I just finished the regular season portion of the 7 week long winter tennis league. My partner Jared and I played pretty well. We only dropped one set the entire 6 weeks. It didn't look like that at the start of the season though. While we had played in the spring league, both of our jobs had us pretty busy during the summer and fall and by the time we played our first match in October, I was feeling like Lightning McQueen - the spokesman for Rust-eze medicated bumper ointment. Everything just felt a little bit off.
Fortunately, we were able to play regularly after that first match and things seem to be falling into place. The unlucky part of the story is that although we're 6 -0 in league play, we'd really rather be playing in the division we belong in - even if that meant having a mixed record. Our last stint in the Mesa league featured us playing teams really close but just not being able to finish. So even though we were tied for 5th after the regular season, a coin flip left us in the 7th -8th place game where we won handily to avoid last place. But the league doesn't reward close finishes and so even though we had at one point defeated the team that ended up winning that league, we were demoted to a mixed league that included two teams who were pretty good and two teams who weren't very good.
All in all it is fun to be playing tennis again. It reminds me of when Teri and I were dating. I had signed up to be in the Mesa league with a law school friend and we were playing in the 4.0 league. 4.0 is a tennis term for a good but not great tennis player. Truthfully, we were over seeded and most matches weren't even competitive as we lost again and again. The one match we won that season was the first match Teri attended.
The week before that match, Teri and I had just started dating. I was leaving to go up to Utah to see my brother Russ off on his mission to Maine. Teri and I were getting to know each other and we had some definite mutual interest in one another. The night before I left I had decided that I was going to kiss Teri prior to my trip - leaving her yearning for me the whole time I was gone. It was a clever plan, but it didn't work out the way I'd hoped.
As Teri says now, she knew something was up that night and she was terrified that it meant I wanted to kiss her. The problem was Teri had never kissed anyone - at least willingly. One of her old boyfriends tried to kiss her and Teri made him regret it. Poor Teri was a conflicted young woman. While she liked the thought of being in love, she was terrified of the physical attraction and the kissing that came with it. All night, Teri rebuffed me. We'd cuddle and then she'd break away to get or do something. In her mind she was just to delay the inevitable kiss.
Finally, towards the end of the night Teri broke away to the kitchen to get a drink. I followed. I embraced Teri around the waist. She, now feeling trapped and helpless, leaned away rather than in to me. Then she began to shake. At first I thought it was cute. "Teri's probably a bit nervous," I thought. "And she is awfully young so she might not have kissed too many times before." Then her light shaking turned into a trembling. If Arizona had regular earthquakes I might have mistaken her reaction. But even though Teri was obviously nervous to the point of impairment I still figured that only a kiss could ease her tension.
Our foreheads met; our heads started to turn; and just as our lips were about to touch, Teri turned her head to the side and blurted out at the speed of the Micro Machine man, "How many girls have you kissed?" It was like one of those last second shots from beyond the half court line - you figure it won't work but at least it gives you a chance. Teri would have done anything not to kiss me that night. And in this case Teri's prayers were answered.
I told her 6. I thought that was a low number. She was appalled. Quickly recognizing that I had seen her surprised look, Teri tried to make amends by saying, "So am I going to be number 7?"
"Yes Teri. You're going to be number 7," I replied. "But not tonight." No, that night was pretty much done for in romantic terms. I kissed her on the cheek and said my goodbyes.
While I was in Utah I played tennis every day with my dad and brothers. I also talked to Teri a few times on the phone. I had let her borrow my car with the hopes that she could pick me up from the airport and then take me to my tennis match which she ended up doing. That match turned out to be the best I had played in a long time (including since then). Teri saw us win and that's not all. We went back to her apartment after the match and there with no trembling and no awkward questions we had our first kiss.
It's funny that tennis has always been a little more special since then. I guess it's because Teri is special. Happy Anniversary Teri. I love you.
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