I'll Carry Your Bag Pt. 02

Beg for forgiveness and set things right.

She looked straight at Raquel, "Ms. Simmons, I am so very sorry I misjudged you. There is no excuse for my prematurely taking Mr. Gregory's side."

Raquel sat there in silence. Barbara knew she had lost the respect from one of the most promising young talents in the League.

Then she looked at Sean, "I know I have no right to ask you for a favor. But, would you be willing to hold off until next week to file your EEOC complaint?"

Sean leaned in and briefly conferred with Raquel. "Legally we have 45 days, from the incident, to file a complaint. We can wait until next week."

Raquel added, "Besides, I have a golf tournament to win." She got up and stormed out of the office.

Barbara extended her hand to Sean, "Again, please accept my apologies."

Sean took her hand into his, "I assume you would like a copy of the video?"

Barbara went wide eyed, "Oh my god! Yes please, I almost forgot to ask."

******

"So boss, what do you want to do?"

They were in the rental car, just sitting in the parking lot. Raquel looked at him, "I still can't believe you talked to the Commissioner like that."

"Raquel I'm your lawyer, it's my job to represent your interests. Do you still want to play this week?"

Raquel paused, "I know...wait! What did you just ask me? Do I still want to play the tournament?"

Sean responded, "Well yea, with all that happened today, everyone would understand if you withdrew."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?! There's no way in hell I'm withdrawing! Those assholes aren't going to run me off! I can't believe you would even suggest it!"

Sean smiled, "I didn't think you would, but I had to ask."

Raquel looked back out the passenger window and muttered, "Asshole."

Sean smiled wider, "I love you."

Tournament Week

Emotions are interesting things. They can either derail the best laid plans, mess with one's day, or introduce confusion into a given situation. Or...they can create a singular focus on an objective; although, that's a two edged sword. If the focus is pointed in the wrong direction, things can end in disaster. However, singular focus on a round of golf by someone who possesses all the necessary tools can produce some remarkable results.

Fear is the most common negative emotion in sports. Fear of failure or letting your family, friends and fans down is something every athlete has to deal with. Fear creates doubt and doubting ones choices can have devastating consequences in golf. Positive thoughts are the best antidote to overcoming doubt. Practice and proper preparation aid in overcoming fear. But there is one emotion that can also mitigate the effects of doubt caused by fear... anger. However, it requires very special handling to work in favor of the athlete.

After Raquel left her meeting with the Commissioner, she was one pissed off polecat, because of the situation caused by Halton Gregory and the position it put her in. Sean recognized her emotions and knew he had to channel it towards her game. They got out of the car, collected her golf clubs and went straight to the practice area. First she let off some steam on the driving range. She still hit each club with purpose, the only difference was Gregory's face was imagined on every ball. Sean estimated her drives were going an extra 20 yards. Her normal loud crack the club made when it struck the ball was replaced by a more thunderous boom. After about an hour, the sweat was pouring off her face. From the driving range they moved over to the practice chipping green. Sean taught Raquel how to focus her emotions into pure concentration. She hit every chip within two feet of the hole, it didn't matter if she was just off the green or 20 yards from the green. In fact she holed out about a third of the chips. Nearly the same result was achieved out of the practice sand trap. If it hadn't been for the sunset, she would have practiced for another couple of hours. Instead, Raquel and Sean went back to the hotel, changed into their workout clothes and hit the gym. Cardio and lower body training were the focus. An hour and a half later, Raquel was just plain tuckered out.

They ordered room service and quietly ate on the hotel room balcony. Sean wasn't going to push any conversation. After dinner, Raquel just looked exhausted. He suggested a shower and joined her to gently scrub her very tired muscles. The hot water zapped whatever strength was left in Raquel's body. Raquel had an early tee time on Thursday, so they turned in early. She slept like a baby and woke up well rested, more than ready for her opening round.

Sean felt like they exhausted the uncontrolled anger out of her system. Now she might be in the correct frame of mind to play a tournament.

Raquel woke refreshed but still mad as a hornet. From Sean's perspective, at least it was a controlled "mad." Those who talked to her without knowing what occurred, described her as "determined." Call her "determined" or "pissed off" didn't matter, she would settle for only one thing... victory.

When they arrived at the course, Raquel and Sean checked in with the tournament officials. Raquel then headed to the locker room, Sean gathered her clubs. While Raquel was in the locker room, she was constantly approached by her fellow pros. Her altercation with Halton Gregory, on the 18th hole, was now widely known and quickly becoming legendary. Without exception, every pro golfer empathized with her and pledged their support. Raquel said very little, but she was humbled and silently acknowledged that even if this was her last tournament, she loved and respected her fellow competitors.

However, the support didn't mitigate her emotions. Actually it just reinforced her feelings about what occurred on and off the course on Wednesday. When Raquel and Sean stepped onto the first tee, she was still mad as hell. She shook hands with her playing partners and caddies, but kept to herself. Raquel was normally quite animated and fun to be around. No one had ever seen this side of Raquel, reserved, quiet and seething. Word spread quickly and her gallery grew. By the time they reached the third tee, over 300 people were following her group.

Raquel never noticed.

During the course of the round she didn't talk to her fellow competitors, in fact she didn't talk much to Sean. On this day, one very important component was missing from her game...doubt. She didn't doubt her club selections, her target line, how hard or soft to hit the ball and most importantly, the line and speed of her putts. She hit 14 out of 14 fairways, all 18 greens in regulation and had 24 putts. Knocking it into the hole, from the fairway, on the par four 12th hole, for an eagle two, helped with her putting stats. On some of the hardest greens the league plays all year, it seemed like she couldn't miss, regardless of the length.

By the start of the back nine, a thousand patrons were hanging on her every shot. They roared after every shot was hit or putt dropped. Raquel barely acknowledging them by touching the brim of her cap. Those who watched her play all thought it was as close to a perfect round of golf as they had ever witnessed. They knew what they were witnessing was a rare display of athletic excellence.

That display translated to a first round 60, a course record and a five shot tournament lead. Raquel avoided any and all interviews. After the round she and Sean retreated to the practice area where she spent another two hours. Once back at the hotel, Raquel and Sean capped the day off with a five mile run.

The round was the talk on all the sports TV and radio stations. The commentators talked about how she was "in the zone," marveling at her focus. They couldn't stop talking about how accurate her drives were, or how her ball striking was on par with Sneed, Hogan, Trevino and Sorenstam. One commentator said it was the greatest putting exhibition he had ever witnessed, male or female.

Sean knew it was because she was angry as hell.

Friday's round wasn't quite as good as Thursday, but is was still better than most. Raquel and her playing partners were greeted by the largest gallery, in memory, when they stepped onto the first tee. As she walked through the gauntlet of fans, she was treated like a rock star. Fists extended beyond the ropes, in hope for a fist bump. People were yelling encouragements, "Good Luck Raquel, or Go Get Em Raquel or, Kick Some Ass Raquel!" Under normal circumstances such treatment would have humbled or embarrassed her. On this day, she didn't react at all.

Raquel was all business.

Raquel posted a 66 and extended her lead by two shots. It was another bogey free round. The only differences in the two days were she didn't have any eagles and she had to scramble on three holes to make par.

But she entered the weekend with a seven shot lead.

Chin-Sun Wen from New Zealand was in second place and would be her playing partner for the third round on Saturday. Wen had been in the League for eight years, was a former number one player in the world, and already had seventeen wins. She was a formidable competitor but with a ton of ground to make up.

Being in the final group of a professional golf tournament can be an unnerving experience. It had been awhile since Chin-Sun found herself in that position. Even though Chin-Sun had more experience winning, Raquel had won more recently. On this Saturday Chin-Sun's position in the tournament might have had an effect on her play, but it had no impact on Raquel. Wen had to play "hunt the flagstick" all day, in an attempt to make up ground on Simmons.

Unfortunately for Chin-Sun, Raquel played like someone possessed. She ran off five birdies in a row before settling for a par on the sixth hole. Another birdie on number eight resulted in a six under par, 30 on the front or outward nine. The back or inward nine wasn't as lucrative. Raquel shot three under for a nine hole total of 33 and a total round of 63. Chin-Sun shot a 65.

Nobody else was close to the lead. One could say it was a two player tournament, except Raquel extended her lead to nine strokes.

John Garrison had been trying to get an interview with Raquel all week, but she was avoiding him like the plague. He finally cornered her coming off the 18th hole.

"Wow Raquel, you're having quite a week. 27 under par is a new 54 hole record. You really seem to be in the zone."

Raquel wasn't real interested in being interviewed. "I've still got 18 holes to play. As Yogi Berra once said "It ain't over till it's over." Talk to me then." She turned and walked away. Garrison was left standing there with his mouth open. Raquel wasn't in the mood to enhance the image of the WPGL.

After signing her scorecard, Raquel met Sean at the range and put in another hour and a half of practice. It was dark when they finally packed it in for the night. In the past three days Raquel hadn't said a great deal to Sean. Sean, didn't want to upset her concentration, so he didn't push for any conversation. They had room service, every night and turned in early. Anger on top of physical excursion was exhausting. They hadn't made love, at all, but Raquel slept very close to Sean. Each night she told him she loved him and then was out like a light. He always held her close and said he loved her too.

In the rental car Raquel looked over at Sean, "Can we go somewhere for dinner tonight?"

Sean looked over and smiled, "Of course we can. Anything you're hungry for?"

"Nothing heavy, I just want to forget about all this bullshit for awhile."

Sean laughed, "Only Raquel Simmons could call leading a tournament by nine strokes...bullshit."

She gave him a sarcastic look, "You know what I mean. All I've thought about for three days is that son of a bitch and the Commissioner. How could she have immediately taken his side, before hearing mine? How could the Commissioner not have the back of her players? And that bastard, who the fuck does he think he is? God's gift to women? I'll bet he has a teeny weeny pecker and couldn't satisfy a woman if his fucking life depended on it. How could a cock sucker like Halton Gregory become so important to the WPGL?"

This was the first time, since the meeting, Raquel had talked about what happened on Wednesday. Sean hadn't realized she was hurt as much as she was angry.

Raquel got very quiet, for a moment. When she looked at Sean it was a combination of love, hurt, anger and remorse. She took Sean's hand into hers. "I haven't been very communicative that last couple of days. I promised you would be my partner and I haven't held up my side of the bargain."

Sean squeezed her hand, "This week you just needed someone to carry your bag. I was more than happy to be that person. You've played some amazing golf. It's been fun to watch. Now all you have to do is put this tournament away. Show them that you are the future of the WPGL, not Halton Gregory."

Raquel smiled, "Tomorrow I think I'll need my partner back. But tonight, I need my lover."

Sean smiled back, "I can do that."

******

Sunday morning Raquel woke up no longer angry. She laid there looking at Sean sleeping. She relived how tender he was, last night, when they made love. Sean seemed to know exactly what she needed. They both loved some aggressive sex, but last night she wanted to be held, kissed, caressed and tenderly touched. He pleasured her orally, not with an assault on her clitoris, but tender licking and kissing her everywhere. Yea, it took longer than usual for her to orgasm, but when she did, it was beautifully blissful. He made sure their entire time was all about her. He was very attentive to her vocal requests. He slowly moved in and out of her until she wanted it harder and faster. Again she didn't orgasm as much as in the past but she had never felt more loved. In the end he just held her, passionately kissed her and told her he loved her, over and over again.

When they stepped onto the first tee, Raquel was determined to win. Sean had to remind her to keep her game simple, shot by shot, not to think about the outcome. Her priorities this day were fairways and greens. If she shot even par 72, Chin-Sun Wen would still have to shoot 62 to beat her.

Raquel was much more like her normal self. She chatted with Chin-Sun and at times laughed at corny stories. Chin-Sun had always been very nice and supportive towards Raquel. Raquel cherished their friendship and respected Chin-Sun as a worthy opponent. She was a gracious sportswoman whether she won or lost. Even though Chin-Su was still in her 20's, she had earned the respect of every other player and was a role model to the younger pros.

Raquel and Sean's on course behavior was also back to normal. Sean gave advise about the wind, club selection and potential hidden trouble spots. Raquel was still resolute about her game and played with confidence the entire round.

The gallery following Raquel and Chin-Sun was even larger than Saturday's round. Raquel was much more engaging and the crowd just "ate it up."

On the first tee Raquel asked Sean, "Where did all these people come from?"

Sean smiled, "They've been here all week, watching some of the most amazing golf in history."

Chin-Sun did play well, shooting a four under par 68. Raquel played well too, firing her fourth bogey free round. She shot a five under par 67 and won by 10 strokes... a rare wire to wire win. It was also the largest margin of victory on the WPGL within the past five years. Her total of 256 or 32 under par was a new tournament record, beating the previous record by ten strokes. 32 under par was also a new WPGL record for the most strokes under par.

Chin-Sun hugged Raquel and congratulated her on a great tournament. A dozen pros then descended onto the 18th green and doused Raquel with large quantities of champagne. She was soaked to the bone when she conducted her much more cordial TV interview with John Garrison.

"That was some of most incredible golf I've ever witnessed. Where did that come from Raquel?" Garrison began.

Raquel could have been honest and state her motivation was caused by the situation with Halton Gregory and Mac Michaels' betrayal. But she wasn't going to stoop to their level. So she took the "high road," "For the past couple of weeks I've felt I was real close to putting my game together. Also, I love this golf course, it really suits my eye. So I guess it was a combination of things."

Garrison decided to take his shot and ask the question that was on everyone's mind, "So, the encounter with Halton Gregory didn't influence your play...even a little?"

Raquel smiled, "I had a meeting with the Commissioner on Wednesday. I trust the League and Commissioner Mac Michaels to deal with the situation. After that, I put it out of my mind and just concentrated on the tournament."

It was obvious to everyone she wasn't being honest. Her cold behavior the first three days of the tournament told everyone watching, the events on Wednesday had in fact influenced her play. But this was an honorable and diplomatic lie, designed not to inflame the situation. Raquel's stock in the world of women's golf rose substantially.

******

As Raquel started to leave the scoring tent she found herself face to face with Commissioner Mac Michaels. Barbara extended her hand to Raquel. Raquel stood there looking at her for a long moment, before reciprocating and accepting her hand.

"Congratulations on a fantastic tournament, Raquel. You deserved this victory in more than one way."

"Thank you Commissioner." Raquel responded very professionally, but not warmly.

"I also want to thank you for what you said to John Garrison. We both know you were less than candid about what happened on Wednesday."

Raquel stared hard at the Commissioner, "Commissioner, for as long as I'm allowed to play in this league, I will be 100% dedicated to it and my fellow professionals."

Mac Michaels noticed her hard tone and that she wasn't included in Raquel's declaration of fealty towards the WPGL and it's players, "Thank you Raquel, you've proven that this week. Please enjoy your evening. Do you have plans for our week off?"

Raquel replied, "Yes, Sean and I are traveling to Dallas. After what happened this week, I definitely need a week off."

"Would you and Mr. Connors have time for a meeting sometime tomorrow morning?"

"Of course Commissioner. Do we need to alter our travel plans?"

"That might be wise, Raquel. Can you and Mr. Connors make it at 9 am, here at the club?"

"Yes ma'am, we'll be there."

"Thank you Raquel and again congratulations on a fabulous win."

******

After a very pleasant round of love making, Raquel relaxed into Sean's arms. Sean could feel the tension was finally flowing out of her body. He laid there thinking and held her close.

"You know in all the years I've caddied on the men's tour, this week was the most incredible exhibition of golf I've ever witnessed."

Raquel raised up on her elbows and looked him in the eyes. "That's a load of bullshit. You just want me to fuck you again."

Sean looked at her, "I always want you to fuck me, but that was no bullshit. I've never seen a golf ball hit so pure or putts that's never left the line. I was in awe by your play. As great as Eldon was, he never hit it that pure."

She snuggled back into him, "I couldn't have done it without my Hall of Fame caddie. I love you. Now fuck me again."

Monday - Judgement Day

Raquel and Sean arrived at the county club after an early morning round of continued "celebration sex." Raquel had poured out the emotions she experienced all week. The result was a very diverse round of lovemaking. Depending on what she was feeling, at the moment, the sex was aggressive, tender, or athletic. But if it had to be encapsulated into one word it would be... sublime. After they utterly wore each other out, they just laid in bed and snuggled into one heap of human flesh, so intertwined a casual observer might had difficulty determining where Raquel began and Sean ended.