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Here was a guy she barely knew, and he was making her feel good about herself again, even if it was just a little bit.
When they all walked out the door at six-fifteen to go to the community center, Jenni actually did feel rested and perhaps even happy. She had a sense of accomplishment that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
The hall was packed when they walked inside, and Jenni finally grasped the number of people who had been in the tournament.
The noise from conversations was deafening, so as they waited at their table to get into the buffet line, she scanned the room and enjoyed the people-watching.
She caught sight of Chris and Susan Smith and SeaAnna and Mike Leonard at their table, and she assumed the young couple with them was Dare Davis and JoBell Leonard. They seemed to be deeply engaged in conversation with each other. There was a level of comfort there, Jenni felt, that reflected a relationship that was filled with caring and mutual respect. She could just sense it.
It wasn’t until she was in the buffet line that she spotted Caleb and the rest of the “Cast of Thousands.”
They were tucked away at a table in a corner near one of the exits and were talking with the anglers at nearby tables.
He looked up and waved and started making his way toward her.
It was so crowded that all the tables were practically touching, making walking very tricky.
“I don’t want to hold you up.” He smiled. “But I just wanted to say that I really was impressed with your efforts today. Ittakes a lot of nerve to fish for the first time in your life in a tournament.”
Jenni blushed. “Thanks for that. It was an interesting day for sure. I guess I learned a lot. I won’t be making that bail mistake any time soon.”
“Don’t be hard on yourself if it happens again. Like I said, I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. You get all excited in the moment and, well, sometimes you forget. Just take it in stride.”
He began moving away. “I don’t want to hold up the food line. But remember, you really did alright.”
Jenni’s heart was beating hard, and she once again was at a loss for words.
I did alright.
She almost felt giddy.
She carefully placed the food on her plate, trying to balance everything just so. Buffet lines were never her forte.
She was making her way back to the table when Caleb waved to her again as he was sitting down next to his friends.
She smiled at him and missed it when another person, already seated, pushed their chair back, causing her not only to trip but to send her food flying in several directions.
The ensuing chaos lasted only a few minutes, but for Jenni, everything seemed in slow motion. There were assurances that everyone was OK, a new plate of food was delivered to her, and the food, which thankfully landed on the floor and not on someone, was quickly cleaned up.
Jenni was disconsolate. She had done just what Compy would have expected her to do. She made a fool of herself once more.
She spent the rest of the evening barely speaking to Caitlin, Barb, or May Ellen.
Her mood did not improve when she learned that they did not make the top five.
While the rest of the team seemed to take it in stride and seemed extremely happy with their seventh-place finish, Jenni could only focus on the fact that, once again, she had been the center of attention but for the wrong reason.
When the event neared its end, she asked Barb for the truck keys and began to make her way to the exit.
Caleb jumped up from his seat and tried to intercept her, but she ignored him and ran as quickly as she could to the truck.
She briefly glanced behind her, but he had stopped at the doorway and just seemed to shrug.
Jenni was too ashamed to walk back to speak to him. When Caitlin and the others rejoined her, not even May Ellen winning a new rod as a door prize lifted her spirits.
They seemed to know she needed her space and didn’t push when she said little on the ride back to the “Mermaid’s Mansion.”
Jenni excused herself politely when they got home and went straight to bed.
