Chapter 25

The next morning, us six guys headed out to another golf course. This one was another private country club that Terry had conned his way into tee times. Fred also knew the pro and invited him to play with us. Dad, George, and Dan played a three-some in front of us, and I played with Terry, Fred, and the Pro. Fred told the pro I had shot a sixty-seven the day before at the difficult course, and the pro said I would probably beat the course record today.

I didn’t beat the record, but I did shoot a sixty-eight, beating everyone in our group again. My Dad said that he had to shoot at least one more game with me while I was down there, as he couldn’t get over how well I was doing.

We played another new course on Tuesday and then repeated the first course we played on Wednesday. When we finished our game Wednesday, I had played with my Dad two days in a row and had played ‘way over my head. Dad started talking to Terry about whether I should try to go for the pro tour. I just flat said no way. I had school to finish, plus just about the time I would give up my “2-S” college deferment I would be drafted anyway. So pro sports were out for me for a long while.

The girls and I went out to the country club where the golf tournament was being held, and I picked up enough passes so all the adults could go. The golf pro was very nice and gave me a big box of balls to go along with the passes, saying I should have some kind of gift for the great game I shot.

After supper that night at the seafood restaurant again, we went to the nightclub, and this time the big bouncer type said that they had our area roped off from the other customers as we had four more underage girls with us. I promised him they would be good, and he just raised his eyebrows. We danced all night until we were bushed, then headed back to the hotel.

The girls and I were going to head back to school the next day, while the adults were all going to go to the golf tournament for a couple of days. They were excited about seeing some of the famous players like Sam Snead; the new young star, Jack Nicklaus; Billy Casper; Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. Mom and Dad asked if we could take my sisters home on our way so they could stay through the weekend with Delta and Trish’s folks.

In the morning after breakfast, we loaded up the luggage for all of us. I was surprised it all fit. There were three in the front and four in the back seat for the trip up state. At the house, the boys were happy the girls were home so they wouldn’t have to cook for themselves.

Delta, Trish, Sandy, and I stayed the night and then took off for the trip back to school. We stopped at Panama City Beach for a night and day to enjoy the beach there and then headed out for a non-stop trip back to school.

We ended up staying at Trish’s the night we got back, just enjoying each other and relaxing. Sandy was up early begging to be taken back to campus to see if her fellow was back. Trish took her back to campus while Delta and I cleaned up the station wagon, giving it a thorough scrubbing inside and out.

We lazed around the rest of the day, making love and napping until it was the evening mealtime back on campus. We went back to campus, hauling our stuff to our rooms and then meeting to go to the cafeteria. Most of the folks were not back yet but would be piling in by Sunday morning. The girls and I went back to Trish’s to be together for one last night before the week started.

Sunday morning we went to church and then out to their country club for brunch. With full bellies, we did our laundry, complete with ironing, and then hauled everything back to campus. The girls poured over the apartments for-rent classifieds, trying to find a place close to campus so we could live together but still use the cafeteria. They didn’t find anything, but then it was in the middle of the school year.

Monday brought the breakfast group back together with a vengeance. The cafeteria staff pleaded with us to hold it down and then threatened to have us thrown out if we didn’t settle down. Thank goodness it got late fast, so we all had to go to class.

Monday afternoon, I went to the golf offices to find a very relaxed Fred Weathers telling the guys on the team about the tournament he saw. He also introduced me as a new multi-sport player and said that I was going to compete for a place on the team. He then embarrassed me by telling the guys about the great game I shot at the course where he watched the tournament. Terry then shook my hand, saying that the pro wanted me to know that not one of the professionals on tour beat my score during the tournament. He said it was something I should be proud of.

We went out to the driving range that was set up for us and drove about a hundred balls each. We then went on the quest of picking them all up. Thank goodness there was a fence enclosing the sides and the back so we could find most of the balls along the fence. We practiced some chipping and then were let go with the promise of putting practice the next day in an effort to get us ready for a match the coming weekend.

The girls met me for supper, and afterward we headed to the library for the study group. It wasn’t the whole group yet but pretty many showed up and helped each other get started back in the groove.

Wow, two nights in a row without playing with the girls kept me awake thinking of the two of them. Strange how you can get used to having someone around you constantly.

The next morning at breakfast, I could see in their eyes that they had not slept all that well either. At supper, they said we would go to the library and then to Delta’s for the night. Guess we were pretty spoiled. When we got to Delta’s, Dan told me about the tournament and that Mom and Dad had gone every day and had stayed through Sunday night with George and him. He said he really liked my folks and were glad we all got together again.

The girls and I slept well that night after some gentle loving. It always amazes me that they chose me over all the choices they had. I sure was going to try to earn that choice.

In the morning, we got up, showered, and dressed to get to the cafeteria for breakfast. We were only running about five minutes later than usual and figured we could adjust our wakeup time if we needed to. They told me they had talked to Carol about their thought of getting an apartment. They even said Carol wasn’t upset about us moving in together, which surprised them.

Friday was going to be a travel day for the golf match on Saturday. Since the group is small, we took cars to the campus where the match was going to be held. It was South of us and was a little warmer; the tournament would be played with the temperatures in the high sixties. We got there early enough to walk the course and do some driving practice at a local range.

The next morning we all did some driving and putting practice until lunchtime and then relaxed before the match start time at one. We were playing four people per group in stroke play. A group would start at the first hole, third, ninth, and twelfth hole. That did it, as there were only eight of us on the team. Fred and Terry, the new assistant coach, would range between the groups for coaching. We would all carry our own bags or drag them along on the little carts with wheels.

The course was easier than the girls’ country club course and a lot easier than any of the courses I had played on in Florida. I wasn’t quite as sharp with my irons but ended with a seventy on the par seventy-one course. My score was the tournament best, but our team score was six over the host, home team. Fred and the other players were ecstatic, even though I was disappointed. We were going to have to get better as a team.

We drove home that night, arriving on campus about two in the morning. The girls had gone home, so I slept a little late before going to breakfast. Trish came in just as I was finishing. She was saying that Delta and she had a surprise for me after church. I went back to the dorm and changed into some good clothes before we went to pick up Delta and go to church.

After church, we joined their folks for brunch at the country club and then went back to Trish’s house. There, they said that they would show me the surprise, but I had to be blindfolded. They tied a scarf over my eyes and led me out to a car. I could tell we were not by ourselves, as the girls and I were in the back seat. You really couldn’t tell where we were going, as it was a twisting turning drive through the city, but it seemed like it was on the way back to school.

They stopped and then helped me out of the car and walked me up to some steps and then up the stairs through a doorway. I could smell spic and span plus floor and furniture polish. As I was walking, the sound was like I was in an empty or near-empty house.

“Ready?” Delta asked with an obvious smile.

“Yes Ma’am,” I answered.

They pulled off the blindfold, and I found we were in a house. They led me through the house, showing me the living room, the kitchen, a dining room, and then a very large bedroom. All the windows had new curtains and drapes. In the kitchen there was pots and pans sitting on the counter along with a coffeepot. There was a nice table with six chairs in the dinning area plus a little round table with four chairs in the kitchen. The living room did not have anything but a floor lamp and a large area rug over hardwood floors. The big bedroom had one of those queen size beds with a bookshelf headboard. The bed was made with a nice quilt with a big blanket folded at the foot on top of a bed chest. There were two nightstands with lamps, plus there were three chest of drawers connected together to look like one. Delta opened the closet to show me it was a huge walk-in closet that could hold a ton of stuff.

“What do you think?” Asked Trish with some hesitancy in her voice.

“This is very nice I said, whose is it?” I asked.

Delta waved her arms in a full circle, “Ours, all ours,” She said.

“How is it ours?” I asked obviously surprised.

Trish hugged my arm and said, “This was my Great Aunts old house. She used to teach at the university for years until she retired and moved to California. She gave it to Dad, who has been leasing it for years. When I talked to Mom about us wanting a place, she brought me here. Yesterday, we went out and got the furniture you see here now plus kitchen stuff and food. The place is ready for us to move into right now if we want to. But we can wait till we get some living room stuff first. What do you think?”

I looked at Cecile and Carol, waiting for them to frown at us setting up housekeeping together but all I saw were smiles from both of them. “This place is really nice. How far is it from campus?”

Delta took me by the hand and walked me out the door and pointed. A half a block away was the side entrance to the campus. The house was actually closer to our cafeteria than our dorms.

“Aunt Paula didn’t want to live far from the school, so she had this house built in the twenties. She kept it in really good condition. She was single and only had one bedroom, so the rest of the house is pretty large. There is even a garage in back with room to park Delta’s car and one for you when you get one.”

“Can we afford this?” I asked walking back to the kitchen.

Cecile answered that one, “I don’t think there is a problem. The cost of the dorm rooms will more than pay for any food here and the utilities. You guys are going to have to keep up the place and do some painting outside, and, Chuck, you will have to put a new roof on the garage, but the house is free. The taxes are cheap, and the utilities are very reasonable. The place has a newer furnace, only a couple of years old, and even an air conditioner that works. The appliances are in great shape, so the only thing that costs is the furniture. Dan’s company has a ton of furniture that we can get for next to nothing, like the bed, chests, and tables. All we have to do is haul it over here.”

“I’m going to have to contribute, so what do you think my part will be?” I asked.

“Nothing yet,” Carol said. “Let’s get down to brass tacks here. You three may or may not be compatible for the long haul. The three of you together could be a stretch. Dan and I plus Cecile and George have talked about it and believe we should have you guys live together to make sure what you think you have will work over the long term. So, we’re going to front this place for you guys. Chuck, you keep your dorm room for your sports scholarship, but this will be your home. You three can still eat at the cafeteria and study at the library. This will be about as distant a walk as you have been doing.”

“This is great. When do you guys want to move in?” I said pulling both the girls to me.

“Right this second,” Trish said. “But how about we wait until next weekend and get the living room furniture, plus we can begin hauling our stuff here throughout the week. Delta and I can do it in the afternoons while you’re at practice.”

I was relieved that we could be together, and they were obviously happy, grinning.

Carol came over to me and took me by both arms. “I know you guys have been careful and have made sure no babies are being manufactured around here, but this is going to be a new game. Make sure you three don’t forget about what your goals are before you start making babies, okay?”

Cecile came over and gave me a hug. “Chuck, Carol and I love you like you’re ours and really like you being with our girls. But we still worry that something will come between them, and then where will you be? So enjoy being with them but be safe and careful.”