Joy Argento - Carrie and Hope by Joy Argento

the bowling ball bag that she brought with her. She pulled out the sixteen-pound ball and handed it to Hope. “How does that feel?” She asked her.
    Hope thought about it for a moment. “It feels hard and round,” she answered.
    “Ha, ha,” Carrie said. “I mean the weight. Is it too heavy?”
    “Yeah, I am thinking that this is too heavy for me.” She put her fingers and thumb into the holes and held it up with difficulty. “Yeah, I am pretty sure it’s too heavy. I feel like such a wimp.”
    “You’re no wimp,” Carrie reassured her. “We’ll find you a ball that works for you. Come on.” She walked over to the rack of balls lined up by the wall. She picked up several balls and examined them, feeling the weight of each in her hands. She handed Hope a twelve pound ball with pink and white swirls. “What do you think of this one?” Carrie asked.
    “It’s pretty,” Hope said, with a smile. “But that’s probably not what you meant, huh?”
    “Smart-ass. No, I meant the weight and finger holes.”
    Hope slipped her fingers and thumb into it. They slid in easily. She held the ball for several seconds. “I think this one would be fine.”
    “Let’s give it a try then.”   Carrie and Hope walked back to the lane.
    “Okay, lady, show me what you got,” Carrie said, settling into the hard plastic seat.
    “You aren’t going to show me how to do it first?” Hope frowned. She looked like a disappointed child.
    “No, I want to see what you can do first. So, go ahead and I’ll watch.”
    Hope held the ball up to her nose. Her left hand supported the ball from the underside while her right hand gripped the ball with the finger and thumb holes. She took three awkward steps forward, stopped completely and swung her right arm with the bowling ball, down and back. She bent slightly at the waist as she brought the ball forward, flipping her hand completely over so that her thumb faced down when she released the ball.
    The ball traveled only a short distant before landing with a slight thud in the gutter to continue its journey down the alley. Hope stood there and watched the ball until it was completely out of sight. The pins were lifted in the air, and the pin sweeper did its job. She turned to face Carrie. “How many points was that?” she grinned.
    Carrie tried her best not to laugh but a small snort escaped anyway. “Um, let me think. Gutter balls are zero points, I think.” She couldn’t hold back the laugh this time. Hope joined her.
    “I told you I suck at this.”
    “That’s why I’m here, to help you suck less.” Hope’s bowling ball made its rounds and was safely deposited back on the ball return to wait for her.
    Carrie got up and took the ball off the rack. “Let’s start with holding the ball the right way.” She handed the ball to Hope. Hope slipped her middle and ring finger into the holes and did the same with her thumb. She held the ball up to her nose, supporting the ball with her left hand.
    Carrie reached over and placed one hand under Hope’s left hand and the other on top of the ball. “Lower the ball, and move this hand over here to the side.” Carrie could feel the softness of Hope’s hand under hers. She continued with the lesson. “Okay, that’s the way you should hold the ball to start. Now let’s turn around and face the pins.” Carrie dropped her hands from Hope’s and Hope turned to face the lane. Carrie stood behind Hope and whispered in her ear. “Remember that this game is about accuracy. It’s not a race. We are going to go nice and slow. You want to be in control.” Carrie put her hands around Hope’s waist. “Let’s move back just a little here.” She stepped back and moved Hope with her. “Good, now start from here.”
    Carrie stepped away from Hope. “You are going to take four steps to the line, start on your right foot. As you step you are a letting the ball swing, nice and easy. Let it swing straight back and let it swing straight