parents

i called them for our weekly update, and instead of moping about at home now that the kids have flown the nest, they were out fishing. "call you back," they said, as i let out an incredulous, "but it's 8pm your time!".

the next day they stayed home for my call. they had caught 30 fish the night before, they said, but at the last minute, the knot my father had tied in the fishing net snapped, and their day's catch disappeared into the black lake bottom. they came home at midnight with three small fish that their fellow fishermen gave them out of sympathy. i could hear my mom's small cries of dismay in my head, the quiet bit of heartbreak that was quickly buried in the 25 year bond of marriage, like a shard of glass in a large cotton ball.

the next day i used their credit card to buy some books online. my bank account was suffering, i reasoned, and they owed me an upcoming birthday gift. i emailed them to warn of the credit card charge, and received the following in response:

"We are very happy that you can find a gift for you. We went fishing last night, your mom was very lucky, she caught 6 large bass (14 inches and 15 inches) and crappie, and I caught one large crappie, We also caught a lot of small fishes. We had a lot of funs."