The Girl On The Bridge by Bob Kranich

“Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers” by Bob Kranich

The Girl On the Bridge, (Part 2, Excerpt 43)

This is a new story titled, The Girl On the Bridge. It’s kind of a funny story of my Uncle and Me fishing on a bridge and a pretty girl my age cones by to fish also.

The Girl On the Bridge

“Hi, young lady. What’s biting? I’m from Key West. My name’s Norman…Norman Kranich. This is my nephew, Bob Kranich. He’s down visiting from Tampa. He just walked the backcountry...in fact the entire way from Georgia to Key West!”

“Oh, I didn't give you a chance to answer. How’s fishing?”

She answered, “I haven’t caught anything. Maybe I had a bite. It took all of my bait. Oh, nice to meet you both. My name’s Pat. I’m down from Miami visiting my Aunt and Uncle. They live in Marathon.”

I found myself staring...that voice, it was so sweet, and those eyes…deep blue!

“Well Pat, Bob and I are going to try to catch some bait.”

Norman opened up his tackle box, “Here Bobby, put this on, and throw it out like this.”

Uncle Norman positioned himself between Pat and me. He cast out. It took me a couple of casting tries. By this time my mind was off fishing. I made like I was fishing, looking out and turning my reel a time or two, then locking the drag. Now and then I tried to sneak a look past Uncle Norman, who was unexpectantly and expertly blocking the view.

She had let her sun hat drop back off her head, and it was held by a chin strap against her back. I could now see her long brown hair. It was beautiful!

Well, young lady, how long will you be down here visiting?” Uncle Norman asked.
“A couple more days, Mr. Kranich. I’ve got to go back to work Monday.”

“Just call me Norm. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a secretary for an airline,” she answered.

She kind of looked past Uncle Norman, “What do you do Bob?”

“I...”

“Oh, he is an engineering designer. He works at contracting,” Uncle Norman offered before I could get started.

“That sounds interesting,” she said.

“I’m sure it is,” Uncle Norman answered. “He is also a college guy, and just got out of the U.S. Army.”

“I got a bite, Bob. It’s hooked. Yep, a shiner. Good bait,” he said as he reeled it in.

Just then my rod jerked. “Got something, Uncle Norman,” I pulled it in.

“Good Bobby, now we both got some bait. Hook yours on like this. Now throw it out, and maybe we’ll catch a snapper. You know they run under this bridge when the tide is flowing.”

“What are you using for bait, young lady? Bring your line in, and try this lure to catch a shiner. That will change your luck. The snapper will bite on live bait,” Uncle Norman suggested.

She brought hers in, hooked on the lure, and threw it out. It didn’t go very far.

“Bring it back, and I’ll throw it out for you. Here, Bob, hold my rod,”

She reeled it in, and Uncle Norman cast it way out for her. He was now out of my way. I got a great view of her, and my heart leaped.

Before we could say anything, she pulled in a shiner.

“Here, let me show you how to hook it on,” Uncle Norman handed me his rod, and he proceeded to hook the shiner on her rig.

He then positioned himself back between us, “Now we all are ready to catch a Red Snapper. See the tide is flowing.”

She was the first one to get a hit, “I’ve got one!”

“Reel it in!” Uncle Norman yelled.

She pulled it in over the rail. It flopped on the road, “How do I get it off?” she asked.

“I’ll help,” I started to say.

“Here, hold my rod, Bobby,” Uncle Norman handed me the pole, grabbed the large fish by the gills, and wrestled the hook free. “You got an ice chest?”

“It’s in the car.” She came right back, and he dropped it on the ice.

“Uncle Norman! Something is playing around on both of ours,” I hollered.

He rushed over and took ahold of his rig, just in time. We both got hits and both got big snappers. We got them off the hooks and on the ice.

Then my world changed.

“Well, Norman, Bob, it was nice talking to you both, and thank you for the help fishing. But I’ve got to go. My aunt said I need to be back for lunch by noon. It’s past eleven. I had better be on my way,” Pat said as she picked up her fishing rod and the ice chest.

There went my chances, I thought as she turned around and waved as she got in her convertible and drove off.

That evening, we were all eating red snapper prepared by my Aunt Dolores, a great cook.

Uncle Norman said, “You know we met a beautiful girl on the bridge at No Name Key today. In fact we fished with her, and guess what, Bobby didn’t even get her phone number!”

From the Author:

My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich