night away, Louise missed the
comforting embrace of her lover
and the smile that warmed her
from across the room. Marty had
been so supportive of her once
she'd decided to do this, listening
to her spout ideas about what to
say, and helping to select the
pictures to show. Rhonda would
have liked the little golfer, and
there was no doubt that Marty
would have hit it off with the band
director.
It was funny in a way that Louise
had never thought to compare her
feelings for Marty to those for
Rhonda. She always felt lucky that
she got to have them both. Rhonda
was right for her then; and Marty
was right for her now.
"… please bring your tray tables to
the upright and locked position.
The flight attendants will be
passing through the cabin one last
time to collect any remaining
service items. We'll be landing
shortly."
Louise peeked out at the swamp
below, glad to be back home and
eager to be in her lover's arms.
Louise awoke somewhat
disoriented at the ringing phone.
The room was already dark, which
meant it was after five on this
December evening. Through the
bedroom door, she could hear
Marty answer the call in a quiet
voice.
A nap this late in the day was a
rarity for the retiree, but the last
24 hours had sapped her energy.
Louise smiled as she turned
beneath the covers. It was also
rare for her to sleep in the nude,
but she and Marty had made sweet
love when they returned home
from the airport. She had needed
badly to show her lover how she
felt, just as she had needed to
feel alive in Marty's love. The last
thing she remembered was feeling
her lover's arms and legs draped
across her body as Marty gently
stroked her brow and whispered
words of love.
The golfer's silhouette appeared
in the doorway. "Sweetheart?"
"I'm awake. Who is it?"
"It's Ted Meyer."
Louise sat up and tucked the sheet
beneath her armpits, scooting
over and patting the bed for
Marty to sit. Petie joined them,
taking his place on Louise's
opposite side.
"Hi Ted… yeah, but I couldn't
believe how tired I was. This
getting old stuff isn't for sissies."
Unconsciously, she stroked her
lover's back as she listened to the
news. "You're kidding! So what
happens now?" She gripped
Marty's shoulder with excitement.
"That's great news, Ted. I'm so
glad you called… No, it wasn't me
at all. It was just the right thing to
do… Thanks, bye."
"So what's the news?"
"You won't believe this, Marty!
People saw the story in the paper
today and they started calling the
school board. Ted said they had
almost five hundred calls before
lunch, and that most people were
mad. Apparently, enough of the
board members got worried about
their jobs and they called an
emergency meeting and reversed
their decision. Darren's going to
get to keep his job after all."
"Lou, that's great! You did it!"
"No, I didn't do it. We all did it. It was plain as day that they were
wrong, and with all the arguments
in the paper, and then all the
parents calling, they finally saw it
themselves."
"Well, I'm still proud of you,"
Marty said.
"You've done this to me, Marty.
Being with you just makes me want
to tell everybody how happy I am
all the time." Louise wrapped both
arms around her partner's waist.
"You make me happy too, Lou. Are
you still planning on going to the
Christmas party tonight, or do you
need to rest some more?"
"I'm coming with you, sweetheart.
Let me go get in the shower…"
"Hold on a minute," Marty stopped her. "I know it's early, but how
present?"
"It's nine days until Christmas!"
"I know, but this present's special.
I think you might like to have it
when we go out tonight. I know I'd
like it."
"Okay," Louise nodded.
Marty disappeared and returned
with a wrapped shoebox.
"You want me to wear new shoes?"
"Just open it."
Louise did as she was told, folding
back the tissue paper to find
several sleeves of golf balls. "I
get it. You want me to take these
new golf balls in my purse so I can
slug anyone you flirt with."
"I do not flirt," the golfer said defensively. Marty nudged the box
in the center aside to reveal a
velvet jewelry box in the bottom.
"I couldn't have you guessing what
it was," she explained. "I wanted it to be a surprise."
And a surprise it was, as the sight
of the diamond-studded gold band
nearly stole her breath. "Oh,
Marty!"
"Will you wear this for me, Lou?"
"Oh, Marty!" Louise had always
been jealous of those who got to
proudly display the symbol of
their love. But trading rings with
Rhonda would have prompted too
many unwelcome questions. And
now, Marty was offering to have
her wear this beautiful band.
The blonde woman slipped it gently
over the knuckle on Louise's left
hand. "I'd appreciate it if you'd
wear it all the time, Lou, and if
you'd always let it remind you that
I love you, and that I'm going to
share the rest of your life."
"Oh, Marty!" It seemed to be all
she could say. Finally, she found
more words. "It's the most
beautiful ring I've ever seen. But
what about you? Shouldn't I get a
ring for you too?"
"I can't really wear one,
sweetheart. You know, I have
these fat knuckles and then my
hands sweat all day, and I usually
have on a glove. But maybe if you
went for a nose ring, I could do
that!"
"You are so silly, Marty Beck. Just
for that, I might take you up on it
and get one so I can lead you
wherever I want you to go."
"You don't need a nose ring for
that, Lou. All you have to do is go
somewhere and I'll follow you."
"Oh, Marty! I love you so much."
"I love you, too," the blonde
woman answered as she hugged
her lover close. "So did you get me
a plaid sweater?"
"Did you want a plaid sw
eater? I
still have eight shopping days until
Christmas," she teased.
"No, that's okay. But I will be
wearing something special
tonight."
"What's that?"
"I thought I'd tuck a little
mistletoe in my cap and see if I
could get a certain tall, blue-eyed
retired schoolteacher to kiss me
all night."
"Well you'd better not put that cap
on until you're ready to come
home, or you're not even going to
know you're at a Christmas party,"
Louise warned.
"I guess we should go put in an
appearance then, huh?"
Louise was looking forward to the
chance to take her partner's side
at the party tonight. She wanted
people to see their happiness
together, and she wanted them to
know that she was proud to call
Marty Beck her partner. She
would always regret that she and
Rhonda hadn't publicly declared
their love for one another; but
with Marty, she had a chance to
love out loud, and she wasn't going
to let it pass her by.
The Cart Path
Not Taken
JULY 1966
" GOOD MORNING, LADIES and
gentlemen," the announcer barked
to the crowd, just as he had when
he sent the preceding nine groups
of three off the first tee at the
Hazeltine National Golf Club in
Minneapolis. "At the tee is…" He
went on to introduce the first
golfer in the group, highlighting
the fact that she was last year's
Open champion and the leading
money-winner for 1965. Her tee
shot sailed to the right over the
hill out of sight, and the crowd
applauded.
"At the tee is…" The second
woman in the group was one of the
hottest players on the tour this
year, having won the two previous
tourneys in Milwaukee and Iowa.
Her shot also cleared the hill on
the right, and the crowd cheered.
Finally, the third golfer
approached the tee, her blonde
ponytail draping over the back of
her visor. Unlike the others in her
group, who wore culottes and
sleeveless blouses, this one was
dressed in shorts and an open-
collar golf shirt.
"At the tee is Martha Russell,
from Holland, Michigan. Miss
Russell has played on the LPGA
tour for three years, finishing
third at the Peach Blossom Open
in Spartanburg, South Carolina in
1965."
Marty cringed at the meager
introduction. Here she was, playing
the best golf of her life, teeing
off on the last day of the U. S.
Women's Open in the next to last
group. After yesterday's
blistering round of seven under,
she was tied with these two
women for fourth place with a
legitimate shot of winning the
championship. That round - a
course record for tournament play
- had won her the attention of
both the sportswriters and the
gallery, a first for the struggling
pro.
"Remember, it falls left over that
hill, so you want to stay high on
the right," her caddy advised.
Wallace Beck was a longtime
friend and golf buddy from her
hometown. Realizing his own
limitations with the game, he had
thrown in with Marty when she
decided to try to make it on the
ladies pro tour. For three years,
they had traveled the country on a
shoestring budget, finishing out
of the money on roughly half her
starts.
"You don't think I should try to
carry the slope on the left like I
did yesterday?" With nothing to
lose, Marty had taken one chance
after another in the third round,
even finishing the day with an
eagle on the par five 18th hole.
"There's a lot of money at stake
here, Marty. If it were me, I'd
play it safe all day."
The blonde woman considered his
advice. If she played her usual
conservative game, she stood to
collect over a thousand dollars
with a fourth or fifth place finish.
But dropping as few as five
strokes could mean falling out of
the serious money. On the other
hand, a repeat of yesterday's
round might net her the $4,000
winner's purse, and would likely
land her a sponsor.
Marty nodded and addressed the
ball.
Smack!
The gallery gasped and applauded
excitedly as her hammered drive
sailed cleanly over the slope on
the left side. For the first time in
her brief career, she watched as
a good portion of the crowd
climbed down from their bleacher
seats to follow her group on the
course.
Wallace shook his head as she
handed him the club. Marty Russell
was about the stubbornest woman
he knew.
MARCH 2003
Marty Beck peered into the snack
bag she had picked up from the
bin on the jet bridge while they
were boarding the connecting
flight in Dallas. That was definitely
a cookie in the bottom, whether
chocolate chip or raisin she
couldn't tell. But if she were
nonchalant…
"Here, sweetie. Trade me." Louise Stevens held out a sealed bag of
carrots and celery from her purse.
"I'll take your cookie."
"You've got to be kidding, Lou!"
Jamming her hand into the bag,
she extracted the item in question
and admired it. "Who in their right
mind trades a chocolate chip
cookie for carrots and celery?"
"We've been through this, Marty.
You're the one who wanted to lose
weight. You asked me to help, and
that's what I'm doing," Louise
answered calmly.
"But I haven't had a cookie in over
a month!"
"And you've lost eight pounds."
She didn't mind one bit that
Marty had put on 20 pounds in
their first year together, but it
bothered the shorter woman a lot,
so she'd agreed to help out.
These days, Louise prepared only
low-calorie meals, and she carried
carrot and celery sticks almost
everywhere they went.
Resignedly, Marty handed over
the cookie and took the colorful
plastic bag. She already felt
better about her weight, and it
was nice to be taking a vacation
feeling like she was in control.
Chuckling to herself, the blonde
acknowledged that the woman to
her right was really the one in
control.
"I'm really excited about this trip,
Lou. Did I tell you it's the best
present anyone's ever given me?"
"Only about 10 times." Louise
smiled and took her partner's
hand. "We're going to have such a
good time." This was their first
real vacation together, a trip to
Palm Springs for the Dinah Shore
ladies golf tournament. In recent
years, the tourney had dropped
the reference to its iconic host in
favor of a corporate name, the
food conglomerate; but to old-
timers like Marty Beck, it would
always be The Dinah.
"How are you guys doing back
there?" Marty turned in her seat
to spy on Linda and Shirley,
seated directly behind them in the
coach cabin.
"We're okay. I'll be glad when we
get there, though. It'll feel good
to walk around a little," Shirley
answered. The 68-year-old woman
had had a hip replacement in
January, and she and Linda had
considered canceling the trip. But
the recovery was going well, and
once Marty had explained about
the layout of the course and the
bleachers, they decided to come
along after all.
"I bet. I can't wait for you guys to
meet Carol and Joyce." Marty's
friends from North Carolina made
the trek to Palm Springs every
year, The Dinah having become
something of an annual rite of
spring. Marty had come to this
tournament three times over the
past 20 years, but this time was
special. It was Louise's first LPGA
tournament ever, and Marty was
eager to see her partner caught
up in the excitement of the event.
"They're really nice," Louise
added.
"Of course, we told them the same
about you, so you should probably
take what we say with a grain of
salt," Marty kidded.
"You need to feed her more, Lou.
She has a mean streak when she's
hungry."
"… but I'm getting around much
better now." Shirley was filling
Carol and Joyce in on her surgery.
"It sounds like it was the right
thing to do. I put off the knee
replacement as long as I could,"
Joyce answered. "Now I wish I'd
done it sooner."
"Boy, do we sound like a bunch of
old women or what!" Linda
remarked as she helped Louise
load the dishwasher.
"We are a bunch of old women,"
Marty retorted. "I can say that,
because I'm the youngest one
here, and I'm old." Marty would
turn 63 in April.
"You are not old!" Carol had known Marty for ages. "The only time