The Pool Table

Chad leads us down creaky wooden steps to his basement. It's isn't bigger than life, as one might expect. Instead I see cinder walls and a hard cement floor, but he did deliver on the pool table. It's a beautiful one at that. It has four baskets for the billiards to land in, the legs are thick and made of oak, and the cloth is blue, not green. Better yet, it seems as though the table has not been used. There's not a scratch on it. Chad watches us admire the pool table. "You like it?" He asks. "It's gorgeous." I say. Chad grabs three cues that rest against the nearest wall. "As you may know they have pool tables at the bar, but why would I waste my time there when I have quality here?" Chad hands us our cues. "I can't argue with that." I say. "So, is this your man cave?" Olivia jokes. "A what?" He asks. "You know, a man cave. Where you can be a man." she adds. "No, it's my basement." Chad grabs the chalk and sharpens his cue. "Do people actually call it that?" He asks. "Some do." I tell him. Chad finishes his sharpening. "How very odd." He hands me the chalk. "You know why I went with the blue on the table?" Olivia and I shake our heads no. "Because blue means trust. It's important that I have trust." "Trust is hard." Olivia points out. "That it is, but I figure a friendly game will help ease tensions." "I'm game!" I declare. "Good, I'll let you break." I grab the triangle that hangs from the table. "Wait." He shouts. "What's the matter?" Olivia asks. "If we're going to do this right I think we should all have a nice beer." He explains. "I wouldn't object." I say. "Any preference?" "Hey, as long as it's cold I don't care." He points to Olivia. "Same." She replies. Chad claps his hands. "I'll be right back with the cold beer. Then we can begin." He rushes up the stairs. We hear the door slam followed by him fumbling with the locks.