THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS
- CLUBBING -
(FLASHING BETWEEN THE OF PASSION AND PRETENSE)
Just A Game Of Pool
With Lorin
...THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE... (I HOPE...) THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE... (I HOPE...) THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE... (I HOPE...) THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE...
THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS...THE WRITTEN GARDENS
- CLUBBING -
(FLASHING BETWEEN THE OF PASSION AND PRETENSE)
Just A Game Of Pool
With Lorin
introducing Lorin, (sweaty dime store novel version)... ah, Lorin...
in many ways a shooting star... in fact she may have been a comet
passing through and not to be heard from again in this lifetime... or
she may be back... that's up to her... the only thing for certain is that
she left a sweet stain in my life that I don't want to clean up just yet...
she walked into the pool joint with a style all her own... her nubile
youth showed, at least to me, but she moved with the smooth punch
of a top competitor... still, a girl alone was very unusual in this place,
a dance club attracting the fringe of culture from slumming elitists to
gay bikers to grunge chic kids sharing the latest craze and looking for a way not to go home...
it was obvious as the darkness around us that every Uncle Tom and
Hairy Dick in the place perked right up to check her out... and you
could tell she sensed it... right out of a dime store, part biker chick,
part demure innocent, she swept the room and plunked her quarters
down as I was eyeing a tricky shot and looked up with a smile as if to
say, "oh, did I distract you"... distract me?... she certainly caught my
attention... but my cue stick was true to form and I made the shot...
we're all impressed... I didn't want to wait long to play her, so I made
fast work of the next two jammokes who had quarters on the table
ahead of her... she watched my strokes, I was itching to see hers...
I could tell by the way she racked the balls that had been on the table
before... and she knew just what she was doing... a nice tight rack, a
fair player... I liked that... she kept flashing me that knowing smile
that asked me to play harder... I slammed the cue ball into the rack
and rolled two balls into two pockets with a cocky smile just short of
arrogance... seeing a long row of quarters now lined up on the table,
the dogs were hungry that night, I asked her if she wanted to play as
my partner next game as it was busy enough to warrant doubles...
she said 'we'll see' with a smile that could melt butter on the deck of
an arctic frigate in January... I rolled in another ball and then missed
a delicate shot, half on purpose to prolong the game... or maybe she
was starting to get to me... she did a little spin just as I slide the cue
down the cup of my fingers caught my eye and rolled the ball a half
inch off... her turn... I stood back, still, eager to watch her moves...
and she was as cool as her smile and smooth as the proverbial baby
bottom... babe yes, but no baby at this game... she popped in the first
two balls without blinking an eye, but shooting that adorable smile at
me just as each ball dropped... timed just right... this girl I new came
upstairs and started talking to me, taking my attention away from the
game for a few moments... when I looked back, there was that smile
poised over the eight ball... the other balls were history, just like all
the guys watching her strokes... just waiting for her next rack...
I asked again if she wanted doubles next and again she flashed that pearly white grin that said we'll see... we didn't miss a beat, my line...
I said she better make the shot now while she could and threw my
own smile right back at her... she leaned over the table feeling every
eye stroking her body as sharply as she was stroking her stick and
she was enjoying every moment... the club was raving downstairs,
but since she showed up a hush filled the space around the table and
she drew out the moments as the rest of us drew deep breaths...
when she rolled the cue toward the eight ball she bit her lip for a
moment, but her smirk was all anybody else saw as she missed the
pocket by a millimeter and with a grin that said, "it's all yours", that
had me almost wondering if she didn't it on purpose... the table was
set for me to roll a few, but all would be tricky... she liked that...
I knew I wouldn't have another chance and had five balls left, so I
took my time and set up each shot after making the previous one...
one, two, three, as if they had eyes... and as each rolled toward their
respective pockets, our eyes touched for breathless moments... the
fourth was a bank shot that had a few watchers cheering with a curse
and a few high fiving each other, but we just played our game of pool
and enjoying the feeling of being together alone in a crowded room...
the fifth ball was a very delicate slice that needed strong english and
finess to bring the cue ball back for the eight... it was something out
of a dream... you've seen the movie... just as I started stroking she
swung around to the other side of the table, laughing and daring me
to miss, but somehow her eyes told me I wouldn't... I double banked
it in order to set up the last shot on the eight... make it, and it's our table... miss it, and the eight ball and the table is all hers...
we exchanged comfortable looks as old friends do and then I leaned
over the table... her eyes glued to my hands, but I could sense she
was seeing a lot more... the cue ball smacked off the first bumper,
accelerated slighly thanks to the english, found the second bumper
just where it needed to so it could come off to slap nine in as it spun
around to face the eight ball... I asked her again and she just smiled...
it was her happiest and most playful smile yet, but still held out an
alluring challenge that said, "make it big shot"... she wanted me to...
we played partners the rest of that night... lost only one game, more
to make time to talk to each other, in four hours of steady play... we
met the next week, not actually planning to, just sensing we'd both
be there... it was natural to stay on the table all night, undefeated...
she was just what I needed to make my game go, an adorable player
who knew how to handle herself on and off the table... and my ego
was none too bruised when the guys would flirt with her and ask me
about her... I'd say she's a free agent and she'd smile, enjoying the
comfort of both games we enjoyed... she would play me as friend or lover, depending on how pushy the guys were getting... one guy
wanted to know if we were married and seemed intent on moving in
if we weren't... her eyes whispered that she didn't want to be over-
protected, but liked having me around, so I looked up and answered
his query with a smile and the obvious, that she's free to play with
anyone she chooses, but she will choose... emphasis on she...
the guy laid his brand of swarmy charm on so thick she wrapped
herself around me in a full body laughing kiss... he knew her choice
had already been made... my response was what she wanted to hear,
just enough freedom and respect, just enough sign that I wanted her
to stay with me... she show me she wanted me in irresistible ways...
timeless moments... a precious mix of honest innocence and
hunger that could only happen in a classic B movie... or in a dime
store novel... or in an obscure downtown club, dark and crowded,
with a magical pool table upstairs... the rest left to your imagination...
if the first two weeks broke the ice, the third week crushed it and left
a steamy puddle... we sat close and talked with the same mouth and
then played even closer, continuing our conversation...
and she broke the news... a pool cue could npt have hit me as hard... it
was time to tell me we wouldn't be playing anymore for a while... she
was promised to Uncle Sam, yeah, the girl joined the army a couple
of months back and was due to report that week... she never planned
to get involved... we were both disappointed, but handled it well...
she said she'll write... and as you can see, I did...
it was a great game...
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