brother's rivalry

brother's rivalry

fiction
edward w pritchard

I have had a difficult couple of years. Numerous set-backs, too jarring to list have beset my being.

I'll be at my Brother Melvin's in a couple of hours. It's our annual golf outing over at the Firestone country Club; near the old neighborhood where we grew up. I am driving back from my home in Toledo, Ohio. My home is an apartment now, since the divorce; one of those setbacks mentioned earlier.

What a downer. Melvin had changed jobs this year. I knew that. Now he is a call room supervisor for a firm from India. He has adopted subtle changes to his philosophy of life; one of which he doesn't keep score at golf anymore.

I always look forward to playing golf against my older brother each year, now more than ever. Sometimes I win, but not often for Melvin was on the golf team in high school and shoots low 70's, always. Now he quit keeping score.

I told him he ruined my enjoyment of the game. He drives about 300 yards from tee and then won't keep score. He looked at me and smiled and invited me to our favorite hamburger joint; still around since we were kids.

He asked me while we waited in his car for the burgers if I thought I was stuck in the past.

Just because I want to keep score at golf? It's how its done. He used to spend ten minutes before a putt just to beat me. I can't figure it out.