Aw, Shoot!

My boyfriend and his younger brother often go on male-bonding fishing trips. One day, in an attempt to earn a gold star from the sibling, I tagged along, fantasizing about sitting on a river bank all day, soaking up the sun, waiting for a tug on my line. Turns out the brothers are too impatient for fishing rods; they prefer to shoot their fish. With guns.

As we pulled up to the shallow part of the river, younger brother handed me a pistol. I'd never seen a real gun, let alone fired one, so as I rolled my pants up to my knees, he talked me through the basics of firearm safety. After a few badly aimed practice shots at driftwood, I was knee-deep in the river, chasing some huge fish into the reeds as little brother yelled, "That's a big one! Don't let him get away!" Finally I had it cornered. We all held our breath. I closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger. One shot, point-blank, right through the spine. When I lifted my prey out of the water, my boyfriend's brother grinned approvingly. And as I watched fish blood dribble out of the bullet hole and form a pool of red around my knees, I realized this would be the first time I'd come back from a fishing trip with a catch.

| Where Did Our Love Gogh?| Under Where?| Thank Heaven for Little Girls| Doing the Right Wrong Thing| Aw, Shoot| Submitted for Approval| Liar, Liar| All Night Long| Hello, Sailor| Sign of the Times| Queasy Rider| Tripping the Lights| Bar Fright| Circles of Love|