Chapter 5: Becky
Elle and I entered the living room. The music was loud, but no one was there. We both looked over at the other bedroom door, and it was still closed. Apparently Jeanie and Tom were still in there, and Becky and Will had not gotten back yet. Elle and I looked at each other, and suddenly burst out laughing. There was no one around to know that we had gone into the bedroom together, so we did not have to explain ourselves, unless we just wanted to. We must have both been a little nervous about it because we both laughed hard and long with relief.
As we proceeded to get snacks and drinks, I attempted to be affectionate with Elle, but she did not seem to be the cuddly type. I guessed that if we didn't mean business, she didn't particularly like being physical. One big improvement though was that she gave me eye contact, which was nonexistent before. We ended up sitting on opposite sides of the kitchen table talking about when the others would join us and family issues back home.
Elle looked closely at me, "Hey, your eyes are bloodshot." It occurred to me that this was a side effect of the Viagra, but I explained it away as something that happens when I drink. Then, we actually began to talk about tennis at the college level. It was really just a monologue on my part: In college, tennis is a team sport, so your failures are also the team's failures, and a lot of social pressure comes with that. When the coach recruited you and spoke with your parents, he talked about academics, but don't kid yourself, your number one priority as far as the team is concerned is tennis, and academics only becomes important if you approach academic ineligibility. However, do not neglect your education; the tennis will be essentially gone in four years unless you are one of the lucky few who goes pro. College athletics is just another form of entertainment, so don't take it too seriously. Some professors cut you slack because you are an athlete, and some are careful not to work with you at all, and may even seem resentful of athletics. You will probably hear about under the table cash deals for some athletes; this does not happen for tennis. Make sure to enjoy yourself; not many college students get an opportunity like this. And the most important advice of all: if someone starts hitting drop shots on you, bust your ass to make them pay.
Through the entire talk, Elle listened to every word and we maintained eye contact across the table from each other. We smiled and I told stories about old team mates and parties.
Suddenly the kitchen door burst open, and there was Becky with her dog ear hairstyle and a beaming smile. Will was right behind her with a case of beer. They were both laughing and energetic. Will was half grumbling and half laughing, "It took us forever because Becky insisted we find a store that would check her ID. We had to go to three different places before someone carded her."
Becky beamed her smile directly at me, "I wanted to show proof that I was a woman and not a little girl!" She walked right up to me, threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. I laughed and congratulated her, and then stole a glance over at Elle to see her reaction to Becky's show of affection. Elle smiled slightly at me, shrugged, and raised her eyebrows as if she was saying, 'Don't look at me, I don't have a problem with Becky kissing you.' These two girls must be really good friends. Then I checked out Will's reaction, who just observed, then turned to place the beer in the refrigerator.
Elle got up from the table to help Will with the beer and snacks. Becky and I stood together, and she spoke fast recounting the numerous stores they had visited, and the reaction of the various clerks when Becky told them she would not buy the beer from them because they had not checked her ID. I commented that they obviously could see she was a woman. Becky kind of squealed and hugged me cheek to cheek. Again I checked the reaction of the other two, but they ignored us as I went ahead and returned the hug.
Becky and I stepped apart. Becky stopped smiling and turned to see if Elle was within hearing distance, "Judging from the cars outside and the closed bedroom door, it looks like Jeannie and Tom are still here. Have they come out of the bedroom?"
"I don't think so. We did hear some noise in there right after ya'll left."
Becky did not miss the 'I don't think so' reply. Again she looked to see where the others were as she proceeded, "Before we left, Elle said she might want to borrow you. Did anything happen between you and Elle while we were gone?"
Normally I keep my mouth shut tight at times like this. I figure it's not up to me to tell on another person. In this case, I knew she would talk with Elle anyway, and I could not lie to Becky, "I taught Elle about tennis at the college level."
Becky's face looked very serious as she waited a while before asking, "Did you teach her...everything?"
I looked down into Becky's innocent and wide-eyed face, "Yes, I'm afraid so. I taught her what I knew." I could see the realization sinking into Becky as she lowered her eyes and stole a glance over toward Elle. Elle happened to be looking right at us at that moment.
Becky turned and walked over to Elle. The two of them just stood facing each other, without saying a word. Some sort of communication must have been happening, but it was not verbal. The contrast between them was what I noticed. Elle was tall, erect, and dignified as she looked at Becky without fear or shame. Becky had that hourglass figure and perky attitude and looked back at Elle with openness and maybe even curiosity.
Will walked between me and the girls, facing me with an outstretched arm holding a bottle of beer, "Here, you could probably use one of these. By the way, your eyes are kind of bloodshot." I had to kind of laugh at that. I accepted the beer and followed him into the living room. Will and I busied ourselves getting snacks and sitting down to talk about nothing in particular. We could hear the girls speaking in hushed tones in the kitchen.
Will and I relaxed and listened to music, and before we knew it Becky and Elle were in there with us. Apparently they had decided there was no problem, thank goodness. We partied and chatted about going back home and the future.
The conversation turned to tennis, and Becky turned to Will asking if he had any last minute tennis questions for me. Will threw his hands up in a defensive gesture, "Oh no, not me. I don't have any questions about tennis at the college level!" Becky, Elle, and I laughed so hard that any remaining tensions in the room immediately dissolved.
That one joke from Will opened up the topics of conversation in the room. Elle brought up that Tom and Jeannie were hiding from us in the bedroom. Elle wanted to make sure to stay until they came out, and she asked that Will give her a ride home immediately after.
