Page 6 of Truth or Spare

“What is it you did while you were in the Austrian Army?” Dewey asked skeptically.

“Mostly administrative work. Why?”

Dewey blinked at Theo. “No reason. See that towel up there?” he said and pointed at a towel hanging over a metal track at the top of the pinsetter. “Balls pass through there and that towel wipes off the excess oil. You can help me switch out the dirty towels for clean ones.”

“Klaro…” Theo said as he eyed the clips holding the towel and nodded. “That looks pretty simple.”

“Because it is,” Dewey said with a shooing gesture.

He stepped back so Theo could scramble over the side and pull himself up and reach for the dirty towel. It took some fiddling to get it unclipped and the clean one installed, but Theo finally did it and hopped down.

“How was that?” he asked while rubbing his hands together, then swore when he noticed the oil and grime on the cuffs and sleeves of his shirt. “My trousers!” he said when he spotted the streaks on his right leg.

Dewey chuckled and gave Theo’s shoulder a hearty slap. “I’m sure you’ll still make a good impression. This is a lane machine,” Dewey had explained as he hunkered down next to a rectangular machine and rested a hand on the neatly wound power cord, giving it a fond pat. He had thick, hairy forearms and Theo was momentarily distracted by the many tattoos and how strong Dewey’s hands looked as he pointed out various buttons and dials. “I already did the lanes while I was waiting for you to make yourself presentable, but we clean and oil them twice a day.”

“I didn’t know that the lanes were oiled,” Theo said, earning a terse grunt and a nod from Dewey as he rose.

“The balls won’t spin well and they’ll run right into the gutters if we don’t oil the lanes. Not much fun if you can’t get the ball to the pins.”

“I see…”

Bowling alleys were utterly fascinating anda lotof work, Theo was discovering. He had incorrectly assumed the job would be simple and that there was little to do beyond handing out rental shoes and assigning lanes.

It was also dirty work. He was a frazzled mess by the end of his tour of the workshop. As they were returning to the front, Dewey pointed out that Theo’s Oxfords had left little black scuffs and he was handed a rag to buff them out. Thankfully, Theo was also given a T-shirt with the bowling alley’s logo to replace his ruined shirt and Dewey loaned him a pair of work boots.

“Now, do I look the part?” Theo asked while modeling his updated work outfit.

“Sure,” Dewey said without looking up. He was leaning on the front counter and reading the paper. “If the part you’re trying out for is ‘man who sanitizes shoes before lunchtime.’”

Theo laughed at Dewey’s dry humor. “This, I believe I can manage and is closer to what I was expecting,” he said, earning another terse grunt.

“Because that’s what you saw in some American movies and TV shows?” Dewey guessed and Theo bit his lip guiltily.

“Bowling alleys are not as common in Austria and I didn’t have as much time before.”

Dewey stepped back and pulled a plastic bin from under the counter, letting it land on the floor with athud. “Alrighty, then. Let’s see if reality lives up to the movies.”

Chapter Four

It was safe to assume that Theo was not a serial killer or an evil mastermind.

“Dummkopf!” Theo gasped in frustration.

He almost got himself in the face again with the Microban as he attempted to pry back the tongue of a rental shoe and spray the disinfectant inside it.

Dewey didn’t laugh at people. Ever.

He was a firm believer that pride always came before the fall and he had made his share of mistakes. Dewey would probably look like an absolute clown if he had to spend a day in Austria, doing whatever it was that Theo used to do there. Of course, there was no logical reason why Dewey would, so he was back to wondering why there was a lost Austrian in his bowling alley.

But Dewey had come perilously close to laughing when Theo blasted himself in the eyes with the spray and released a torrent of German curses. He would have been convinced right then and there that it was all an elaborate prank, if any of Dewey’s friends had enough money to hire an actor of Theo’s caliber.

“Mist!” Theo dropped the bottle and tossed the shoe, covering his right eye.

“Let’s get you to the bathroom,” Dewey sighed, guiding Theo around the counter and the snack stand. He led him to the door and held it open. “Need help finding the sink and rinsing?”

“I think I can manage, danke!” Theo attempted bravely, waving in front of him so he wouldn’t bump into anything.

“Holler if you need a hand.”

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