Minnie Goes to Heaven (99)

(a novel continued)

Minnie held up her unlit candle. “People, we are here because the light is being snuffed out, lives are being snuffed out. And, we are letting this happen. We are letting this happen because it’s convenient. It’s a quick fix for an immediate problem. We are all at fault. We must ask God to forgive us for our lack of respect for the life He gives us. 
"Let’s pray.”

As one by one the crowd bowed their heads, Minnie prayed, "Lord, forgive us." Her trembling voice projecting out over the people. Many fell to their knees. Some wept.

When Minnie said 'Amen' the crowd was quiet.  “Let's stop killing our young," she said. “Tell your neighbours, tell the people you meet, tell the politicians, tell everyone. We must stop the slaughter.”

The television station and the local paper covered the whole event. For several weeks there were editorials and letters to the editor on the subject of life and death and the value of a human life. Then it got old.

‘So, what was that for? What did we accomplish?’ Minnie asked God.

‘You did what I asked, that’s all I ask.’

Mary started looking at schooling. She was too late to apply for anything for the fall. So, she took up a waitressing job at the A and W. She wasn’t earning enough to live on her own so she worked out a boarding arrangement with her parents.

One day later in the summer when John wasn’t quite so busy, he came home with matching golf bags. “They were on sale, and I signed us up for golf lessons. We meet with the pro Monday mornings for four weeks. In a month we’ll be experts.”

Minnie and John had only ever played mini-golf. They didn’t know very much about the game which the pro saw as an advantage: they wouldn’t have to unlearn bad habits. He showed them how to hold a golf club. 
The grip is important. “Let your thumb and finger make a V toward your shoulder." 
The stance is important. “Back straight, bottom out as if you are going to sit.” 
Position in relation to the ball is important. “You stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart on the tee. Let the face of the club meet the ball on the downward swing. The club is designed to give the ball the lift it needs.”

During their second lesson they learned how to get the ball from their second shot out to the green. “The grip is the same, the stance is the same, how you stand in relation to the ball is a little different...the ball is in the middle of your stance for this part of the game. You still want to hit the ball on the downward swing.” 
The pro showed them how to hit the ball straight down the fairway. He told them about hitting the ball with the sweet spot on the club. 
Over and over again he emphasized the importance of the follow through. He took a golf ball and threw it naturally with a follow through. The ball went sailing out across the driving range. Then he threw it and stopped his hand as soon as he let go of the ball. The ball fell to the ground several feet in front of him. The pro threw the ball fast. He threw it slow. He threw it with a follow through. He threw it without. “Follow through is everything," he said.