Winthrop Souvenir

‘Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15: 23-24

Two years ago Ryan and I went camping

in the Methow Valley 10 miles up from Winthrop

while he slept off booze I went fishing

I hooked my biggest fish ever

in the slack water at the back of a tiny rapid

it was a whitefish and almost made it into my net

before it broke my rod and swam off with my stone-fly

I came back empty handed

The next morning we filled our stomachs with biscuits, gravy, and coffee

I bought a black souvenir t-shirt with a wolf on it

I had just heard a pack of wolves had come down from Canada

and were now living in the Methow Valley

so I was excited about my new t-shirt

A week later I couldn’t find the shirt

Two days ago I was cleaning out the trunk of my car

and found it in a crock-pot I had left back there

for some reason I’ve since forgotten

I haven’t taken the shirt off since.