Henry (473 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.33 on 5 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by chuck butkauskas <chuckb1.at.consolidated.net> (View user info) at 2004-12-16 15:48:54 EST
Have you ever met someone who made a huge impact on your life? Not one you noticed at the time, but memories that would haunt your thoughts in the years, even decades, to come.
I still remember like it was just yesterday, even through the fog of thirty-some odd years of trying to kill off as many brain cells as possible. It was a warm spring day just like any other, a fair haired skinny little eight year old impatiently prodding his mother " come on Mom, are you ready to take me yet ?" This was a ritual she had grown quite accustomed to over the past couple summers. You see , I wasn't just any kid, I had discovered the thrill of fishing, and I was, in my mind, a master of the art!
The worn Zebco 202s and the prized 33 I had gotten for my birthday were already loaded in Moms car;
Along with my box, stringer, and bucket of worms ( nightcrawlers to us) that I had managed to grab last evening. It was the same story every morning since summer break had started. Mom would drop me off at a small local lake, wish me luck, and come to pick me up at dusk. I still to this day don't remember why I didn't have any friends? Maybe it was the fact that I was always sick with asthma, or that I just stayed to myself. It didn't matter much at the time, it was all I needed, me, against the unknown monsters that lurked in the depths of that little lake.
Back to the story at hand, Mom had dropped me off and I was doing my daily routine of scouting the shoreline for the best possible spot, when I heard a car coming down the lane that led to my lake. It was an old green clunker," that's one of those silly little things that sticks in my mind" , that pulled up that June morning. I saw an older woman, kind of frumpy, get out and go to the trunk. She began unloading an assortment of gear," nothing fancy as I recall", and then a strange looking contraption with wheels? What is that thing? I wondered to myself as she set it on the rock lane. To my amazement, with the dexterity that could only come from years of practice, she deftly unfolded the contraption into a chair with wheels! I was in awe as she pushed it over to the passenger side of the car. She opened the door and lifted a man, an ancient old fella not much bigger than I, out of the car in into the amazing chair. I watched in wonder as she handed his rods to him on one side and his old metal tackle box on the other. The woman then rolled him down to the waters edge like she probably had a thousand times before.That is how I came to meet Henry, the old man who had forgotten more about fishing than I could possibly ever learn. We became great friends, Henry and I, and every day I would wait in anticipation of his arrival. I became his personal aide and he became my mentor. Henry was filled with a love and knowledge of catfishing that can only be described as pure genius. I wish I could remember every tidbit of information that flowed from that great mind, not that he spoke much, just enough to leave me yearning for more. "See them little bluegill boy" "catch us a few" he would say. Then he would show, no that's wrong, teach me how to slice their sides, so they would bleed, and squash em a little with my sneaker. As the days passed Henry taught me many things, how to set my drag, tie a good knot, and all the other important little things. Yes we caught fish, almost every day, some big, some small, but it didn't matter. We shared the love of catfishing in all its glory! Some days we would sit through rain, sometimes it was 105 in the shade, but it didn't matter. Its funny, I don't remember anyone else ever being at our lake, just me, Henry , and the fish.
Then one day it happened. All the rods were out, some with foul smelling cheesebait, some with gills, maybe even one with a fat nightcrawler, when WAM! One of Henrys rods rushed towards the waters edge! I immediately pounced on it (amazing how fast an eight year old can move ) and handed it to Henry. " it's a good one boy " he exclaimed. " Cmere boy and bring him in " as he handed the rod back in my shaking hands. "Hold the rod up boy, watch ur drag " the words echo in my mind over 30 years later.
I didn't get the fish, we never even saw him. He was just too much for an eight year old and 10 # test line. But it doesn't matter, it didn't then either. We knew he was out there, that monster lurking in the depths. So the days and the weeks passed. Henry and I with heavier line and a renewed fire in our eyes. Every day we just knew we would get him!
It never happened. One day Henry didn't show up, nor the next.(I heard he was sick) After a week or so it was back to school for me, with a part of me missing. You know I don't think I ever saw Henry again, but to this day he haunts my thoughts. A legend, if only in my mind, maybe nothing more than an ordinary old man. But to me Henry was a great guru who helped instill knowledge, pride, ethics and sportsmanship in a young mind. Something that can never be taken away just passed from generation to generation.
And as for the monster lurking in the lake, I will get him some day , me or one of my children. If not, oh well, it doesn't matter, we will have fun trying and Henry will be right there by our side.
User Reviews
Submitted by houseman (user info) at 2004-12-16 16:16:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Do you really think I sould resubmit Tiger?
Submitted by AwesomeJohnson (user info) at 2004-12-16 15:59:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
fishing story = auto +2
He was just too much for an eight year old and 10 # test line - HOLY crap. I've brought in 24in+ pike on 4lb, so I can only imagine the size of that thing!
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2004-12-16 15:54:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
that was really good.
i used to fish like that with my grandfather at the trout pond in wrentham.
Submitted by houseman (user info) at 2004-12-16 15:51:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Well that didn't work too good. Sorry for the Lack of indentation people but I
guess I need to learn how to post properly on uber.
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2004-12-16 15:49:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Add paragraphs and re-submit.