Charlotte's Catch
The Bells of St. Anthony's Ep. 15
When I got to school on Monday morning, I noticed Swift waiting out front by her mother's car. Normally she'd be in the cafeteria waiting for the bell to ring. Must have been something important. I went up to say hi. "What's up?" I set down my bass guitar case.
"Morning, Les. I'm waiting for Charlotte to get here."
"Santoro?" This could actually be good timing. I've been trying to get her to join my band since sixth grade. "She bringing something?"
Swift nodded. "I heard she was going on a fishing trip with her dad this last weekend, and I've been on a seafood kick lately, so I asked her if she could bring me something."
"Ooh, yeah, you don't normally get to cook something that fresh, do you?"
"And you know me," Swift said. "I'm always up for a challenge."
"Let me know when you whip it up." This explained why they were waiting. Swift must be planning to send the fish home with her mom right away. It wasn't an especially good idea to let a fish stink up your locker all day.
I peeked into the window. "Good morning, Mrs. Swift."
Just then I saw Charlotte step out of her dad's car as the trunk popped open. She lifted out a cooler and carried it toward us.
"Man, you would not believe the haul this weekend. You picked a great time to make a request, Swift."
"Oh yeah? You got something good?"
"See for yourself." Charlotte dropped the cooler into Swift's trunk and opened the lid. "It's a beaut, isn't it?"
A beaut? This thing was a monster. It was a two-foot catfish lying in a bed of ice. She'd had to curl it up just to fit it inside. I'd only ever seen fish like this at the aquarium.
"You caught that?" Swift's eyes were round and wide like Barnowl's.
"With my own two hands." Charlotte flexed her arm.
Swift started tapping her finger through the air. I knew what that meant. She was trying to figure out how many people she was supposed to serve with this. This wasn't exactly dinner for herself and her parents. She was going to need guests for this.
I'd read somewhere that some cultures associated catfish with earthquakes. Looking at this thing, I could believe it.
"Wow," Swift said. "I mean wow. I was expecting maybe something more like..." She held her hands about a foot apart.
"You think you're surprised? Try reeling in a kaiju like that. So, you think you can make something good out of it?"
"Yeah," Swift said, in the same tone in which you might say, "I have no choice, do I?"
Swift lowered her backpack, opened it up, and pulled out her wallet.
"Whoa," Charlotte said, "I told you on Friday, it's yours."
"No, I insist." Swift picked through the bills. "This is what I have." She took out two twenties and two ones. "Here."
"I don't need it. The catch was its own reward."
"And this is mine." Swift thrust the money toward Charlotte. "I insist. You deserve it."
"I think you better take it," I said. "She can get pretty stubborn."
"Charlotte!" Her father was calling from his car. "Take the money!"
Charlotte sighed and folded the bills and slid them into her shirt pocket. "Enjoy the catfish, Swift."
"I absolutely will." Swift shut the cooler, then the trunk, and gave her mom the thumbs-up to leave. Charlotte's dad followed her out of the parking lot.
On her way to the entrance, Charlotte said, "I know it's a lot to handle, but I know you can do it."
"It's no problem," Swift said. "Honestly, I wish I could pay you more."
"Hope it turns out good." She split off and met up with Augusta, who was stepping out of the chapel.
"Well, if you need help eating that thing," I said, "just let me know. I'll bring Jeri--she loves seafood."
"Sounds good," Swift said. "Though it's not really serving it that's the problem."
"Then what is?"
"You saw that thing. It was one whole intact catfish." She hung her head back and spread her hand over her eyes. "And I went and told her I'd clean and gut it."
I didn't know what do say or do, except to clap her on the back and tell her, "I believe in you."
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