| General Fiction posted December 18, 2022 | Chapters: |
...18 19 -20- 21... 
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E.J. relates another amazing story to Abby
A chapter in the book Some Call It Luck
Some Call It Luck - Chapter 20
by Jim Wile
| Background A brilliant and beautiful but insecure, nerdy young woman befriends a going nowhere older alcoholic caddie. Together, they bring out the best in each other and collaborate on a startling new invention |
Synopsis of the previous chapter: To prove to himself that yesterday's hole-in-one with the Lucky 1 ball that he had found was no fluke, he tried the same shot again in the early morning light. He could not see the flagstick in the dim light, but he aimed where he thought it had been yesterday. The hole had actually been moved after his shot yesterday, but he finds the ball sitting directly over the hole from yesterday, in effect two hole-in-ones on the same hole on two consecutive days.
I was exhilarated! The buzz from last night’s fifth of bourbon was long gone, to be replaced by an even better feeling of pure joy at what I had just done. In a buoyant mood, I set off for the clubhouse, but as I got near, I realized I was suddenly famished. I passed by the clubhouse, back down the long entry drive, and back onto Astor Lane. I actually jogged the mile back into town to Maudie’s Place, which opened at 6:00 AM.
I ordered a big breakfast of chicken and waffles and a few cups of coffee. I bought a newspaper from the stand out front and came back in to sip coffee and read. I still had plenty of time before heading back to Brentwood to caddie, because I usually didn’t get there until after 9:00 most days, and it was only 6:30 now. After reading the headlines and an article or two, I turned to the entertainment section and looked at the bridge column.
Like yesterday, the bidding was strange to me, but I again followed the play of the hand quite easily. Then I remembered Abby had promised to bring in a bridge book for me to read, and I made a mental note to go visit her at the snack bar sometime today to get it from her.
I sat there reading the paper and drinking coffee for another 45 minutes or so until the place started filling up. I didn’t want to take up table space on a busy morning, so I got up, paid my bill, and headed back to Brentwood.
By the time I got back and settled down on a bench in the caddie yard, it was almost 8:00. In a little while Rafe showed up, came in, and sat down next to me.
“Mornin’ E.J. I kinda’ surprise to see you here. You don’ usually beat me in.”
“Morning, Rafe. Yeah, I woke up early and kept thinking about what happened yesterday and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I just decided to come in early.”
“What happen yest’day?”
“What do you mean, ‘what happened?’ You know, the hole-in-one.”
“What you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“Ah, c’mon, Rafe. You saw it happen. It was your idea to hit those balls on 16.”
“I don’ know what you talkin’ bout, E.J. I warn’t even here, yest’day.”
I was baffled and my face clearly showed it. Was it all my imagination? After a few seconds, Rafe could no longer keep a straight face. He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder.
“Man, I got you! You shoulda’ seen yo face jus’ now. Dat was rich, E.J. I be chucklin’ bout dat all day!”
“Yeah, yeah. You got me.” I punched him in his beefy arm.
I didn’t feel like telling him about the second hole-in-one just yet; I wanted to tell Abby first. So, we went into our normal routine of chatter and smack talk and later played a little cards with some of the other caddies while we waited around for a loop.
It did end up being another very slow day, and by 1:00 PM I still hadn’t gotten out again. I was certainly not high up on the list of desirable caddies, so there was no guarantee of another round today. I decided to head down to the snack bar and see if Abby had any time to talk.
She was sitting and reading a book behind the counter and sweating. There was a fan overhead, but it was just moving the hot air around. She greeted me and told me that only four groups had come through all morning, and it was really slow. The heat was keeping almost everyone in today. She reached under the counter then and pulled out a thin, black book and handed it to me: Contract Bridge for Beginners by Charles Goren.
“This is the book I told you about yesterday. You sure you’re interested in borrowing it? I don’t want you just humoring me to be polite.”
“I’m not. I’ll give it a legitimate try.”
“Okay, then. After you’ve learned a little, and if you decide you like it, I could probably arrange a game. I know a couple of other people who play.”
“Well, let’s see how it goes first.”
“I have a feeling once you start playing again, you might really like it.”
“We’ll see.”
“It’s so hot out here. Feel like a Coke or something?”
“Yeah, that would be great. A big, tall one with lots of ice.”
As she prepared my drink, I asked her if she had a few minutes to talk. I said there was more to the story from yesterday that I had to tell her.
She handed me the drink, and I paid her for it. She followed me over to a table in the shade, reminding me I’d have to leave if another group came up. I downed about half the Coke before resuming the story.
“Alright, I had this disturbing dream last night about my miracle shot yesterday. I dreamt that when I got to the green, there was no flagstick, no hole, and the ball was just sitting on the wide-open green. Nothing special at all. I woke up so deflated and wondered if it had really happened the way I’d told you. My mind does some strange things sometimes.
“I thought of calling Rafe, but it was 4:00 in the morning. I couldn’t wait until I saw him again; I had to know right then if what I did was real, so I got this ‘brilliant’ idea that if I could do it again, that would prove it was no fluke. Not my best thinking, but like I said, my mind does some strange things sometimes.
I then related to her everything that happened when I got back to the club, ending with the ball sitting right atop the old cup from yesterday.
Abby looked at me with growing astonishment as I related the last part of my tale. “I don’t know what to say. That is truly amazing! That really happened?”
“I wouldn’t kid you about that. It really did. I don’t know exactly what it means, but at least it proves that yesterday wasn’t a total fluke.”
“Well, both days are a total fluke if you ask me. E.J., you’ve got to start golfing again. You could be so good!”
“I don’t know; maybe it’s just this ball here,” I said as I dug it out of my pocket and handed it to her.
“What, a magic ball with homing powers? You don’t believe that, do you?”
“What else would explain it? I mean, you can go your whole life and never get a hole-in-one. But to get two of them in two days on the same hole? What are the odds?”
“Well, they’d be astronomical… but not impossible. You ought to send that in to Guinness.”
“Yeah, they’d never believe it. I’ve got Rafe to vouch for the first one, but the second one isn’t really official because there was no longer a hole there, just a plug of turf. Plus, I’m the only one who saw it. They’d think I was making it all up.”
“Well, I said you needed to find the right shovel to dig yourself out: Maybe this is it? Maybe you should really consider golfing again. Who knows? Maybe bridge will grab you as well. Better than sitting at home getting bombed all the time.”
I could tell she immediately regretted those words. “I’m sorry, E.J. That was uncalled for. I really apologize.”
“Don’t worry. You’re not wrong about that. Maybe you’re right about using the shovel that’s been placed in my hands.”
I picked up the book and told her I would read it. I thanked her for lending it to me and listening to my tale, finished my Coke, and then headed back to the caddie yard to see if there might be another loop this afternoon.
I sat there awhile, and since there was no apparent action, I picked up the book she lent me and started reading it. Wonderful little book. And very logical. It started with bidding and then talked about playing the hand. It was very clear, and I became so engrossed in it that I finished the whole thing in about an hour and a half. Still no loop by 3:00 PM, so I decided to call it a day. I walked back to the snack bar and handed Abby the book.
“What, not for you?” she said, kind of disappointedly.
“Au contraire, ma chéri,” I said in a phony French accent. “I just finished it. It was very good.”
“You finished it already?”
“Yeah, there weren’t any bags to carry, so I just sat there and read it. Sure passed the time. I really enjoyed it and feel like I’d like to try a game.”
“Well, alright then! I’ll see what I can do to get a game together. Are you free in the evenings?”
“Yeah, pretty much every night. You pick the time and place; I’ll be there. May need a ride though. I don’t have a car anymore.”
“That’s okay. I can pick you up. That’s great, E.J. I look forward to it. By the way, I’ve got other bridge books too if you’d like to borrow some more.”
“Mais oui, oui!” again with the French. “You pick me out another one and I’ll read it. Speaking of ‘oui oui,’ I gotta hit the head, then I’m heading out. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, E.J.,” she said, shaking her head and chuckling.
E.J.'s life has been stagnant for a long time, but all of a sudden, the wind is shifting as new things begin coming in or back into his life. Perhaps most important of all is his budding friendship with Abby.
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