Chapter 5Integrity
After working on refinishing his cabin's hardwood floors, Eric was ready for a break. Grabbing his fishing pole and tackle box, he went out the back door. There was nothing more peaceful to him than sitting by the lake and enjoying nature's beauty. Fishing was merely an excuse to do that—after all, most of the time, he didn't catch anything—and when he did, he usually threw it back.
His thoughts wandered as he imagined his grandfather sitting on this very spot, under the shade of a gnarly old oak tree. It was the same spot where his grandfather had taught him to fish when he was just a boy. A couple decades later, he wished he'd heeded the words that his grandpa had generously shared and remembered the tales of the older man's adventures.
Most of all, he wished his grandfather was around to answer his questions and pass along some advice.
A sudden bend of his fishing pole brought him back to the present. There was always something thrilling about the catch, reeling it in, and taking pride in the sport. Today was no different. He yanked the pole back and reeled the line in a few times, pausing just enough to relax the fish before repeating the process and bringing it closer. Before he was able to reel it to shore, though, he lost resistance in the line.
“Oh, the one that got away.”
Eric turned around to find his friend, Kevin, standing behind him with a big grin on his face.
“It was a big one, I tell ya,” Eric laughed. “Good to see you. It's been a while.
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