Tearing Apart

RIVER

Gus´s alarm woke them up at five in the morning and she instantly regretted having so many beers the night before. He rose, fresh as a cucumber, ushering her to the bathroom and scrubbing her up and down while singing Jailhouse Rock at the top of his lungs, making her smile like a fool.

She put some jeans, a shirt and a jacket on and he threw a baseball cap over her head, grabbing another one for himself- There… better- he said, kissing her lips.

When they got out of his room, his parents were already at the kitchen table having breakfast. They joined them for a quick meal consisting of toast and coffee, while they all chatted briefly.

-We´re going fishing, ma- he announced- grabbing Ally´s hand, making her stand up to follow him and shoving her through the front door- see you later!

-Ok honey!- his mom shouted back- don’t forget to wear some sunscreen!

He got her in the truck and let Ziggy climb inside with her, then he returned to the house´s garage and came back a few moments later carrying an acoustic guitar, which he shoved behind his seat, a pair of fishing rods and a bunch of other stuff. He put everything in the back of his truck, making sure to include his cooler and some snacks.

By five thirty they were already on the road and it didn´t take them long to arrive at a very small rural road that led them to the river. It was still dark when they reached the shore, but Ally could see the lights of three other trucks parked ahead.

Gus pulled over by them and they jumped off, followed by Ziggy. Ally went to help him with all the gear and he handed her a few of the smallest things, including the bag of snacks, keeping the heaviest stuff to carry himself. Ally headed to the dock, where she spotted a large boat, Gus´s friends already packing their things on it.

They got everything on board pretty quickly and soon left the shore behind, pushing farther into the creek. Ally learned that it was Marlon´s boat they were sailing on and admired the dark waters below them as they reached a quiet spot in the middle of the wide river.

Gus made her sit between his legs, patiently showing her how to put the bait on the hook and teaching her how to cast the fishing rod.

-That´s it, princess- he smiled pecking her cheek once she was settled with her line properly placed in the water- now we wait.

He passed her a beer and sat by her side holding his own fishing pole sipping quietly. Ally watched the rest of his friends do the same, all of them staring at the horizon absentmindedly in silence. After a while she felt a little tug on her fishing line and she yelped.

-Yeah baby! You´ve got one!- Gus exclaimed, handing his rod to Phil and helping her to slowly reel it back.

She awed in surprise when she saw the fish finally emerging from the water.

-It´s a bass, princess… and a big one!- he said, tossing it on a huge empty cooler, laughing melodiously- watch out folks, my girl´s got the first catch of the day, she´s gonna kick our asses alright!

-That was just beginner´s luck- Kelly joked, playfully smiling at him.

-We´ll see- he chuckled, turning to Ally and kissing her deeply.

They sat for another good hour and a half, munching on beef jerky and downing beers. By the time the sun started rising Ally had already caught two more, both smaller than her first one. Gus helping her every time and cheering for her.

He caught five himself, ending in the winning position, followed by Phil who got four. Ally held an honorable third place and couldn´t be happier, paired with Nathan, who also caught three. Marlon and Kelly caught two each one and Dee was just able to catch a small one.

-It´s not fair!- Dee pouted playfully at Ally- You´ve got yourself the best coach! This one over here won´t teach me a thing to save his own life- she complained, glaring at Nathan.

-I taught you how to shoot, woman- He replied, chuckling and pulling her close while he kissed her- and that might as well be the end of me one day, so stop whining.

They all laughed and Marlon cruised them back to the dock. They got off the boat and Phil lost no time getting some folding chairs and a table from the back of his truck.

The air was chilly, but the sun was still burning bright. Gus rubbed some sunscreen on her face and exposed limbs and then she helped him put on some too.

Nathan had brought his grill and they spent the rest of the day cooking the fish they´d caught after Gus and Phil gutted and cleaned them, all of them laughing and drinking beer.

When the sun went down they started a bonfire and they all gathered around it. Gus went to get his guitar from the cab of his truck and he sat by the fire, his hands grazing the strings.

Ally watched him mesmerized as he sang “The man comes around”, “Redemption Day”, “One” and “Ain´t no grave”. His clear deep voice echoing in the night, rumbling in her chest and making her shiver.

They all joined him eagerly as he changed the mood to tunes like “Folsom Prison Blues” Take it easy” and “Hound Dog”.

After a long time singing and chugging beers, they finally packed everything up again and said their goodbyes.

Ally embraced everyone, feeling a little down. She knew they would be going back to the city the next day and it made her sad.

-It´s ok- Kelly whispered in her ear- I´ve got the feeling that we´ll be seeing plenty of you in the future.

-I´m gonna miss you all- Ally replied sadly and they all pulled her into a big group hug.

They drove back in silence, with Ziggy resting by their side. Ally cherishing her new memories, storing them all in her mind.