“My shoe,” he said to Susie, pointing to his foot.
He stepped off the right side of the path onto the grass. He wasn’t sure how much time he could milk out of this minor setback. He took the shoe off completely and pretended to dump a stone out of it, even though there was nothing inside. Then he slowly put the shoe back on and bent over to do up the laces again, this time in a double knot.
When he stood up again, he suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. He couldn’t regain his focus and felt like he was staring directly into the sun.
“Are you okay?” Susie asked.
That’s the last thing he heard before he hit the ground.
* * *
When Cheech woke up, he found himself in the emergency room at the hospital with EKG pads on his chest and legs and an IV stuck into his arm. He vaguely remembered Susie hovering over him on the grass and the ambulance ride to the hospital, but he had kept drifting in and out.
“Welcome back,” someone said. He turned to see a woman sitting in the chair beside his bed. It was his wife, Maggie.
“What are you doing here?” Cheech asked.
“The hospital called me. You still have me down as your emergency contact.”
Cheech scanned the room to see if there was anyone else around.
“If you’re looking for your little playmate, she’s down the hall,” Maggie said. “I think she’s talking to the cute paramedic that brought you in. Her name’s Susie, right?”
“We’re just running mates,” Cheech said.
“So is that what the kids are calling it today? Anyway, we had a nice little chat. Apparently, you neglected to tell her you had a wife.”
“Remember, we’re separated. The topic of my marital status never came up.”
“I’m sure it didn’t.”
Just then, the curtain around his bed opened and a nurse came in. She was an older, hefty-looking woman. Her name tag indicated her name was Clara.
“So I see our runner is back with us,” Clara said.
“Yeah, he woke up a few minutes ago, but I don’t think he’s going to be running again anytime soon,” Maggie said.
“Probably a good thing,” Clara said. “We got your test results back and the doc says your heart is fine. However, your blood sugar level isn’t. When’s the last time you ate something?”
“I don’t remember,” Cheech said.
“Don’t you lie to me,” the nurse said. “You didn’t eat any breakfast before you started your little marathon, did you?”
“No,” Cheech admitted.
Clara turned to Maggie. “Why did you let him out of the house this morning without anything to eat?”
“He’s not my responsibility anymore,” Maggie said. “We’re separated.”
“Oh,” Clara said, looking confused for a few seconds. She pointed her finger at Maggie and then out toward the hallway. “So the little cutie down the hall is his…”
“Running mate,” Maggie said.
“Ahhh,” Clara said, exchanging a nod with Maggie.
She turned toward Cheech and started disconnecting the cables from the EKG pads. “This might hurt a little bit.” She proceeded to remove one of the pads from Cheech’s chest, ripping a large patch of hair off his chest in the process.
“Ow!” Cheech screamed.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Clara said. She seemed to be enjoying this. She ripped the other pads off his chest with equal vigor. “I think it’s about time you grew up and started acting your age. Maybe cut down on your running around.”
Just then, the curtain opened and Susie poked her head in. “Cheech, if you’re going to be okay, I think I’m going to be heading off now.”
Several awkward looks were exchanged between everyone in the room. Eventually, all eyes turned their focus to Cheech. “Yeah, that’s probably best,” he said. “I’m sorry. This was all my fault.”
Susie didn’t say a word, but just closed the curtain and hurried off down the hall.
The nurse turned to Maggie. “We’re probably going to release him within the next few hours. Are you going to drive him home or should we just send him home in a taxi?”
“Legally, I guess he’s still my responsibility,” Maggie said. She sighed. “Someone’s got to take care of him.”
Chapter 19: League Play
Ladies Day was held every Tuesday during the summer at Riverview. Men were also allowed to play golf on Tuesdays, but the prime morning tee times were reserved for the women, something which annoyed the men immensely.
The women who signed up for ladies league would compete for a weekly prize, but they also accumulated points throughout the year for an overall winner. Some women were quite competitive, while others just enjoyed the social aspects of the game.
Since this particular Tuesday was a bright summer day, the pro shop was surrounded by forty or fifty women, all bubbling with enthusiasm and sharing the latest gossip or discussing last night’s episode of “Dancing With The Stars”.
In the middle of them all was Norm. Norm was a silver-haired man who only worked a few days a week in the pro shop, but he normally drew the Tuesday shifts for a few reasons. One was that most of the other staff avoided Tuesdays like the plague, as they couldn’t stand the chaos of Ladies Day. But the main reason was that he was a real charmer and all of the ladies loved him.
“Good morning, Norm,” Ally said as she pulled up in her golf cart.
“Hooray, Ally’s here!” Norm shouted when he saw her. “How’s my favourite girl doing this morning?”
“Bright eyed and bushy-tailed.” She got out of her cart to give Norm a hug.
“Don’t get me going by getting me thinking about your back end,” Norm said as he gave her butt a little pat.
“Oh, stop it!” Ally said, but it was apparent she didn’t really mind.
All of the staff at Riverview had been instructed to treat the members with the upmost respect and courtesy. They were to be addressed as Mister or Missus this, or Doctor that. But those rules didn’t seem to apply to Norm.
Ally pointed to the younger woman sitting in her golf cart. “Norm, this is my daughter Angie. She’s visiting with me for the next few days, so I thought I’d bring her out golfing.”
Angie reached out to shake Norm’s hand, but he lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “I see good looks run in the family.”
“Down boy,” Ally said. “She’s already married and much, much too young for you. If you’re looking for someone to fool around with, you should try someone your own age.”
Norm noticed that Jerry was heading over toward them. “Uh-oh, here comes Jerry. That probably means you’re next on the tee.”
Ally waved to Jerry. “It’s okay. I know we’re next. Just let me grab some water and we’ll be right there.” She did so, then jumped back in her cart and raced down the path to the first tee.”
When they got there, Ally noticed that her daughter was looking at her with a big smile on her face. “What are you grinning about?”
“Nothing,” Angie said. “I’ve just never seen you act that way before. What’s the story with you and Norm?”
“Oh, we just tease each other. There’s nothing going on.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Dad passed away over four years ago now. Your only sixty-three. I think it would be great if you had a new man in your life. Is he married?”
“I have no idea. Besides, we’re just flirting. He does it with all of the girls.”
Angie raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. I think I detected a little chemistry there.”
Ally could feel her face start to flush. “You really think so?” She thought for a second. “He does make me feel something I haven’t felt for a few years.”
Angie reached down and took a drink of her water. “Special?”
“Horny.”
Water came flying out of Angie’s mouth and nose. “Mother, I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Hey, I’m just old. I’m not dead
yet.”
* * *
Men’s League was held every Wednesday, following a similar points-based system used by the ladies. Sure, there were some who participated for the social aspect, but most of the guys took the competition much more seriously than the ladies did.
The real competition happened in all of the side bets. In the skins game, if you happened to be the only one out of all of the golfers to birdie a particular hole that day, you could take home a good chunk of change.
There were also multiple sub-groups, each with their own little mini-competitions. The “Top 20” consisted of some, but not all, of the best golfers at the club. The “Bionic Men” were guys who had hips or knees replaced. And the “Beach Boys” were guys who were known more for their parties than their golfing ability. To be fair, most of the guys went for a drink after their round, but members of the “Beach Boys” would still be in the clubhouse several hours after their rounds were completed.
The pros at the club would sometimes play with the guys on Wednesdays. It was a good way to stay connected with the members. Max had put his name in to play that day with Ray Ferguson and Bruce Thompson, but it wasn’t just a social game. He had an agenda, but he had to wait for the right moment.
“How’s your grandson doing?” Max asked Ray.
“Much better,” Ray said. “Amanda and her husband managed to get him into a program for autistic kids. It’s only two days a week, but it seems to be helping. They’re going to be coming to visit us in a few weeks.”
“We’re running a kids golf camp around then,” Max said. “You should bring them out for it.”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’ll probably bring Elizabeth over, but I’m not sure Tyler’s ready for something like that.”
“You never know until you try,” Max said.
Max turned his attention to Bruce. “How are the twins doing?”
“Great,” Bruce said. “I think the kids are finally launched out into the world. Emma got a full-time job, but it took her over six months to find it. A degree is no longer a guarantee of getting a good job.”
“What about Josh?”
“He’s doing well. Got himself a new girlfriend. She’s a golfer. They’re both members over at Blackhawk Ridge.”
This provided Max with an easy segue into what he really wanted to talk about. “I see that both of you have already qualified for the Challenge Cup team. I’ve decided I’m going to captain the team myself this year. It’s going to be quite a challenge with Stryker now playing for the other side.”
“Yeah, Stryker always seems to do well in match play,” Bruce said.
“Our ladies seem pretty strong,” Max said. “Thanks for talking Marilyn into playing.”
Bruce’s wife was a pretty good golfer, but she normally didn’t like playing in competitions. She was just in it for the fun.
“I’m more worried about the strength of our men’s team,” Max continued. “I noticed Cheech hasn’t even tried to qualify. I was hoping he would.”
“He’s got himself a new job,” Bruce explained, “so I’m not sure how much time he’s got for golf right now.”
“You guys still play with him, don’t you?” Max asked.
“Not too much,” Ray said, “but we’re playing with him on Friday. He said he can sometimes sneak off early at the end of the week to get a round in.”
“Would you mind encouraging him to try to qualify for this year’s team? I’m trying to recruit our best players and I think he’d be a real asset.”
* * *
Riverview held a Junior Golf Camp in the middle of the summer since a lot of the members had grandkids visiting them at that time. It had grown to be quite a popular event over the years, which meant it was all-hands-on-deck for the staff. Max had just finished the early morning staff meeting and was coming out of his office when he saw his sister Karen come into the pro shop.
“Karen, what are you doing here? Is Dad okay?”
“He’s fine, but his caregiver called to cancel this morning and I didn’t want to leave him on his own.” She pointed to their father who was standing outside the pro shop. “I was hoping he could just hang around the golf course with you for the day.”
Max shook his head. “This wasn’t part of our deal. I keep an eye on him at nights and you and the nurse look after him during the day.”
“I know,” Karen said, “but I’m driving a bunch of other teachers to Toronto this morning for a seminar. I’m already late. The caregiver only called about twenty minutes ago to cancel, so I’m stuck.”
“So am I,” Max said. “We’ve got the Junior Golf Camp this morning. The kids are already starting to arrive.” He pointed to a few of the early arrivals.
“Dad’s good with kids,” Karen said. “Maybe he can help. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go.”
She bolted from the pro shop and was gone before Max could offer any more objections. Max headed outside to find his father.
“What’s with all the kids?” his father said when he saw him.
“It’s the first day of our Junior Golf Camp,” Max said. He pointed to a golf cart that was parked close to the pro shop. “Dad, why don’t you just sit in the cart here while we get everything organized?” Max helped his father over to the golf cart.
Just then, Scott started calling out the names of the kids registered for the camp. He ticked each of their names off on a clipboard he was holding when they responded.
“Tyler Armstrong,” Scott shouted. There was no response. He called his name again.
“That’s my grandson,” Ray Ferguson said. “He’s over on the putting green with my granddaughter, Elizabeth. She should be on your list as well.”
Scott ticked both their names off on his list.
Max knew that Tyler was Ray’s autistic grandson and was glad that Ray had decided to bring him. Both Tyler and Elizabeth were on the far side of the putting green, away from all of the other kids. He watched as Tyler putted the ball into the hole from a few feet away, picked it out of the hole and then repeated it again and again.
Ray came over to talk to Max. “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to hang around and watch to make sure Tyler is okay.”
They normally wanted the parents and grandparents to leave as soon as they dropped off their kids, but Max knew that Ray was worried about him. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Max said, but Ray still hovered close by.
After all of the kids were checked in, the staff marched them all in single file toward the practice range. Tyler and Elizabeth followed along about ten paces behind the other kids.
When they got to the range, the staff had each of the kids spread out across the tee, each with a small bucket of golf balls beside them. Scott told each of them to pull out a 7-iron or whatever short iron they had brought with them. Some of the kids had a full set of clubs; others only had two or three clubs with them.
Scott stood in front of the group and instructed them on the proper way to grip the club. There were about twenty kids in the golf camp and four instructors, so each instructor would watch over the handful of kids closest to them to make sure they were doing it correctly. Then Scott showed them the basics of how to make a golf swing, first just trying to hit the ground without a ball being there.
Tyler and Elizabeth were the last two kids in the line of golfers. Although Max normally just supervised the entire group, he decided to move his golf cart down toward them so he could keep a closer eye on Tyler.
Elizabeth was following instructions perfectly and had a pretty good golf swing. Tyler was just swinging his club in the air around in circles. Max got out of the golf cart and slowly approached Tyler. He tried to get Tyler to swing the club so it hit the ground, but Tyler continued to just swing it in the air. He seemed to be having fun and he was far enough away from everyone that he wasn’t going to hit anyone with his club, so Max just let him continue.
Next, Scott told the kids to put a ball in front of them and see if they could hit the ball. Most
of them missed completely on their first few attempts, then would top the ball so it only went a few yards, but a few eventually managed to make contact with the ball.
Max pulled a ball from the bucket, placed it on the ground in front of Tyler and told him to try to hit it. He was surprised when Tyler made contact on his first attempt. Probably beginners luck.
Tyler grabbed another ball from the bucket, placed it on the ground in front of him and took another swing. This time the ball rocketed off the club face and flew about twenty yards.
Max noticed that Tyler was standing with his feet together. He put another ball in front of him and then moved his feet so he had a wider stance. Tyler swung again and the ball flew about fifty yards and landed beside one of the target flags on the range. Tyler grabbed another ball from the bucket and did it again. And again.
One of the other instructors looked over to see who was hitting all of these shots and was surprised to see it was Tyler. He stopped to watch, and then a few of the other kids stopped to watch as well. Eventually, everyone was focused on this little kid who seemed to hit the ball solidly every time.
“I haven’t seen anyone hit a ball like that since Moe Norman,” Max said to his father.
“Moe who?”
“Moe Norman. He was a pro from Kitchener. Some of the top golfers say he was the best ball striker in the world, ever. He might have been autistic too.”
They watched as Tyler hit the entire bucket of balls. They all landed within a few feet of the target flag. When the bucket was empty, Tyler smiled. Then he started swinging the club around in the air again.
One of the staff started putting more balls into the bucket in front of Tyler.
“Don’t put too many in there,” Max warned. “I don’t think he’ll stop until they’re all gone.”
Sure enough, when Tyler saw there were more golf balls in his bucket, he started hitting them again with the same precision that he had before.
The Back Nine: A Novel About Life After Fifty Page 12
