Movie Star Fishing

We're having coffee. Ron's come to town to go to the hardware. His

plumbing froze and broke. He's peeled away the soaked sheet rock. He

cut out broken sections of copper and replaced it, but when the pipes

were fixed he found out that his toilet was broken too. Winter in

Maine. I think I've got something that will cheer him up.

My proposition is, “How would you like to be a movie star?”

I sense a certain prudent hesitation. Sometimes simple questions

lead to unexpected consequences.

“Exactly what would I have to do? If I was interested?”

Ron is my long time fishing buddy. In the past I have written down

accounts of some of our adventures. They may focus more on our

shortcomings than on our triumphs, but mostly we're grateful. I can

pick up hot early donuts from Weaver's and we can be on a beautiful

remote pond by mid morning.

I tell him,“They're going to put my old fishing column in the Pen

Bay Pilot and if I had a camera, since the whole deal is digital, I

could include pictures of what we see while we're fishing. Like last

summer's snorkeling with the suckers on the West Branch. Or the black

bear sow with three cubs that we saw by the Roach River. Maybe a

video of you chasing a floating fly box down the Kennebec. It would

be our effort to keep up to date, learn a few new tricks.

What do you think?”

“It might be fun, but you don't even own a camera.?”

“I've got a credit card and Google's all anyone needs to be an

expert. Johnny can help me figure out what to buy and what to plug in

where. He and his pals have the cameras rolling every time they jump

off a cliff or snowboard down a mountain.”

“Okay, I'll do it. What the hell? I'll be a movie star.”

“Good,” I say, and I can see that broken toilet has gone right out

of his mind.

“By this time next year we'll probably be in Hollywood for the

Oscars.” He's thinking big, I like it.

After a sip of coffee he asks, “What are you going to wear? You

don't own a tuxedo do you?”

“I've got a credit card.”