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An employee came in to work today to drop off some sewing she'd done at home, and she had her little grandson with her. The boy's mother had permanently run off with another man, his father is homeless and comes by very little, and his great-grandparents have been in and out of the hospital lately. Grandma has been busy taking care of her elderly parents and in-laws, as well as raising this little guy... the only way she can support herself is by taking work home and coming back when she can.
He's in 7th grade but looks like he's maybe just 7 years old.. just a tiny tiny, scrawny serious little boy without a smile.
He's smart as a whip, but struggles in school because he can't concentrate.
"Hey, you got any smiles for me today?" I asked as he came in with Grandma.
"Nope," he said, with a sad look on his face, way beyond his years.
"Well, that's too bad," I replied as I chatted with his grandmother about her work.
When we were done, I just knew I had to find a way to make this kid look like a kid again. I looked around in my warehouse area and spied my kayaks, which are stored by the warehouse doors.
"Hey, how'd you like to sit in one of my boats?" I offered.
He nodded solemnly and followed me. "OK," I said, "now sit down here and stretch your legs out." He was sitting in my little red Hop On Top kayak. "Alright, now when you go kayaking, you need to wear a vest like this." He stretched out his arms to put on a Small sized PFD, which absolutely engulfed his tiny body. It was way too big to even zip up. "And let's adjust these rudder pedals for you, so you can steer the rudder. Know what that's for?"
He nodded and said, "Yeah, so you can steer right or left."
I noticed the very slightest hint of enthusiasm in his voice. "OK, so here's your paddle. Just swish the water side to side, and off you go."
He moved the paddle, sitting in his PFD and flipped the rudder pedals.
"And see these hatches? What do you think they are?"
"They're places you can keep things!"
And there it was, his first smile.
"OK, now that you've mastered that boat, time to move on to a much bigger one. It's a sea kayak. 17 feet long, and you sit way inside and steer with the same kind of rudder pedals. Look at the difference in the bottom of this one compared to this other boat. Why do you think it's flatter?"
"So it won't tip over so fast?"
"Excellent! I can see you as a boat designer some day. Now look over here. This one is a fishing kayak. It's got holders for rods and all kinds of special features so someone can fish off one. Are you interested in fishing?"
The boy had a full smile on. I looked at Grandma and she winked at me.
"Yes! I love fishing!" he exclaimed. " Me and my grandpa went fishing all the time, and that's where I got my love of fishing. And I know a lot about fishing, too!" But his face got stormy again as he muttered, "But my grandpa died, and when they sold his house it all was gone. The rods and all that fishing stuff. All gone and I never fished again."
It was inevitable. "Would you like to go fishing with me, in these boats? What do you think?"
He got his businesslike face on for a second and said, "Well, I'll have to check my schedule, but YES!"
"Grandma, is that ok with you?"
"Well, of course. We'll have to go to Wal-Mart and get you a rod, kiddo." Grandma too was smiling.
He was beaming from ear to ear now, nearly jumping up and down with happiness.
"You know, don't use worms in a pond. Know why?" he asked.
"Hmmmmmm?" I said.
"Because there's already enough worms in the pond. Got to use somethin' else," he explained seriously.
So we walked to the door, and thought up some possible fishing dates for the summer. I gave him some local park services web sites to start looking at, with information about all the types of fish to be caught in freshwaters here, along with what type of bait to use. He was absolutely grinning from ear to ear, chatting and happy and looking like a normal kid in the summertime. Guess I found a new fishing buddy!
~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading my story, and please let me know if you guys have any ideas about what type rod and reel might be best for a very small kid.. not a toy, but something he could be successful with.
Also, if anyone has any old freshwater stuff they don't use anymore, maybe his grandma would let me send you his address (if you PM me). I was thinking how great it would be if I could find him some fishing email buddies too. I have a feeling we might have a new kayak fisherman in the making here.
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