On Court

I was usually a good student, but on that day I could barely focus. One part of my brain was mechanically copying down notes while the other was busy making up scenarios. I was counting the minutes until class would be other.

When the lecturer finally left class, I was a complete mess. What was going to happen now?

'Dou yooou wannna gooo for lanch?' Brynise asked. Gaya looked at me and nodded to show that she was in for the plan as well. I did not know what to reply, as I still did not know at what time I had to go to the gymnasium.

From the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of Dave who seemed to be bidding goodbye to his friends.

'So?' prompted Gaya.

I was spared the trouble of replying when at that moment Dave reached my desk and after greeting us, he said, '15 minutes in the Gym, is that okay with you?'

As usual, I was dumbstruck and could just nod a yes. I could feel Gaya looking at me quizzically, but I was not ready to answer her questions yet. This story was all so new to me, that I,myself, wouldn't have the appropriate words to describe it.

'I forgot to tell you, I had planned to have a game of badminton.' I put emphasis on the word 'badminton' in the hope that it would dissuade her from talking more about it as I knew she was strictly against sports. It made me wonder how she could stay so slim all the same.

'Okay, see you.'

With guilt, I watched both my friends leave. I also rushed to the gym as it wouldn't do to be late. However, the closer I reached, the more nervous I became. I pushed open the door and was greeted by the sight of the 6 badminton courts, all filled with students.

'No court is free,'whispered a voice so close to my ear, that it made a few tendrils of hair move. I was so caught in my own thoughts that I did not even realize that Dave had come to stand next to me. When I understood the implications of there being no free courts I was crestfallen. However, hope soared high again when Dave said, 'Let's get changed. Hopefully we'll get to play later.'

Seeing me stand still, he seemed to understand my predicament and pointed out the changing room to me with his left hand.

'Meet you in 10.'

I quickly changed into a comfortable pair of shorts that reached just above my knee and a plain black shirt. I put my bag in a locker provided for this purpose, only taking a bottle of water and a racket with me.

As soon as I came out, my eyes immediately fell on the players in the court in front of the changing room. I knew one of them.

'Hey Sabrina, how are you?'

We chatted for a few minutes and then another brilliant plan came to my mind. Sabrina had been playing on only half the court as her friend seemed to be struggling to hit the shuttle.

'Do you mind sharing the court with me and my friend?' I knew she wouldn't refuse as she was so kind and polite. I wasn't wrong. I then realized that in the past days I had become very scheming, making all these plans to get my way.

I motioned to Dave who had just come out of the changing room. I told him that we could share the court and he also seemed relieved. He took his racket and a shuttle and went on the left side, leaving me to move to the opposing side. By then, my heart was beating so hard that I could hear its pounding in the blood coursing through my body. Sweat pooled on my upper lip even if we hadn't started moving. I took a deep breath, lifting my eyes to look at Dave through the net. He looked so yummy in his dark blue shorts which highlighted his muscular thighs. My mouth started feeling dry and swallowing my spit, I raised my racket higher to indicate that I was ready for his serve.

The shuttle went wheezing past me and landed one meter away from my feet. The racket was hanging loosely from my right hand and I raised my eyes to meet Dave's bemused gaze. I smiled sheepishly and bent to pick the shuttle.

'Sorry, I was not ready.'

'No Problem.'

How could I tell him how hard it was to concentrate when I was so excited. It was like riding a roller coaster, at times it was so thrilling, then it became extremely freaky. Girl, you have to be serious. You can't go around making a fool of yourself. He must already be thinking that you are mentally challenged given your talent in talking with bread stuck on the teeth.

Taking another deep breath, I made my serve and sent the shuttle beautifully sailing on the other side of the net, where Dave it powerfully. And thus the game started in earnest. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed playing and being here on court brought back all the wonderful memories I had that were attached to the game. I used to play with a close friend of mine and whenever there were no free courts, we would simply play in the corridor, until the security officer came to chase us away.

I was finally able to relax and when the shuttle came rising just above the net, I could not resist my favorite shot and I smashed down the shuttle, which hit Dave on the face. I watched all this happening with growing horror, with a curious mixture of pride and exhilaration as well. In trying to avoid getting the full brunt of the shot, Dave tried to avert his face and in doing so, his glasses fell down.

'Sorry,' I shouted at him and he waved his hand, indicating that it was fine. He picked up his glasses, wiped it on the hem of his shirt and put it on. But I still felt guilty and nervous. I hope that he wouldn't mind me smashing on him like that.

'You play quite well,' he said with admiration and all my anxiety fled.

We played on for one more hour, never leaving the court for more than a few seconds to have quick sips of water. It was simply put, one of the best moments of my adult life. After the game, we both went in our respective changing rooms to shower. The shower cubicle was quite small and it actually had no door. There was just a plastic curtain that protected your modesty. I felt quite uncomfortable and so took a very quick shower. The lukewarm water did not encourage me to stay longer as well. I retrieved my bag from the locker and left the changing room, feeling all muddled. What next?

Dave was waiting for me, seated on a bench not far from the changing room. He stood up as soon as he saw me. He was smelling so good, so fresh from his shower that I almost swooned with pleasure. His hair was still wet and ruffled from the way he ran his fingers through them.

'I had a nice time,' he said and lifted his hand for me to shake it. So that was it, time to say goodbye. I made my plan, had my game and now it was all over. My heart clenched painfully and I almost winced out loudly. The feel of his cool fingers on my own warm ones was so wonderful and I did not want it to end, but I couldn't do anything as he pulled his hand away.

'Let's have another game next week then. Bye,' were his parting words and I feebly waved back at him, still not realizing what had happened. One minute I was drowning in despair and the next I was basking in inexplicable joy. We were going to have another badminton game together...I was elated, but at the back of my mind there was still a nagging worry.