Page 23 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

Mike and I have a monthly bowling night, no matter what. The date changes, but we make sure to meet up every month. We both need a way to relieve the stress of our jobs. He’s a dermatologist, too.

“Good, good. You ready to get your ass kicked?”

I laugh. Mike and I met when we were in med school at Columbia. We were both at the top of our class, so we were naturally competitive. That competition turned to friendship when we realized we could be even better together. We’ve been friends ever since.

We both have practices in the city now. That’s what makes it easy for us to plan these monthly bowling meetups.

“We both know I’m going to win,” I tell Mike.

We sit down and slip on our bowling shoes. When we first started coming here a few years ago, we would just rent shoes and use house balls. The other people frequenting the alley would give us dirty looks and make rude comments. We asked Greg one day what the issue was, and he explained that we weren’t real bowlers, so the other patrons looked down on us.

Because we’re so competitive, Mike and I wanted the other patrons to like us and consider us a threat. So we bought our own balls and shoes.

No one gives us dirty looks anymore. In fact, they don’t pay us much attention at all. Everyone else who comes bowling is fairly old. At least, those who come on weekday nights are. The 65+-year-olds aren’t looking to befriend guys in their mid-thirties.

But we don’t care. We’re here to have fun and beat each other. It would be nice to have some extra competition, but we manage just fine on our own.

“So, how are things at home?” I ask Mike.

He grimaces. “Not great.”

“What happened?”

We always try to catch up before we start bowling. The problem with coming here with only two people is that someone is always up to bowl. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for talking. I never have understood why people go on bowling dates. Seems like a waste of time. This locale is fine for hanging out with a buddy, but not great for getting to know a person.

I definitely wouldn’t take Amber here on a date. At least, not at first. I wouldn’t mind eventually watching her perfect ass as she walks down the lane to take her shot.

“Mom fell again,” Mike says, breaking me out of that train of thought.

It’s probably for the best. Thinking about Amber would probably lead to an embarrassing problem. The jeans I’m wearing don’t hide much.

“Damn, man. I’m sorry.”

“She’s okay, but I wasn’t home when it happened. Luckily, she had her phone on her, so she was able to call me. What if next time, she can’t contact anyone? If the fall had been more serious…”

“You could get her one of those emergency buttons.”

He nods. “It’s already on the way. We’re also looking at permanent in-home care. That way, there’s always someone in the house with her.”

“That might be for the best.”

“I know. It just sucks. I hate to have some stranger taking care of my mom. But I just don’t have the time to dedicate to her.”

When I first started talking about going into the product game, Mike was my top choice for a partner. He is just as science minded as I am, and he’s innovative. Unfortunately, that was also right around the time his mom fell for the first time. She was living on her own and ended up with a broken hip and two broken ribs. If Mike hadn’t been going over to visit, she might not have survived that fall.

Mike still wants to join me in my business venture, but he doesn’t have the time now that he’s taking care of his elderly mother. It sucks because he would be a great partner.

But Mike has already had to cut back on the number of patients he sees at his dermatology practice. There’s no way he could invest any of his time in developing new products.

Someday, I hope he gets the chance. I think Mike could make some real waves in the science community.

“Forget it, man,” Mike says, blinking a few times. “Let’s bowl. I need to get my mind off that shit for a while.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Mike goes first since he paid for the lane this time. We switch off every month. It’s easier than trying to split the bill.

He rolls his turn and knocks down eight pins. He easily takes down the next two on his second throw.

“Good start,” I say.

I take my turn and end up with a seven spare. We’re all tied up.

Mike pulls ahead quickly. He throws a few strikes and some spares. He only has two open frames in our first game, which is impressive. I have four open frames and only one strike. The rest are spares, which isn’t bad but isn’t good, either.

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