Five Minutes Sooner, Chapter 3: A Bachelor Party Gone Wrong

Five Minutes Sooner was originally published as Under the Oak Tree. Same story, new name. Meet The Five Minutes Series.

Date: April 26th, 2008
Place: Cullman Municipal Golf Course, Cullman, Alabama

The morning sun cast long shadows across the pristine greens of the golf course, a site chosen not for its familiarity but for the generosity of Eric’s fiancée, Caitlyn, who had insisted on paying for the round. A concession to Lucas’s concession on your typical bachelor party debauchery. The air was ripe with the anticipation of the day ahead, the kickoff to Eric’s bachelor party, promising a blend of tradition and revelry.

A Bachelor Party Begins at the Golf Course

As they approached the first tee, Lucas clapped Eric on the back. “Let’s see if this engagement has improved your swing, eh?”

Eric, grinning, lined up his shot, his focus unmarred by the jest. To everyone’s surprise, especially his own, the ball sailed beautifully down the fairway, far outpacing the efforts of Josh and Lucas.

“Wow, look at Mr. PGA Tour over here!” Josh exclaimed, his tone a mixture of admiration and mock envy. “Caitlyn’s paying for more than just the round, it seems. Did she also fork out the money for lessons?”

The first three holes were a revelation of Eric’s latent talent, his shots consistently outperforming his friends. Lucas and Josh could only shake their heads and laugh, their own attempts paling in comparison.

Eric’s Surprise Golf Skills—And His Hay Fever Curse

However, as they transitioned to the fourth hole, the high of Eric’s unprecedented performance began to wane. The April air, thick with pollen, became a relentless adversary. Eric’s hay fever, usually a minor nuisance, escalated into a full-blown spectacle of sneezes and sniffles, each outburst timed impeccably with Josh or Lucas’s swings.

“Ah-choo!” Eric’s sneeze echoed as Lucas swung, his ball veering sharply to the left and into a sand trap.

“Seriously, Eric?” Lucas tried to glare, but the humor in the situation was undeniable. “You’re weaponizing your allergies now?”

Josh, setting up his shot, paused and glanced warily at Eric. “I swear to God, if you sneeze now—”

The inevitable sneeze came, and Josh’s ball took a comedic dive, barely making it past the women’s tee.

The game devolved into a farce of sneezes and wayward shots, the joy of competition lost to the whims of Eric’s hay fever. By the ninth hole, with their spirits high but their scores abysmal, they conceded defeat to nature.

Why The Bachelor Party Happened Early

“Alright, that’s it. Let’s call it a day before Eric sneezes us into the next county,” Lucas declared, laughter hiding his mild frustration.

“Yeah, and we’ve got the place to ourselves for the night,” he continued with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Ourselves, and our twenty closest friends.”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, why are we doing this so early? The wedding isn’t until June, right?” Josh asked, genuinely puzzled by the timing.

Lucas sighed, his expression turning a shade more serious as he leaned back into the seat of the golf cart. “Yeah, well, that’s thanks to our lovely new boss at the call center. Remember the one who thinks vacations are a sign of weakness?”

Eric nodded, a rueful smile crossing his face as he remembered their recent struggles with management. “He’s been a real piece of work. Getting time off for the wedding was tough enough, let alone coordinating something for the bachelor party.”

Josh shook his head in disbelief. “So, he’s the reason we’re golfing in pollen season instead of closer to the wedding? Man, that’s rough.”

Lucas picked up his bottle of water, taking a sip before responding. “Exactly. It was either now or never. And I wasn’t about to let Eric get hitched without a proper send-off into married life.”

“Well, then, let’s make sure this party is one for the books. Who cares about the timing?” Josh declared, his tone infused with the kind of defiant optimism that had always been part of their friendship.

As they packed up their clubs, the day ahead loomed large with promise. The golf may not have gone as planned, but the camaraderie and laughter shared among friends set the perfect tone for what was to come. With more of Eric’s friends set to join, the stage was set for a bachelor party that would undoubtedly be filled with stories for years to come.

Can’t Wait for the Next Chapter?

Read the whole story now. Five Minutes Sooner is still available on Amazon under its original title, Under the Oak Tree, but only for a limited time. Grab the original edition before it’s gone.

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Read Chapter 4: The First Date