The Phoenix ~Louis Tomlinson

Chapter 24

Anna and I decided to pass the morning by joining our father on the boat for a bit of fishing. The sun beamed down all around us, burning away the morning fog that hung lazily above the dewy grass. We packed the fishing gear and I uncoiled the rope from the dock. The small wooden boat, which had been in the family for years, slipped silently away from the shallows.

The breeze tickled our faces as we headed for my father's go-to fishing spot. Anna dropped the small anchor when we got to our designated spot. We baited our hooks, cast our lines, and hoped for the best.

"Remember when dad caught the lake monster?" Anna broke the silence with a laugh.

"You mean that giant wad of algae?" I joked.

"If I remember correctly, it was an eight pound bass," my father replied.

"It was just luck that the fish was tangled up in the algae," Anna laughed.

We joked around, reminiscing past summers at the lake. Our laughter scared away any potential fish we may have caught, but we didn't mind.

"I miss your mother being here with us," my father commented, suddenly. His distant gaze held onto memories from years ago when the four of us spent the full summer together in our lakeside home.

Anna and I grew silent, unsure of how to respond. I missed those summers just as much as my father did. Our family felt whole back then, and after a day on the lake fishing, our mother would have a meal ready for us. She'd spend her time casually reading on the deck, calm and patient when we'd return from adventures dirty and rambunctious.

"As long as she's happy, I'm happy," my father added. He smiled and reeled in an empty line.

"You'll catch a keeper someday, dad," Anna smiled. Whether she was talking about a fish or someone to share his life with, I'll never know.

He laughed, "you're right, Anna. But it's about lunch time so I guess we should head back."

"And Val here has a hot date with Lou!" Anna added with a cool splash of water.

"Hey! You'll mess up my hair if you keep splashing!" I joked, pretending to groom the frizzy mess, "this humidity is bad enough!"

When we got back to the house, there was a note taped to the door.

"Oh, who's that from?" Anna inquired.

"Only one way to find out," I opened the note. "It's from Louis."

Anna's eyebrow shot up, "oh? And what does it say?"

"It says, 'none of your business'," I joked. I cleared my throat.

"Valerie,
I hope you're ready for our adventure today! I look forward to it and I hope you like what I've got planned.
Yours Truly, Louis"

"How nice of him to stop by again and remind you that you've got plans," Anna said, jokingly.

"I nearly forgot," I added with a laugh.

When our father had cleaned off the boat, we decided to have lunch on the deck. We ate sandwiches and drank lemonade as the waves and the breeze rocked us back and forth.

"It's been a while since we've eaten on the boat, and it feels like this summer has flown by," my father remarked.

Today was the day to feel sentimental, and I couldn't help but feel a knot form in my throat. The last time we had eaten on the boat was our last sunset cruise of the summer before the divorce. As a family. Somehow, I had gone all summer without feeling as if something was missing.

"Mom could always make a good lake sandwich," Anna said, trying to lighten the mood.

We all laughed, clearing our throats and minds. But I could tell that my father's heart was broken.

"I'm glad you girls could join me this summer. I know how busy you two can be. It means a lot that I could spend a couple months with the two of you." My father picked at the crust on his sandwich, throwing small pieces into the water for the fish.

"I wouldn't miss a summer at the lake for the world, pops," I said, patting my father on the back.

"Me either. What would I do without sunburns and bug bites?" Anna added.

My father laughed, "the fireworks are tomorrow and I'm glad I don't have to watch them alone."

Fireworks. The Fourth of July. My time at the lake was coming to an end faster than I realized.