Break
Alex held the pool cue as if she had been playing the game for years, even though she was only 17 and had never set foot in a pool hall before. But it didn’t matter. She was learning quickly and I was having trouble keeping up with her. I stood up from the stool I was sitting on and walked toward the pool table. “Okay, Alex. This is our last game and I want you to break.”
She smiled and strutted toward me. “You mean you want me to knock your balls around, Frank?”
Again she smiled and made that annoying giggle she always made whenever she wanted her flirting to be obvious. “Just hit the balls,” I said as I finished racking, “You should be quite good at it.”
She gave me a different smile and rolled her eyes, making her way to the end of the table and positioning her cue behind the ball. “Now remember to aim low, follow through, and to keep your head down.” I advised.
She slid the tip of the cue between her thumb and index finger, just like I had shown her hours before. She took a deep breath and snuck a look at me as I watched her form. “Keep your eyes on the ball.” I said, wanting her to stay focused on the game and not me.
She looked back to the table and aligned her sight to the break shot. She pushed the cue back and forth between her fingers and gained a lock on her point of contact. I could hear her count to three under her breath before she hit. Then she made her move. The chalked tip of the cue landed squarely at the center of the ball and broke the set ahead, sending a flurry of solids and stripes across the tabletop. “Very nice,” I said, astonished by her clean hit. “You’re really catching on. You sure you haven’t played before?”
“I’m sure,” she replied with a short laugh. “I’m just that good.” She made her stupid giggle again. I couldn’t help but grin a little.
I grabbed the chalk from the edge of the table and re-applied it to the tip of my cue. I then scanned the table for a play to make and spotted the 11 ball near the corner pocket. “Alright, Alex. Watch my follow-through here. Nice and easy.”
I got into position and made the play, sliding the cue gently into the ball and letting it follow after. Alex watched closely as the cue ball glided across the green surface and grazed the side of the 11 ball, pushing it into the pocket. “I remember when I first learned how to do that.” I said, “My father taught me. We used to shoot every Sunday afternoon and he’d tell me the same things I’ve been telling you.”
“Ah, so I’m learning from a true master, then?”
“Well, as close as you’re going to get.” I laughed as she made her playful I hate you face. “It’s your turn, Alex. You’re solids.”
The seven ball sat in a perfect position near one of the side pockets. Alex only had to tap the side of it to hit it in. But instead she was eyeing a play at the other end of the table, a play she wasn’t even close to being able to make. “Alex, what are you doing? Go for the seven ball right there. All you have to do is tap it in.”
“Shut up Frank, I can find my own plays, thank you.” She tossed up the cue in her delicate little fingers and quickly turned away from me.
I watched as she approached the cue ball. She stopped and stood for a second, spinning the cue in her hands and darting her eyes back and forth between the ends of the table, making sure she could do the play. When she was ready, she took another deep breath and pulled the cue into place. Her fingers sprawled onto the green tabletop behind the cue ball. She knew her hit had to be hard enough to make it across the table, but she was holding the cue too far out, away from her side, as if she was going to swing a bat at the ball. I rushed over to her before she could hit. “Wait, wait, wait! You’re going to have to hit this ball pretty hard, but you’re holding the cue too far away. If you don’t keep it close your cue’s gonna slide off the ball and it’ll barely move.” I positioned myself behind her and showed how to hold the cue. “Here. Keep your head low like this, and keep your elbow up like this so the cue stays close to your side. Make sure your other hand isn’t too tight or the cue will catch on your fingers.” I was very close to her then, catching a whiff of her red hair. It smelled like strawberries. She looked back at me as I stood for a moment without saying anything. I looked back to her, “Okay, you ready?” I said, standing back up.
She nodded.
I knew she couldn’t make the play, but still I wanted her to. I took a hard swallow. She counted to three. Her hit sent the ball flying across the table, completely missing what she was aiming for. She turned to me and gave me a quirky glare. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Hey… At least you hit it.”
We both laughed.
…
The game went on. As we played, our conversation consisted mostly of meaningless banter and awkward flirting. Oddly enough, it felt like our conversations had always been that way. I had known Alex for almost 5 years then and I had never fully felt like our relationship had ever really developed past a certain point. Of course, we did have our moments. There was one summer when we spent a lot of time together. Some people even thought we were dating. For all I know, we could have been. In fact, I loved Alex. And I knew she loved me. Probably even more than I loved her. But at the time, I couldn’t bring myself to go any further.
We were almost finished. The eight ball was left sitting off to the side of the table and it was my turn. I was proud of myself. Normally, I would scratch the ball five or six times in a game, but this time I hadn’t scratched once. And now the cue ball was in a perfect lineup with the eight ball. It was my lucky day. I went forward to start the play, but Alex stopped me before I could get into position. “Wait,” she said. “This is our last game, right?”
“Right.” I said, not knowing what she was getting at.
“Well, let’s make a bet then.”
“What kind of bet?” I knew where she was going then.
“How about… If you win, you get to take me out on a date. And I get a goodnight kiss.” She said kiss in a high-pitch squeal. Just the thought of it made her excited.
“What? I get punished for winning? Okay, fine. Then if you win I don’t have to take you to play pool anymore.”
“Alright, fine. Deal.”
“Deal” I said, staring into her squinty blue eyes.
I had to win. Not because I wanted to, but because she knew I could win and she knew I wouldn’t just let her win. So I took a deep breath and lifted the cue. All I had to do was shoot the ball straight ahead and tap the eight ball into the corner pocket. “If only there were ties in Pool.” I thought.
I hit the ball and sent it sliding down the table. Its movement slowed as it neared the eight ball. And then it hit, knocking the eight ball cleanly into the hole. It was over. I had won and my prize was waiting to be collected. But wait, the cue ball was still moving. Slowly it inched toward the pocket. I couldn’t breathe. Before I could do anything, the ball sank into the hole and rolled down into the belly of the table.
I stood up and looked over to Alex. She just smiled. “Looks like I’ll have to find another pool teacher.”
Again, we laughed.