Gerald’s Bowling Game

Gerald and Maureen go bowling with their school group. Gerald chooses a large dark blue ball because it looks like the one another student has just used.

He lifts it with both hands and takes a step towards the lane. The ball feels heavy, and his arms begin to drop before he is ready.

Gerald stops and puts it safely back on the rack. “I do not think this one suits me,” he tells the instructor standing beside the group.

The instructor helps him try a lighter orange ball. Gerald checks that his fingers fit comfortably and that he can hold it without straining his arms.

Maureen waits while he takes his place behind the line. Gerald holds the orange ball close, looks along the lane and makes a slow, careful start.

He rolls it along the lane, keeping his feet behind the line. The ball reaches the pins and knocks some over with a sharp clatter.

“That felt much better,” Gerald says as he comes back. Maureen asks for help choosing a ball too, rather than taking the same one just because he used it.

They keep playing with the balls that suit them. Gerald enjoys watching the pins fall, but he is most pleased that he spoke up when something did not feel right.