Chapter 6: Monday January 31: Anne Bingham

On the day I went down to the lanes it was exactly as Colin had predicted, I was able to book into those three leagues without any trouble at all. While I was there I decided — well I suppose my brother did really — that it would be a good idea to look the part. With that in mind I bought top of the range balls — two of them — and shoes in the pro shop leaving very little change out of a thousand dollars.

I had the balls drilled on the spot and then played five games while I was there. With the help of my brother every one of them was better than two hundred which, he informed me because I was totally ignorant about the game, was the standard good score.

Now here I was on a Monday night at eight-twenty sitting at the back of lanes three and four sipping a cappuccino and talking to the three people in the team I would be bowling with. It wasn't long before the other three began to get ready. Naturally being in strange surroundings and knowing my brother was around I couldn't resist asking a couple of questions. The usual vain stuff like what they thought of me. What was their opinion of my possible use to the team.

'You know sometimes it may not seem like it little brother but there are some genuinely nice people in the world, and the older guys are two of the nicest. As for the young one he's simply reserving judgement on your bowling. If you produce the goods nothing else will concern him.'

'And I will?'

'Really Winston what do you take me for? Bowling is just an excuse, a means to impress. I mean you won't even have the opportunity to complete any of the seasons.'

'Impress who?'

'I wasn't going to tell you yet but I can see that you're getting a little impatient so just this once I will. A young lady is about to walk in for no other reason than simply as a way to pass the time and avoid going home any earlier than necessary. She had the idea of going to the pictures but she's not a big fan of movies, then she thought about going to the hotel but she isn't much of a drinker either. So given the limited choice of entertainment these days all that was really left was the one thing she really enjoys, playing video games in this centre. Hence the reason we've signed up for these three leagues.'

'Then she's... ?'

"Winston it's your bowl."

The voice wasn't that of my brother, it belonged to Adam Williams the older of the first two members of the team. They'd listed me to bowl third, after the two older men, both of whom averaged in the one-sixties, and before the younger guy who had an average of one-eighty-six.

"Remember one thing Winston, we might be here to win but we're here to have fun as well. Some people..."

I had a feeling he was referring to the young fellow.

"... When things don't go well tend to bang things around, swear and blame anyone or anything but themselves."

This time it was Bryan Adamson the well-meaning second bowler speaking after he and Adam Williams, the first bowler, had opened with strikes.

"All you can do--" he said "--is the best you can."

I knew he was saying that because of my appearance, thinking that I couldn't be built like I was an still be able to bowl well, which realistically of course, without my brother's help, was perfectly true.

'Well that's as may be little brother but I'll bet you'd like to show them wouldn't you?'

I agreed in what was fast becoming my usual manner with Colin.

'You will, you will. If you follow my directions in exactly the same way you did the other day I promise I won't let you down.'

I moved to the approach, picked my ball up off the rack, stood on the dot indicated by my brother, focused on the board two to the right of the extreme right dot and used the same three and a half step approach. I felt my thumb release a split second after the two middle fingers and waited for the result of the spin imparted by turning the ball as I threw it out on the lane for the extra speed and grip it would gain. With my brother more in control than I was I knew the result would be good, and so it proved. The ball began hooking two thirds of the way down the lane and hit slap in the one-three pocket giving nothing a chance of remaining standing.

I turned, accepted the high fives from my team and walked back to my cappuccino. I was — not surprisingly — anxious to continue the conversation with Colin, anxious to know more about exactly what was going on. My intention was to pick up my question where I left off, but I didn't have to.

'Yes Winston, to answer your question this girl is going to have a great deal to do with our plans. Now I don't want you to look around but there's a shapely blonde over by the machines. You won't mistake her she's the only girl there. In between games she keeps an eye on the lanes looking for a guy that might attract her attention. Right at this moment she's focusing on the little smart-arse bowling last in your team, and he knows it.'

'So what do I do about it?'

'Nothing at the moment, just keep bowling and make your move when I say so. Oh, and you'd better remember one thing, she likes men with an air of confidence, with the demeanour and aggression of a person totally in control. Now she may not like the game but she likes men who are good at what they do. Now go up and bowl the next strike.'

And I did, not only that but I followed it with three more before a nine spare broke the run of five. Another strike and a nine spare left me on one-seventy-nine after seven. The team was winning even with the prospect of a zero handicap for me and they seemed more than happy to have me as their fourth bowler.

'There, now she knows your abilities as a bowler Fred let's see what she thinks of you as a person, let's see if she likes what she sees.'

The question came so automatically I couldn't help it. 'With or without your help?'

'Oh without of course. I mean I have to give you a chance to impress don't I Fred?'

'Another chance to embarrass myself you mean.'

'Maybe, maybe not. But whatever happens I'll guarantee you won't be embarrassed at the end of the night. I was even going to send you over now but we may as well wait until the end of the game. That way you can get yourself another cup of coffee and talk to her on the way back. Plus I'll be able to give you a really good finish and a little more to impress her with.'

And what a finish it was, a strike in the ninth and the first two in the tenth gave me a finishing score of two-fifty-eight. The stunned expressions of my team-mates and the opposition gave me the strength to go over and face the girl.

One look was enough for me to fall in love, one look was all it took for me to know I would do anything to have this girl love me back. I didn't care if it was for myself or because of something my brother did, I just wanted it to happen.

"Couldn't help but notice that you were here by yourself, I'll be finished by a little after eleven, if you'd like to hang around we could maybe go for a coffee afterwards, what do you say?"

She laughed. I'd hoped she wouldn't but once she did I wasn't upset because Colin had promised her to me.

"You're serious aren't you?" Her tone was insulting, her expression said she couldn't believe that I'd had the cheek to ask such a question. "Well so am I," she added. "Now piss off!"

'Sorry little brother I guess you're not destined to win without my help.'

'Who gives a rat's arse as long as I get her in the end.'

'That's the spirit Winston, that's the spirit. And you will win out in the end, in fact she's probably having second thoughts right now.'

'Yes and in the meantime just what are my team-mates and the rest of the league thinking?'

'Does it really matter? Just accept it when I tell you that plenty of young men in here will be jealous of you at the end of the night. Meanwhile it's your turn to bowl, and don't expect to be too brilliant this time, after all we have to protect your average don't we?'

My brother gave me such confidence I began to concentrate on the bowling and started to forget about the girl. And that's the way it stayed until I realised after a two-hundred and one second game and a three strike opening to the third that she was sitting behind our lanes applauding me every time I closed a frame.

When I rolled a nine spare, three more strikes and finished nine spare, strike, nine spare, strike for a two-thirty-eight game and a six-ninety-seven series she couldn't contain herself and joined in the congratulations my team, the opposition and most of the rest of the league were offering.

When everything had died down she whispered in my ear. "Forget about what I said before, I really like the way you handle those big balls 'specially as you're such a big man yourself, know what I mean?"

'Now tell her thanks but no thanks little brother, tell her you've changed your mind about the coffee and that you have somewhere you have to be in rather a hurry.'

I did.

'And remind her that you did give her one chance but that she can see you here again tomorrow night if she wants to try again.'

I did that too and then thought, 'You know Colin, I begin to understand why we took up this bowling business but if we succeed with this girl why do we need to continue?'

'You're right we don't need to, but we won't stop until the mission is completed.'

I could feel the eyes of my team, and particularly our anchor bowler the young bloke, I knew they were stunned at the sudden change in this girl, at the way she'd come onto me after the initial rejection. But I knew they were more stunned at the way I'd simply walked out after telling her to meet me tomorrow night if she wanted to see me again.

'I must be crazy walking out on a girl like that when she's practically begging me to take her out. You know I reckon most of the league, my team especially, must think I am. And talking about that what must she think of me, I mean we didn't even get to exchange names did we?'

'What do they really know little brother? And anyway they'll be the ones with egg on their faces next week when you walk into the bowl with her. As for the girl, her name's Anne Bingham by the way, apart from her home life the only thing on her mind is you and the thought that you could be a way out of the miserable life she's leading, a way of getting her away from her parents.'

'You mean she needs us as much as we need her?' I was opening the drivers side of my white Ford Falcon panel van and about to look towards the bowl entrance.

'Don't look! Just take it from me that she's pulling a pen and a piece of paper from her handbag and making a note of your registration number. She's also heading back inside to check if you bowl in any other leagues, to see if you really do bowl tomorrow night. 'Now I want you to drive to Faversham Road, turn left, do a 'U'-turn and park facing towards Station Street. Then all you have to do is the same as last Monday night, close your eyes and let me fill your mind with pictures.'