Bait

“Teddi, where are you going?” Lila called out the back door to her daughter, who was completely covered in mud, with an equally muddy pail in hand, and was headed toward the gate with a backpack in tow.
“Fishin’” She replied, a light in her eyes. Lila grimaced as she looked out on her back lawn – there were scattered spots all over from where the earth had been dug up in a frantic search for worms.
“Ok, be back here in an hour. Don’t bug your brother.”
“Ok!” Teddi smiled back, then ran out the gate and down the hill towards the creek. Teddi swung her pail happily as she ran down the hill. She’d never caught so many worms in all her life. Her brother and his friends sat on the big rocks that stretched out into the river with their plastic fishing rods in hand. Beside them, in a neatly formed row, lay all the fish they’d caught that day. Their sizes ranged from two to three inches, not that there were too many whole ones left to measure – boys will be boys.
“Teddi, what are you doing? This is our spot!” Erik said, eyes narrowed in frustration at his tag-along little sister. Used to this reaction, Teddi presented the bucket and it’s squirming contents.
“Holy cow! Lookit’ what my sister got, guys!” Teddi beamed as they took the pail and ooed and awed at her collection. Erik didn’t protest when Teddi then sat down and pulled out her home made rod, consisting of a stick she’d de-barked and carved her initials into, and a piece of fishing line her dad had tied to the end. She sat there happily, not talking (in case she said something wrong and they sent her home) and barely moving, watching her line for any signs of life. Suddenly there was a tug, and she yanked her line out of the water. A small minnow stared up at her, pleading with her. Teddi’s bottom lip stuck out. The poor little fish, he hadn’t done anything wrong. She pulled a fat vase she’d taken from the kitchen out of her backpack, filled it with water from the river, and dumped the minnow inside. She tied another worm around her fishing line and proceeded to catch another minnow, which also got a new home in the vase.
“Hey, quit using all the worms, Teddi!” Erik glared at her
“They’re my worms, and I’ll use as many as I want to.”
“You gave them to us, they’re ours now”
“No I didn’t!”
“Yes you did!”
“Erik!!!” The dam broke and Teddi’s tears came rushing out. She wailed and grabbed her backpack and new pets, then ran up the hill to her house. Her face became a muddy work of art as she used her dirty hands to wipe her tears away. She ran up the back steps onto the porch and deposited her rubber boots. She then ran inside, a trail of mud following her to her room.
“Oh Teddi!” Her mom sighed as she looked at the mess. She cleaned it up and then went into her daughter’s room, immediately noticing the expected tear streaks running through the mud mask on her face.
“What happened?” Lila sat down and wiped the tears from Teddi’s face, then put her arms around her six-year-old daughter.
“They took my worms!” The wailing started all over again.
“Shhhh, shhh. This is why you don’t need to tag along with them. Erik loves you, sweet heart, but he doesn’t want his little sister around wherever he goes. What if you were playing with your friends and Erik wouldn’t leave you guys alone?”
“I’d be mad”
“Yeah, so maybe remember how you’d feel if it were the other way around the next time Erik’s friends are over and just let them be. You and Erik can play anytime.”
“Ok.” Teddi sniffled, her outer lip extended.
“Don’t pout hun, your lip will stay that way if you keep sticking it out” Lila smiled as Teddi immediately pulled her lip in, biting it to hold it back.
“I caught two fish!” Teddi’s former disposition was completely overthrown by her excitement, and she beamed in victory as she presented the fish to her mom.
“Wow, look at that. Oh, sweetheart…” Lila’s heart sank as she looked at the two fish floating upside down in the vase.
“Why are they doing that mommy?”
“Well, sweetheart, the fish are supposed to live in the creek. It’s really hard for them to live anywhere else.” Lila said gently. Teddi’s brows furrowed as she stared at the minnows.
“But I used creek water.” Teddi’s eyes started to well up again.
“Fish just aren’t very good pets, sweet heart.” Lila then took the vase, and Teddi followed her into the bathroom, where they laid the fish to rest.
“Goodbye.” Teddi’s big blue eyes watched as the fish swirled into the after life, and then looked up at her mom. Lila kneeled down and hugged her daughter.
“How about some macaroni?” She smiled.
“Can I do the cheese?!” Teddi’s eyes widened and her frown broke into a grin.
“Yes, you can do the cheese.” Lila laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

T

© 2008