He pauses, his hand resting on the doorknob as he glances back at me over his shoulder.
“What happened to Jaxson after he went back? Do you know?” My heart pounds in sync with the question, fearing for what the answer might be.
Until a smile transforms his face, replacing the solemnity that was there moments before. “He married her, and they have a beautiful daughter now,” he reveals, pride evident in his voice. “Guess the risk he took paid off.”
The last of his words are an echo as he walks out, leaving me with the weight of the choice I need to make.
The room seems to expand, becoming larger and emptier, as if it’s holding its breath, waiting for me to fill it with my decision. My leap into the unknown.
Ellie
Eight Years Old
My bare feet dangle off the dock as I sit next to Gunnar at Gap Lake, a place we come to often when we want to fish.
I slurp at the juices of my melting popsicle I hold in one hand, while gripping my fishing pole in the other, praying I get a bite this time.
Thanks to Gunnar, fishing is something I learned to do this summer and it’s been so much fun. I haven’t caught anything yet, but I’m hoping that changes today. So far, it’s not looking too promising considering we’ve been here for almost an hour without so much as a sighting.
“I sure hope we get some action soon,” I say, searching the glacier-blue water for any kind of movement. Though, it’s hard to see much of anything through the reflection of the mountains.
“Don’t worry, we will,” Gunnar assures me. “Ryland says next to a rainy day an overcast one is the best time to catch fish.”
Mr. Ryland would know. He’s a pro at this stuff and taught Gunnar everything he knows.
“Just need to be patient is all,” he adds, giving me a half smirk.
Patience is not one of my strong suits and he knows it. “Yeah, yeah,” I grumble.
He chuckles at my sour response.
“So, are you excited to go back to school next week?” I ask, changing the subject.
He shrugs. “Not really. You?”
“A little,” I admit. “But I’m sure gonna miss hanging out with you all day.”
It’s pretty much the only reason I don’t want to go back to school. From sun up to sun down, we have been inseparable and it’s honestly been the best summer of my life.
“Me too, Elle.” He flashes me a smile that always does funny things to my heartbeat. “At least we’ll have recess and after school, right?”
“Right.” I nod, clinging to his optimism.
I’m about to ask if he wants to meet at the bike racks again for recess when I suddenly feel a hard jerk on my fishing line. The forceful yank is so startling it causes me to drop my mostly-eaten popsicle into the lake.
A gasp flees my lips as I jump to my feet. “I got one,” I cry. “I got one, Gunnar.”
“All right, Ellie!” he cheers, knowing how long I’ve been waiting for this. “Quick, crank the reel.”
I do as he says, but find myself struggling against the forceful pull, so much so that I stumble forward.
“Holy smokes, it’s a heavy sucker.” I laugh.
“Hold on.” Gunnar quickly sets his fishing rod aside and gets up to help me.
Between the two of us we manage to get it up out of the water.
“Holy crap, it is a big one!” Gunnar exclaims, his eyes wide with surprise. “Here, watch out.”
I scramble out of the way as he hoists the wriggling fish over the dock. Once he lays it down on the wooden planks, I kneel on the other side, watching as he goes to remove the hook from its mouth.
“Be careful,” I caution gently.
One of the reasons we come to Gap Lake is because it’s all catch and release. I told Gunnar right from the start that I never wanted to hurt a fish.
“Don’t worry, he’s okay,” Gunnar reassures me. After carefully extracting the bait, he presents the fish to me with a proud grin. “Wanna hold it?”
Excitement radiates through my entire being. “You bet I do!” I take the slippery fish and yelp when it almost slips from my grasp.
“Hold on tight.” Gunnar chuckles, steadying my hands.
With a firmer grip, I turn the squirming fish to face me and feel it calm down as I gaze into its golden-yellow eyes.
“Well, hey there, Mr. Fish,” I greet in a soothing voice. “Thanks for being my first catch.”
“Mr. Fish?” Gunnar questions, sounding more than amused.
