The New House

“Oh quit worrying. If fish had feet, they’d be mice.”

A NEW HOUSE

It was a beautiful day out and Sam thought we should go fishing. Now I like to fish as well as anyone but Sam said we’d be gone for only a little while. “But, Sam,” I said, “You promised to take me into town so I could buy a few things.”

Well, Sam turned around and said, “Oh, quit worrying. If fish had feet, they’d be mice,” and he turned and went outside.

Sam was throwing things into the truck and I was afraid he was going to break something, so I hurried out just as Sam was going to throw our poles into the rear of the pickup. I grabbed his arm and told him to hold off a minute, “You know you shouldn’t be throwing things around like that. It will only make your blood pressure worse.”

I kissed him and that seemed to do everything I had wanted it to. “Okay. We'll go to town and then be back in an hour to go fishing,” he said.

I remembered what his kisses did to me so I hurried and got my fishing hat. He laid the rods in the pickup and before he turned around, I was ready to go fishing. “All ready,” I said as he looked at me with a strange look in his eyes.

“What do you mean, all ready,” he asked. “I thought we were going to town first to get the things you wanted?”

“Now look. I only meant it as a joke. My stuff can wait until tomorrow. Now we’ll go fishing and get a nice mess for supper. Okay?” I asked.

“Are you sure you want to go fishing today? You were pretty uppity before, when you said you had to go into town. We can fish tomorrow,” he said.

“Gee, Sam, I only wanted you to remember that I had to go to town and tomorrow will be just as good as today. Now let’s go fishing,” I said.

Sam looked like he didn’t know if he should be happy or not, but that crazy grin on my face told him he better go fishing. He grabbed me around the waist and cried, “Whoopee. We go fishing!”

His kiss was something else to be desired but I could wait until tonight. Then I’d get him good. He helped me into the pickup, then walked around and got in. He looked at me and asked, “Are you sure it’s alright to go fishing today?”

I said, “Of course it’s fine to go fishing today. Let’s go.”

We drove out to the old lake where there usually isn’t anybody fishing, and as we turn the last bend, Sam says, “Well, I’ll be darned, looks like they are having a party out here. I’ll just make a u-turn and we’ll go to town.”

But before he can make the u-turn, one man stands up and before he knows what is happening, Sam is pulled from the truck and so am I. The man says, “You were going fishing today, weren’t you? Well, I’m not too sure, but we’ll see.”

He marched us to the camp where there is a nice fire going and everyone is hollering at us to sit down and enjoy the meal they are preparing. We’re not to sure we want to eat but the big guy slaps a fried fish on plates for Sam and myself. Then he takes one and says, “Come on guys, eat. This is really good,” and he digs in for all its worth.

We eat and then don’t know what to do because as suddenly as the cars appeared, they disappeared just as quickly, with everyone hollering their goodbyes. We sat there for awhile thinking about what had just occurred and Sam said, “Say, where did I leave our equipment? I’ll bet that is what they did, they stole our fishing equipment. Come on, let’s go look.”

We jumped up from the table we were sitting and Sam saod, “I’ll race you!” He started running.

I hollered, “No fair,” but that didn’t stop him.

When we got to the truck, we were both out of breath and bent over. We have never parked this far away before.

Before I know it, Sam is walking around the truck and finally says, “Well, I’ll be. You know there isn’t another tire track around here?’

I looked around and said, “Gosh, Sam. I am still full from eating that delicious fish supper. Don’t tell me we didn’t even have company here?”

He looked at me in amazement and said, “No, Jill, honestly. Look, there are no tire tracks coming out of there and they were parked way up by the tables. Come on, I’ll drive up and we’ll look.”

As he got in the truck, his eyes caught a flash of movement in the back. He turned around in the seat and looked in the back of the truck. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said as he got out of the truck and picked up a tarp that lay in the back.

He was dumbstruck and then he said, “How do you suppose all these fish got in our truck?”

I got out of the truck and stood looking at all those fish, just sort of swimming around in the back end of the truck. “How on earth did they ever get in here?” I said.

“Well, we sort of have a very full afternoons work here, cleaning fish, don’t we?” he asked.

I gulped and shook my head, wondering what else could go wrong, or right, depending on how you looked at it. I carefully put my hands in my jacket pockets and when I pulled them out, they were full of money. I said, “S---Sam, look.”

Sam came around the truck and let out a big yelp. He said, “Put that in your pockets and let’s go home.”

All the fish we wanted were in the back of the truck and my pockets were full of money, we don’t know where any of these came from. I looked at Sam and said, “I really don’t understand this but if those people are still listening, I sure hope they can understand this,” and I rolled down my window and yelled out, “Thank you, thank you, you wonderful people!”

As I rolled up the window, Sam reached over and took my hand. I really didn’t know what else to do and I burst out crying. Sam stopped the truck and held me close for a long time. Then he said, “We’ll be home in a little while and then you can lie down while I clean the fish. Okay?”

I shook my head and said, “No, Sam, I’m not a quitter. We’ll tackle those fish together.”

Sam drove the rest of the way home and parked the truck. I said, “Okay, Sam, I’ll go in the house and get everything we need. Sam, you’re not listening to me.”

And I looked at the house and couldn’t believe my eyes. The windows were changed and so was the back door. “Sam, do you think you pulled into someone else’s yard? I asked.

“N—o—o,” he said, looking at our old car sitting there. “Lo—ok, aren’t those your curtains at the windows?”

“Well, yes they are but I really don’t know what I can say, except this has to be our place,” I replied.

Sam got out of the truck and walked around to help me down and we walked arm and arm to the house. We were sort of scared to enter, but enter we did and we both just stood there breathing and looking. “My gosh, Sam, this isn’t the same place we left a while ago. What happened?”

“Oh, Jill, I don’t know. But isn’t it wonderful to have such great friends as those we met this afternoon?” he answered in awe.

Sam walked around the kitchen and when he came to the doorway leading to the front room, he asked, “Do you think we should go in there, too?”

I was so surprised by all this in the kitchen that I really didn’t want to look at anything else, but we walked into the front room and you could have heard a fly drop. Our old wobbly table was replaced by a new one. There was so much here that didn’t belong to us and tears stung my eyes again and I said in a quiet voice, “Oh, Sam, this isn’t our house but it sure is lovely. It’s beautiful.”

Sam took my hand and led me into the bedroom and both of us had tears in our eyes. “Oh, Jill, don’t you see how generous those people were? All this, just because we made friends with them this afternoon.”

I shook my head, yes, because I couldn’t say anything. Then I suddenly said, “Look at the closet doors. Oh, Sam, this is just too wonderful to be true.”

We walked over to the cupboards and pulled open the doors. There were our clothes and a few new things. We were both so happy, that we sat on the bed and cried and I finally said, “Oh, Sam, let’s give thanks to the wonderful friends who came our way today.”

Sam shook his head, yes, and we gave thanks to those wonderful people who weren’t there this afternoon. Those wonderful people who gave us a meal, good friendship, and just wonderful friends. We would never know how to thank them for everything they had done for us.