Today, we drove to Hackensack to bowl at Bowler City. When we arrived, the parking lot was full. “They must be having leagues again,” I wearily remarked to Dan.

Undeterred by the spot-less lot, he went inside to check on the availability of open bowling lanes. Much to our delight, the kind, curly-haired man at the counter said he could give us lane 49, at the very end of the alley. Dan brought our bowling bags into the bowling alley, and I parked at the very back of the parking lot then went inside.

On lane 48, a woman was bowling, with a too-long swing that gave her less control than she might have wanted. Her bowling alias (or real name, who knows) was Yang, and she occasionally knocked down all the pins. She demonstrated bowling etiquette, and was respectful to us as we began bowling.

So, our first game got underway. I started the game with a gutter ball, which sometimes happens when my timing is off and I haven’t bowled for a little while. I picked up six pins on the first frame, which was disappointing, but something I felt I could overcome.

In the second frame, I threw a strike, and then had a split in the third frame. For the next three frames, I got marks (two spares and a strike), and then threw two open frames. In the ninth frame, I threw a strike to set me up for a good tenth frame. I ended the game with a 150 score, which was fine for a warm-up game.

As we were readying ourselves for the second game, a man with two kids, Nick and Joe, who were approximately age 4 each, turned up in lane 50, directly to our right. Great, I thought, what a waste of a bowling day. And, because I am not cynical but rather preternaturally psychic, it turned out to be a bit of a wasted day.

I didn’t even take a photo of the second game, because I bowled so poorly. Sure, I was “robbed” of a strike in a few frames, but I couldn’t attend to spares with the kind of attention I typically dedicate to them. When kids are literally running up to the line carrying a 16-pound bowling ball (????) and are disruptive to your peripheral vision, attention to what you’re doing can be challenging.

In the third game, I started with an open frame and resigned myself to another poor score. But then I threw three strikes in a row. Unfortunately, in the fifth frame, the ball was lightly stuck to my thumb and I ended up only picking up six pins and then missing the spare. In the sixth and seventh frames, I threw strikes, and then had an open frame in the eighth frame. Then came the critical ninth frame. While I didn’t throw a strike, I did pick up a crucial spare to set me up for the tenth frame. “All I need are three strikes to beat my high game,” I told Dan. He nodded.

I threw a nice ball over the second/third arrows for my final frame and, unfortunately, had a 5-pin/7-pin split. I hunkered down on my focus, and prepared to throw the second ball. Once, many months ago, a man who had been watching me bowl said, “You have good eyes, but your release is terrible.” As if I had asked him about my aim or release at any point in our interaction (which I didn’t initiate or whole-heartedly participate in). Anyway, he was right about one thing–I have very good aim (“eyes”). So, when I threw my second ball of the tenth frame, I aimed to the right of the 5-pin, using the third arrow from the right as my guide. As planned, I knocked down the 5-pin and it ricocheted into the 7-pin, earning me a spare. I knew I wouldn’t reach or beat my high game, so the stakes were lower for my free third ball of the tenth. I ended up knocking down seven pins, due to poor timing of my overall motion, giving me a score of 175.

“You know, getting three strikes in the tenth isn’t easy,” Dan said after I was finished with my game.

“True, but I’ve done it before, and should have done it again,” I replied.