Mark smiled down at his daughter as they stepped into the local bait and tackle shop. He was dressed for the day, a pair of torn and faded formerly black jeans and a long sleeved flannel shirt. Beneath he wore a fishing tee shirt baring a bikini-clad model with a bass. His wide brimmed hat was covered in various different lures and bobbers looking more funny than professional as he started walking slowly down the aisles. "First thing we gotta do honey is get us the right bait. You won't catch nothing if you don't use the right bait." He was a huge man, six and a half feet tall with the quiet power that whispered of his days as a football linebacker. "I think we're gonna go fishing for some blue gill, that's a nice fish to start out a lil' lady on." He smiled and mussed her hair playfully.
She would have returned the favor but her father was over a foot taller than she was, not to mention his receding hair was too short really muss. Lila was pretty certain that he didn't even have to comb it any more; he just woke up and ran his hand over the top of it. It didn't really matter to her though, not out in the middle of nowhere. They were dressed almost alike though with Lila clad in a pair of shorts ending just above her knees and one of her father's flannel shirts that hung down beneath her ass. "Why are we fishing?" She pouted turning her soft brown eyes up at him.
"Because you agreed to spend a little time with me before you went off to college." He replied pushing a stray strand of brown hair from his daughter's forehead before planting a gentle kiss on her brow. "I've always wanted to take my baby fishing with me and this might be the last chance I get." Walking up to one of the refrigerators he opened it and pulled out a small white container. "Got what I was looking for." Lila narrowed her eyes and rose up onto the tips of her red Converse high tops to look into the container as her father popped it open.
Inside the container was nothing but loose sawdust. "What-" Mark put his finger in and started stirring the dust around until he found one of the yellowish striped mealworms and held it up for her. Tentatively Lila reached out a finger and touched the creature before recoiling away. "It's cold. Thought you said we would use live bait?"
"Oh don't worry Lila it's alive. The little bugger's just cold. He'll start moving when he warms up a little." Almost on cue the insect started to wriggle all six of its tiny legs slowly pumping and searching for something solid. Eventually it found Mark's thumb and started pulling free of his grasp. "We'll get one container of these ones and one of the giant mealworms." The one on his finger was maybe an inch long and slender. He reached into the refrigerator a second time and produced a second container pulling out a second bug. This one was monstrous almost and inch and a half and chubby. Almost immediately it started wriggling in his grasp before he put both of them back.
"Daddy, I'm hungry." Lila whined. The very first rays of light were finally starting to stream in through the glass storefront. Lila looked down at her watch, it was almost six in the morning.
"I know. I'm hungry too. Look after we finish here we'll go get breakfast. There was a nice little restaurant about a mile back." He turned and walked to the counter setting his items down. "Mornin."
The man behind the counter had to be at least in his mid-sixties just by the look of him. It didn't help that he'd let his snow-white beard grow nearly two full inches beneath his chin. "Mornin, gonna be a good day for fishin."
"I hope so, you know any good spots?" Mark asked. Behind him his daughter was impatiently tapping her fingers against her toned thigh. She always hated how her father had to strike up a conversation with each and every person he came across.
The man noticed her though quickly glancing her over. "You should try the far side of the lake. There is an old pier that sank, fish always biting round that place." He rang both of the items into his register. "Who's the little lady you got with you?"
"That's my pride and joy, Lila. She's going off to college next week, moving to Philadelphia." Mark boasted his chest swelling when he spoke of his daughter.
"Wow. Congratulations to both of you. I know I would let such a pretty girl out of my sight, certainly not out of my city. But that's just me." Dropping both containers into a bag he looked back. "That'll be three forty three."
Mark blanked out for a moment glancing back at his daughter. He'd known for a long time that she was pretty, extraordinary actually. It hadn't gone unnoticed when she'd started to become a woman and all the games they'd shared suddenly came to a stop. You'd get the wrong idea if a father tucked his sixteen, seventeen, eighteen-year-old daughter into bed or if he playfully swatted her rump. He missed bouncing her on his knee but that had come to a screaming halt when more than her curls were bouncing. It wasn't that he didn't notice the boys staring at his daughter. It was that hearing it from a man old enough to be his father that it struck home.
"Sir that will be three forty three."
Mark shook his head and pulled a five from his wallet. "Keep the change, the advice is worth it." He muttered gripping his bag and shuffling out of the store with Lila behind him.
"He was so totally checking me out." Lila gasped as soon as they were out of the store and climbing into the car.
"Huh?"
"Oh don't pretend you didn't notice dad. That old man was almost leering!" She giggled. "I'm young enough to be his granddaughter." Mark was gripping the steering wheel now his knuckles slowly turning red and then white. "Daddy, calm down its ok. He was only looking, it's kinda gross but its ok." Slowly his grip relaxed and he started driving.
Minutes later the two of them were seated in side the Catch of the Day, the local eatery being waiting for their breakfasts to arrive. Lila slid herself as far into the booth as she could manage suddenly aware of how many eyes were watching her. "Daddy, they're all staring at me." She whispered leaning forward.
"I know." He replied. "We can leave if you want but I don't know where the next place to eat is."
It only took Lila's stomach a second to reply to that option. With a loud and almost painful grumble it decided that she could stay here and endure any stares from anybody. "We can stay daddy, I'm really hungry." Mark waited a moment watching her eyes but when she held his gaze and nodded he relaxed back into his seat.
"Ok." As soon as he finished speaking the waitress, an overweight redhead with way too much make up on, set a plate of eggs, sausage and pancakes in front of both of them.
"If you two need anything just give a holler and I'll come kay?" She smiled sweetly.