Hi, it’s Christina –
Good Morning! Okay, I’m
sore! I mean, really sore.
There I was, after I came
home from work, minding my own business, sitting at my laptop, replying to
Facebook and Twitter birthday and anniversary well wishes, all prepared for a
quiet evening at home, when my youngest cherub decides I need to go bowling for
my birthday. Bowling? I haven’t picked up a bowling ball in almost ten years.
Lord have mercy!
I make her call the
closest bowling alley, thinking (praying) they were going to tell her sorry, it’s
Wednesday, they have leagues all night. No such luck. They tell her first come,
first served. So when my hubby got home from work, off we went.
I did manage to find his
bowling ball bag in the garage, but mine must be somewhere buried deep. Oh joy, rented shoes and a lane ball. This
just keeps getting better.
We get there, and all the
non-league lanes are full, but there’s full alley open bowling at 9:30. Woo Hoo! The kids know I go to bed early,
they won’t make me stay up. It’s my birthday. They have to be nice to me on my
birthday.
“So why don’t we go have
dinner first, and then come back for bowling?” My husband suggests. And I married you why? I paste a grin on
my face, and drive to Carrabba’s. Their bread was eh, nothing like the bread at
Uncle Vinnie’s, but other than that, dinner was fine.
Just before nine, we head
back to the bowling alley. Some lanes have opened up, so we can get on early. Hot Dog! Let’s bowl our game and then we can
go home.
“So you would like the
special, right? Bowl all you want until 11:30, for only $15 a person.”
At this point I am
convinced the entire universe is plotting against me.
My hubby hands over the
$60, the helpful man behind the counter hands us three pairs of the ever
fashionable red, white and blue bowling shoes (Paulie’s were in his bowling
bag), and we head off for a ball hunt, or in my case, a left handed wind
shifter. I had tried several on for size and decided a 10 was too light and a
12 was too heavy; a far cry from the 15 I used to throw when I was on a league,
back in the day.
Balls at this alley range
in weight from 6 – 16, and in finger hole size XS – XL. Believe it or not, I
actually saw a 15lb ball with XS finger holes – who’da thunk it?
I didn’t think I was
looking for something unreasonable. I wanted an 11lb ball with medium holes –
middle weight, average size. It took looking in every ball rack along one side
of the alley before I found what I was looking for – and it was even in my
favorite color – Bonus! Okay, maybe this is
a sign the night won’t be a total disaster.
Randy, Dani’s boyfriend,
is up first. He throws his ball, a couple pins go down. He’s thrilled because he’s
only bowled a few times in his life. The second ball gets him a few more, and
then it’s Dani’s turn. She doesn’t get double gutter balls, so she’s pleased.
Now it’s my turn, and the
brain had gone into overdrive – Don’t fall, Don’t twist your back wrong, Don’t
drop the ball. Sure enough, there must have been something on the bottom of my
shoe, because I couldn’t slide, stopped abruptly, stumbled, BUT did not fall,
nor did I tweak my back. There is a God!
I walked away from that frame with an eight – not great, but not embarrassing.
Paulie gets up, and throws
a strike. Seriously? The man hasn’t
picked up a bowling ball in fifteen years at least. Oh, this is going to be a LONG night.
He finished the game with
only one open frame and a score of 153. Randy didn’t break 100 all night, Dani
hovered around 100, and so did I. For me it’s frustrating not to do well at
something you used to be pretty darn good at.
When I was bowling in a
league, I had a 163 average, so the 112, 104 & 97 I bowled bruised my ego a
bit, but I was relieved to find out, I could still bowl. This was the first
time I had gone since my last back surgery, and I was truly concerned I wouldn’t
be able to do it. By the end of the night, I was tired so I wasn’t throwing the
ball correctly, but I had loosened up and my form was returning.
It gave me hope, that with
some practice, I would actually be able to bowl again. Paulie and I used to
have so much fun bowling on the league, and now, maybe it can be something we’ll
be able to do together again.
Next time though, I will
have my own shoes – the lane ones hurt my feet and gave me a blister - and I
will start with one or two games, not three. My legs are really sore. My back
is a little sore. My thumb nail shattered and has broken off below the quick,
so that’s sore. However, it was all worth it because we had a blast. It was the
best birthday in a long time. I only wish PJ, Alex and Lys could have been
there to share in the fun, then it would have been perfect.
I hope you have a fantastic
day, and happy writing!
Your Next Challenge is use
the following:
“You
thought I would bring you into the Tunnel of Love to corrupt you?”
Bonus points if you use it
as either your first or last sentence.
You have ten minutes (be
honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t
count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.
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