Shadow of Resistance

Chapter Seven

Today is Easter Monday so the schools are off. Youssef invited me to a fishing trip with his dad. His dad owns a boat and he is its captain. He has a crew that goes fishing with him and today me and Youssef will be part of this crew.

I went to meet Youssef and his father at the sea port. I arrive before them so I sit on the edge to wait for them. I keep watching the beautiful sea, hear the sound of water hitting the rocks, and inhaling deeply while the salty sea breeze fills my lungs. The scent of the sea that is carrying the freshness of the open water is really calming and relaxing. I take some pictures and send them to Sarah.

I hear Youssef shouting my name. I look back and see him waving and pointing to their boat. While I am walking towards the boat, it suddenly hits me. What if I suffer from seasickness? I mean yeah I swim in the sea several times every year, but this is my first time to be on a boat. I am starting to get a bit worried especially when I see the boat floating and swinging in the sea.

I hold the boat's gunwale with both of my hands and put a leg after the other on the boat slowly. I give Youssef a side-eye when I hear him laughing.

"Just hop in." He says "look at me" He jumps in front of me. This actually makes me feel more comfortable and move more freely in the boat.

The crew starts coming one after the other and they start checking the fuel and the nets. They search the nets for any cuts or openings that small fish can escape from and if they find any they repair it using the needles and the strings. Me and Youssef are not doing anything, we are just watching them.

His father comes, stands beside me and starts talking, directing his words to me. I guess that is because he has said that to Youssef like a million times before.

"These cuts usually happen due to two reasons," He says "The first is that the occupation damages the nets when the boat comes near to 6 miles away from shore. In the beginning the boats were allowed to go as far as Egyptian Port Said which is 180km , then decreased to 37 km, until the limit reached 6 miles only which is very low. The second reason is dolphins trying to steal from the nets."

Now the nets are ready and we start sailing. Me, Youssef and his father are standing on the edge of the boat, so clearly I don't suffer from seasickness. His father tells us that they usually launch at night, but they launched today at day for us. He keeps telling us scary stories that he lived in the sea. I love how much he is hospitable and friendly.

When we reach near the sixth mile, he guides us to the cabin. He points to a small square screen and says "Look here we can see the depth underneath us, the stones, and these many red dots are the fish. This tells us when to throw the net and I think it is time. Follow me."

He goes out of the cabin and yells "THROW THE NETS". The crew immediately holds the nets and throws them into the sea. He looks back to us after he made sure the nets are thrown and says "Now we wait, do whatever you want. swim , play, whatever"

"Let's swim" Youssef says with enthusiasm. I know I said that I swim a lot, but when I look around, all I can see is the sea. I feel scared. "I don't think this is a good idea. Let's take some pictures instead." I say, trying to look cool.

Youssef nods with disappointment.

After several hours, we hear his father shouting "Everyone assemble."

All of the crew runs and stands in two lines and holds the robes. We stand at the end of the right line and at the shout of "PULL" from his father, we all pull the ropes together. We repeat the action, pulling in unison, until the nets are out and small fish start flopping onto the boat, creating a beautiful, lively scene. They start sorting them according to their size and type and then placing them in ice.

We return to the port and they carry the fish to the stores. His father chooses some fish and gives them to a restaurant near the port to cook for us. I eat and I am not exaggerating, but this is the best seafood I have ever tasted, it was so fresh and delicious.