Ruth and I played in a golf tournament the last weekend of August. While I’ve played in several over the years, it was Ruth’s first. She was a bit nervous, but she played well.
The second summer in our Tullymore condo has been very different from the first. Last year, we spent much of our time learning a bit about what the area has to offer, buying a few pieces of furniture, and unpacking a zillion boxes. We acquired a lot of stuff in fifty years, and even though we got rid of tons of things, we still moved a lot.
This summer we’ve had more time to engage in the golf club activities. Ruth has learned to play Mahjong and become a bunco player. I’ve played more golf and started a northern Michigan poker group. We’ve made several new friends and rekindled some old friendships. It’s been a good move for both of us.
I’ve played in several golf tournaments both this year and last. I finally convinced Ruth to play in one. We played in teams of five with an A, B, C, and D player, paired with one of the local pros. The alphabet designation is determined by your golf handicap. Ruth is a D player and I’m a C. The night before the event teams were established through a blind draw. The competition took place on Sunday with a total of eleven teams. Ruth’s team finished fourth and mine was third. We were the only couple to both finish “in the money”.
Ruth won $35.00 in pro shop credit. I won $50.00. I stopped in to speak with a young associate to ask if the two amounts were posted to separate accounts. I knew I had won shop credit before and was curious about Ruth’s.
I spoke to the young assistant, Cole, to confirm how the system works. I told him of our winnings and asked if Ruth had a separate account. He looked me up first and said, “You have $197.50.” He followed with an inquiry for Ruth and said, once again, “She has $197.50, so it looks like you’re tied to the same account. There were two new additions… one for $35.00 and one for $50.00.”
That’s when I said, “Cole, you’re obviously not married. If you were, you’d know Ruth has $197.50 and I have zero. That’s how marriage works. Once her name’s associated with it, it’s hers.”
He followed with a naive reply, “Not if you spend it first.”
I was flabbergasted but managed to say, “Cole, with an attitude like that, you’ll never get married.”