To Catch a Fish

by Palmer, Mary S.; Wilton, David V.

• ISBN13: 9781452035192
• ISBN10: 1452035199
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-06-21
• Publisher: Authorhouse

Summary

Davey Simpson, a fisherman, is charged with the murder of a powerful Alabama politician's son. His childhood friend, Ben Johnson, is well-qualified to act as his attorney, but Ben would have to resign as the first black lieutenant governor of Alabama to take the case. Davey does not want Ben to make such a sacrifice. While in the Mobile County Jail awaiting trial, Davey has a unique method of surviving confinement. Since he can't endure living in the present, he lives in the past, recalling memories of his two childhood friends --his lost love, Pokey, and his best friend, Ben. Even though those memories are also a reminder that Ben and Pokey both moved away from Mobile, they allow Davey to escape the unbearable loneliness of incarceration. Years before, when Ben was shunned and mistreated because of his race, Davey stood up for him. Now, despite Davey's protests, Ben insists on representing Davey. Though they had been separated by time and space, loyalty prevails. However, it is Davey's plight that causes childhood friends to reunite and renew their relationships. Unexpected twists reveal the many complications involved in the case and in Davey's personal life as well. This book was awarded Second Place in the Sandhill Writer's Conference for Novels in 2009. One of the judges, Milam McGraw Propst, author of Adventures of Ociee Nash (also a movie), expressed her "high regard for this manuscript." She compared it to The Help saying, "It is writing from the same heart." Calling the work amazing, she said she "loves these three characters; most especially Pokey and her triumph" adding that "these beautifully drawn, rich memories of the South bring back a place and time we all need to remember."

Excerpts

"Just a couple more miles. Say your prayers, wise guy." A wave suddenly crashed against the bow, showering all on board and I pointed out that they might need my help. "With that dumb ass at the helm, you won't make it that far," I told Hoffman.In the next thirty minutes, the weather changed drastically. What started as a drizzle quickly became a downpour. Winds intensified and they were giving theMy Mamiea pounding. Six foot swells crashed over the bow, giving all a taste of the salty sea. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed all around us. Since Hoffman and his buddy both wore life jackets, they were safer than I was. Still, I tried to frighten them by saying, "We'll sink in no time with your guy at the wheel." "Shut up, you son of a bitch!" Hoffman said with a trace of a quiver in his order, "or I'll shoot you right now." "Save your bullet. We'll all be dead before much longer." Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and a swell that appeared to be half of the Gulf swamped the bow. The boat tossed from side to side. Hoffman clearly had fear in his eyes then. Still at the helm, Leo admitted that he had a problem. "Boss, he's right." His voice trembled. "I ain't able to control this boat. And since you can't swim, you better let Simpson take the wheel." Without a word, Hoffman pressed his gun against my temple as he untied my hands while the boat rocked him back and forth. "Untie your own feet," he yelled over the roaring thunder, finishing his order with, "O.K., Leo, let him take over."I stood up and felt a pistol stuck in my back. But nobody stopped me from looking around. From the lights of the boat following us, I could see three men, all moving around the deck in a panic. "Looks like your buddies are having a problem, too," I said. "Just shut up and take the wheel," Hoffman ordered. With nothing to lose, I turned the bow directly into the wind and gave a chant to Captain Zeke: "It's a great day to catch a fish!" I had a plan and my fish was going to be a big shark called Stanley Hoffman. I sat upright on my prison cot, knowing exactly what was coming next. And I dreaded reliving those moments. But my mind raced backward in time and nothing could stop the flood of memories from being forced to the surface. At the same time that Leo was leaning over the starboard side puking, I turned the wheel sharply to port. A wave crashed across the bow and I watched Leo fly off the side of the boat, gun and all. The next frame I visualized was worse. After Hoffman screamed, "Leo went overboard, stop the damn boat!" I grabbed his life jacket and slung him overboard with the yell, "Go get him, big guy."