General Fiction posted April 15, 2023

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A near tragedy

A chapter in the book Lucky Eddie

Lucky Eddie - Chapter 9

by Jim Wile

Background
Two young men meet as opponents during the finals of the golf club championship and soon become lifelong best friends. It is their great friendship that helps them navigate many of life's challenges.

(See the Author Notes for the definition of any golf terminology used as well as a description of the main characters.)

Recap: Kenny and Eddie recount the match they won with their superior hustle to Abby after the round. On departing the clubhouse, they are accosted by Morton O’Connell, the club president, who kicks Eddie out for his morning shenanigans with the cherry bomb in the Men’s Locker Room. Eddie collects his things and leaves gracefully, but Kenny’s last vision of him as he drives away is Eddie with his middle fingers raised to Brentwood in a farewell salute.

Kenny begins helping Eddie with new putter designs. After a year, Kenny marries Abby and they have two kids. Kenny eventually quits his job and joins Eddie as a partner in the putter design business, and they are very successful, landing sales with several PGA tour pros.

Kenny and Abby’s kids grow into adults. Their daughter Claire marries and has a baby girl of her own, Emily. Their son Greg joins Kenny and Eddie in the business allowing them eventually to partially retire. They take a number of golfing trips together. Eddie grows very fond of Emily as he sees her often when he visits Kenny and Abby while they are babysitting for Emily. Emily turns five.

The Accident

It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and Abby and I were relaxing on the front porch swing, while Emily, whom we were sitting for that day, played in the front yard. She was picking dandelions and singing to herself. One of the neighbors down the street was having an outdoor graduation party for one of their high schoolers, and we could hear the music from the porch. A number of cars were parked up and down the street.

Eddie was coming over for a visit and to start planning our next golfing trip together. We were thinking of driving east to play some of the great courses on Long Island, like Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links of America, and Bethpage Black.

Eddie pulled up in his Cadillac and parked across the street. One of the graduates was leaving the party down the block and was coming down the street, so Eddie waited by his car before crossing. It was right then that Emily spotted him. She leaped up with a shout, “Hi, Uncle Eddie!” and came running towards him as fast as her little legs could go. She could not see the swiftly approaching car, because it was blocked by another car parked right in front of our yard.

“Emmie, stop!” Abby and I both shouted as we sprang out of the porch swing and came running down the yard.

But it was Eddie, across the street, who quickly sized up the situation and knew what he had to do. Emily had just crossed over the curb and was starting into the street, arms outstretched in greeting to Eddie, when Eddie flew across the street, dived in front of the on-coming car, and pushed Emmie out of the way. Her little head hit the curb with a thump, but this was drowned out by the screeching of brakes and the loud impact of the car against Eddie’s outstretched body.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God, noooooo!” wailed Abby as we came running up. Emily lay unconscious against the curb, and Abby went quickly to her. Eddie lay prostrate on the road and was moaning. The car had struck him in the pelvis and right leg which appeared to be horribly broken. It was then that I pulled out my phone and dialed 911, giving them my address and cell phone number.

Emmie was still unconscious when the paramedics arrived, and Eddie had passed out as well. They carefully loaded Emmie onto a rigid board and clamped her down so that she could not move her head or spine. Eddie started coming to when they likewise loaded him onto a board. He began murmuring softly, but I couldn’t understand him. I put my ear right up close to him and heard him slur, “Isshe awrigh, Spor?”

“Looks like just a bump on the head, Eddie. She’ll be fine, I’m sure. They’re taking you both to the hospital now. Abby and I will be right behind you.”

The paramedics finished loading him into the ambulance, closed the rear door and set off, siren wailing.

The young teenage girl who had been driving the car was beside herself with grief. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see her! And that poor man!” She sobbed and sobbed.

Abby took her in her arms. ”It wasn’t your fault, honey. There’s no way you could have seen her coming out from the front of the car like that. Please don’t blame yourself,” she said, while gently stroking the young girl’s back, but she was inconsolable.

Abby continued holding her and talking softly to her. When the girl finally began to settle down, I found out her name and phone number and called her parents to come get her. Abby left for the hospital before the police arrived, but I stayed around to tell them what had happened. I then set off for the hospital and found Abby, Claire, and her husband, Tom, in a waiting room outside the emergency room.

Claire broke down when she saw me, and I hugged her to my chest and kissed the top of her head. “Emmie will be alright, Claire. You’ll see.” I guess it was Abby’s and my job to console people today, although I felt like I could have used some consoling myself.

Pretty soon one of the emergency room doctors came over to talk to us. “My name is Dr. Wells, and I’m the doctor who examined Emily. She has regained consciousness but has no memory of what happened or why she is here. She has a slight concussion and a rather large bump on the back of her head. I’d like to keep her in the hospital overnight for observation, but if her vital signs remain strong and she is alert and coherent tomorrow morning, I see no reason she cannot go home tomorrow. She’s sleeping now.”

We were all immensely relieved by this news, but the news about Eddie was not as good. He had suffered a broken pelvis, and the femur of his right leg was shattered in several places. He was in surgery right now to set the bones. He was out of immediate danger, but his recovery promised to be a long and painful one, and he would probably always walk with a limp. It would be some time before he could play golf again.

“I’ll go to Emily’s room to be there when she wakes up if the rest of you want to stay here for a report on Eddie,” said Tom. “Claire, I know you’ll want to thank Eddie when you get to see him.” She gave him a long hug and thanked him before he left to be with Emmie.

The rest of us remained in the waiting room until Eddie was out of surgery. They allowed us a brief visit with him in the recovery room.

“Hiya, Sport. Hey, Red, Little Red,” he said, mustering as much good cheer as he could. But then he got serious. “Tell me how Emmie’s doing.”

“She’s going to be fine, Uncle Eddie!” Claire said to him as she took his hand and held it to her cheek. “How can I ever thank you for what you did? You saved her life!”

“Aw, Sweetie, I love that little peanut. I love you, too. I’d do anything for you.”

“I know you would, Uncle Eddie; you are truly the best. I just don’t know what I can do to thank you.”

“Take good care of Emmie; that’s all the thanks I need.”

“Hey, Sport,” he said to me. “You may have to cancel our tee-time for tomorrow. I’m not sure, but they might not let me outta here just yet.”

“Okay, Eddie, I’ll take care of it,” I said with a gentle smile. “You get some good rest now, will you? It’s been a tough day.”

“Hey, Red,” he said, turning to Abby. “Take these two home, will ya, and tell ‘em not to worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“I will, Eddie. You behave yourself with the nurses, and we’ll come back to visit you tomorrow.” With that, she bent down and kissed him goodbye. As we turned to go, Eddie’s hand shot out from the bed, and he pinched her on the bottom. She jumped a little, but as she turned back to scold him, his eyes were closed and he appeared to be asleep.

Emmie was released from the hospital the next morning. She had a big bump on her head, but she was out of danger. She still had no memory of what had happened, but when she found out that Uncle Eddie was in the hospital too, she insisted on coming with us to visit him during visiting hours later that afternoon.

“Hi, Punkin!” he said to Emmie. “Hey, what’s that big lump coming out of your head? Are your brains getting too big to stay inside?”

She laughed at that and came over to give him a big hug. He started tickling her tummy, and she giggled and wiggled to get away.

“Uncle Eddie, do you want to play a game with me?” she asked.

“Sure, Sweetie, what did you have in mind?”

“How about Chinese Checkers?”

“Ah-so. You find board, and I pray with you, Emiry-san,” he said with an Asian accent, not caring that he was mimicking Japanese instead of Chinese. Emily had brought a board with her, and they set it up and began playing.

We stayed with Eddie most of the afternoon, talking and playing games. When it was time to go, Emily asked Eddie when he was coming home.

“Not quite sure, Littlest Red, but you’ll be the first to know when I do. You tell Grandma and Grandpa not to worry about ole Uncle Eddie. He’ll be dancing a jig in no time!”

“What’s a jig?”

“A jig is like a fig. Or is it a wig? No, it’s like a pig!”

“You’re silly, Uncle Eddie.”

“Goodbye, Sweetie!” he said, as he pecked her on the cheek.

(4 more chapters to go)

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Kenny Payne: The narrator of the story. He is a mechanical engineer who recently graduated from college and joined Brentwood Country Club where he meets Eddie in the finals of the Club Championship. He and Eddie become best friends.

Eddie Phillips: Described by Kenny as the loudest, most flamboyant, often obnoxious person and the kind you either loved or hated, who he had ever met. He is known for his phenomenal luck and his extreme prowess in putting.

Abby St. Claire: Introduced to Kenny by Eddie, she works at the snack bar and as a waitress at the club for a summer job while she finishes college. She is a smart and beautiful redhead who Kenny falls in love with and eventually marries.

Claire Payne: Kenny and Abby's daughter

Greg Payne: Kenny and Abby's son

Tom: Claire's husband

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A near tragedy

A chapter in the book Lucky Eddie

Lucky Eddie - Chapter 9

by Jim Wile

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