To Save a City (Divergent/Eric) 2 of 3 COH Series

Chapter 44 (Eric's POV)

United Pursuit-'Not In A Hurry'

The festival yesterday was pretty exciting and I hope we can introduce something like that someday in Chicago.  Hosanna, Matthew, Amar, George, and I spend the next day keeping busy.  We all went fishing on Matthew's boat to start. 
The fishing excursion was intense.  We headed out just before the sun appeared on the horizon.  We had to step down the staircase on a small rocky cliff just to get to the dock on the water. I wasn't anticipating that when I saw the water and boat the other day.  The boat is far larger than I was expecting, too. Matthew said it's called a yacht.  As we sped away from the shore, I was enthusiastic.  It was my first time on a motorboat and it handles differently than I thought it would.  Everything at the pond has oars so the experience was dissimilar.  Once the shore was out of sight, I was almost overwhelmed with the vastness of the size of the lake. 
I caught species of fish I knew well and many that I was unfamiliar with.  I reeled in several bass—small and largemouth—that I had to be careful with or I'd get cut by it's pin-like dorsal fin.  Matthew gave me that tip when he first noticed what I had on my line and I was glad to have it.  I even caught a sturgeon that we had to toss back since it's a protected species.  It was interesting-looking. 
We had already decided to head in before lunch since we made plans with Matthew's family.  We brought our catch as lunch while Sarah, his sister, and Hosanna insisted on cooking the meal.  Matthew, Amar, and George went back into town to get something that Amar could eat that wasn't fish as well as some other groceries.  I find it odd that he went fishing, but refuses to eat his catch.  He said he doesn't like the taste.  I thought he was being a baby but kept my mouth shut because of the look Hosanna gave me. 
I lounge around in Sarah and Jack's living room.  Apparently Jack is working today.  Too bad that he's not here because he's a decent guy.  Hosanna thinks he looks like me but I don't see the resemblance. 
While the ladies cook, I'm watching the kids.  There's not much to it since they're already watching some program on TV.  Hazel approaches me and leans up against my arm on the armrest of the chair.  She sucks her thumb and snuggles up closer to me. I smile at her. The baby puts both arms up in the air, opening and closing her fists.  I think she wants me to pick her up.  I'm surprised this child isn't afraid of me.  I think I intimidate most children in Dauntless, but her father looks a bit scarier than me even though he's really a nice guy, so that must be it.  I reach out for her but stop while she bends over.  I see her grab that pink bear I won for Hosanna.  I didn't even see my wife give that to her, but that seems typical of something she would do.  I go to pick her up and she lets me.  She snuggles up to my chest with the bear while sitting on my lap sucking her thumb.  She nestles closer and we watch the program together. She is really cute.
Hosanna walks into the living room from the kitchen a few minutes later.  I hear her sigh as she takes in the baby on my lap.  She opens a beverage that I'm assuming is a beer and hands it to me. 
"She's asleep," Hosanna whispers in my ear.  She kisses my cheek.  "Lunch is almost ready."
I nod my head and she backs away into the kitchen smiling. I take a sip of the beer she handed me pleasantly surprised that it isn't a beer at all. It's a fizzy drink like what we had in Erudite but the flavor is unusual. It's dark brown with a red label. I saw some advertisements for this on the old buildings on our path to the Bureau. This product must have been around for hundreds of years and I see why, it's delicious. I'd say this is by far my favorite flavor, even over the lemon drinks in Erudite.
Much later, Sarah comes over and takes Hazel from my arms to lay her down for a nap.  I'm kind of cold and missing the warmth from the little baby when she's gone.  We have lunch together on the patio underneath some shady trees.  The fish turned out even better than I was expecting. 
We all go to the beach in the afternoon to swim and lay out.  The sand is finer and lighter than that of the pond. The water is cleaner and clearer, too. The beach is kind of crowded though compared to our private oasis. I swim and relax out on the beach with my wife and our friends.
Later that evening, we spend our time attending a local church—the church Matthew and his family usually attend. It is substantially larger than ours back home but everyone we meet makes us feel welcome. The service is similar to what I'm used to but the music is different. I like it. This place doesn't quite feel like home but it's a nice place to vacation.