Breakfast was loud and rowdy. It was only Tuesday but felt like Friday, time to party. Reality sunk in and everyone settled down to eat breakfast then go to classes. I needed to hustle through the day including lunch as I needed to be at the baseball field early to warm up in case I was called on to play.
Shouldn't have bothered. I did pinch hit in bottom of ninth. I got a decent single but it didn't help as no one drove me in. We lost 7 to 2, bummer.
Supper and library were normal with a little conversation with Misty and Cherry. I said goodnight to all by nine-thirty and was asleep my ten. I was bushed from doing nothing.
Spring flew by. Spring football practice was a physical drain as the coaches were pushing everyone to stay in "football" shape. The receiver's coach was all over me, as I had not gained any significant weight since the end of the season. He said he would give the cafeteria a diet for me so I would put on some pounds. He also wanted me to come to the weight room five days a week. This was going to be tough.
I finished the semester with all near perfect grades again and immediately signed up for the long and short summer sessions. I could take nine hours the longer session and one five-hour course for the short session. This would be like an entire semester accomplished. My Dad sent some money so I could take a train or bus home for the two weeks before summer school started. As I was researching a bus schedule before breakfast my last day of finals, Trish wanted to know what was up. I explained that I wanted to go home for a week before summer session. She looked thoughtful for a few minutes and told me to wait there for a few minutes. She was gone about ten minutes and came back with Delta.
"Want some company?" Trish asked.
"For what?" I asked.
"For when you go home," Delta said.
"Dad said we can use the car and drive there. That will save the bus fare plus we can all drive so we can go straight through." Trish was saying.
"You guys can't go without me so we will have three drivers," Delta exclaimed.
We excitedly ate our breakfast making plans for the trip. We three agreed to meet for lunch. They each had a final in the early afternoon so we tentatively planned to leave when they were through. I asked how they were going to handle cleaning out their dorm room because of summer. They just laughed, "Dummy, you're going to be here for the summer so we're going to take classes too so we're just keeping our room."
At lunch we finalized everything. I checked with the dorm supervisor and told him that I would be gone a week but be back for the summer session. He said I might have to move as they usually painted over the summer time but not to worry. If they had to they would just move my stuff for me. I cleaned up the room so it would be easy to move everything if I had to then packed my duffel bag.
The girls were ready by three and we were on the road by three-thirty. We drove till about nine then I was instructed to pull into a motor court that had an electric sign flashing vacancy. I signed for one of the tiny cabins and found a place to eat nearby. We had supper then were sound asleep after enjoying each other by eleven. The next day we drove till we were near Panama City. The girls wanted to detour there for a night so we drove out to the beach on the inter-coastal island to find a room at a small motel. We played on the beach for a little while, had a Florida seafood dinner then enjoyed each other till I couldn't any more.
We arrived at the farm around noon, just in time for lunch. My brothers were ogling the girls in their short shorts and halters. My Dad stared along with them but looked away quickly when he caught the raised eyebrow of Mom.
My Mom made a fuss over my face scars. My sisters were all teasing that I would be looking like Frankenstein while my brothers were saying how rugged they made me look. Dad said that with my scars I could pretend to be a rodeo bull rider.
Delta and Trish found out what it was like to put up hay in the humid ninety-degree plus summer heat of Florida. We only did about five hundred bales but it was hard, hot, dirty work. Dad had plenty of hired help but he always wanted us boys to be in the middle of whatever was going on. I taught the girls to stack the hay on the wagons and to watch out as some of the guys tried to show off by throwing the seventy-five to eighty pound bales at them. By noon the first day the girls were covered with scratches and tiny cuts from the hay. Mom and my sisters got some jeans and long sleeve shirts on them and then they were a lot better off.
The girls and I took a tractor to one of the fields that needed to be turned over. I showed them how the plow worked and we did most of the field before we came in.
Trish got a kick out of squirting milk at a cat's mouth. Delta finally figured out how to make the teat squirt the milk into the bucket but her hands tired very quickly.
On Saturday night I fired up my old car and took the girls to the VFW hall in town that featured a band for dancing. They were amazed to see how anyone tall enough who could reach the bar could get a mixed drink or beer. Beer was a quarter and a mixed drink was thirty-five cents so you couldn't afford to drink too much. They had a great time dancing to all the country music. I was the envy of all my old friends who came up to be introduced to my two beauties. After the dance we went to the "Eating Place." The little restaurant had a name like "Julie's" or "Pete's" or something but everyone knew the joint as the "Eating Place." We had a greasy breakfast then were home by one in the morning. This is really late for folks who get back up before five to do chores.
Mom wanted to take me into town to get some new clothes for the coming school year. I told her that I had saved everything they had been sending me and could probably buy stuff cheaper in the city. She agreed and gave me an extra two hundred for clothes and necessities saying that the strawberries, vegetables, lemons and oranges had brought a good price this year. She said they would be shipping about two hundred head of stock soon so I could expect a little more help this coming year.
The vacation was over so we headed back early giving us plenty of time to get back. On the way up through Georgia, there are outlets for everything. We stopped and bought some men's pants, shirts and socks, ladies blouses, some sheets and towels for my dorm room. I stocked up on both lightweight and winter clothes. I even found a great heavy coat for a really cheap price so all I still needed was a couple pair of shoes. I had figured on some new soles and heels for what I had as they were still in good shape but thought another pair of loafers would be good.
We spent two nights in motor courts going back to school, catching up on some loving. The girls and I were very happy being together. We were looking forward to getting back to the routine at school.
Summer session was going to be intense. Most classes were all morning, all afternoon, or all evening. My two were going to be morning and afternoon, three hours each. Surprisingly, I was told the homework was not going to be as intense as it could have been. The Profs for these classes were all supposedly experienced dedicated teaching professionals that enjoyed the students who wanted to learn. My schedule was going to be a little busy, as after supper I would have to go to the weight room for an hour each day. I could take care of my running to and from the sports complex. After the supervised lifting, I could go straight to the library to join the girls studying.
There was still a few days before the session so we decided to enjoy the country club where their folks were members.
The first day at the club the girls took me to the golf pro shop to introduce me to the resident golf pro.
Delta bounced up to a forty or so muscular guy and gave him a hug. Trish followed doing the same. Delta said, "Terry, this is a special friend of ours and needs your help."
"And what kind of help does he need girls?" Terry asked in his deep voice.
"Chuck needs to learn how to play golf. He hasn't played before and you are the man to teach him," Trish said.
"So how much time can you devote to learning Chuck?" Terry asked smiling at the enthusiasm of the girls.
"All of this week, sir," I answered thinking that I could learn this easy looking game fairly fast.
Terry burst out laughing, "A week? Chuck there is tour pros taking daily lessons even after playing over twenty years. It might take a little longer than a week."
I was a little confused as my Dad played, not well, but he seemed to compete with his friends and he only played once or twice a month.
"I'm in school sir so I only have this week between sessions. Could you teach me the basics so I could play some with Delta and Trish's Fathers?" I asked sincerely.
"Tell you what," Terry said with a big smile "girls go get your clubs and each of you grab a bucket of balls. Chuck come with me and let's see if we can fit you with some of our clubs then we'll go out to the range and I'll show you a little bit about golf."
Twenty minutes later after carrying my new used clubs and the pros huge bag out to the range, Terry was showing me how to hold the driver and how to stand at the tee. He showed me how to go way back with the club, then how to use my body to get more power on the down stroke then to follow through with the club so the ball would go straight.
I topped the first ball and it went about ten yards. After he showed me to present the clubface to the ball a couple of times, I tried again. This time the ball took off on a fairly low trajectory and hit the three hundred-yard sign. I wasn't aiming at it; I just whacked the ball. I hit five more about the same trying not to overpower the ball but to just hit it square. Terry told me try to make the ball go farther by hitting it harder. I didn't do all the good stuff I had just been taught and practiced and hit the ball so that it went at a little higher trajectory but curved out to the right almost at a ninety degree angle.
"That was a slice Chuck. You didn't present yourself to the tee the same as you had been and you didn't use your hips with the swing and you forgot to follow through. You were driving really well for a new guy till you quit using your good swing. Try it again but think about each of the steps you were doing before." Terry was very considerate the way he was instructing.
I went through each of the steps I had been using but swung as hard as I could, keeping in mind to follow through with the club. The ball sailed over the three hundred-yard markers bouncing to the four hundred-yard marker but not in as straight of a trajectory as the other ones.
"Chuck that was great. Not many guys will ever hit four hundred yards consistently. You may be another Ben Hogan in the making. Lets try some of these irons and I'll show you how they are each different," Terry said with some enthusiasm.
We went through each club with him telling me how they were different and what they were used for. I was astounded with how much there was to learn and told Terry, "I can't believe there is so much to this and all you have shown me is just a little. I wonder when my Dad had to time to learn all this?"
"How long do you think your Dad has been playing?" Terry asked.
"Probably twenty-five years, maybe more," I said.
"There you go. If he had one lesson a year that would be twenty-five to thirty lessons plus he would have learned from the other players he played with. Experience and practice is what any sport requires. Do you play sports?" Terry asked.
Before I could answer Trish came up to us and exclaimed, "he's on an athletic scholarship and plays football, basketball and baseball. He even made the varsity football and basketball teams his first year. Did you go to any of the games last year?"
"Actually all the football games and a couple of the basketball games," Terry answered "what position did you play?"
"Tight end, but I only started one game. The rest of the time I was used for situational plays," I said thinking that would be it.
"Are you the kid that started wearing gloves?" Terry asked.
"Yes, but only when it was really cold. I wore them so I could feel my hands," I said apologetically.
"That was very smart to start that. You were the one who did all that blocking for Adrian Williams. I saw you catch some passes too. You're pretty good. What position do you play in basketball?" Terry asked getting excited.
"Guard, not point guard but usually on the right side where a shooting guard plays but I didn't start as I was only a freshman," I answered.
"How about that guard who made all those shots from the corner. He was deadly," Terry said.
I blushed and Delta put her arm around my shoulders and said, "that's our Chuck. His percentage from the corner is awesome."
"So you're quite the athlete. What about baseball?" Terry continued.
"Shortstop but I sat on the bench most of the spring season," I said.
Trish helped out, "yeah, you sat on the bench for all the varsity games so you would be there to help the team. You just wanted more playing time that's why you wanted to stay on the JV team."
"Tell you what, lets go to the putting green and I'll show you how to putt then you and the girls can decide if you want to play a few holes today. Maybe I can join you and I can keep showing you more," Terry said.
We putted for a half-hour or so then we all went to lunch. After lunch we went to the clubhouse and were able to go to the first tee. There was more to learn there. There were three tee areas. The back one was for men, the middle for both, and the front one was for women and children. Terry said he and I would tee off from the back tee and girls could use either the middle or front, they used the front.
Terry talked me through all the set up to drive my ball. This time all I wanted to do was to hit the ball straight down the fairway, I didn't care how far as long as it went straight in the direction I intended. It did, about two hundred twenty-five yards. The girls and I were at about the same distance while Terry's ball was another hundred yards farther down. Terry talked me through a five iron that actually landed on the green, amazing. The girls were not shabby and both put their balls on the green while Terry's ball stopped about a foot from the hole. My ball was farthest away so I putted first with Terry giving instructions the whole way. I undershot by about ten feet. The girls both got within a couple of feet of the hole and Terry tapped his in. It was my turn again and this time I hit the ball too hard and it went past the hole about six feet. The girls both put their balls in the hole. This next time when I putted I was better with the speed just not accurate so I left a foot long putt. The girls were excited with their par while I was almost equally as excited with a double bogey. We played nine holes then went in. Terry told me to come back tomorrow and he would work with me again if I wanted.
Golf was fun but was a lot harder than it looked. For the nine holes which was rated at a par 36 shots I ended with 51, not great but not too bad according to the girls. Terry said that I was the first guy he ever taught that finished his first outing with the same ball he started with. Too bad the ball didn't have better directional control, especially putting.
Instead of going back to campus we hung around the swimming pool for a while then went to Trish's house for a snack before supper. We were going to eat at Trish's as Delta's Dad was out of town so Delta's Mom was going to eat with us.
When Trish's Dad came home Trish was all over him, telling him how well I had played my first nine holes of golf. They said the pro had given me a few pointers and was going to work with me a little each day the rest of the week.
George was happy to hear Trish's golf story, "looks like Dan and I have a playing partner for this weekend. You better practice 'cause Dan and I like to wager a little on every hole."
"Guess that leaves me out," I said, "I don't have money that I can gamble with. Every dime I have has to last until the fall semester starts. I get an athletic allowance then and that helps out some but its not a lot."
"Wow, I didn't know the school was allowed to do that. How much do they give you?" George asked.
"Ten dollars a week," I said "it takes care of my laundry and gives me enough for supper on Sunday and a couple cokes during the week."
George was laughing, "ten dollars? That's not even enough for a Sunday dinner. Where do you eat, Macdonald's?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. There or Burger Chef or sometimes pizza if I can get someone to share it with."
"I'm sorry to laugh but I would think they gave you like fifty dollars or more but I suppose with all the people on scholarship that would be very expensive," he said thinking about it.
"It's enough, especially when I can make a couple of extra dollars doing an odd job or when my folks send a few bucks. When the farm is bringing in good money, they are pretty generous," I said proudly.
"Perhaps Dan and I might have a few odd jobs for you over the course of the year that you could do for us. I'll think about it and perhaps we can work something out," George said thoughtfully.
Smiling I cautioned, "remember that I have to practice three sports and don't have a lot of extra time once the fall semester starts. I'm free after Saturday home games and if we're not traveling, I'm free on Sundays except when I have to study."
"You are busy," George exclaimed, "busier than I was when I was in school. But then I didn't try to play three sports. I played on the golf team, which took a lot of practice time, and some travel but not like you have been doing. Good luck, I don't know how you have time for class and study with everything else you are doing."
"Can you believe it George honey," Cecile said putting bowls of food on the table "he does all that and still has time to date our two girls."
Delta's Mom who had shown up during my conversation with George added, "I'm sure he enjoys his time with the girls a lot better than being banged around on the football field."
"We hope so," Delta said.
"Actually Chuck is a good influence on us," Trish said "he's the one who got us started going to the library every day for a study group. He has about thirty kids that go with him every day and they even show up when he is traveling for sports. He's probably increased the grade point for all of them because they are having a good time studying."
"That is commendable," George said sitting down to eat "Celle, we have to figure out a way to help the kids do their studying and reward all of them for the effort they have been showing."
Delta waved her hand above her head; "it's easy. Feed us about once a week. The dinning hall is good, but not as good as our Moms' food. How about we eat here or with you guys Sunday evenings. That way Chuck wouldn't be trying to buy us hamburgers. But I have to warn you, I may have to invite a few of the other kids sometimes as Chuck has quite a following."
"Chuck doesn't have a following," Trish said dryly "Chuck has a harem in the making. Half the other cheerleaders are hanging around like vultures waiting for Chuck to be free of Delta and I. Some others are already his good buddies. Then there are his other camp followers. He even has one of the dorm supervisors following him around."
Delta laughed at that, "Susie does seem to like Chuck a lot but I think that's because he was the one to get her and Kenny together."
"Well Chuck," George spoke "you seem to be a pretty well rounded guy. It must be nice to be chased after by all these good looking girls."
"I don't think they're chasing me. I think they just enjoy being around all the people I hang out with. Most of the girls have someone special already, they just like the crowd we all go with," I said.
"That's okay Dad," Trish said "Delta and I have Chuck wrapped up tight and don't let him get to far out of sight. Besides he seems to always be in the middle of something fun and we want to have fun with him."
"Speak for yourself Trish," Delta laughed "I'm chasin' Chuck just as hard as I can. Between Mom's good food and my good looks, I'll be catchin' this boy soon." With that, Trish threw a bread roll across the table at Delta.
That brought laughter to everyone along with a bright red blush from me that caused the others to laugh that much harder.
Cecile said she had made an appointment with a doctor to look at my scars to see if they could be made to look a little nicer. She said we would go there in the early morning so there would be plenty of time to play at the country club afterward.
The doc was a fairly young guy who seemed very thorough checking my face out. He poked and pulled on my entire face before finally saying he thought all of the scaring could be hidden easily. Cecile and the doc worked out a schedule for the work that would be compatible with my classes. When I voiced my concern over the cost, Cecile said she already had authorization from the university for the work.
By Saturday I was getting pretty good with the golf clubs. I was learning a little more each day from Terry the club golf pro and getting some decent experience playing with the girls' Mom's every day in the mornings then with the girls in the afternoon. We spent time on the driving range and the putting green everyday too. The girls thought I would do well with their Dad's but I didn't feel that confident.
Trish took me out to the club at seven on Saturday morning so I could get in some practice on the driving range and a few minutes on the putting green. When George and Dan showed up I was ready but they spent time practicing before our tee time too. The girls wanted to tag along with us but the Dads nixed that saying this was a guy's only threesome. They could watch but from way far, far away.
We played eighteen holes of pretty intense golf. George and Dan were very competitive with each other, digging at each other at every mistake while making wild bets over any half difficult shot. I played the way Terry taught me. I hit the ball fairly hard on each drive but was careful to keep the ball in the fairway. When I thought I would end up in a sand trap, I laid up then chipped to the green. My putting still left a lot to be desired but my short irons had improved to the point that I was getting the ball close to hole on my last approach shot. I actually made every par three and actually birdied two of the five par fives but bogeyed the other three. I bogeyed every par four and double bogeyed three of them. I finished with a very nice 84 while George and Dan both finished with 76.
When we walked into the clubhouse, George found Terry and gave him a back pounding, "damn, Terry you are one hell of a teacher. That kid just shot an 84 and this is his first week to ever play the game."
"Did you take all his money?" asked Terry with a sly smile on his face.
"They better not have," interrupted Trish as she came into the shop.
"He is too smart for us Terry. Chuck wouldn't wager, even on sure things," Dan said "but George just donated his lunch money to me for some of the close ball competition we had."
Delta had come in with Trish and hugged my arm, "too bad you didn't beat those two. You would have been the hero at the club forever if you had. They take on everyone and usually clean them out. They're bullies out on the course."
"No we're not," George answered "we just know how to play the game. If we had not played well today, the kid would have beaten us. That would have been bad on the ego. Chuck, with a little more practice you could be good at this game."
"I've never seen a new player shooting par on all the threes and birdying two of the fives even. Terry, you really did a good job teaching him." Dan remarked.
"He's an athlete. And he's a good student. Hope he can come back for more lessons. I'd like that," Terry said giving my shoulder a squeeze.
We all went to the clubhouse for lunch. George and Dan sucked up some beer while the girls and I made do with iced tea. The guys offered us beer but we thought we should not partake as we wanted to go back to campus for a while that afternoon.
Dan told us that Carol was planning on all of us coming to the house for steaks on the grille later and for us to be there by six. I didn't want to miss steaks cooked on the grill so I wagged my head up and down exaggeratedly so the girls would agree.
Back at the campus we went to the registrars office to confirm our classes and pay our fees. They were having both Saturday and Sunday late registration for the first summer session. I registered and paid for both sessions with my scholarship letter while the girls wrote checks. We went by the student union bookstore where all three of us turned in our books for a couple of dollars each then we found some used books at a discount for our next classes. Books were not paid for so for these I had to fork out my personal cash. The girls could have afforded new ones but they said they tried to be frugal, as their folks were so good about them staying in the dorm and giving them spending money all the time.
I said I wanted to take a shower and change clothes before we went out to Delta's for the cook out so we went to our dorms and cleaned up. I had some shorts, a neat looking collared polo and some white deck shoes so I thought I looked like some of the rich frat guys that strutted around. The girls said I should be a Reginald or a Percy the way I was dressed.