The Catch of a Lifetime

Part 4

Lisa's POV

The first pale rays of dawn were just peeking over the horizon when I awoke, blinking against the light filtering through the weathered window slats. A deep breath filled my lungs with the familiar briny scent of the ever-present sea breezes wafting in.

Mornings were my favorite part of the day - there was something so peaceful and full of possibility in those quiet hours before the rest of the village roused itself. Slipping from my cot, I quickly dressed in a well-worn t-shirt and jersey shorts before padding out to our tiny kitchen.

A battered coffee pot already sat on the battered camp stove, filled with fresh water and coffee grounds ready to brew up a strong batch of joe. As the gurgling sounds and rich aromas began to fill the cabin, I moved over to the sit and surveyed the various tools and supplies I'd need to gather: hand lines, hooks, weights, bait knives, the old creel my father had woven together decades ago.

It was Saturday - my big fishing day to try and stock up enough to carry my needs through the coming week. BamBam and Jungkook would be joining me again as usual, the three of us working our family's humble claims along the nearby reefs and shoals.

With the hot coffee poured and equipment readied, I settled onto the stool and allowed my mind to wander back to the photo project Mrs. Reyes had assigned us a couple days prior. Despite having chatted about it at length with my friends, I still felt so utterly devoid of inspiration or direction for what I would actually do.

Paying tribute to the daily fishing rituals that had sustained me from birth could be an interesting  angle, I mused, sipping the rich brew. But how to encapsulate both the punishing rigors and meditative peacefulness of that cycles in an impactful way? I worried my lower lip, wishing not for the first time that I had access to better photography equipment to do the subject matter justice.

A trill from my old mobile tucked in my pocket signaled an incoming text, jarring me from my introspective funk. It was a message from BamBam letting me know he and Jungkook were headed towards the shoreline to gather up the hand lines and bait supplies.

Downing the last of my coffee, I grabbed my gear and hustled out into the dewy morning chill, pulling a faded hoodie over my shoulders for warmth. The sun had crested the horizon properly by the time I arrived at our usual meeting spot along the beach.

"Look who finally decided to show her face!" Jungkook greeted me with a toothy grin from where he was stretching out a coiled rope.

"Yeah, figured we'd have to leave without ya and let the Two Sisters have your share of the haul," BamBam joked, referencing the twin rocky outcrops from which we did the bulk of our fishing.

I stuck out my tongue at the pair of them as I dropped my own collection of rods and tackle onto the salt-bleached sand. Seating myself on an upturned milk crate, I grabbed a fist-sized chunk of salt pork and my bait knife to begin slicing up lures.

"As if you chowderheads could manage without my superior skills and knowledge," I shot back. Jungkook responded by lobbing a gooey mass of oily baitfish guts at me, which I avoided with practiced ease.

From there, the three of us fell into our usual productive rhythm of preparing equipment, re-baiting hooks, unwinding tangled lines from the prior day's usage. As we worked, our easy camaraderie flowed with jokes and playful verbal jousting.

"So Nalalisa, you figure out how you're gonna do that big photo project yet?" BamBam asked around the fishing line clenched between his teeth as he worked out a stubborn knot. "Seems like the perfect excuse to make us all look good."

I snorted, lobbing a bit of bait casing towards him halfheartedly. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to get your best side for once."

"Oooh, she's feisty this morning!" Jungkook crowed in amusement. "Think she's just anxious to have us all to herself out there on the open water again."