Whenever we got close to the buoys, Shipu would always say, “No, nothing in the net this morning.” He would shake his head and look at me in a discouraged way. “We won’t be eating any fish today.” At first I believed him, but I soon learned how to read the lake. Certain buoys would be floating lower in the water. They would drop down and then bob up to the surface.

My father would pull in his net very gently. We never knew what would come out of the water, but nature was always generous. One by one they would appear — a trout, a pike, then another.

It’s delicate work. You have to keep the boat steady. But what if it’s windy tomorrow morning? Then you have to pull up the net slowly, inch by inch. And what if it gets tangled? What if a fish is caught in the mesh?

Pinamen rests her hand on my arm. She has seen the worry on my face.

“If you like, I could come with you.”

“Okay!” I nod. With her I can do it. We will be fishing partners. Sam knows he has set a challenge for me, but for him that’s how you learn.

“Bring back the net with you. This will be our last fish before we go back to the reserve.”

Sam is giving Pinamen and me a chance to spend a few hours together. Private moments are rare, and we have so much to say to each other.

“Nipishish,” Sam says. “Change places with me. You can steer us in.”

I feel myself blush with pride. My cheeks are hot. I try to hide my happiness but I can’t.

“Watch me. I’ll show you the route to follow and what speed to keep.”

“Okay!”

We slowly change places, holding on to each other and staying low so as not to upset the canoe. I take Sam’s place. I’m nervous. He gives me the signal to go straight. I speed up. The bow rises up as the canoe plows through the water.

Sam gives me the okay sign. I maintain the speed. My eyes sweep over the lake and the mountains. I keep an eye on my guide. With his back to me he points his finger, giving me signals.

“A little to the right…a bit to the left…okay now. Straight ahead…slow down.”

I don’t rush. I relax. For once I feel as if I’m capable of doing something of value.

The cabin comes into view and gets bigger. A couple of ospreys follow us, then dive and disappear. A large gull, white as a patch of snow, sits motionless on the back of a round gray rock that’s poking out of the water and watches us pass.