| General Fiction posted February 3, 2023 | Chapters: |
...60 61 -62- 63... 
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Abby makes plans to get her suit back from Dana.
A chapter in the book Some Call It Luck
Some Call It Luck - Chapter 62
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 |
Recap: Dana Griffin (nee Padgett), who was Abby’s chief tormentor all through grade school, finds herself in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She is a good golfer and joins Kettle Creek Country Club soon after moving there. While practicing one day, she sees a young redheaded girl practicing as well who reminds her of a young Abby. She then reminisces about her relationship with Abby back then and how poorly she had treated her.
Dana is invited to have lunch and play golf with a woman she met on the practice tee. At lunch the next day, who should show up to have lunch and play in the foursome but Abby, who is also a member at Kettle Creek. It’s been 20 years since they’ve seen each other, and although they are cordial, they are also rather cool towards each other. Dana learns from the other ladies in the group how successful Abby is at her job and how good a golfer she is, having won the ladies club championship the previous year.
Dana finds out that the young girl she saw practicing on the range is Abby’s daughter, Claire, who seems to be struggling with the game. She is having trouble learning the golf swing, which leads Abby to the idea of a new invention: a golf suit training aid that will swing for you to give you the proper feel of the swing. She tells Kenny about it, and they decide to invite E.J. and Eddie over for lunch and to bat the idea around.The team is onboard with the idea, and over the next few years the golf suit is created.
Now it’s time to try it out on a guinea pig—Claire. She has terrific results with it, and Dana notices the vast improvement in Claire on the practice tee. She sneaks into the locker room and steals the suit while Claire is in the shower. Abby is irate when Claire tearfully relates that she has lost the suit.
At home Dana puts on the suit and figures out how to use it. Over the next two weeks she practices with it.
The first day of the club championship is over, and Dana is in the lead, two strokes ahead of Abby in second place. On the second day, Abby is paired with Dana. Both play well, but through the 7th hole, Dana has picked up another stroke and is 3 ahead of Abby. She is swinging very well, and Abby has a suspicion about this sudden improvement. She soon realizes that Dana has the suit on, which is cheating. Dana falters at the end and barely ekes out a 1-stroke victory over Abby, but Abby chooses not to say anything just yet. Abby plans to get the suit back from Dana and will confront her that night.
A continuation of the chapter: Abby Payne - August, 2004
By the time we finished our pizza then all had a bowl of ice cream for dessert, E.J. announced that he had to leave. I hugged him and thanked him for his contribution today, and he told me how proud of me he was. I promised to call him tomorrow and let him know how it went with Dana tonight. We said goodbye, and he left then.
I thought for a few minutes about what I would say to Dana, then without hesitation, I picked up the phone and called her.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hello, Dana. This is Abby. I’m going to come by your house tonight and retrieve the suit you stole from Claire a few weeks ago. I realized you were using it today, and now I want it back.”
She paused for a beat and then said, “What are you talking about, Abby?”
“Dana, you know what I’m talking about. I put in thousands of dollars and hours creating that suit, and I’m going to get it back from you.”
She didn’t respond for about five seconds. Finally, she said in a weak, shaky voice, “You invented that suit?” thus giving herself away.
“Yes. It’s just a prototype and far from perfected yet, but I need to get it back to continue working on it. I’m coming over now, and you’d better give it to me.” I didn’t even raise my voice; I just said it calmly. After that, I hung up.
I memorized her address from the phone book, said goodbye to the rest, and told them where I was going. Kenny asked me if I wanted him to come with me, but I declined his offer. I told him I could handle it, and that I didn’t think there was going to be a problem. He wished me luck, and I left.
When I got to Dana’s house, I walked up to her front door. The porch light was on, and I could see a bag hanging from the door knob. I looked inside, and there was my suit. What a sense of relief flowed over me to see it again.
And then I left, just like that. Let her have the darn title. I figured it would end up being a Pyrrhic victory for her; how could she possibly enjoy it knowing that she had cheated to get it and that I knew it too? I didn’t care that much about the title—at least not in comparison to the joy I felt in getting my suit back.
When I returned home a few minutes later, I found the kids had begun getting ready for bed. I sat down with Kenny for a while in the family room.
“So how did it go?” he asked me. “You sure weren’t there very long.”
“It went fine, actually. When I walked up to her door, I found it in a bag hanging from the doorknob. I just pulled it off and left. I guess neither of us wanted to face each other about it.”
“So, is that the end of it?”
“It is for now. Except that this experience pointed out the need for me to take out an insurance policy on it. If it gets lost or stolen again, at least we could get some money back for it. Also, I’ve got to get it dry cleaned the first thing after I do that tomorrow. It really stinks! I think all the foulness in her soul just exuded into it.”
We decided to turn in early then; we were both beat, and I wanted to say goodnight to the kids. First, I kissed Greg goodnight and told him I got my suit back and thanked him for his support this weekend. He was very happy for me.
Then I went in to talk with Claire for a while. She was in bed reading when I sat down on the edge of the bed with her.
“Did you get it back, Mom?” she asked as she looked at me anxiously.
“I did, sweetie. I didn’t even have to confront her; she had left it hanging on the front door knob. I just took it and left."
Claire breathed a sigh of relief and gave me a big hug. “I’m so happy you got it back, Mom. Does this mean I don’t have to put in the 36 hours now?”
“You’re not getting off that easy! Your infraction was that you failed to lock up an expensive piece of equipment as you had been repeatedly warned to do. You are still guilty of that. You won’t have to work on the suit now, but Dad and I will find something else you can help us with. Nice try, though.”
She smiled impishly. “I guess that’s fair. I guess I did cause you to lose the club championship today.”
“You know, Claire, I don’t care too much about that. It would have been nice to win, but I know I played my best today, and I can take great pleasure in that. Plus, I had my family and good friend around rooting me on. Who needs more than that?” I hugged her then and kissed her goodnight.
“I love you, Mom,” she said to me.
“I love you too, sweetie. Goodnight, and sleep tight.”
“And don’t let the bedbugs bite!” she chimed in as I left and closed her door.
Kenny and I washed up and brushed our teeth and finally got into bed. As I lay there cuddled up to him, my mind kept going back over this unusual day. I lost the club championship today, and maybe I should be sad, but I’m ecstatic because I got my suit back. Now I can finally relax for the first time in weeks!
(2 more chapters to go)
Abby Payne: 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 worked at the snack bar and as a waitress at Brentwood Country Club during the summers where she met both E.J. and Kenny, who is a member at Brentwood and became her boyfriend and eventually her husband.
E.J. Budrowski: 18 years older than Abby, he is an alcoholic with a traumatic past (an abusive father and a mother driven to suicide) who is a caddie at Brentwood CC. One day he finds a dirty old golf ball on the edge of a pond that seems to have unusual powers, for he makes two holes-in-one with it. He and Abby become friends when she encourages him to take up both golf and bridge again after long layoffs. He finally quits drinking and returns to college at age 40 and earns a degree in computer science. Eventually he becomes a professor of computer science.
Dana Griffin (nee Padgett): Grew up with Abby back in Butler. She is a bully and teased Abby unmercifully all the way through school. Coincidentally, 20 years later, she finds herself living in Altoona, where Abby lives, and joins the same country club as Abby.
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. He is a mechanical engineer and is tall, good looking, and an all-around nice guy. After less than a year of courtship, he marries Abby.
Eddie Phillips: A young member at Brentwood known for his extremely good putting and ability to hustle his opponents. Eddie is friends with Abby and beats Kenny in the club championship with a miracle shot. He and Kenny become best friends after that.
Claire Payne: The 12-year-old daughter of Abby and Kenny. Her inability to improve at golf was the inspiration for the invention of the golf suit.
Greg Payne: The 9-year-old son of Abby and Kenny.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. E.J. Budrowski: 18 years older than Abby, he is an alcoholic with a traumatic past (an abusive father and a mother driven to suicide) who is a caddie at Brentwood CC. One day he finds a dirty old golf ball on the edge of a pond that seems to have unusual powers, for he makes two holes-in-one with it. He and Abby become friends when she encourages him to take up both golf and bridge again after long layoffs. He finally quits drinking and returns to college at age 40 and earns a degree in computer science. Eventually he becomes a professor of computer science.
Dana Griffin (nee Padgett): Grew up with Abby back in Butler. She is a bully and teased Abby unmercifully all the way through school. Coincidentally, 20 years later, she finds herself living in Altoona, where Abby lives, and joins the same country club as Abby.
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. He is a mechanical engineer and is tall, good looking, and an all-around nice guy. After less than a year of courtship, he marries Abby.
Eddie Phillips: A young member at Brentwood known for his extremely good putting and ability to hustle his opponents. Eddie is friends with Abby and beats Kenny in the club championship with a miracle shot. He and Kenny become best friends after that.
Claire Payne: The 12-year-old daughter of Abby and Kenny. Her inability to improve at golf was the inspiration for the invention of the golf suit.
Greg Payne: The 9-year-old son of Abby and Kenny.
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