I grabbed the papers and handed them to Uncle John. We needed to get a new security person because Paul started laughing. Phil gave me a hard look and then wouldn’t talk to me for the rest of the flight. I don’t think he was sure whether we were really going there. I wondered if we could talk him into walking around naked. Somehow, I had my doubts.
◊◊◊
In Winnipeg, we cleared customs and grabbed our bags. We were soon in the air to Red Lake airport, and less than an hour later, we landed.
“We’re going to a fly-in fishing camp about 20 minutes by air from here. The only way in is by air, and they say it’s spectacular fishing. We need to go grocery shopping. Phil, you might want to get some sunscreen,” Dad said.
I grabbed Phil and pulled him aside.
“Want to help me pull a prank on everyone?” I asked.
I figured since we were the youngest, we needed to stick together. He was all for it.
◊◊◊
We bought a couple of big coolers, and I loaded one of them up with meat. I explained to Dad that I didn’t want to rely on his fishing skills to feed us. The real reason was I didn’t want to eat fish for seven straight days. The fish camp offered dinners, but there were full kitchens in the cottages. It was also almost $50 per head for them to cook for you. I had my doubts about the value of that. I was sure that we could fix better meals on our own.
While I worried about food, Greg and Uncle John had wandered off and found a liquor store. They bought several cases of beer.
We were soon back at the airport. The floatplane was a fun adventure. The pilot circled the huge lake and gave us a view of the camp which was located on a small island. They had one side covered in docks next to a large clubhouse, and on the other side of the island were the cottages. Uncle John had rented a three-bedroom.
Once we got to the cottage, we found it was nice and relatively new. It had a green metal roof and wood siding. Inside we found boxes with the Range Sports logo on the side. We let Phil open them and found rods, reels, and other fishing gear. Devin had also sent us clothes to wear on our trip.
Devin had included instructions about the types of fishing we would find and the different rods, lures, and line we would need for each. Greg helped Phil put line on each reel while I unloaded groceries.
The cabin backed up to the lake and had a back door that led onto a balcony overlooking the water. I was sharing a room with Phil. Dad and Uncle John were in one, and Greg was with Paul. I wasn’t sure what Paul was supposed to protect me from, but he walked outside and checked the cabin and the surrounding area.
We were all starved, so I made pasta and a salad. When we sat down to eat, Uncle John laid out the plans for the weekend.
“Last year, we talked about what it means to be an Alpha Male. Certain hormones are predictors for certain behaviors. That was why we had blood tests done.”
“Okay, that explains it,” Phil said.
“If you haven’t guessed, David scored fairly high. What I wanted to show him and everyone else was that the way he acts has a basis in science. It’s also why his parents have done certain things with him to help him develop leadership skills.
“David’s life has gotten more complicated since our last trip. This time, I want to work with him and with the rest of you on getting a handle on trust issues when working with different people. That includes ways to help identify people who you should or shouldn’t trust. I think you could agree that some people just want to get to know David for what he can do for them,” Uncle John explained.
“After dinner, go out and explore the island. We’ll all come back to the cabin and spend time tonight talking about what your uncle has to say,” Dad said.
Greg drew the short straw and had to clean up. While he did that, Dad and Uncle John took Phil to the dock to teach him how to use a spinning reel. I remembered the first time I used one, I ended up with a tangle of line that took me forever to get straightened out. Hopefully, Phil would have better luck. I told Paul I was staying at the cabin, so he tagged along with them.
“I expected you’d go too,” Greg said.
“No, I brought some rum from Cuba and plan to make pitchers of mojitos. I also brought some Cuban cigars. I thought it would remind us of last year and us all drinking scotch.”
Greg agreed I had a plan.
◊◊◊
When everyone came back, Phil was excited.
“I caught a walleye from the dock.”
Dad showed us a picture of it on his phone. It looked to be about twenty inches, a nice eating size.
“What did you do with him?” Greg asked.
“He got away,” Phil admitted.
Phil washed his hands, and we all found seats in the great room.
“I have a treat: I made mojitos and have Cuban cigars,” I announced.
Phil looked at Dad, and he nodded. Greg helped me get everyone a glass and a cigar. I skipped the cigar because I never wanted to get into the habit.
“These are good,” Uncle John said, tasting the drink. “Phil, go easy. They’ll sneak up on you.”
Paul demonstrated the proper way to clip the end off the cigar and how to light it. Paul had become an expert while in Cuba. I helped Phil get his lit, then shook my head when he took a big drag on it and had a coughing fit. I handed him his drink.
“Here, drink this. It’ll help,” I suggested.
Greg smacked me when he downed his drink.
“He has to learn sometime,” I said in my defense.
I got him another drink.
“To really appreciate your cigar, smoke it slowly and don’t draw too frequently, which will heat it and spoil the taste. You should take about a puff a minute and never inhale it. Phil showed you why,” Paul suggested.
All I knew was the cabin now reeked of cigar smoke. I hoped we wouldn’t get in trouble for that.
We all talked for a while, unwinding. Everyone was on their second drink when Uncle John began his talk.
“Thank you, David. Last year it was a scotch tasting, and this year, good rum. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next year.”
“Wait, I thought the youngest had to supply the alcohol,” I said.
“I think I would rather you were in charge. You haven’t steered us wrong yet,” Dad said.
Next year I would have to bring something like Goldschläger. I would be off the hook after that. I still remembered having blacked out at Northwestern after drinking that stuff. Everyone said I had a good time.
“This year, I want to talk about circles of trust. With the changes in David’s life, he needs a conceptual framework to help him deal with people he trusts to varying degrees. Trusting the wrong person can have devastating results, as he’s learned the hard way, and as a consequence, we have Paul with us.
“Besides, dealing appropriately with people where trust can be an issue is something that he’ll have to do for the rest of his life. With a little knowledge and some forethought and preparation, though, he can make it easier on himself,” Uncle John said.
“It’s not just David. This is important for all of you to learn,” Dad pointed out.
“I agree that this can help each of us deal with people better, and avoid some pitfalls,” Uncle John said.
“Let me give you an example. Research shows that there are people with self-important personalities who tend to manipulate others for their own gain. They can seem charming on first impression. They’re also likely to have high-status jobs or positions. While being successful doesn’t equate to someone you can’t trust, it is a potential indicator. They’ve learned to use others to get ahead.
“So how do you identify someone who’s out to take advantage of you? You need to look at how your brain is wired,” Uncle John explained.
What I liked about my uncle’s lectures was that he didn’t just give you his opinion; he had data to back it up.
“Remember when I told you that when you feel like you’re in danger, you probably are? Yet we convince ourselves that we should ignore our instincts, and that’s when we get ourselves in trouble. It’s the same way with trust.