Skylar grabbed one end of the cooler while John grabbed the other. Just the cans and the bottles were heavy, and the ice hadn't even been added yet, the aluminum clinking and the thin plastic water bottles crinkling.
On the count of three the pair hefted the cooler over the back bumper so John could slide in into place in the trunk. Shaking out their arms, they looked over the assortment of items: cooler, bait bucket, tackle box, fishing poles, a duffel bag, waders, blankets, and a car emergency kit Skylar saw other times they looked in the van.
"You said we’ll only be gone for a day right?" Skylar asked.
"My dad likes to be prepared for anything."
"Well that's where you get it from." Skylar lightly pushed John's bicep.
"Get what from?" John's dad walked up, wearing a red flannel shirt and black jeans.
"Being super prepared." Skylar pointed to the trunk, "from you," then they pointed at John's dad.
The man laughed, a big sound seeming even louder as it reverberated through the garage.
"I can live with that being the worst, or the only thing he's learned from me." He grinned. "Now, is everyone ready?" John pat all the pockets of his vest and jeans before turning to stare at the trunk again. Skylar, though not entirely sure if they would be of much help, also checked their pockets, though no one had entrusted them to carry anything with them, and then also gazed at the trunk again.
The list if things they had seemed to go on and on, and Skylar was sure they had forgotten parts if it. Luckily John and his father probably had it memorized by now, so Skylar trusted them when they said they were ready.
Into the car they went, buckling up and humming to the radio. It didn’t take long for Skylar’s curiosity to rise up.
“What kind of fish are we hoping to catch? Will we eat them later?”
John’s dad glanced at Skylar in the rear view mirror. “We’ll mostly catch small fish, most of them too small to eat, though if we’re lucky one of us might catch a mullet large enough fry.”
“I didn’t know fish got hair cuts.” Skylar kept their voice even, to avoid sounding like a question.
“Funny.” John’s dad chuckled and then went on a discussion of fish which lasted the rest of the drive.
Word count: 404
