I had spent the afternoon shooting pool, at a not so nice club, just up the road aways. It was one of those muchly needed places for gays to hang, but it did little to spruce itself up. I guess the owners figured we would come anyway.

They had two tables in the rear, with a few tables and chairs and two pinball machines by the back wall.. A most inconvenient place for machines if in fact the shooter was up against the wall trying to make a shot.

Now the day was gorgeous. I had no business hanging out in a bar, but I didn't much feel like the nature girl thing, so I opted for a few whiskeys and the bravado it supplied to challenge any weekend pool player.

As luck would have it, for me anyway, there just happened to be two cute baby dykes in the bar. One was decidedly more a top than the other and she was trying to teach her girlfriend the fine art of slop.

Shyly I went over and asked if I might play the winner. They both giggled and the butch offered herself, telling me the girlfriend couldn't really shoot.  I smiled and said that I wasn't that great, either.

I racked for her, and then offered her the chalk. I watched as she cued up, thinking maybe she could shoot some. She broke. The 5 ball off the eight in the corner pocket. She hit at a couple of balls on the south side of the table, and then scratched as the cue ball came slowly down my way, plopping itself in the far corner.

When I cued up, I let my stick clumsily fall from my hands, giggling I picked it up and mentioned that once I played and some womyn had bet money on the game. I then told them that the womyn said it was the fastest $50 she ever made. Then I shot and deliberately missed.

The butch said she would play for $20, but 50 was too high. I smiled and said maybe too eagerly, "ok".

I let her get a few more shots in, the 6 ran into the side and then once again she scratched. I slowly made my way around the table, going in for the kill. Planting my feet open just so. Not so different from a golf stance when using a 5 iron. I used a high bridge, coming up between forefinger and the middle, My hand high poised. My thumb resting softly upon the felt. I pulled back just so and then forward and then back a little longer and then let loose. That cue ball left with a vengeance, slamming left english on the 15 sending it into a short spin, dropping side pocket. The ball stopped just this side of the 12 which I neatly rolled up against the wall all the way downtown.

I think I heard the butch gulping, but I didn't stop there. On my next shot I split the 13th and the 11 sending each into opposite corner pockets. Then I scratched purposely, letting the butch breathe once again.

She retrieved the cue ball and set it up on the table. She wasn't sitting too well as my 3 remaining balls were all blocking hers, but this was my strategy. She would try to hit one of her balls, thereby knocking one of mine free.

I looked at her and said, "How about double or nothing?"

She looked at me and then at her girlfriend who was in a bit of a frenzy that her g/f actually might have control of the game. Or maybe it was the prospect of winning $40 bucks... who ever knows.

"Ok, sure, 40 it is", and she put up the other 20. I stood aside and allowed her full access to the table. I watched as she sized up every ball and where it stood. She did have a possible chance of splitting a few of the poses, but she would have to be playing me to make it. For a possible second I flashed that they could be conning me, but then she shot and left little doubt. I decided to be gentle in my approach. I took care of 2 of the balls and then called for a side to side bank and just let the ball slowly make its way across the table... it was one of those beauty shots.. where everyone holds their breath, not knowing if the ball would actually drop. I had played it a few times in my life, but surely not for so little money. No glory here. But I did win it fair and square... Ok, I might have said I wasn't that great, but stacked up against other players I knew, I really wasn't that great.

Their names were Rosa and Touche. Touche was from Seattle originally and Rosa, well she was just beautiful and from Santa Rosa. Even after winning Touches' money, she insisted on buying me a drink. I stayed and had a few with them and told them I better get out of there before the sun went down.  Touche said to hold up and went to the bar. Rosa leaned a little closer to me and said she admired my style.

Now some womyn can still make this old dyke blush, and Rosa, well she made me blush. Her hand met mine as she slid a piece of paper into my palm just as Touche made her way back.

"Hey, I wrote my number down. You want to get together sometime and play some more pool, give me a call, ok?"

I smiled and told her "ok'. Told them both it was my pleasure meeting them. I grabbed my jacket and left a tip on the bar and headed to my car.

Once inside my car, I quickly glanced at the slip of paper. Just as I suspected. Rosa's handwritten phone number complete with the pear essence perfume she wore. It was sweet and it lingered on my person while I drove home.