| General Fiction posted January 3, 2023 | Chapters: |
...30 31 -32- 33... 
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Abby's date goes well
A chapter in the book Some Call It Luck
Some Call It Luck - Chapter 32
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 |
(See the Author Notes for a description of the main characters.)
Recap: Abby has returned to Brentwood CC to work at the snack bar again this summer to earn money for grad school. While at school a few months back, she had met an interesting guy who she never saw again until he walks up to the snack bar with her friend Eddie. Abby is visibly flustered by Kenny’s reappearance and spills coke on him while serving him. Later that evening, her discomfiture around Kenny increases as she is drenched by champagne when she opens a bottle for Kenny and Eddie while waitressing in the clubhouse. She confides in E.J. who tells her not to worry about it and predicts that Kenny will ask her out within the week. He does, and they have their first date.
A contination of the chapter Abby St. Claire - June, 1987
Dinner at Maudie’s Place went splendidly; I didn’t even spill anything. We talked easily about all sorts of things. He loved to read, like me, and asked me what my favorite book was. I told him The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand—a favorite of his too, he said. “What did you like so much about it?” he asked me.
“Well, it wasn’t because the main character, Howard Roark, had red hair! I loved his vision and his refusal to let others stop him from achieving it. He didn’t care what others thought of him; he just did things his own way and stayed true to himself. I wish I were more like that.”
“Have you ever faced the kind of challenges in your life that he had to overcome?” he asked me.
“Only to a small extent. When I was growing up, I didn’t really fit in that well at school. I was this funny-looking kid with glasses and was a real bookworm. Kids tended to pick on me, and it bothered me a lot. When I got to college, there were very few women in my major, and most of the guys looked down on me. A few even told me I’d never make it in the job market. But I’ve always loved math and science. If it means having a tougher time finding a job, I guess I’ll have to deal with it then.
“One other small challenge: my parents often wanted to get rid of Lester because he was so unfriendly—mean, really—but I loved him and took over his feeding and care. They didn’t have to do anything except take him to the vet once a year.”
“Why do you love a mean cat?”
“Well, he’s not mean to me. He just seems to be a one-person cat whose loyalty I had to earn.”
“Do you think he’d ever make room in his life for a second person?”
“I don’t know, but I hope so.”
We talked some more about Eddie.
“You know, I actually really like the guy,” Kenny said. “Yeah, he’s loud and crude, but he makes me laugh. Maybe it’s just my puerile sense of humor, but I enjoy being around him.”
“Deep down, somewhere in there, he’s really a sweet guy,” I said. “He’d give you the shirt off his back, especially if he got a chance to check you out while doing it. For real, on our second date, he spilled his beer all over my blouse. See? I’m not the only one who spills stuff. We were having a picnic, if you can believe it, and he accidentally spilled his beer down the front of my shirt.”
“Maybe it wasn’t so accidental.”
“Well, you could be right because he insisted that I wear his golf shirt since he had a T-shirt on beneath it. And even though I went around behind some bushes to change, he found an excuse to come back there and check me out.”
“Couldn’t really blame him there.”
“Kenny! You guys!”
“Whatsa matter, Dollface? Don’t you know how crazy you’re driving me with this kind of talk?” he said in a good Eddie impersonation.
That cracked me up. We talked some more, but soon it was time to go. We walked around downtown for a while, and he took my hand. I was starting to feel comfortable with him now, and it felt wonderful walking around holding hands with him.
When we got back to my place, I asked him if he’d like to come up for a while. Without hesitation he said yes.
I offered him something to drink. “All I have is milk and water. No champagne, unfortunately.”
We both laughed at that. “Water’s fine.”
As we sat down on the sofa, he took my hand again. Lester suddenly appeared and jumped up to settle on my lap. When he saw that we were holding hands, he let out a soft growl. “Settle down, Lester. You’re still my best boy.”
Kenny tried reaching out to pet him with his other hand, but a loud hiss stopped him right there. “Okay, Lester, we’ll just take it slow,” he said. Lester jumped down then and retreated to the bedroom.
“I guess I didn’t make much of an impression on him,” Kenny said then.
“Oh, he’ll get used to you eventually.”
“Does that mean I can ask you out again?”
“Well, I was kind of hoping you would.”
He smiled at that. We talked for a while more, and then it was time to go. He asked me if he could see me again tomorrow and suggested maybe a picnic dinner in the park. “Only if you promise not to spill any beer on me,” I said.
“If you promise not to spill anything on me, it’s a deal,” and we both laughed. We made arrangements then to pick up the food and drinks at the deli downtown before going to the park.
We said goodbye at the door, but he hesitated before turning around to leave. He gently put his hands on my face and gave me a soft kiss on the mouth. I put my hands around his waist and closed my eyes. And then it was over, and he went down the stairs and out to his car.
Oh, my goodness! I’m head over heels for this guy, and I hope he feels the same about me.
Abby St. Claire: Age 20. She has just graduated from Penn State University where she was a math major and has decided to go for a masters degree there next year. She is intelligent and beautiful, yet shy and awkward with most people her age, having been picked on quite a lot while growing up. She works at the snack bar at Brentwood Country Club during the summers.
Kenny Payne: Abby met him briefly at a frat party in her senior year and was intrigued by him, then she sees him again when he walks up to the snack bar several months later. Tall, good looking, and an all-around nice guy.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Kenny Payne: Abby met him briefly at a frat party in her senior year and was intrigued by him, then she sees him again when he walks up to the snack bar several months later. Tall, good looking, and an all-around nice guy.
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