The Salmon

By Hampel Rutledge

Sean has been on vacation in Ireland for almost two weeks and has spent half of each day on his cell phone solving problems at his work. Frustrated, he sets out on a bus journey to find a dead spot in the cell coverage where he can find some peace and do a little fishing. He finds the dead spot in a small village but it seems to be deserted until he discovers everyone in the village celebrating down by the river. He tries his hand at fishing and is caught by a salmon and a lovely Irish colleen.
When he returns to work he is hassled and harassed by his boss because he was not in touch by phone. Eventually he is set up and fired. A law suit against the company makes him wealthy but unhappy.
Unable to find another job, he returns to Ireland, the village and the girl. There he finds the happiness and love that have eluded him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hampel Rutledge
• Release date: Nov 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301540112

Hampel Rutledge

Some what of a wanderer, retired from the US Air Force twenty plus years ago. He returned to Oregon where he currently lives and works as a computer Systems Administrator and Network Administrator. Blessed with a vivid imagination he has recently started putting his fantasies on the computer. He likes fishing and golf although he doesn't get much time for either. He hopes others enjoy reading his stories as much as he enjoys writing them.

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The Salmon

Hampel Rutledge

Copywrite 2012 by Hampel Rutledge

Smashwords Edition

ISBN: 9781301540112

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The Salmon

Chapter 1

I was finally on vacation, my first in three years, and I still couldn’t get away from the damned cell phone. I’d been gone two weeks and had at least three calls a day.  It was worst than the interruptions I had while actually at work.  Anyway I was now on a quest.  A quest to find someplace to spend the last two weeks of my vacation.  Someplace where there was no cell reception, which explains why I was on this bus, bumping along on a narrow road along the Northwest coast of Ireland.  Finally, I found it!  A dead spot in the cell coverage North of Carndonagh.

The bus drove down a small road to a tiny village and I got off.  The driver informed me that there was little out here and the next bus was at about this time tomorrow.  After that it was a two day wait until Monday.  I thanked him and started to walk, exploring the limits of the dead spot.  As I explored the village, it looked like a ghost town, there wasn’t a soul in sight not even at the pub.  At last, I came around a corner and there was the river and the bank was crowded with people.  Children were playing and running around whooping and hollering.  It looked like a celebration because almost every male and a few women were out on the banks of the river fishing.  The women were standing around in small groups talking and laughing.  I could see tables with cakes, pies and other food set out.  Everyone was close to the river.

I had gone to the trouble of getting a fishing license so I hurried down to the river and asked the first person I met if I could fish too.  

He turned and looked at me, gave a big smile and said, Shur now, if you think you can catch something.  Feel free to try.  Our salmon are notorious unfriendly to strangers.

I grinned back and started trying to find a place on the bank.  It was lined practically shoulder to shoulder with people fishing.  I tried going down stream but there was no place to stand and then the brush closed in and the ground became marshy.  I turned around and started upstream.  I came to a short hill where the river flowed over a small falls about six feet high.  I started up it when I was stopped by a soft female voice.

Tis considered unsporting to fish above the falls.

I turned to see a pair of green eyes in a beautiful face surrounded by a halo of flame red hair.  I started to answer her when a twenty pound salmon leapt out of the river into my arms, knocking me on my ass.

The entire river bank erupted in laughter as I sat there holding the fish.

Green eyes leans over with a broad grin and says, Tis a most unusual method of catching salmon but tis a fine fish anyway.  

I gasp.  I usually don’t catch fish this way. … Mostly I don’t catch fish at all …  I lost my train of thought looking into those green eyes.

She smiled and took my hand, helping me to my feet.  I’m Leah.  Nice catch.  She picked up the fish and handed it to me.

I stuttered, ‘I...I’m … I’m Sean.  Than … Thanks.  Now what do I do with him?  I’ve got no way to keep him.  W...would you.  Could you use him?"

She fluttered her eyelashes at me.  Och, such a nice proposal.  You’re a stranger here.  You should know that an offer like that is the same as a marriage proposal in the village.  She stepped closer, batted her eyelashes and smiled.  Is that what you intended?  I’ll have to think about it.

Suddenly I was sweating and I could tell I was blushing furiously.  N..no I didn’t know that.  I suddenly realized she was teasing me so I decided to tease back.  However, now that you bring it up it isn’t such a bad idea.  You’re a pretty little thing.

It was her turn to blush.  She said, Now I can tell you’ve kissed the Blarney Stone, probably more than once. … Why don’t you come to my house and we’ll have salmon for dinner, after all you’re supplying the entree.  Bye the bye, where are you staying tonight?

I looked at the ground.  I’d be happy to come to dinner.  I thought I’d find an Inn but I’ve been thru most of the village and didn’t see one.  I guess I’m just going to try and camp by the river.  I really didn’t think about it when I got off the bus.  I was just looking for a place where there was no cell phone reception.  I pulled out my cell phone and showed her that I had no signal.

Sure now, that’s what I thought.  I’ve a spare room.  You’re welcome to stay there.  It’s ever so much better than the ground by the river.

I smiled,  I gratefully accept.  You’ve saved me from a cold uncomfortable night.  A hungry, cold, uncomfortable night.  Thank you.

Sure now it’s no problem.  You could at least get some food at the pub.  You wouldn’t go hungry…Why are you so interested in a place with no cell phone reception?  

I shook my head, Well I had two calls from my work before I got off the bus.  I’ve been on ‘vacation’ for two weeks but I’ve spent about four hours a day, every day on work.  I just want a couple of days without having to work. … I’m sure my boss wouldn’t appreciate my attitude.

Och that does sound like a bad vacation.  How much time do you have left?

I’ve got a little over two weeks left.  I really wanted to get some fishing done but the ringing phone really makes the other anglers angry.   Tell me, what’s going on here?  It looks like the whole town is out.

Oh tis the whole village.  It’s our founders fest don’t ya know.  It’s a fun time we all try to catch a salmon and the biggest one caught wins.  Come on we’ll enter yours.  With that she took my hand and led me toward an empty table that had a set of scales on one end.

We were weighing the fish when one of the men came up and started talking to Leah.  He kept getting louder as he complained to her.  Leah there’s nothing for us here.  Tomorrow we’re catching the bus to Dublin.

Oh now Rob there’s a lot here for me.  My Mum and Da are here.  I like it here, all my friends are here and I have a good business going to support me.  There could be a lot here for you too.  I’ll not be leaving.  This is my home.

Leah you’re a dumb ugly, slut.  You need an hour of makeup every day to not frighten children.  Fine, I’m going by myself.  You can stay here with ‘fish man!’  He gave me a shove and stalked off.

I decided to let him go and turned back to Leah.  Her beautiful green eyes were full of tears.  One was starting to run down her cheek.  A cheek untainted with any makeup at all.  I reached a finger up and wiped it off.  You shouldn’t listen to him.  He’s just angry and saying things he doesn’t mean and that aren’t true.

She looked up at me and stepped closer to me.  You’re nice to say so but he’s always callin’ me stupid and ugly.  He must be right.

Not from where I stand.  You’re a vision, an Irish angel.  Enchanting green eyes, lovely red hair, beautiful face with not a trace of makeup that I can see.  Not even a streak of mascara from the tears. Totally lovely.  You don’t seem at all sluttish and if you’re running your own business you can’t be dumb.  He’s just blowing off steam.  I handed her a handkerchief.  By the way what is your business.

She dabbed at her eyes.  Ooh tis just a small thing selling woolens that the women here make.  The wool is very fine and soft and the scarfs and sweaters are really nice.  We market them on the net.  We don’t have cell coverage here but we do have good internet service.  I design and maintain the websites.  She smiled and leaned in to hug me.  Thank you for the blarney.  Makes a girl feel good it does.

Emboldened by her nearness, I returned her gentle hug.  Blarney is something that isn’t true, a series of charming lies.  In this case all I’ve said is the pure unvarnished truth.

The woman weighing the fish said, Leah you should listen to the man.  Rob was just blowin’ off steam.  Ya know how he gets. … This is a good fish mister, nine and a half kilos.  Biggest one so far today.

I turned to her and said, Wow that’s some fish.  I’m Sean no need to be formal. I’m on vacation.

She smiled at me. Leah this one’s a good’n. ya know what I mean?

Leah