Perfect

 

As a university student, I had a part-time job as a front-desk clerk in a bowling alley. Selecting lanes for the players was one of the clerk’s jobs. There were rules to decide the lanes. Couples could play on lanes near other couples, but groups should play on lanes far from couples to prevent players from disturbing each other.

The thing we had to be most careful about was selecting lanes for the regular advanced players. It was thirty years ago, and the bowling boom had already faded. But some players still came to the bowling alley almost every day. Of course, they had their own bowling balls, shoes, and protectors.

This could be different in other bowling alleys, but at my bowling alley, we let the regular advanced players play on the center lanes and we let beginners play on the outer lanes. Some beginners throw the bowling ball roughly, which damages the lane. This damage to the lane could affect the advanced players’ games and scores. Once I was scolded because I selected the center lane for a rough player. Our job included keeping the center lanes in good condition.

Sometimes regular advanced players treated us to soda. I thought they were cool.

One day, I came to the bowling alley after one day off. A regular advanced player came to me with a big smile on his face and said, “Please don’t mention that anymore. That is enough, enough. I was just lucky….”

I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn’t say anything, and my face was expressionless. He looked disappointed in my reaction. I didn’t know why.

My co-worker told me later: The player bowled a perfect game the day before. A perfect game is very difficult to achieve, even for advanced players. I worked at the bowling alley for half a year, but I never saw a perfect game.

I heard that the day before everyone at the alley was so excited because there was a perfect game. I didn’t know because I was off that day. It is not something that should be written on a business communication note, but someone should have told me beforehand. I disappointed one of the best players.

I just imagined his final throw in the perfect game: The other regular advanced players in the center lane stopped their games to avoid disturbing him. The beginners, couples, and groups of players focused on him. When he got a strike with his final throw, everyone cheered.

I wish I had been one of them.

Picture by freehand