Dallas Tournament or Bust

My billiards league had a singles, doubles and team tournament - a Thursday through Sunday event in Dallas, Texas this year.

I reserved a hotel room close by to save Tony and I some time from driving a lot (I played in it last year and remembered how long the days are).

I was ranked a B+ and in the singles, I had to race to 6. I was the only person who raced to 6 and placed mostly C's, who raced to 3. Ouch! What a difference. I hit some balls and was hitting them well. I played Dee Dee Holloway first and won 6-1. I played good. I then played Sherry Hickman and won 6-1 again. Then I played a nervous Denise Wilson and won 6-2. She almost won! I was in until Friday. But, on Thursday night, scotch doubles started and Tony and I played together and our first match was against a team that had to race to 4, us 6. The girl was not a C player, though, and they beat us pretty bad. Then we won one more match later that night and luckily then got a forfeit for our midnight match so we could get some sleep for our 9am singles matches the next day (Tony was still in the tournament in his A division). I played Christy Powell (a strong B player who had to go to 5) Friday morning and had her 4-1, but finally won 6-3 or 6-4. I then played Lou Earl later in the afternoon and won 6-1. I should have lost that match, but won it and that was for the winner's bracket!

During the tournament, I heard Susan Petty's Mom had passed away. I called her a week and a half ago to talk about our Mom's - I heard hers was sick, also, and thought a call with each other would be helpful. To hear she passed so suddenly (it wasn't expected) was heartbreaking. I kept my distance, but felt so much pain for her.

Tony and I played a few more scotch doubles matches and really ran through the other teams. We played well together. Then we had to start the team event. We had the best players playing, yet we lost. It didn't help Tony and I didn't win any of our games, even though we both played good. As we walked to the car to get some rest at the hotel because the team didn't play for a couple of hours (at midnight), I checked my voicemails and had 12 new messages! It turns out my mom was coughing up blood and they called 911 and she was in the ER again.

Tony and I were headed to pick up some dinner, but I lost my appetite immediately. I talked to my Mom and Dad and they told me not to come down and to win the tournament for them. What I didn't know then, was because there were so many team's there wasn't enough tables to play the singles or scotch doubles matches under Sunday, even though we heard they might have been played that Friday night after midnight.

We went back to the tournament room (in the Marriott seminar room in Dallas) and I found my captain and cried to her in a corner that I shouldn't play. She told me to leave, but my parent's didn't want me to go down right then - they wanted to see what was going on, even though my Dad had no way home and no way to get back and from from the hospital to their home (he rode in the ambulance with her).

Our captain had another A player and put him in for Tony and they let us leave before the team even began to play. It was a godsend, even though I didn't get to sleep that much. As I fell asleep in what now was a cold and lonely hotel room, I knew in my heart I was driving down the next morning and tossed and turned knowing that I'd see my Mom soon. We woke early that morning and we started to pack to go back home before my Dad even called at 7am ti suggest I come down. I was sick to my stomach. I felt so numb, more numb it seemed than last time. Coughing up blood? Oh my God, was she dying?!

I had to go to work first and get all the paperwork I had kept there from the last trip because I had to make copies. Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Medical Directive, etc. We had them prepared when I was down there a week ago. Was that only a week ago? Wow.

I had Tony call Monica and Francee and tell them if I can come back in time, I will play in the finals... otherwise I'd have to forfeit the scotch doubles tournament and the singles event if she wasn't discharged out of the hospital.

As I drove down there Saturday morning by myself, I cried and cried. What was happening? What was going on?

As for the tournament, I did forfeit the finals - I did not make it back at all that weekend. I had Tony look over the chart, and there were 24 women who entered the tournament. 1st was to pay $184 and 2nd $151. Tony asked the tournament director to ask Lisa (who defeated Lou Earl) in the semi finals if we could split the first and second money and both Lisa and the tournament director (Robert Tabor) agreed. So, I got $167 for 2nd. And, Tony told me a I got a plaque!! It's brutal to forfeit the finals, but it's all good.

I also found out Tony and I just slipped into the money on scotch doubles with our last win and we got $75 for 7th/8th place.