The game started and Mark was observant of  the way they held their cue and where they struck the ball.  He wasn't the only person that didn't always play their best but most were still small town hustlers.  Kandy did her part to gain their attention with the way she moved and leaned over the table.  With the way she moved or set her hips before taking each shot, you'd have thought she was doing her little waggle before hitting a golf ball.<br/><br/>The two were better than they let on but in the way of strategy, Mark was playing chess and they were playing checkers.  With just the 8 ball left for Kandy and Mark to win, Mark missed his shot but left an almost impossible shot for Phil and the 8 ball in a position that was easy to hit from almost anywhere on the table.  Phil barely missed and the way Kandy jumped around after she hit the winning shot would have made anyone in the pool hall want to lose just to watch that again.<br/><br/>The boys asked for a rematch to win their  money back and then some.  They played for $5 and the boys won but ended up losing two games for every one they won.  It was mostly Mark setting up the table for Kandy to do well or them to scratch or not have a shot at what they needed to hit.  It was always bad luck in their eyes.  When they finally gave up for the night, they had left $40 behind.  Another two stepped in and lost sixty.  Soon after that, they couple made their exit and headed down the road.  The guys didn't feel hustled but still weren't happy to lose so finding another town to spend the night was a good idea.<br/><br/>It was the early 60's and that hundred dollars represented a week's income for an average family.   Mark found a nice motel in a town 20 miles down the road and the $12 room included breakfast in the morning.  The room had two beds just like he promised her.  After they closed the door and set down their bags, Mark turned to Kandy.   She seemed excited from winning but it was just another night for Mark.  He handed her $44 dollars or her half of the profits.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffff">"You did good tonight.  I thought we worked well as a team.  If you want another room, you can pay for it or we can share this one.  You are safe here with me."</span>He wasn't sure what she was thinking.  She was holding the money that was equal to what her father probably made in three days of work at his job.<br/><br/>He watched as she paused to think about something.  Kandy was a pretty girl.  I would keep his word and sleep in his own bed but if she called him over to hers or slid in beside him, he wouldn't say "no".  It was still early in their relationship so he didn't expect either to happen but there was only hope for a red blooded boy.