Even though it’s been a busy week, what with going to the baseball and to see Dame Edna, I didn’t much like the idea of spending Friday night at home on the couch. Not wanting to do the usual thing of going out for dinner or going to the movies (needed to get away from screens for a bit), I struck upon the idea of going bowling. I got a resounding ‘yes’ from Julian, though I knew Glen would be the hard sell.
Glen hates bowling. He also doesn’t like to do anything on a Friday night because he’s exhausted after a week of work. I messaged him to see if he wanted to come, and gave him ample opportunity to say no. Of course, he didn’t want to miss out so despite being tired – and having a headache – he said yes.
I booked us a lane at Playtime Bowling, optimistically thinking we’d be there for two hours. I also invited Kyno who lived only a couple of streets away from the bowling alley. We’d booked it for 8pm and arrived pretty much on time. As we pulled into the parking lot, Julian nonchalantly announces that he went bowling (often) while at university in Kingston. This should have been a warning.
We paid for the lane, deciding to just do one hour and then add another late if we wanted to. We started bowling, at which point Julian reveals his proficient skill and got a few strikes in a row. It was not looking good for the rest of us, especially me as my wrist and forearm were in so much pain from holding the bowl. Nevertheless, I overcame my hardships to pick up a few strikes at the end of the game and end up first out of the four of us. Julian and Kyno tied for second place. Glen came third.
We quickly started a new game. Julian emerged as the clear winner early in the game, and the rest of us struggled to catch up. We were racing against the clock too, watching the time countdown and wondering if we’d fit in the full game. We did, with Julian winning, Kyno coming in second and me in third. Glen came last again.
Despite Glen not liking bowling, he actually had fun, especially when he got a couple of strikes. I was so proud. And then we pointed out to him that he was smiling and enjoying himself. He quickly moulded his face into something less indicative of happiness.
We decided that an hour was long enough. The owner/manager said to come back on another Friday sometime at 11pm because then you get unlimited bowling until 2am for only $15. Good deal, though I’m not sure I need to bowl for 3 hours in the wee hours.
We dropped Kyno home then came back downtown. Glen and I watched TV for a while (including the English Patient episode of Seinfeld – love it) and then spoke to Christine back home, before getting to bed. A good day.
Travels with Dan 
What do you say, eh?