Connie's Corner

Bowling

I was looking at a life history site that had some sound prompts for memory jogging and several of them took me back in time. This memory was the clearest.

I heard the sound of bowling pins being knocked down and was transported to Brunswick Lanes in Dover, Delaware, in the winter of 1968. Jim and I belonged to a bowling league along with another couple who were our best friends. Jim had served in the Air Force with Mark and was his best man at his and Pat's wedding. Now, Pat was expecting and due in about a month. Have you ever seen a pregnant lady bowl?

You might think it would be funny, but not Pat. She was the epitome of grace. I can see her now, slowly walking down the lane, swinging her ball behind her, straight behind her, not turning her wrist at all, everything in very slow motion, then swinging her arm forward very slowly, leaning down so that her right knee almost touched the floor, back very straight. Suddenly, she would release the ball...no, drop the ball, thump..and her hand would come up quickly and cross in front of her as she struggled to maintain her balance and rise upright.

All eyes in the bowling alley would be on Pat, everyone holding their breath, until she released the ball and stood up. It seemed like her approach took about ten minutes, she did it so slowly. And then, the most amazing thing. That ball would roll ever so slowly from the center of the alley where she dropped it, all the way to the right over to the absolute very edge of the gutter, and as everyone held their breath again, it would travel down that very edge, seemingly holding on to the alley by who knew what, until finally, almost at the end, it would make a sharp left hand turn toward the pocket. Pat never got less than eight pins. Many times I expected the ball to stop rolling, but somehow it kept moving.

Sometimes, she even made her spares...the same way. She had a little boy right on her due date. I wonder if he ever bowled.

until next time...c