Mulligan

by K. G. MacGregor

  "Are you guys about ready to go?"

  Joyce asked, fishing in her pocket

  for the keys to the van.

  "If it's okay, I wouldn't mind

  stopping in the ladies room,"

  Louise answered.

  "Me too," Marty agreed.

  "We'll meet you out front, then."

  Marty and Louise headed up the

  back steps into the nearly

  deserted clubhouse. Entering the

  ladies room, Marty remarked,

  "Finally, no line."

  But two of the three stalls were

  occupied, so Louise went first

  while Marty waited.

  Suddenly, one of the stalls opened

  and Marty found herself face to

  face with one of the most

  beautiful women she'd ever seen -

  a tall… dark-haired… blue-eyed…

  younger version of Louise Stevens.

  Wide-eyed, they both stared at

  one another until the second stall

  opened. As if the shock of seeing

  her partner's clone was not

  enough, Marty found herself

  opposite her own carbon copy, a

  blonde, green-eyed woman who

  looked for all the world like she

  had thirty years ago.

  "Lou, you need to get out here,"

  was all she said as the three

  women continued to gape open-

  mouthed at one another. And when

  Louise finally appeared to

  complete the picture, the shock

  was almost too much.

  "Oh, my," was all she could say.

  Finally, the younger brunette

  spoke. "I'm Anna Kaklis, and this

  is my partner, Lily Stuart."

  Marty nodded numbly, finally

  finding her tongue. "I'm Marty

  Beck, and this is my partner,

  Louise Stevens." Gesturing toward

  their badges, she continued,

  "You're sponsors."

  "Yeah, those are my BMWs out

  there. I own the dealership here

  in Palm Springs."

  "They're very nice."

  "Thank you. Are you… from around

  here?" Distant relatives?

  "I'm from Michigan. She's from

  West Virginia. But we live in

  Florida now."

  "Oh. I just wondered because we

  kind of…" Anna's voice trailed off.

  "Look alike," Louise finished.

  "Yeah."

  "Well, they say everyone has a

  twin," Marty concluded. But what

  would be the chances of her twin

  finding Louise's twin?

  The women stood silently for a

  few moments longer, still amazed

  at the sight before them. But what

  else was there to say? They were

  strangers, despite their

  appearance.

  "Well, it was nice meeting you

  both," Lily finally offered.

  "Same here," Marty replied, "and, uh… good luck to you." That

  brought broad smiles from the

  younger couple, who seemed to

  understand exactly what the older

  woman meant.

  "And to you."

  Marty and Louise watched as the

  pair washed up and left the ladies

  room.

  "That's amazing, Lou. I mean, first

  we hear that there are women

  here who look like us. But who'd

  have guessed in a million years

  that they would be a couple?"

  "It sort of makes you wonder,

  doesn't it?"

  "Wonder what?"

  "I don't know… if there's

  something natural about people

  like me being drawn to people like

  you," Louise explained, not really

  understanding herself what she

  was asking.

  "Maybe we're the ideal. Carol and

  Joyce read a lot of lesbian fiction,

  and they say a lot of the couples

  are like us."

  "Well, none of them are as cute as

  you, Marty Beck."

  The golf pro almost blushed. "Nor

  as dazzling as you, Lou Stevens."

  "Are you ready to go back to work

  tomorrow?" Louise unpacked their

  suitcases, separating clean from

  dirty and putting everything back

  in its place. First thing tomorrow,

  she'd go pick up her sweet little

  Petie from the kennel.

  Marty had tucked their clubs

  away, sorting her own bag to make

  sure she had everything she

  needed for work. "Yeah, but you

  know what? I think we should plan

  another vacation soon. Just you

  and me, and maybe to some place

  besides a golf course."

  Since her revelation on the 16th

  hole yesterday afternoon, Marty

  had been thinking about how

  Louise had expanded her life

  beyond that of a golf pro. There

  were many things she wanted to

  experience with Louise, not the

  least of which was to get to know

  her better by visiting West

  Virginia and Pennsylvania to see

  her lover's old haunts.

  Louise couldn't believe her ears.

  Marty never wanted to be far

  from a golf course. "What did you

  have in mind, sweetheart?"

  "I don't know. Maybe we can drop

  our things off in North Carolina in

  May and drive on up to

  Pennsylvania. I'd like to meet your

  brothers if you're ready for

  that."

  "Do you mean it?" Louise was

  suddenly excited. She'd been

  after her lover to make that trip

  with her, but had resigned herself

  to go alone.

  "Yeah. And then we could head up

  to Michigan and maybe see my

  sister. I'll show you where I grew

  up and where I used to play golf.

  I'll even take you out to the lake

  and show you where I lost my

  virginity."

  "Marty Beck! You never told me

  you lost your virginity!"

  The blonde woman laughed, loving

  her partner's playful side. "Gosh,

  Lou. Does it bother you to find out

  that you weren't my first?"

  Louise pulled her close, her smile

  fading to a serious look. "Being

  first is no big deal, Marty. I want

  to be your last."

  "You will be, Lou. You're all I ever

  want." How could she ever have

  thought that she needed more

  than this? Louise Stevens loved

  her through and through, and

  returning that love was the best

  feeling in the world.

  Best Ball

  AUGUST 1980

  LOUISE STEVENS AND her

  brothers walked somberly into the

  bright sunlight in front of the

  courthouse, stopping to talk

  privately for the first time since

  reviewing the papers. The clerk of

  courts had confirmed what they

  already concluded about their

  father's estate—it consisted of

  little more than the one-story

  frame house and a few personal

  effects. Floyd Stevens had never

  believed in borrowing money, so it

  was no surprise that he had died

  without owing a
cent. His simple

  will stated that his property

  should be divided equally among

  his three adult children—William,

  Hiram, and Louise—with Hiram

  designated as executor.

  "I guess the first thing we should

  do is find a real estate agent

  who'll take care of selling the

  house," Hiram said, taking the

  lead. As an attorney, he had

  served as executor of countless

  estates.

  "I think we should go together to

  the house first and start going

  through the closets and drawers,"

  Louise suggested. "There's no

  telling how much stuff is in the

  attic. We should divide that up so

  we all get things from both Mama

  and Daddy. I know Mama has some

  old—"

  "I want the house. I don't care

  what ya'll do with all the junk in it.

  I just want the house." William

  hadn't said more than ten words

  to his siblings all day until that

  very moment.

  "Well . . I think we could probably

  work out an arrangement," Hiram

  offered. "We'll need to get it

  appraised, of course, but I'm

  certainly willing to sell you my

  part."

  "I don't want to buy it from you. I

  want you to just let me have it. You

  can have everything else."

  "It doesn't work that way, William.

  Daddy left it to all three of us,"

  Hiram argued. He and Louise had

  never gotten on very well with

  their older brother. Louise wrote

  it off as their age difference, but

  Hiram always thought it was

  jealousy.

  "I don't care who he left it to. You

  have a house, and Louise has a

  house. I don't have one." William

  and his wife, Glenda, had lived for

  over thirty years in a trailer park

  on the outskirts of Wheeling.

  "We have houses because we

  bought them," the younger

  brother said stiffly. "Nobody gave

  either one of us a house."

  "No, but Mama and Daddy sent you

  both to college so you could get a

  fancy job and buy things like that.

  Neither one of you knows what

  it's like to have to really work for

  a living."

  "Aw, you've been beating that

  drum your whole life. I'm sorry

  you had such a miserable

  upbringing, but it's not my fault

  and it's not Louise's either.

  You're fifty-eight years old,

  William. It's time to grow up."

  William made a fist and reared

  back as if to strike. Hiram put up

  both of his dukes and waited for

  the blow.

  "Stop it! Both of you." Louise

  looked around the parking lot to

  see if anyone was watching the

  childish scene unfold. "You're

  grown men, for goodness sake. Act

  like it."

  Hiram dropped his fists and

  straightened his suit jacket. "Let's

  get out of here, Louise . . before

  one of us does something he

  regrets."

  Hastily, they walked to Hiram's

  car and got in. William stared

  angrily at both of them until they

  drove away.

  "He's really something else,"

  Hiram said, shaking his head. "I

  can't believe he thinks we ought

  to just hand over our part because

  he doesn't have anything. He's the

  one that had seven kids he

  couldn't afford."

  For as long as she could

  remember, Louise had been

  scared half to death of her oldest

  brother. But something today

  showed her a different side, and

  it made her sad to realize that

  William had nothing to show for

  his forty years working in the coal

  mines.

  "His life must have been really

  hard, Hiram."

  "I know, Lou. But like I told him,

  that's not our fault."

  "But he's right about Mama and

  Daddy giving us an education.

  William never had the same

  chances we did, because they

  didn't have much when he was

  growing up."

  Hiram sighed and grudgingly

  nodded his agreement.

  "I'm going to give him my part of

  the house."

  "What?"

  "I said I'm going—"

  "I heard what you said, but why?

  The house isn't much, but it's

  worth at least thirty thousand

  dollars. That's ten apiece, and it's

  more than William ever had in his

  hand at one time."

  "But Mama and Daddy gave us that

  much and more to go to college, if

  you figure in inflation. William

  never got a gift like that, and he's

  been bitter his whole life about it.

  You said so yourself." Louise could

  see from her brother's face that

  her argument was getting through.

  "I have what I need to get by and

  be happy. Sure, ten thousand

  dollars would be nice to put in the

  bank, but it wouldn't mean as much

  to me as having a real house would

  mean to William."

  Hiram slowed the car and pulled

  off into a parking lot. "Judy always

  said she wanted that oak hall

  tree."

  "And I want the wash stand and

  the silverware."

  "Maybe we just do what William

  said … go through the stuff

  ourselves."

  "You think we ought to drive over

  to William's and tell him?" Louise

  was pleased that Hiram had come

  around so easily.

  "Yeah, but you better be the one

  that goes in. He's liable to shoot

  me on sight."

  JULY 2005

  "HERE YOU GO, sweetie." Louise counted out five quarters and

  dropped them into Marty's open

  palm.

  Marty leaned out the car window

  and handed the coins to the

  attendant. "Do I get a sticker or

  something?"

  "Excuse me?" the attendant said.

  "Sorry … just a joke. Never mind."

  "What was that all about?" Louise asked. "Settle down, Petie. It's

  okay." She guided the Boston

  terrier back into her lap.

  "I just thought I ought to get a

  prize or something, like a sticker

  that said "I survived the West

  Virginia Turnpike.'"

  Louise shook her head in dismay.

  "I can't believe how much you're

  like Rhonda sometimes. It's

  uncanny."

  "Why? What'd I do?"

  "She pulled up to that window once

  and held out her hand like she was

  the one who was supposed to get

  the money."

  Marty laughed. "I would have

  loved to have seen that."

  "The man in the toll booth was not

  amused."

  "Aw, that's because nobody has a

  sense of humor these days."

  Louise's eyes
went wide and her

  jaw dropped. "That's exactly what

  she said!"

  "Stop! You're creeping me out."

  Louise suddenly grew concerned.

  "Does that really bother you,

  honey? When I compare you to

  Rhonda like that?"

  "Pffft! Of course not. Why should

  I mind being compared to someone

  you loved?" She winked at Louise

  and got a smile in return. "Calling

  her name out during sex is a whole

  different matter."

  Louise squirmed. "I've never done

  that … have I?"

  Marty burst out laughing, causing

  Louise to chuckle with relief.

  "You want to stop for a bite to

  eat?" Marty asked. She was always

  up for a snack.

  "I'm not hungry. Besides, Judy's

  cooking a special dinner tonight

  for us, so I don't want to spoil my

  appetite. It's only three more

  hours."

  Marty turned her head to hide

  her disappointment, her mouth

  watering at the thought of those

  honey-roasted peanuts … sitting on

  the shelf in that store they had

  just passed …begging to be eaten.

  But she grudgingly admitted to

  herself that traveling with Louise

  was good for her, since she

  couldn't sneak away to the vending

  machines like she did at work.

  "I think you'll like Judy. She was

  in my class in high school. She and

  Hiram started dating when we

  were juniors."

  "Hiram's older, right?"

  "One year exactly. We have the

  same birthday."

  "That's amazing." Marty reached

  for her bottle of water and took a

  swig.

  "Not really. Nine months

  backwards was Daddy's birthday."

  Spew! "You should have warned

  me!"

  "Sorry." Louise quickly wiped the water off the dashboard.

  "What about your other brother?

  When's his birthday?"

  "Sometime in December. But he

  was born back when Mama and

  Daddy first got married. Hiram

  didn't come along for another

  seventeen years."

  "That must have been like two

  families."

  "In a way it was. We never saw

  much of William growing up. He

  went to work in the mines just like

  Daddy, and he moved out on his

  own before I was ever born."

  "You don't talk about him much."

  "We weren't very close. To tell

  you the truth, he always scared me

  a little. He was usually gruff, and

  he didn't want much to do with

  Hiram or me. Then as we got

  older, our lives were so different.

  William never had very much, but

  Hiram and I both got to go to

  college and get good jobs."

  "Are you going to see William

  while you're here?"