Robin, One Hot…

We are all products of time, place and the Darwinian lottery that selects our parents. Robin is no different.  Robin’s parents were not any different.

Robin spent much of youth practicing the piano.  She loves music, but she has talked about how she sometimes longed to be outside with other kids.  Robin has natural athletic ability, but in the 50s and 60s in the St. Louis enclave of Olivette young ladies were not encouraged in this arena.  While her brothers were encouraged to participate in sports she was forgotten.

Robin is short, but very strong physically.  She helped me move a while back, and it was all I could do to keep up with her.  She was almost tossing my furniture around single handedly (Here is where I am supposed to insert a smiley face). The first time I caressed her I was surprised at her musculature.  It must be that Russian peasant heritage.  Her great grandfather was the village blacksmith back in Mother Russia.

She recently took up golf, partly because she had an interest, but mainly to be with me.  While she is still struggling with some of her clubs she can absolutely whack her driver.  She has astounded more than one male that has joined us in a round of golf.  Just imagine a short, middle-age school teacher getting on the tee box and stroking her tee shot straight down the fairway a couple hundred yards.  At this point in my life if I could get 250 yards out of a drive I am happy.

One trait that Robin and I share is frugality although we are frequently frugal in different areas.   Another one of Robin’s interest was bowling and I have begin to bowl with her.  She had not bowled in quite a while, and it had literally been decades since I had even semi-regularly bowled.  Sunday morning many lanes have discounts.  Our frugality has led us to be regulars for Sunday morning bowling.

We start off rolling the first game this Sunday and Robin rolls a 191.  She is mighty pleased as she is pretty sure this is the highest game she has ever bowled.  I know it is the highest she has bowled with me.  I roll a 156.

Next game she rolls a 92, and is very embarrassed.  She is agonizing trying to decipher how she could roll a 191 then turn around and score 92.  My comment to her is that is sports, sometimes it is a big mystery.  I roll another 150 something.

Next game Robin starts off hot.  I am having a pretty good game myself.  When I am doing well, bowling or golfing, I do not want to know what the score is.  I just want to stay in my zone and do whatever it is I am doing.  I was just glancing at the electronic scoreboard sidewise so I would know what frame it was. 

Robin finishes up and I can tell she has an expression on her face somewhere between surprise and pleasure. I ask her not to say anything just yet as I have the 10^th to roll.  I finish up and look up at my score, a 189 which is very good for me.  Robin is sitting over there like she is vaguely in shock.  I look at her score it is a 213.  That is pretty salty no matter how you look at.  It is definitely the highest game of her life.

We roll a forth game I hit another 180 something.  She rolls a 130 something.

This brings us full circle back to Robin’s parents.  If she had grown up in a different time, or with parents encouraging of female athleticism she might have been the next Babe Zaharias.  She is still very impressive in my book. I do pick at her some and call her BeeZee or The Babe sometimes. 

Hopefully, she will not try to channel Sonny Liston when I pick at her.