The Last Fishing Trip

Tom eased the small outboard engine into the boot of the car, and carefully laid the

fuel container beside it. He checked his watch and shut the door. He walked around

the house to the back garden. His two kids Jack and Mia were playing with a ball and

his wife Tina was sitting at the table on the patio, finishing her cup of tea.

“There’s another cup in the pot if you want it”, she said turning from watching the

kids to look at him.

“No thanks, I think I'll get going” he said, sitting down opposite his wife.

“Is he expecting you?” she asked, “did you call him?”

“No, I told him last week I'd be over this evening. He'll be waiting for me. I'll just slip

out, no point in exciting those two any further”. He rose, kissed his wife goodbye and

left.


Tom loved the simpliciy of fishing for mackerel. He had never learned how to fish 

with a rod. The first evening Patsy brought him out on the bay he wondered how he

would catch fish with a hand held grip, with nothing on the line only a weight and 5

hooks tied to coloured feathers. He thought Patsy might be playing a joke on him

when he told him to lower it into the water. The weight was heavier than he imagined

and took the hooks and feathers deep into the water. Life suddenly shot through his

hand. “Pull them up pull them up” Patsy said as Tom started to pull the line now full

of life back up. Three gleaming wriggling black and silver fish were attached to the

feathered hooks. He landed them into the small boat where they fought their last fight

on its floor. Patsy picked them upand bashed their heads of the side of the boat. Tom

beamed, delighted. “Go again, go again”, Patsy urged as soon as he had the fish taken

from the hooks. Tom caught 16 mackerel that night.





Patsy stood at the door of his small cottage as Tom stopped outside, turned off the car

and stepped out.

“Lovely evening Patsy”.

“Grand, grand come on in.”

Tom followed Patsy into the cottage. He wondered why Patsy had invited him in as he

usually couldn’t wait to get going. The book with the tide tables was open and lay on

the otherwise bare cloth covered table. Both men sat down either side of the small table.

Well Patsy how are you keeping? “

Musha I’m doing grand, but I’m hanging up me boots.

The clock over the fireplace ticked as Tom absorbed the words, and their meaning.

The silence that followed was eventually broken by Tom.

It’d be a shame to waste a grand evening Patsy.

Toms heart went out to the old man. He had thought about this

moment many times. What would be said and who would say it. As if sensing the

silent male drama unfolding within the house, one of Patsys hens stood at the

doorway her head moving in silent enquiry.

It’s a grand evening for it, Tom said.

It is that surely Tom. I might chance it once more. I have the makings of the coleslaw

in the fridge.

Do Patsy, we’ll take her handy. They stood up and left the cottage. Patsys dog, Sam

was waiting at the side of the car with his tail wagging. Tom opened the boot and he

hopped straight in. 

Twenty minutes later they were at the quay. The boat lay on the almost in tide and

they pulled it over to the steps. Tom was nervous watching Patsy get in slowly and

carefully. He passed him the outboard and fuel tank and stepped in after him. Sam had

taken up his sentry position at the bow and barked and was happy.

They headed out the bay, their engine noise blending with the summers evening. No

words were spoken between them until they got to within sight of the lighthouse and

had to decide whether to fish before it or past it. Tom lowered the speed and the boat

rose and fell in the swell.

Will we stay this side of it Patsy?

Aye, said Patsy, the usual spot just this side of it. Tom sped up and steered the boat

carefully as it crossed the waves, rocking gently from side to side. They reached the

calmer waters of the inlet, which was sheltered by a curve of land which ended at the

lighthouse. Tom switched off the engine and they began to drift in the sun sparkled

water.

It was twenty minutes before they landed their first one. It was a decent sized fish. not

too big and not too small, just enough to feed one person. We just need one more said

Patsy. They never spoke much in the boat. Tom took his guide from Patsy on what to

say just as much as on what to do with the boat. Tom enjoyed the freedom of not

having to make conversation. It seemed that any opinion on anything except on how

to handle the boat and find some fish was complete hot air out here.

They had put on their warm jackets and were about to head in when they caught the

second fish.

One each said Patsy.

Tom was glad. He looked forward to the ritual of frying the fish at Patsys house and

helping the old man make some fresh coleslaw to have with it. He started the engine

as soon as he had wound in the line, and put a cork on each of its hooks before placing

the lot in the box.

Slim pickings tonight Patsy.

We have enough thank god replied the older man.

They turned so their backs were to the setting sun and in 30 minutes they were tying up at the dock.

When they got back to the cottage Patsy went straight into his small kitchen, washed

his hands, placed a frying pan on the biggest ring of his electric cooker and took out

a half of a white cabbage from the fridge. Tom went out to the shed and returned with

a couple of carrots and a small onion he had found there and waited until Patsy had

finished washing the mackerel and started to wash and peel the carrots. Patsy put the

mackerel onto a clean towel and dried them off, before slitting them diagonally and

rubbing salt into their skin. I have some lemons in the car said Tom and he went to get

them as Patsy placed the fish gently into the hot pan where the oil fizzed and crackled.

Patsy sliced the cabbage as thinly as he could and placed it in a big bowl. Tom grated

the two carrots in on top and then Patsy added some thin slivers of onion and some

salt and pepper. He went to the fridge and took out a jar of Hellmans mayonnaise and

spooned that into the bowl. He mixed everything together and after he turned the fish

which had turned to gold. He squeezed some lemon onto the browned side of the fish.

They ate in silence. Tom thought it was one of the most delicious things in the world .

Patsy threw some pieces of his fish to Sam, who sat to his side looking into his face

the whole time.