Apre positioned the white at the top of the table - we were down to one ball plus the black. He turned to pot our one remaining ball in the right corner pocket at the top of the table, and Micheala had a hissy fit, which, as we were dealing with, he then reaches out and grabbed the white. All of a sudden this was getting serious, and by God, I take my games seriously. You see there are very few things in this world I despise quite as much as a poor loser - it shows lack of character. Unwillingness to accept failure leads to an unwillingness to show you are fallible. If you do not want to show you are fallible you inevitably try to create a mystique of infallibility, but in order to do that you can't afford to show surprise, either in a mental or physical sense. The 'unknown' by definition has the potential to surprise, and an unwillingness to explore the unknown is an unwillingness to expand your mind... and I hate that in a person!
Micheale was rapidly slipping off my Christmas card list, and I wasn't going to let this go. Claudia had made a fatal mistake on the pool table. She potted the white, and in life, as in pool, you have to live with it. It seems Germans (and to a lesser extent Austrians), upon potting the white ball, are only allowed to shoot down the table, which more or less would leave Apre and me screwed, but this was both beside the point, and an unacceptable solution. Plus this was neither Austria or Germany and I wasn't about to play Austrian or German rules in Malaysia of all places.
Then I had a revelation and suggested that we play the law of the land! In the film The Field, Bull McQuaid's understanding of the 'law of the land' meant killing Tom Berenger by splitting his head open on a rock. It was an accident, but that really didn't matter to Tom, did it? What I had in mind was not nearly as brutal, but like the Bull, I wanted my way. We all agreed to abide by the laws of the land, so international relations were stable once again. We called the bar owner, who agreed with the British/Australian rules. Apre potted our final ball and was on the black. Within the blink of an eye the German piped up again about the rules regarding the potting of the black. This was beyond a joke and I again pulled the law of the land rule out and eventually, after much twisting, Apre and I emerged victorious.
Just as we would have been happy to quit, the owner circled the bar, enlisting individuals for a game of 'killer pool'. This is where a group of people take it in turn to take a shot on the table. The aim of the game is to pot a ball every time you take a shot. If you miss you lose a life, and if you lose three lives you're out. Due to my recent wiping of the floor with my previous opponents, I was naturally very enthusiastic to play. The game started and the dead weight fell of one by one, but a worthy opponent presented himself. It took a good 30 minutes for the players to thin to just 'Steve' and me. Steve had the look of one who was fond of the sauce. He wore flip-flops. He did not send a chill of fear through my bones, but I am wary of him like I am wary of a hatchet - harmless unless underestimated and treated casually. Steve was a hatchet and I wasn't about to let him take a finger from me without a fight. In the end I was on form, he was not. I had luck and the balls rolled for me, not him. He was more skillful, a better player, and deserved to have won, but I did. As we stood there and shook hands, he accepted defeat in good spirit. I realized that in life, 'deserve' rarely has anything to do with it.
By now we were well and truly done. I was verging on getting a bit cocky, but luckily it was suggested we head back to Oasis to retire. It was a good idea, and we did. The bars had not yet finished up for the night, so the streets were ours as we walked and talked. I explained that I was heading into Thailand for New Year and that I had been working in JB for six months. Apre and Claudia had been through JB, the offered me condolences. I paused for a moment and then accepted them gracefully - they had a point.
Apre and Claudia were going to spend tomorrow wandering round Penang. The padang and a fortress were the only things currently on the list. Again, in a generous gesture, they asked if I would like to join them. I'm usually a bit wary about people who seem to enjoy my company. I can't help but think there must be something wrong with them. Still, I'm not one to turn down an invitation to explore and I must admit the group dynamics were good here. I was enjoying the company of people. I realized that it had been a while since I had, so I accepted. I made it clear I had a few errands to run tomorrow. I had to book the next leg of my journey so I suggested a rendezvous at about 11:00, but it turned out neither of them get up until about 11:00. "Fair enough", I said, "problem solved!".