Free Two Thin Dimes by Caleb Alexander

mistaken.”
    Tameer continued unloading the trunk, ignoring her ravings. His ignoring her, only angered her more.
    â€œDid you hear me?” Jamaica shouted. Her tiny fist pounded the air defiantly. “I do not fish!”
    Tameer continued unloading the trunk in silence, until finally, he removed his last piece of equipment. He closed the trunk of his small car, and lifted several pieces of fishing equipment from the ground. With his hands full, he turned to her.
    â€œJamaica, could you grab that tray, and that tackle box for me?” he asked politely.
    â€œCould I grab that for you?” she shouted.
    Tameer nodded. “Yeah. Please?”
    Jamaica’s hand flew into the air, where she placed her palm in front of his face. “Wait a minute, Tameer, let me explain something to you. This is supposed to be a date. I am not supposed to carry things, I am not supposed to push cars, I am not supposed to hold greasy jumper thingys, and I am not supposed to eat food that comes from underneath a heat lamp!”
    Before she completed her sentence, Tameer had turned away. He walked down a small, worn, dirt path which led to a grassy knoll just off the lake, leaving Jamaica all alone. Her loneliness caused her to scream.
    â€œTameer!”
    Tameer ignored her calls as he continued walking along the banks of the lake. It infuriated her even more. Alone, the silence of the lake soon became eerie, causing her to examine her surroundings. Quickly, Jamaica lifted the plastic tray and tattered, gray, metal tackle box, and rushed along the path after her date. She continued to call to him along the way.
    â€œTameer!”
    Soon, Jamaica reached the clearing at the end of the dirt path, which allowed Tameer to once again become visible. He had set up a pair of folding chairs on a mound next to the bank of the lake, and had quietly begun sorting his equipment.
    â€œI suppose you think that this is funny?” Jamaica shouted furiously. “I suppose this is your idea of a joke!”
    Tameer motioned toward a spot on the ground between the two folding chairs. “Set the worms down there.”
    â€œWorms? Aaaaaah!” Jamaica dropped the tray of worms and the old rusting tackle box, spilling the contents of both. Tameer laughed.
    With the smile still on his face, Tameer knelled down and began gathering the long, brown, wriggling creatures back into their container.
    â€œYou pig! You uncivilized pig!” Jamaica shouted. She was beyond furious. “How dare you have me carry worms! How dare you!”
    â€œThey won’t hurt you. Besides, they were all in a tray.”
    â€œWhat kind of person are you?” She wiped her hands on the top of her pants legs. “How dare you treat me like this! Carry this, carry that, put it here, set it there, and you walk off and leave me!”
    â€œYou were insulting me.”
    â€œYou deserved to be insulted!” She spun and began pacing. “You do not take a woman on a fishing date! You just don’t!”
    He stared up at her from his knees. “Have you ever been fishing before?”
    She was insulted. “Of course not!”
    â€œThen how do you know you won’t like it?” Tameer rose and dusted off his pants leg. “Look around you.”
    Tameer lifted his arms into the air and spun around slowly. “It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s natural, it’s beautiful.”
    â€œUuuuuugghh!” Jamaica screamed, and then pointed her finger in his face. “Look, nature boy, I don’t fish! I hate fish, I hate trees, I hate squirrels, I hate the lake, I hate butterflies, and wildlife, and I’m really starting to not like you!”
    Once again, Tameer picked up his fishing pole and walked away. “Fine, then you can stay here! I’ll find a nice quiet spot somewhere else!”
    â€œTameer!” she shouted. “Tameer! Don’t you dare ignore me!”
    Tameer continued along the