"Nah, this ain't just any fish. This here's a big ol' bass!"
"Yessir, it's a biggun'! Can you, uh, take mah picture, Ollie?"
Oliver reached for his phone, careful not to nick himself on the cracked glass. The nearest Apple store was seven hours away, he'd learned.
"Okay, say 'cheese,' Brooks!"
"Ah, shudn't I say 'bass'?"
"I've got to get my phone fixed."
"Ya know, my unc's gotta place where he does all that tech stuff," Brooks said as he released his catch, wiping the slime from its scales on his jeans. "Take care of it right quick too, I bet."
"Yup. But look, since we both know you're not from here…" Oliver nodded. "So it ain't gonna be all fancy like."
"Look, can't ya try to forget it for a little while? This here's what life's all about. Just bein' outside, like God intended. Uh, I mean…like, uh…"
"Sorry, I don't…didn't ya say you's Catholic?"
"Jewish. Emphasis on the -ish."
"Oh. That's…different?"
"Huh. But…you still pray to somethin' right?"
"Sometimes. It's…complicated? We used to be pretty observant growing up, but not so much now. I think the last time I was in a synagogue was my Bar Mitzvah, when I was thirteen."
"You were in a bar at thirteen? Man, you're gonna have to 'splain that to me."
"No, no! Bar Mitzvah. It's like a coming-of-age ceremony, basically. But…you do drink wine, though."
"Uh…okay. I think I got it now."
"I'll explain on the ride back."
"You wanna head to my place? Or yours?"
"I wouldn't mind staying the night."
"I was hopin' you'd say that."
"You don't have to go to work tomorrow?"
"Not 'less there's an emergency. Like…some city boy thinkin' his pipes ain't workin', 'cept the real problem's he didn't pay his water bill." Brooks smirked.
Oliver blushed. "Hey! I had a lot going on."
"Ya know, I ain't ever got a tip on a job before, neither?"
"Well, you were really nice. And like, the first person I met down here who was my own age."
"Yeah." Brooks nodded. "I kinda thought you were askin' for some…extra service."
"I mean, it is your job to lay pipe."
"Huh? Oh…oh!" It was Brooks's turn to blush.
"I didn't mean anything by it, you know. But did you really clock me then?"
"Yeah. When I walked through that door…Ollie, you were real happy to see me, haha!"
"You're cute, what can I say?"
"I guess I just didn't think that you…that anyone here…could be, y'know…"
"Gay? There's more of us than yah'd think. Guys who like guys, I mean. There's all kinds a rumors 'bout the mayor, that couple who owns the antiques store downtown, one of 'em's got that big ol' house off Commerce Street. And shit, community theater ain't gonna run itself!"
"Oh, it means 'good point.'"
"Ollie," Brooks sighed. "Do ya think…I'm kinda…dumb?"
"I don't think it matters. Or if it does…well, then you're smart in different ways. I don't know how to catch a bass. Or fix…pipes. And you know all of those different Bible verses, too."
"You're different from any guy I've known. Back when I lived up North, I mean." Oliver looked out the truck's window as the sun slipped under the horizon. "But Brooks…that doesn't make you stupid. There's a lot more to life than the pursuit of knowledge. You don't need to be a walking encyclopedia. I don't want you to be a walking encyclopedia."
"Ah, okay. Sometimes, when ya talk, I guess I feel a little…behind? Like that whole, uh, tu-shay thing. And what you just said, 'bout that…en-cycle-peter? I ain't ever heard somebody say that. You just talk so…pretty."
