“Oh, don’t I know it,” Esther agreed.“My class surprises me frequently, and they’re not even seven yet.”She stepped forward while swinging her arm back and bent to let the ball go.
“I’m pretty sure they get their wisdom from their parents or grandparents,” she said as she tipped her head and watched her ball curve toward the gutter.Thankfully, it still managed to take out two pins.
She turned and held her hands up.“I think you have sucked up all the good luck from this lane.”
“I doubt it.”He came to stand next to her as she grabbed her next ball.“Show me how you’re holding the ball.”
She held it up for him.
“I saw this online, and so far, it seems to be working.”
“You studied for a date?”she asked in surprise.
He smiled sheepishly.“I didn’t want to look bad.”His soft admission felt sweet as it registered in her mind.
“Which, as you are finding out, is hard to do when bowling with me.”She laughed.“So, how do I fix my game?”
“What I read said to make sure that this finger,” he stepped so that he could place his hand under hers and tapped her middle finger with his, “is pointing where you want the ball to go when you release it.”
She barely refrained from looking to see if anyone was watching them.
“But, don’t look at the ball,” he continued.“Make sure you’re looking where you want it to go.”He pulled her hand back gently and brought it forward as he finished speaking.
She drew a breath.Was she supposed to feel this worried about someone seeing them standing as they were?Or was she supposed to be so overwhelmed by his closeness that nothing else mattered?Because she was worried.Not overwhelmed.Maybe if she wasn’t a teacher and he wasn’t a parent of the friend of some of her students it would be different?
“Thanks.Um.I’ll try.”She took a half step away from him.
“That’s all you can do.”He gave her a questioning look.“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.It’s just that there are some grade three kids down on lanes one and two.”Which was ten lanes away from them.
“I’m pretty sure they’re too busy playing and eating cake and candy to care,” he assured her.“But I can take a hint.I’ll keep my hands to myself.”He placed them in his pockets.
“No, you’re right.I’m allowed to be a normal human outside the classroom.It’s just that…” She paused.She couldn’t finish her thought as it had entered her head.There was no way she wanted to insert doubt about their future into what was just a second official date.
“There was a teacher when I was in high school, who was married, but that didn’t stop everyone from talking about how she had been seen making out with her husband in their car after a hockey game.”She shrugged.“The playground gossip game is no joke.”
“And you’d rather not be part of it?”
“Well, that’s kind of impossible since we are dating, and my class knows it.”She threw her ball, making sure to try to aim at the right spot.No curve.She clapped her hands as it hit just where she had wanted it to.
“It worked!”She said as she turned to him.“It really worked.”
“You doubted?”he teased.
“Only a little,” she admitted, before picking up her third ball.
“So, you don’t mind being part of the playground gossip machine because we’re dating, but public displays of affection would make it unbearable?Which means I shouldn’t have kissed you on the nose earlier and probably should refrain from giving you a real kiss when I win?”
Her head turned just as she tossed the ball, causing it to find the gutter before it had even travelled down half the lane.
“Oops.Sorry.”
She looked at him with narrowed eyes.He didn’t look sorry.Not even a little.In fact, he looked rather pleased with himself.
“Are you cheating, Mr.White?”She used her best teacher voice.
He merely shrugged.“Reset the lane for my last go, please.”
