A love triangle

It all started one Sunday evening when my husband got back home from his game of golf with his friends. “He has been so good…he even got a birdie…remember that beautiful ball, straight and sleek…” While all his friends chatted nineteen to the dozen about his golfing prowess, I saw the twinkle in his eyes and it dawned on me that he was involved, or rather in love, with his game of golf.

From then on the tussle began between me and his love. We were the worst of enemies. “So you’re off again- golfing?” “Yes dear…I will be back soon.” Very much like a man in love he would jump at an opportunity to be beside his loved one. Come Sunday mornings when I would think of having morning tea with him he would have entirely different plans…of teeing off; come Wednesday afternoons and the same scene would follow. I consoled myself- it was after all only a game of golf, that too twice a week; so what if they described their shots as ‘beauty’ and ‘lovely’…

Little did I know that my enemy and his love would invade our evening privacy too. Our living room carpet where we had our evening tea and tete a tete became the golf green and I, green with envy at his love. Our peg measure would be the hole to “putt” the ball in. Our TV was constantly tuned to the channel on which golf was shown. All this while like a helpless, jealous wife I watched my husband getting more and more involved with his other love.

One fine evening he returned a wee bit early…” let’s swing” he proclaimed. How very nice, I thought and carried chocolate cake and tea to the lawn and sat there on the swing…swinging. He came out with his golf club to swing and bewildered, I came to know there is more to swinging than just sitting on the swing and moving to and fro. That is when he decided to give me golf lessons. “Keep your head straight”, he scolded and I lost my cool. “How can you expect me to keep my head straight when you hardly spend time with us?”

Nevertheless, with time one grows, as did my knowledge of golf. Now I know the meaning of literally keeping my head straight. At times when we have a tiff, I do ask him to choose… me or his love? I am sure all his golfing friends would know the answer to this; and so would the golfing widows…

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GOLFING TERMS FOR THE GOLF-CHALLENGED

Golfing widow- wives of golf addicts

Birdie- putting the ball in one under (e.g. if par is 4, birdie would be 3)

Tee- a place from which the ball is struck at the beginning of each hole

Putt- hit the ball gently so that it rolls near, or into the hole

Swing- practice shot without touching the ball