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Fishing Advice from Dad

The water was still on the lake, and the morning turned into afternoon as the sun warmed our shoulders. My dad hardly ever spoke to me when we fished, usually just saying a phrase or two as needed.

I had a question to ask him but thought he might pop me in the face or answer with a blank stare. We’d never had a birds and bees conversation in any shape or form, and I wasn’t looking for one, but I did want him to hear my question.

“Dad, how do you know when it’s the right girl to….well, to do more with than just kiss.?”

He was sitting in the front of the boat and his back was to me. I couldn’t imagine what facial expressions he was making or what he might say.

After an awkward silence, he said, “A time will come when you meet a girl who you could love like a sister or another family member. That’s when you need to pay attention.”

I thought that was it and breathed a sigh since I’d avoided his wrath.

Then he broke the silence again. “It’s sorta like how I feel toward your Aunt Rachel. I want her to be happy and would do anything to keep her safe. It starts like that but becomes more like it is with your mamma and me. It’s when you find yourself obsessed with one girl and her happiness, and you think no one else on earth can make her happy as you can. It’s like that when you love a girl.”

He continued after a sip from his water bottle. “You don’t have to get it right every time. I felt that way about several girls before your mamma, and that was alright. I think it’s good to taste the world as long as you’re not just jumping around to get all the girls you can and running the risk of hurting them.”

That was the most my dad ever said to me, and it made an impression. The next day, I made love to Gayle, the girl I’d felt about the way my father described. I loved her like a sister or my Aunt Rachel, but in other ways, too.

We were both virgins until that day but made love for a solid week. We were together every day. I didn’t make her pregnant but could have, and we were both afraid, so we stopped for a time after those seven days.

That’s when I learned how easy it was to place a caring and considerate, gentlemanly lust on other girls. I felt a sense of guilt when I had sex with another girl, but not guilty enough to stop, so I continued, realizing my father would be pissed if he knew.

Where I messed up was getting with a girl that thought of Gayle as a friend. She said something to Gayle, and Gayle was no more. Since there was a wide-open field of other girls to pursue, I went fishing a lot. I sometimes felt strongly toward a girl and wanted her to be happy, but I always found a way to get what I wanted, even at the risk of hurting her.

I’ve lived a different life than my father, but so far, a good life. I’ve tasted the best fruits our planet has to offer. The odd thing about this type of fruit is it seems you can never get enough. But still, I hope one day to run into the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I just didn’t want to run into her today.
Written by LostViking (Lost Viking)
Published
Author's Note
A conversation with dad leads to some unexpected outcomes.
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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