Waiting for a Shooting Star

By James Hawley

Waiting for a Shooting Star is the story of Peter Pete Stuart and Amanda Husky. They are two young adults who, for several years, met at Rock Lake near a small town in southeastern Wyoming to fish. Both these individuals are flawed in their own way. Pete, a well-educated man, frequently regales Amanda with literature, philosophy, and observations of life. Amanda, for her part, loves to fish, is herself very intelligent, and delightfully squeals when she catches a fish. Yet when Pete must come to terms with illness and Amanda must come to terms with her allergies and her temptations, they find that, together, their spirits combine to form two wholes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984524140

James Hawley

Jim Hawley is an emergency room doctor in Wheatland, Wyoming. He has a ranch just east of Wheatland, where he and his beautiful wife, Koni, raise and train horses. They have dogs, cats and a goat.

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Copyright © 2018 by James Hawley.

Library of Congress Control Number:     2018905061

ISBN:             Hardcover             978-1-9845-2416-4

                       Softcover                978-1-9845-2415-7

                        eBook                   978-1-9845-2414-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/25/2018

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 1

Don’t reel it in so fast, instructed Peter Stuart.

I’m reeling it in like I always reel it in, retorted Amanda Husky. And I always catch more fish than you do. She stuck her tongue out at Pete.

Not always, pouted Pete. Two weeks ago I caught more and the biggest.

OK, laughed Amanda. I’ll give you that.

Peter (Pete) Stuart was middle aged with light brown hair. He was five feet nine inches tall and slender. He was more of a renaissance man - jack of all trades, master of none. He could quote Shakespeare and discuss quantum physics. He was a good fisherman and hunter. He was an excellent horseman. But, when it came to repairing cars, or doing carpentry, he was of minimal help.

Amanda Husky was five feet six inches tall. She had long, blonde hair and a freckled face. She was just a bit overweight, but was still quite a head-turner. She was outwardly confident and self-assured, but, inside, in her soul, she was unsure and afraid.

These two had been friends for years and would meet frequently at the local lake to fish. Sometimes one would text the other that they were headed toward the lake and the other would, if possible, meet the first there. At other times, it seemed they just happened to be there coincidently.

Well, vary the speed of your retrieval a little, continued Pete. You know, reel fast, then slow it down, then fast, then slow.

I’ve fished like this for years, countered Amanda. And I always catch more than you.

Just sayin’, smirked Pete. And you already said that.

Just sayin’.

Amanda reeled the small lure in then cast it out again.

You usin’ that little rainbow lure again? inquired Pete.

Yep, replied Amanda. She began reeling it in. She got it around halfway in and the rod began bending strongly. I got one! she screamed excitedly. She reeled it in with a little struggle. When the fish got close to the bank of the small lake, she began squealing in delight. Oh, isn’t he pretty. Look at this! She lifted the line, displaying a nice sized rainbow trout.

Yeah, that’s good, replied Pete sourly.

No, shouted Amanda. It’s beautiful.

Pete turned and, squinting against the sun, looked at the trout. Yes, he said thoughtfully. "It is beautiful. He smiled at her. Like you. He quickly reeled his lure in and laid his rod down. Here, let me get that off for you."

I can get it, she said, taking a pair of blue dish-washing gloves from her tackle box.

No, let me, commanded Pete walking up to her.

Here, said Amanda handing him her cell phone. Take a picture of it. She held up the line with the fish dangling from it while Pete snapped a picture with her cell phone.

Pete, after handing the phone back to her, took the fish, removed the hook and released the fish back into the lake. The two stood and watched the trout swim off.

Amanda was not squeamish about fish, but she was terribly allergic. If she touched a fish she would go into an anaphylactic shock. Her throat would close tight, she would quit breathing and her blood pressure would drop to almost zero. Pete knew this and usually took the fish off for her. She loved to fish and carried some dishwashing gloves which she used so she could handle the fish without dying.

There you go, croaked Pete. He turned and walked back to his rod. He picked up the rod and cast straight out into the little lake. The lure, a silver spoon, hit the water and he waited two seconds before he began reeling it in. He reeled it all the way in then cast it again, a little to the left of where it had hit before. With a disgusted look he began reeling it in again. Half way back to the reel, a fish took it. It was a big one. The pole bent down and he could feel the slight vibration as the fish fought against it.

You got one! shouted Amanda.

Pete felt the fish pull harder. He quit reeling for a moment. The drag gave a little pressure to the fish, but the line played out some. As it slowed he began reeling in again. Within moments he had the fish, a large rainbow trout, to the bank. He pulled it up out of the water onto a flat stone. He tried to grab the fish but it was very slippery. After three attempts, he grasped the fish and, after hooking it through the gill and mouth onto his stringer, he removed the hook from the mouth. He looped the other end of the stringer on a rock and, taking up his rod, turned back to the water.

That was a real nice one! shouted Amanda gleefully. Don’t you want a picture with it?

Naw, scoffed Pete. I’ll just let it sit there while I catch another.

That’s one for you and one for me, smiled Amanda.

They fished for ten more minutes without another bite.

Don’t you have some wonderful saying for this? inquired Amanda. You always have such deep sayings.

Sure, retorted Pete. "If I must describe you, I must