She really was attractive, thin arms, nice shoulders, a slim body worth looking at and those legs, bent slightly. She looked somewhat familiar but John couldn't quite place her.

Finally, the tow truck showed up with a typical teenage driver, lanky, scraggly beard, his smile had a few gaps.

"Oh my god it's you!" the driver said as he approached. The gaps pronounced as he smiled.

"Doesn't matter, it's dead." She said pointing at the car.

"Aren't you her?"

"Would you please stop!? I'm just a woman with a dead car." He smiled at her, nodded, started to walk away but turned and gave her a look which said, "I know you're her!" smiled knowingly, went to the truck and got to work.

"Do you know him?" John asked.

"No." John could tell his time had run out, time to bail, head to the marina. He could still get there in time to see some of the cleanup from today's fishing trips, hear some stories, perhaps tip one back. From the way this conversation was going it would be more entertaining to clean the toilet on the boat.

"Well, it's been fun, but I should be on my way now. We should chat again sometime." The sarcasm went right over her head.

"What about me? What am I supposed to do now?"

"Seems to me you have two options, rent a car or find a hotel room."

"But... but..." She pulled her sunglasses down for the first time looking over them at John. He was dumbstruck. She had the most beautiful light blue eyes that he had ever seen. "How do I get there? Where do I get a car around here? There's nothing but fucking corn fields! Wait Wait!!" she started to run down the slope to the road as the tow truck started to pull out. "Where's he going? Shit, fuck damn!" This time three distinct words. Must mean emphasis John thought. She sunk down to her knees, her shoulders slumped, "Fuck!"

She rose, turned and looked at John, her glasses now pushed up on her head, her blue eyes starting to tear. "Please, can you help me? Please? I'll pay you."

"You don't have to pay me. I'd never leave you stranded, might want to but... What's your name?"

"You really don't know?"

"No, should I? Have we met?"

"No, never mind. My name is Abby."

John stuck his hand out feeling the firmness of her slender hand. "John, John Palmer. So where were you headed? Do you want to rent a car or find a hotel room?"

"I was headed to Rehoboth for vacation. Oh Shit! My phone was in that car! My fucking Phone!" the last came out almost as a wail.

"Well, if we hurry maybe we can catch them." They watched as the tow truck headed back toward the bridge. "Let's go!"

John had to move the files off the passenger seat, giving the seat a brush, he started the truck and took off. Of course, the light was red at the turn around. "Shit-fuck-Damn!" again a multisyllabic single word.

"You say that a lot, ya know?" John said with a smile.

"Hurry, all my contacts are in that phone, I can't lose it!"

Fifteen minutes later they still hadn't caught the truck and John knew it was a lost cause. "Why don't we just give them a call?"

"I don't have my fucking phone to call them..." Just the wrong side of bitchy.

"We called them on my phone." His voice dripping with sarcasm.

He didn't really know how to respond to the anguished "fuck!" she gave him in response.

John made the call, got the address and as they pulled into the parking lot they saw her car, off loaded and waiting. Abby went into the office and came out with the same teenager. He looked at Abby like she would give him milk. She grabbed her purse, and a couple of suitcases from her car and walked back to John's truck.

"What do you want to do now? I'm heading out early tomorrow and I really have to get some rest tonight. I have to get my boat ready for tomorrow."

"Can you just take me to Rehoboth? My office will get my car tomorrow."

"That's adding a couple of hours to my trip. Is there someone you could call, that can come get you in OC? I would take you but I really don't have the time. I don't get out as often as I would like and the weather is perfect for tomorrow. I really don't want to miss the opportunity."

"There's no-one there, in Rehoboth I mean. I was trying to get some alone time. What do you mean you don't get out?"

"I'm doing some offshore fishing tomorrow."

"On a boat?"

"It'd be a long swim otherwise." John smiled at her and watched her blush. She caught the sarcasm this time. She looked at him and he thought "I'm glad I'm sitting, those eyes make my knees weak."

"Can you just take me to Ocean City? I'll figure something out there."

They got in the truck and headed back down the highway. "Alone time? You runnin' from something?"

"I'm hiding. I'm so tired. I just need some rest."

"Are you going to call someone and let them know what happened? Isn't there going to be someone worried about you?"

"I don't want them to know where I am."

John wondered who "they" were. She laid her head against the door and John turned the music up just a bit. "I hope you don't mind country. My wife turned me on to it and I found that I actually like a lot of it."

"Doesn't really matter. It's your truck." Definitely a quandary, Eyes like an angel, built like a brick shit house, mouth like a sailor, sometimes sweet, sometimes a bitch, Sometimes helpless and sometimes... well, a demanding bitch.

They rode in silence for a long time. "How long have you been married?"

"I was married for over 20 years."

"Divorced, separated?"

"Widowed." Flat completely devoid of emotion. Just the question brought back the pain. She caught the slight wince at the pain.

She said softly "I'm sorry... I... uh, I didn't know."

"No way you could have. At least I don't think so. You look familiar... have we met?"

The corners of her mouth twitched a little, almost a smile. The creases of frustration relaxed a bit for the first time since he'd met her. It made her even more beautiful. "I don't think we've met each other. How far out do you go when you fish?"

"The canyons are about 65 miles off shore. Two or three hours depending on the water."

"Isn't that scary?"

"Can be. The ocean is pretty fickle, but if the weather is right, like tomorrow, it is the most beautiful, serene experience you will ever have. Fishing, going from just marveling at the water, erupting in intense action in a split second, going back to serenity personified. Nothing better. The color of the water, when you get out about ten miles is a blue you can't find anywhere else. When you combine it with the dark blue of the sky as the sun comes up, with the oranges and reds it's just... I can't describe it. The water is black until the sun hits then then slowly melts into... turns... blue." He chuckled at his lack of descriptive words, "It's where I hide. It's where I relax. But when the ocean is pissed it reminds you just how small and insignificant you are."

"I've never been... Sounds wonderful. You make it sound so beautiful. Can I go? Do you have room?"

"You probably shouldn't ask that question until you've seen the boat. The other thing to consider is... do you get seasick? Besides I hardly know you. I didn't really think you liked me very much."

"I don't know, I've been on cruises and I didn't get sick."

John smiled and said "Then you don't know. If you get sick we won't turn around and being seasick is really miserable for a little while, being sick for ten hours really sucks. It's the unwritten rule that we don't turn around."

"I understand if you say no, but I'd really like to go."

"We'll leave the dock at 3:30 in the morning." Trying his last ditch effort to dissuade her. She really didn't seem the type to want to get up earlier than noon. "It's just me and Sam, my... I guess Brother in law. At least he was." They settled into a comfortable silence.

"Where do you stay? In a hotel? Do you think I could get a room?" She said trying to skip over the painful reminder. She didn't bring up the brother in law but She really felt like she was stepping in it every time she opened her mouth.

"I stay on the boat. There aren't any hotels in walking distance. Besides I thought your office was going to get your car."

"They can deal with it on Sunday or Monday I don't care, please, can I go?" She was unaccustomed to asking for things, let alone being this close to begging. He made it sound so serene, exactly what she needed after the past few months of filming.

"Where would you stay?"

"On the boat with you? Please? Will you show it to me? The boat, will you show it to me? I could sleep in the truck if I have to."

"It's nothing special, just a little 31 foot fishing boat surrounded by the yachts of the rest of the fleet. Yeah, I guess we can figure out what you want to do when we get back tomorrow. You can come if you really want to. You have to do exactly as I say when we're out there. Sure you don't want to tell anyone where you are?"

"Yes I'm sure. Thankyou."

The sun was setting as they pulled into the parking lot of the marina. John pulled his truck into a slot in a long line of pickup trucks, most of which had the name of a boat emblazoned across the back window. People were wandering everywhere but everyone seemed to be walking with a purpose. It was like a well choreographed dance.

"Here, put what you need in this, there isn't enough room for suit cases on the boat." John said as he handed her a small backpack. He waited for her to separate out what she needed and put her suit case in the back seat of the truck. "We're on pier E." as if she would understand.

The sounds and the smells were almost overwhelming. The size of the fish in the wheel barrow, that she had to jump out the way for, were shocking, their bodies like torpedoes, huge eyes and heads that seemed to be half their body. There was a hustle, not an urgency but a steady flow of people going from one boat to another, pushing the odd wheel barrows, scrubbing boats with plastic brooms and buckets of soapy water. There was a constant murmur of conversations heard but not understood as they passed.

She could smell the diesel exhaust, the smell of fish different than she expected, not a rancid smell like rotting fish, it was almost an earthy smell, the smell of the sea. There was a hum of electricity, the pride of a good day on the ocean, the excitement and hope of the upcoming day.

"You have to see them in the water, they're a brilliant blue and their fins, the little ones that line their spine are a bright yellow."

As they walked down the dock past the 40 and 50 foot boats John nodded his head to some, Said "hey" to others, stopped and got a couple of stories, 7 Yellowfin was the record for the day. The Captains and Mates nodded at Abby but never really spoke to her.

"This is a really tight community John. I'm glad no-one recognized me."

"I thought you said you've never been fishing before. How would they know you?"

"I haven't been fishing before, never mind..."

"Ya know, you almost say that as much as shit-fuck-damn." The blush of her cheeks made the blue of her eyes stand out even more as he smiled at her. She realized he was making fun of her. No-one ever did that, but he did... and she found she liked it... in an uncomfortable way.

John dropped his bag on the dock and began to pull on the ropes to his boat. "Step here, grab that and pull yourself over." She stood in the cockpit while he went below. A soft green light lit up the cockpit of the boat, and John came back up from below. "This is the Misty Sea, she's small, pretty fast and mine. This is where I'm most comfortable."

The below decks were breath taking. Highly polished teak decks with gold trim, a small sink with a microwave and a small stove, a table, bunk beds hanging from the ceiling at the taper at the front. The lighting subdued. "The bathroom's right here but we don't use it in port. The ladies room is at the end of the dock, the code is 0872. You can have one of the bunks if you want but I snore, and I have things to do to get ready. If you want the aft berth you're going to have to move the rods. Let me get started on the bait, then I'll give you the safety spiel. You can change while I tie bait."

Very business-like Abby thought. She couldn't figure out whether John liked her or not and for the first time in her life, that mattered. He wasn't drop dead gorgeous, like the walking mannequins she was used to, but he was rugged. A little older than she was accustomed to, but with a youthful spirit. He was confident without being arrogant. Seemed to do everything like he was on a mission or with a purpose the she couldn't figure out.

"John, is it ok that I'm here? I know I kind of forced myself on you, this seems so... I don't know, almost church like if you know what I mean. I feel like I'm imposing or something. I'm really sorry... I didn't know."

For the first time she showed a lack of confidence, a vulnerability that made her even more attractive. He looked in her eyes and said warmly, "Abby it's ok, if I didn't like you, you wouldn't be here." He reached into a cabinet and pulled a small container out. "This is Dramamine. It will help to keep you from getting sick. The trick is to take one tonight so it's in your blood stream tomorrow when we leave, then you can take a half or a whole in the morning when you wake up and you should be fine. A whole will make you sleepy during the day but will make sure you don't get sick. Take your pick. I have to prepare baits."

After changing into shorts and a T shirt, she slid out from below decks into the cock pit and John was bent over a flat spot on the side of the boat. She watched as he carefully threaded an enormous hook through a small skinny fish then pulled it tight up to a squid looking rubber tube that was brightly colored with greens and pinks. "Fish go for that?"

"Yeah, looks like food chasing food."

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"You want to learn how to rig ballyhoo? You surprise me."

"I know its gross, but yes, I would like to learn, I want to help."

"First you have to brine them which is why they're in this tray, then you have to poke out their eyes like this." He took a broken arrow and pushed it all the way through the fish. He went through the intricate process but explained it in terms she could understand as he went through it. He was instructive, not belittling, not talking down to her as if teaching her how to do this was the most natural thing in the world. The first one she did was pretty much of a disaster. John laughed, removed the hook and threw the fish over the side. He showed her how to support the fish so the head didn't break as she pushed the pencil through, removing the eyes. It took them about half an hour to finish tying the baits.