Our tennis club decided to have a quick knock-out competition one long weekend. The Friday (public holiday) was for the men, the Saturday for the women, and the Sunday for doubles. It wasn't mandatory to put your name down to enter but if you were smart you did so.
I put my name down for the singles match but, being a distinctly average player, there wasn't a rush of people asking me to partner them in the doubles. Being confident that those who knew of my prowess on the court would steer clear of me as a partner I was quite confident that I could register for a doubles match if they needed someone to make up a match, knowing I was safe.
On Saturday, my first match was one of the early ones, leaving me free to exit the tournament and enjoy the other matches. I rolled up on Sunday, ready to enjoy a relaxing day of watching, and the club secretary jumped me as soon as I walked in.
"Stella, just the person I was waiting for. Aaron has arrived and wants to play in the mixed doubles but he hasn't got a partner. I checked and you're down as an emergency if anyone needs a partner. I'll tell him you've arrived and that you've agreed to partner him."
She was gone before I could say yes, no, or who the hell is Aaron? I didn't know any Aaron. We didn't have any members called Aaron.
The secretary came back towing this giant thug behind her. He was well over six foot, and that was across the shoulders. He was a frigging walking mountain and I was willing to swear that I'd never seen him around the club before.
"Aaron, this is Stella, your partner. Better get a move on. Your match will be on soon."
He smiled and rumbled, "Hullo, Stella. Glad you were free to partner me."
"Um, yes, right. Ah, I'm not a top player, you know. Just who are you?"
"I'm Aaron. I've just joined the club. You don't need to be a brilliant player. We're just here for the fun of it, after all."
Our match was called and we went out. I did my best, and was quite shocked to find that we actually won the match, which meant I was going to have to play in the second round, damn it.
We won our second round as well and the third round was the semi-final. (We only had sixteen people in the mixed doubles so we were down to the final rounds pretty quickly.) I could not believe it when we won the semi-final and were going to be in the final. I'm a fun player, not a competitor. I've never even reached a semi before this, let alone a final.
As you can imagine I was a little nervous approaching the final. That was until I checked to see who we were playing. Then I went from a little nervous to frankly terrified. Brad and Simone were playing against us. I hadn't dreamed that they would be in the mixed doubles. They had already won their respective singles and were both ferociously competitive on the court. Even though, at only eighteen, Simone was younger than me, I'd never beaten her on the court in my life, and I didn't expect to start now.
The match started and it was a massacre. I could barely put bat to ball if you get what I mean. The first serve I faced from Simone, my grip on the racquet was so bad that the ball knocked it out of my hand on the way past. Both Brad and Simone targeted me as the weak link on our side and we lost the first set six games straight.
Aaron called for a short break between sets. He wanted a word with his partner about tactics, he said. Simone didn't even try to hide the smirk on her face as she told us to take ten. Aaron hoicked me off the court and into one of the small player rooms where we could have some privacy.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked. "You can play better than that. You seem to have just folded up and conceded the match before the first serve."
I tried to explain. I pointed out that Brad and Simone were both killers and that there was no way in heaven or hell that we were going to be able to beat them. I'd just as soon die quickly and get it over with.
"So who cares if they're better than us? That's no reason to lie down and let them walk all over you. You won't get any better by just surrendering. Show some fight. Make them at least work for their victory."
I dithered and it was rather plain to Aaron that I would continue to dither all over the court unless he found some way to give me a shot in the arm. You would not believe the way he found to motivate me.
"All you need," he said, "is a reason not to give up lightly. I'll provide you with some motivation. It won't matter if we win or lose as long as you damn well try."
I perked up a little, wondering how he was going to motivate me.
"You're scared of Brad and Simone," he told me. "That's why you're not trying your hardest. All we have to do is change that to a fear of not doing your best and you'll play like a lion possessed."
I'm like, "What?" and the next thing I know I'm flying through the air and landing across his knee.
"You will start playing properly or answer to me afterwards," Aaron said coldly and clearly, backing up his order with some pretty hard spanks.
I squealed and tried to wriggle, frantically telling him he couldn't treat me like this.
"You're right," he said. "What am I thinking of. A spanking should be on your bare bottom, shouldn't it?"