Worms, Weeds, Keys and Questions- a Prom Proposal

Greg came over to me while I was working at my computer this morning, his eyes shining and a little grin on his face.  "That was kind of cute," he said, "watching Sam leave to go fishing with Aubrey."

Samuel had gotten up bright and early for a Saturday morning.  A man with a plan, he was putting the finishing touches on a wooden box he was making.  He bought the unfinished box earlier in the week, had wood burned "Aubrey" into the top in sweet little cursive letters, and had risen early to give it a final coat of varnish.  He tucked a note inside the box asking her to go to prom with him and he secured  it with a shiny silver lock attached to a latch he had mounted on the outside of the box.  He checked his tackle box for supplies and loaded his fishing pole into the back of the car.  It was a cool, sunny morning and he'd been waiting all week for the best day to take Aubrey, his girlfriend of 9 months, fishing at a pond nearby. He hummed as he packed up the car.  He hums constantly- just like his Dad. 

Sam asked Greg to make sure he had everything and Greg peaked into the tackle box.  Next to the lures, bobbers, and hooks sat an old baby food jar.  It was crusted with dried mud, and was starting to rust around the cap.  Greg smiled and said, "Gonna use this for worms?".  Sam replied, "That's the plan." The tackle box was a gift from grandparents given when the boys were probably 2 and 4.  Some of the lures were still in their little plastic bags and most of the bobbers shiny and new.  It had been used for fishing at the cabin and on family picnics and now was carefully stored in the kid's workbench Greg built for them in the garage.  The baby food jar was probably left over from one of Sam's first meals.  Greg saved them all and has used them for nails, screws, paint, etc. over the years.  He remembered using the jar to dig in the dirt with the boys, searching for worms to fill it prior to each fishing excursion. Afterwards, dumping the leftover worms and mud from the jar into the water to "feed the fish" before putting it back into the tackle box for the next time.

This morning, Sam arrived at the pond first to hide the box safely in the duckweed and sedge. He cast in his line with the key to the lock tied firmly to the end of his pole in place of a hook.  Aubrey, always a good sport,  arrived a bit later unsuspecting and enthusiastic.  The plan was perfectly executed, Sam texted me later and went off without a hitch.  He nonchalantly asked her to reel in his line for him and played confused upon discovering the key.  Sam then hinted as to the location of the locked box, she found it in the weeds, opened it and quickly answered "Yes!" (as if he really had any doubt).  Mission accomplished for Sam, my romantic young man who celebrates his 18th birthday three weeks after prom.  Greg and I had a little laugh over the irony of our soon-to-be adult child heading out fishing this morning with his little green tackle box and baby food jar for worms.  Another of those circle of life moments that comes whizzing at us out of nowhere, reminding us of how fleeting childhood is and what tender memories it holds.

Samuel going fishing in 2006