Golf isn't as calm as everybody thinks it is
“Just tap it in… just taa-”
“Iguro I swear to god!” A throwing of a golf club followed the statement. A yelp followed that. A braking of steel, somehow, followed that.
Earlier that year the two friends, Iguro and Sanemi, decided that if they were to live in a fancy and rich neighbor, they might as well take part in the amenities. Of course that meant signing up for the town's country club. The fancy and rich “Pillar Country Club”. The main building spanned about an acre, the golf course for many more. The club also had two different pools, a concert gazebo on the far north side, and a horse race track for any jockeys and betters. The whole place was all beautiful.
So were the beverage cart attendants.
Just after the third time the two men went to play golf, they were greeted with a golf cart full of cool drinks and hot snacks. If you know what they mean. Their names were Misturi and Tomioka, both dressed in the work uniform, a navy polo and short tan shorts. Neither tucked their shirts in, but both frayed their shorts making them flair out a little with the ends of the material. Really, Iguro and Sanemi loved coming here. For golf of course.
That first meeting was in early April, now in late June nothing had progressed other than golf skills.
“Uh… Mr. Shinazugawa? That was the fifth club you’ve broken.” Did they mention the terrible caddies yet? No? Well in that case. Zenitsu was the caddie boy for Sanemi, and the two hated each other. Same can be said about Iguro and his caddie boy, Inosuke. Never had two kids been able to grate on the friends nerves like these kids could. One was feral while the other had a nasty rep of making snide comments that was hidden under his most common emotion, fear. “What a loser, it’s just golf.” came a whisper. Like that.
“EH?! You're my caddie, go get another club then!”
“What, are you kidding? Urokodaki will have my head! ‘Hey that angry ass golfer broke another club tehe! Let me go get him another so he can do it again!’ Hell no!”
There was visible smoke coming out of Sanemi’s ears as he grabbed Zenitsu’s polo shirt and said, “Go. Get. Me. Another.”
o0O0o
Zenitsu’s least favorite part of the work day was when the two angry men came in to play. After work, he’d get home and cry because of their mean comments. Poor him. Ironically his least favorite part of the day led to the best part. Whenever Sanemi broke a club, he’d have to trek back with his heavy golf bag into the reception area. This was just a glorified hut with a semi-large awning attached to it, with a couple tables underneath. What was special though, was the boy that ran it.
Honestly, before Sanemi started to frequent the club Zenitsu hadn’t made it a habit to drop in. The golf bags were hung up all around to sides to the hut, or some of the more snotty players brought their own. He’d just take his respective bag for the day, caddie, and return it. Then, when Sanemi broke his first club, the monotony was ruined and Zenitsu found himself having to walk through the screen door to sign off that a piece of property was tampered with. Also, the extra golf materials were in the closet in the back of the hut.
Zenitsu’s first thought when entering said reception area wasn’t how nice the breeze from the fan in the upper corner felt. It wasn't that he’d rather work in here with the sign in/out sheets and the paperwork. No, it was of how lovely the sound that met his ears was. The soft clack of the green screen door shutting behind him, the buzzing of the fan was blocked out by this sound. The symphony of soft tweets from spring birds, kids laughing, gentle swaying of water. That was the sound this worker in the hut gave off.
It didn’t help that when the worker swiveled around in his tall, metal chair, Zenitsu was met with a tanned face, kind ruby eyes, smooth features, full lips dragged into a smile, and burgundy curls that framed said workers face.
Tanjiro Kamado was the prettiest thing Zenitsu had ever seen.
o0O0o
The country club fell in the middle of a town called Brown Bear Falls. The grounds were lush here with a very large river, more akin to a large lake. Trees were tall with full foliage and deer and other forest animals were aplenty. As well as brown bears, hence the name. Most everyone here is well off, and those who aren’t are comfortable. The mayor is a kind man, Ubuyashiki. His wife, kind as well, was the one who ran the country club.
Every evening the young kids and teens will run down to the riverish lake as the pink sunset fades. Hair wet and with dripping faces, they will return home in the heat of summer to share a home cooked meal with their families.
Life is simple here. It cherishes youth and respects the aged. Everybody knows everybody and that’s the way people like it.
Houses were often one story, but with a bigger family comes bigger houses. The Kamado’s, Shinazugawa’s, and Shinubo’s, along with the mayors, fell under that category. In the winter these town houses would be blanketed with a thick cover of snow. In the spring, rain. Fall, leaves. Summer brought the heat, waves of it could be seen wafting off pavements.
The town was quiet, and that’s the way everybody liked it.