Chapter X
September 14, 2004
William eyed the ten pins at the end of the lane. He hoped he wouldn’t end up
throwing another gutter ball, which he had about half of the time that night. He
took a deep breath and stepped toward the line.
“Choke!” Mrs. Addison shouted right as he was going to release the ball.
“Gutter ball!” Mrs. Sanders yelled.
The older women on his bowling league team, aside from his grandmother, took great
pride and amusement in making him throw a gutter. They didn’t care if they won or
lost. They seemed to think making him blush was what won the game.
“Oh, stop it, Margaret,” his grandmother told her friend.
William regretted joining the league. His grandmother didn’t force him but she also
wouldn’t have taken no as an answer. They needed a fourth since Agnes Petrie died.
They thought a strong, young man was what their team needed. They just didn’t
realize that William Further was not that man.
The teasing began as lighthearted but had gotten worse as the season progressed.
After realizing they wouldn’t win enough games to earn a prize, they focused their
attention on William.
While the comments weren’t cruel or mean, they were designed to throw him off his
game. He didn’t have much game to begin with. But now, instead of getting five or