The One Who Puts Up With You

[lfigueroa]

SJD's recent photo of him and his wife (RIP) in another thread, out in Hawaii, struck a cord with me. It's Christmas, the end of the year, and tonight Gail made me my favorite dinner. So we sat at the dinner table, drank some wine, and reminisced about our years together, past lives, and meeting in Spain.

Over the years I've written about many episodes in my life in which she has been a central player, so I thought, maybe, some of you would like to take this opportunity, at this time of year, to post a picture and maybe a quick story of how you met your significant other, how they stood by you, for better worse, in sickness and in health, in stroke and out of stroke...

Here's a photo a few years ago of us together on our 25th anniversary. She's been my biggest support in pool and has put up with a ton. She's good as gold.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Sloppy Pockets]

Lou, Gail's a beauty for sure! You look like a great couple.


Here's something I made for Valentine's Day a few years ago, called "A Dozen Roses" (her name is Rose). She's still the most beautiful, sexy, talented, artistic, brave, and caring woman I have ever met. She gave me three wonderful children, and nurtured them while I built my own career at the expense of her own. She's stood by me through all the drinking and drugs and fishing and failed business ventures and now all the pool, and just about anything sad or trying that a man can bring upon his woman by being too damn stupid to realize what he is doing to her.

Age has mellowed me considerably, and I am no longer the SOB I was when I was younger. Why she is still here I haven't a clue, but she is out in the living room right now, putting the last of the decorations on the Christmas tree, and I am the luckiest man in the world she saw something redeeming about me to stick it out through all the bad. I am blessed beyond anything I deserve. I guess I just got lucky.

 

[trob]

My wife and I met at pool leagues almost 20 years a go. She has spent many a day sitting at a bar watching me play in tournaments without a complaint and recently started playing in apa and now tap leagues. She's plays pool, is a hell of a cook and she's not to shabby to look at either :thumbup: lol She's a keeper

 

[eddie0776]

My wife, Lord knows she puts up with a lot dealing with me. Not only am I a pool player but also a cue maker. Between being gone all hours, phone going off all night and weekend road trips I don't know how she puts up with me, but I'm glad she does. It takes a deep trust to put up with all of this. We both make good money and it's not necessary for me to do any of it, but it's my passion or as she would say my obsession!

 

[Nick B]

Me and the "Old Lady".

 

[SJDinPHX]

You asked for it Lou !!!

Well Lou, I guess we all got lucky, didn't we ... There seems to be a pretty common thread, amongst all the guys who've posted pic's of their sweethearts, thus far !.. Like you and I, they all felt lucky to have had their gals stick by them, even though pool was always kind of an unwanted 'mistress' !..I have no way of knowing, if they were as heavy into the game as I was. But I DO know how lucky I was, to have had two angels in my life. And yes, I guess I'm bragging !

To be honest with myself, I know the life of a 'full time' pool hustler cost me my first angel, the mother of my four children. I won't drag myself (or any reader) through the mud, by going through all the sordid details of what led to our divorce, in 1969...I only know that by the time I met Kathy, about 3 yrs. later. I had put myself through the wringer, over losing Paula, and I guess at the not so tender age of 40, I realized if I wanted any kind of normalcy in my life, I had to change drastically. That's when I picked up the lunch pail, and went to work. I guess I wanted to prove to her, (and myself) that I could be a normal, productive human being.

Paula never remarried and enjoyed perfect health, until about 5 yrs after Kathy and I were married. Then, the unthinkable happened..Paula was killed in a tragic freak accident. The guilt and remorse I felt, was almost unbearable..And, were it not for angel #2, I KNOW I would never have made it !..I hope I'm not boring anyone by spilling my guts over my sordid past, but it seems to be somewhat therapeutic to talk about it. (even though I may not deserve it)..Strangely enough, Paula and I remained close 'til the end, as did her mother and I, until she passed at age 91, just a few years before Kathy.

Obviously, I would be the last person on earth, qualified to give advice..But, if any budding pool player will listen, I would like to say, that if you put pool and gambling ahead of your loved ones, no good will EVER come of it ! I'm sure many here have learned that painful lesson.

Lou, I have many pictures of Paula, (many in black and white, or sepia tone) and someday, I will have them put in a format I can share with you here. Believe me, she was every bit as beautiful as Kathy, also in both heart and mind...I miss them both, immensely and equally.

Until then, here is a few more pic's of angel #2...One at about 39, and one snapshot taken just before her retirement, (after 36 yrs. with Yellow Roadway) and shortly before her passing, at age 64.

 

[eddie0776]

Well Lou, it seems to be a pretty common trait, amongst all the guys who've posted thus far.. Like you and I, they all felt lucky to have had their gals stick by them, even though pool was always kind of an unwanted 'mistress' !..I have no way of knowing, if they were as heavy into the game as I was. But I DO know how lucky I was, to have had two angels in my life. And yes, I guess I'm bragging !

Obviously, I would be the last person on earth, qualified to give advice..But, if any budding pool player will listen, I would like to say, that if you put pool and gambling ahead of your loved ones, no good will EVER come of it ! I'm sure many here have learned that painful lesson.



Dick, I feel you and even had other players tell me the same thing when I was younger and I refused to listen. It cost me my first marriage. My current wife is beyond understanding when it comes to pool and what I call my other life. Funny you should call it your mistress because that is exactly what we call it as well! It is a running joke even with my daughters...daddy is going to see his girlfriend and they say play good and make me some money!

 

[BasementDweller]

I gather that most of us like to think that we live in separate worlds: we have our pool world and our personal one. We also like to think that these worlds don’t intersect and for the most part we like keeping it this way because it just keeps things simpler. At some point, we just stop trying to explain our pool world to our significant other. On the rare occasion that we forget that these worlds are separate we quickly come back to reality when we see that blank stare in her eye as you’re attempting to relay the story of how you ran out the rack of your life. The story is moving along just fine until you get to the point where you are trying to explain the intricacies of running vs. reverse english and at that point you realize you’ve gone too far yet again, so you switch topics – “So, how was your day?”

But really on closer inspection, there’s really no separating these worlds because if you’re as lucky as I am there’s really only one person you think of when you run out that rack, or you win that big match. It’s her and it’s always her.

My girl and my game have been linked together nearly from the beginning. In February of 1998 I posted the following on rec.sport.billiard (grammatical errors included):

Another newbie here. I have actually been reading everyone's posts for
quite some time now. I have even attempted post a few myself but have
had server problems. I have found this newsgroup to be quite
informative and I have personally spread much information to the local
players via this newsgroup (I work at one of the local pool rooms in
Kalamazoo MI).
Now on to my question. I have been playing pool seriously now for
only about a year and a half, and I'm twenty two now. I have got to the
point where I can play with most of the good local players (most is the
operative word). I really think that I could be an 'A' player someday.
However, I wasn't born with a cue stick in my hand like most of the
better players. Is this something that many players have overcome or is
that a serious detriment that few can indeed overcome? That's all for
now. I will appreciate any comments and I did search through Dejanews
for similar questions and didn't really find any. Thanks again.

Many players responded encouragingly -- that many great players had started out later in life and so I continued on.

Less than a year later, I was basically flunking out of college and my game was so far from good that I realized I needed to make some drastic changes in my life. So I put down my cue and walked into the Air Force recruiter’s office and asked him “where do I sign?” I don’t recall if it was that very day or not that I signed, but whatever day it was – I know it was the very day that I discovered my future bride. We hung out for the first time the day I signed my papers. You may not be into the divine providence thing, but for me I’ve always felt like I was rewarded for making the first grown up decision of my life.

We’ve been together ever since. I lost a lot of years where I could have been playing pool. Had I been playing all that time I’m sure I would have been a much better player than I am today but I sure wouldn’t have her, nor would I have the three beautiful children I have today.

One of which, may be the cutest pool player on the planet.
http://vimeo.com/115289064

 

[lfigueroa]

Lou, Gail's a beauty for sure! You look like a great couple.


Here's something I made for Valentine's Day a few years ago, called "A Dozen Roses" (her name is Rose). She's still the most beautiful, sexy, talented, artistic, brave, and caring woman I have ever met. She gave me three wonderful children, and nurtured them while I built my own career at the expense of her own. She's stood by me through all the drinking and drugs and fishing and failed business ventures and now all the pool, and just about anything sad or trying that a man can bring upon his woman by being too damn stupid to realize what he is doing to her.

Age has mellowed me considerably, and I am no longer the SOB I was when I was younger. Why she is still here I haven't a clue, but she is out in the living room right now, putting the last of the decorations on the Christmas tree, and I am the luckiest man in the world she saw something redeeming about me to stick it out through all the bad. I am blessed beyond anything I deserve. I guess I just got lucky.

Super nice, SP. You are blessed.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

My wife and I met at pool leagues almost 20 years a go. She has spent many a day sitting at a bar watching me play in tournaments without a complaint and recently started playing in apa and now tap leagues. She's plays pool, is a hell of a cook and she's not to shabby to look at either :thumbup: lol She's a keeper

You are a lucky man, trob.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

My wife, Lord knows she puts up with a lot dealing with me. Not only am I a pool player but also a cue maker. Between being gone all hours, phone going off all night and weekend road trips I don't know how she puts up with me, but I'm glad she does. It takes a deep trust to put up with all of this. We both make good money and it's not necessary for me to do any of it, but it's my passion or as she would say my obsession!

Awesome, Eddie. Another lucky guy. Thanks for sharing.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

Well Lou, I guess we all got lucky, didn't we ... There seems to be a pretty common thread, amongst all the guys who've posted pic's of their sweethearts, thus far !.. Like you and I, they all felt lucky to have had their gals stick by them, even though pool was always kind of an unwanted 'mistress' !..I have no way of knowing, if they were as heavy into the game as I was. But I DO know how lucky I was, to have had two angels in my life. And yes, I guess I'm bragging !

To be honest with myself, I know the life of a 'full time' pool hustler cost me my first angel, the mother of my four children. I won't drag myself (or any reader) through the mud, by going through all the sordid details of what led to our divorce, in 1969...I only know that by the time I met Kathy, about 3 yrs. later. I had put myself through the wringer, over losing Paula, and I guess at the not so tender age of 40, I realized if I wanted any kind of normalcy in my life, I had to change drastically. That's when I picked up the lunch pail, and went to work. I guess I wanted to prove to her, (and myself) that I could be a normal, productive human being.

Paula never remarried and enjoyed perfect health, until about 5 yrs after Kathy and I were married. Then, unthinkable happened..Paula was killed in a tragic freak accident. The guilt and remorse I felt, was almost unbearable..And, were it not for angel #2, I KNOW I would never have made it !..I hope I'm not boring anyone by spilling my guts over my sordid past, but it seems to be somewhat therapeutic to talk about it. (even though I may not deserve it)..Strangely enough, Paula and I remained close 'til the end, as did her mother and I, until she passed at age 91, just a few years before Kathy.

Obviously, I would be the last person on earth, qualified to give advice..But, if any budding pool player will listen, I would like to say, that if you put pool and gambling ahead of your loved ones, no good will EVER come of it ! I'm sure many here have learned that painful lesson.

Lou, I have many pictures of Paula, (many in black and white, or sepia tone) and someday, I will have them put in a format I can share with you here. Believe me, she was every bit as beautiful as Kathy, also in both heart and mind...I miss them both, immensely and equally.

Until then, here is a few more pic's of angel #2, one at about 39 and one snapshot taken shortly before her passing,
at age 64.

View attachment 368156

View attachment 368157

You have been blessed, Dick. Me too. This time of year is a real good time to realize it. Thanks for sharing.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

I gather that most of us like to think that we live in separate worlds: we have our pool world and our personal one. We also like to think that these worlds don’t intersect and for the most part we like keeping it this way because it just keeps things simpler. At some point, we just stop trying to explain our pool world to our significant other. On the rare occasion that we forget that these worlds are separate we quickly come back to reality when we see that blank stare in her eye as you’re attempting to relay the story of how you ran out the rack of your life. The story is moving along just fine until you get to the point where you are trying to explain the intricacies of running vs. reverse english and at that point you realize you’ve gone too far yet again, so you switch topics – “So, how was your day?”

But really on closer inspection, there’s really no separating these worlds because if you’re as lucky as I am there’s really only one person you think of when you run out that rack, or you win that big match. It’s her and it’s always her.

My girl and my game have been linked together nearly from the beginning. In February of 1998 I posted the following on rec.sport.billiard (grammatical errors included):



Many players responded encouragingly -- that many great players had started out later in life and so I continued on.

Less than a year later, I was basically flunking out of college and my game was so far from good that I realized I needed to make some drastic changes in my life. So I put down my cue and walked into the Air Force recruiter’s office and asked him “where do I sign?” I don’t recall if it was that very day or not that I signed, but whatever day it was – I know it was the very day that I discovered my future bride. We hung out for the first time the day I signed my papers. You may not be into the divine providence thing, but for me I’ve always felt like I was rewarded for making the first grown up decision of my life.

We’ve been together ever since. I lost a lot of years where I could have been playing pool. Had I been playing all that time I’m sure I would have been a much better player than I am today but I sure wouldn’t have her, nor would I have the three beautiful children I have today.

One of which, may be the cutest pool player on the planet.
http://vimeo.com/115289064

Chris, *super cute* little one. Thanks, Bud, for sharing and all the years of camaraderie on the forums.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Stones]

I waited 50 years of my life to meet "The One". It was worth the wait!

We met at the pool hall and practically over night became good friends. I coached her and a few of her team mates over the next couple of years. In 2001, she and her team mates won the BCAPL National Ladies Open Team Division. Locally, the team won the BALSA League Ladies Team City Championships 19 seasons in a row. She also won two stops on the Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour along with multiple high finishes.

She is the absolute love of my life and my best friend!

For the life of me, I can't figure out how an ol' ugly, nasty SOB like me became the luckiest guy in the world!


Stones

 

[lfigueroa]

View attachment 368198

I waited 50 years of my life to meet "The One". It was worth the wait!

We met at the pool hall and practically over night became good friends. I coached her and a few of her team mates over the next couple of years. In 2001, she and her team mates won the BCAPL National Ladies Open Team Division. Locally, the team won the BALSA League Ladies Team City Championships 19 seasons in a row. She also won two stops on the Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour along with multiple high finishes.

She is the absolute love of my life and my best friend!

For the life of me, I can't figure out how an ol' ugly, nasty SOB like me became the luckiest guy in the world!


Stones

Stones, I think all us "lucky guys" feel exactly the same way. Merry Christmas.

Lou Figueroa

 

[seven_7days]

I feel so very fortunate to have spent so many glorious years with the same woman.










Although, I'm not too sure my wife feels the same way about her...sooooo,
being the respectful,considerate guy that I am, will makes g'dam sure she'll never know.

 

[zpele]

This past year has been probably the hardest year for us both financially and because of stress related/deaths but we have pulled through and next year is already looking a ton better. Here's a pic of mine with our 1 year old son.

 

[JC]

Here is the main thing I was thankful for this last Thanksgiving.



JC