If you believe

It was a beautiful day, but I had already indulged myself the past few and needed to address my to-do list. It glared at me from the computer screen and seemed to grow even as I tried to select one of the less onerous tasks.

The phone rang, or whatever it is they do these days. “We’re hanging out around my pool. Why don’t you come over?”

I really should chip away at the list. “Who is we?”

“Some of the girls.”

“Thanks, I’ll pass.”

“We’re going to Aponte’s for pizza after a while.”

“I’m on my way.” Aponte’s trumps anything lower in priority than life & death,” and she knows it.

They were all lined up on lounge chairs, water bottles, towels and PDAs at their sides. The fresh makeup and carefully coifed hair told me they wouldn’t be getting wet. Why they were gathered around the pool is a mystery to me.

I said my hellos and jumped in to swim a few laps and cool off. Then, I took my place on a lounge and drifted off in the warm sunshine to the gabble about who knows what.

A chiming woke me up. Kathy clutched her PDA to her chest and announced excitedly that it was Steve. I was to learn that they had just recently started to date and she was anxious that it amount to something.

She was all smiles and giggles on the phone. Yuck. “The girls” exchanged knowing looks. “Invite him over,” suggested Jane. Kathy clamped her palm over the PDA and shushed her.

The call finally concluded without the invitation and Jane asked what the problem was. “I don’t have my lucky bra with me.” Ah. They all nodded, just as though that made any sense.

“What does that mean?”

Kathy flushed. I had become invisible to them about two minutes after my arrival. “It’s what I wear for important occasions.” The group nodded in agreement.

“It seems to me that if underwear has come into play, luck is no longer a factor.” There are only two times when women get upset with me; when I talk to them and when I don’t.

I didn’t know women had lucky clothing or other things. Thought it was a guy thing.

Growing up in organized sports, I had seen men with stringent pre-game rituals and fanatic attachment to certain articles of clothing. I had never bought into the superstitions. Well, I did have one t-shirt that I always wore under a game jersey. Maybe I bought into it a little. But, that was then.

Or maybe not, come to think of it. I own a pair of ratty hiking shoes that have been on every challenging expedition I’ve undertaken in the last decade. They’re past their prime, but I’m reluctant to replace them because nothing’s gone awry, even in some difficult situations. I have a number of kayak paddles, but only one is “The Magic Stick.” That is, no matter what kind of waters I found myself in upside down, it’s rolled me up without fail on my first attempt. Right side, left side, whatever; it doesn’t matter.

Intellectually, I know there’s nothing magic about it. It’s because I know I’m coming up, I come up. I’ve always found that applies across the board. So I do believe that if you expect to succeed, for whatever reason, you will. But, if you don’t anticipate success…

Kathy told the girls that she hoped to forge some kind of relationship with Steve by the onset of summer. I’ve already got him chalked up.