Game Set and Match Pt. 01

The next two points went one each way, making the score 30-40. It was rare that Lynne had to serve to save a game and I can't remember it happening with me before. She tossed up again and I could tell it wasn't a straight toss but she swung at it anyway and caught it with the edge of her racquet, spinning it way out to the side. My pulse was up, waiting for her second serve. She looked quite angry; I'd never seen her like this before. She tossed again and hit it cleanly, but it was just long.

"Was that in?" She called, more hopeful than anything else.

"It looked out to me," I called back.

"Me too," Julie called, much to Lynne's annoyance. "Two one is it?" Julie asked.

"Yes, that would be right," Lynne called back, clearly irritated.

We had to change ends and it was my service. I moved up to the baseline to serve and Lynne prepared to receive my service. Just as I was about to serve, Julie crossed her legs the other way and I noticed Lynne glance aside toward her. I paused for a moment to give Lynne time to regain her concentration, then tossed the ball up. I made a good service; one of my best ever, and it passed Lynne's forehand as if she hadn't even seen it. I served again, passing her on her backhand side before she could respond.

"You seem to be bringing me luck," I called to Julie, but she just smiled. I served again, and although Lynne got her racquet to the ball this time, she didn't manage to return it. I couldn't believe it. I had never been 40 love up in a game against Lynne ever before. I was thrilled, and I couldn't help but show it. Lynne looked livid.

'One more point', I thought. I could feel the tension rising in me. You would have thought it was match point at a Grand Slam the way I felt, but it was a big point for me. I took a long time to prepare, and when I finally served the ball, Lynne was on it like a panther. She sent it sailing past me with a resounding cry of "Yes!" driving her fist into the air ecstatically. Obviously she was feeling the same way as I did, and I have to admit I was quite disappointed about it, but I tried to remain cool in front of my spectator. 'It's only one point', I told myself, 'and you're so far ahead. What's all the fuss about?'

Despite feeling a little deflated, I was determined to take the game. Julie shuffled in her seat while I composed myself. I tossed the ball up and hit it cleanly, sending it sailing past her on her backhand side. Clearly she was expecting another forehand. I couldn't believe it. This was the best game I had ever played, and although she had taken a point from me, a game to 15 was a personal best for me.

Julie had a broad smile on her face and clapped encouragingly, and I couldn't help but feel elated. "Well done," Lynne called, but I sensed she was a little begrudging with her praise. I didn't care though. A win was a win after all.

We were at two all now; the first time I had ever been level with her in a set, but it was her service and I just knew she would take it.

The next five games went with serve, Lynne's performance remaining down from her usual standard, but still good enough to stop me from breaking her serve of course. Even so, I was riding a high in the happy knowledge that she hadn't managed to break mine either.

Now I had to face the inevitable. It was 4-5 in the second set and my serve, and I knew Lynne would put everything into her game to stop me from levelling the set.

She only needed this game to win the match and the determination on her face told me that was exactly what she intended to do. I think that was the point when my nerves really gave up on me. I could feel myself trembling slightly as I stood preparing to serve the first ball. It was a good clean serve, right on the junction of the service line and the centre line, and it shot past her like a rocket. 'Good start', I thought as Julie clapped, forcing an involuntary smile onto my face.

My next was a little short and she hit a blistering return. Fifteen all. 'Here we go again,' I thought, with a sigh.

My next two serves were fairly good, but nowhere near good enough. She returned them well and although I got my racquet to the ball each time, I couldn't keep them in play.

Now she was 5-4 up and 40-15 up, and that familiar smile was on her face again. I don't know if she really understood how hurtful that smile could be when she knew she was about to take a match, but I resigned myself to let it go. I felt stupid afterwards of course, because I realised that if I had tried harder, if I had made her really work for it, I might have levelled the match to one set all and made her play a third set. Hell, if I had put my mind to it I might even have beaten her.

But she took the game, and the match, leaving me feeling drained as usual.

We shook hands and she picked up her things, heading off to the clubhouse surprisingly hurriedly I thought, with hardly a word to Julie, leaving me alone on the court with the auburn haired beauty.

"Well done," Julie praised me as she walked over to greet me.

"Well done?" I queried. "But I lost!" I reminded her. I couldn't help but detect the hint of a delicate perfume and it made me want to move a little closer to inhale discreetly.

"Not by much..." she replied with a broad smile, "and that was a personal best for you wasn't it? I'm Julie by the way," she added by way of a belated introduction.

"Well... Yes... I suppose it was," I agreed. Thinking back over my previous performances, I had done rather well against Lynne this time out. "I'm Katie, I added, holding out my hand to her, "Pleased to meet you."

"I know," she replied, still smiling, "and lovely to meet you too," she added. She took my hand and held the fingers gently but firmly, smiling as she gazed into my eyes while retaining her grip for rather longer than seemed appropriate.

"But... how did you know?" I asked, eventually teasing my fingers free.

"Ahhh... she replied," winking.

"No. Come on! Tell me?" I almost whined.

"I was having a look through your score history in the clubhouse. She usually beats you doesn't she."

"Yes, I admitted," dropping my head in mild humiliation. "She's a much better player than me," I confided.

"No she isn't," Julie said, shaking her head but still smiling.

"Of course she is. She always beats me," I countered.

"No," she said, shaking her head more slowly this time. Her beautiful auburn hair swung from side to side, dazzling me as it swayed, almost sparkling softly in the afternoon sunlight. "She isn't better... at least she shouldn't be. She's just been trained better."

"Ahhh, well that makes her better doesn't it?" I reasoned. Somehow she seemed to be inspiring me.

"No Katie. It only means her skills are more finely honed. It doesn't make her better at all." I was about to say 'That's the same thing isn't it?' but she continued, adding, "I've been watching you and I think you have far more potential than you give yourself credit for. You move well on the court when you want to. You're small and light on your feet; you should be able to run almost any ball down. All you need is the confidence to do it and a few tips to help you overcome your weaknesses," she said, her lovely smile lighting up her face.

"Lynne has had the advantage of long term professional coaching, but with all the training she's had, she should be far better than she is. Haven't you noticed that she rarely plays anyone else?"

"I hadn't really," I admitted.

"Check the club score records," she said. "She plays you most of the time because she knows she will score an easy win," she told me.

Suddenly her words felt hurtful. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I replied, my manner a little surly.

"I'm sorry," she said, with a slight laugh. "I didn't mean that to sound the way it did... but what I'm trying to say is that, with a bit of coaching I think you could improve enough to beat her consistently."

"Really?" I replied, genuinely surprised. "But then... how could I afford professional coaching?" my enthusiasm quickly deflating.

"You don't have to have a 'professional' coach," she went on, "you could get a friend to coach you." I looked at her sideways. She smiled. "How long have you been playing against Lynne?" she asked.

"Oh... about six or seven months."

"And in that time, has she ever given you any advice or help with your game?"

"Well... No... Not really." I reflected on my past matches with her, realising that, had it been the other way around I would surely have offered advice to her.

"Have you ever played her?" I asked.

"A couple of times," she said.

"How did you get on?"

"I... gave her a good match," she said mysteriously. "The point is..." she went on, "if you'd been playing against me," she smiled, her eyes wide and inviting, "I would have pointed out everything that I thought could help you," she told me brightly.

"If you don't mind me saying," I replied, "that seems a little odd."

"Oh? Why?"

"Well... why give your opponent tips that might help them beat you?" I asked.

She looked at me and smiled sweetly. "Because, Katie..." she said softly, her hand reached out to touch my bare forearm gently as I was packing my things away, "it would give me a better match... and that would help us both, don't you think?"

I hate to admit it now, but I felt ever so slightly suspicious. I looked deep into her lovely hazel eyes, searching for some sign, even just a hint that she might be trying to beguile me, but all I saw was sincerity. Even her pupils looked wide and dilated, warm and inviting, and I suddenly found no difficulty in trusting her.

"Well..." I began, airing my uncertainty, but she stopped me again.

"If you give me a close match, it helps me to improve too... it makes me work harder, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well... I suppose... if you put it like that," I replied, "but what sort of things could I improve?"

"Oh, well just from watching you play today I can see a whole range of things we could work on," she said, looking suddenly inspired.

"We?" I queried.

"I'd love to help you if I may," she suggested. 'If you may?' I thought. 'I would simply love that'. "How long do you have?" she asked.

"Well, sadly I have to go in about ten minutes."

"Oh. That doesn't give us any time at all," she mused. "What would you have done if your match had gone on for an hour?"

I laughed aloud, almost mocking, although I had never intended that. "My matches with Lynne never take an hour," I told her, unable to shed my wry smile. "I'm often lucky if I last thirty minutes.

"Well, we'll have to see what we can do to fix that, won't we," she said. Her lovely warm eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun and despite having been defeated as usual, I found myself gradually beginning to feeling really good.

"Can I walk back to the clubhouse with you?" She asked.

'CAN you?' I thought. 'I'd love you to.' "Yes, of course," I told her, unable to contain my delight. I could feel the smile tingling all over my face (along with another tingle somewhere else if I'm honest) as we walked back together.

"How is it I've never seen you here before?" I asked. "Are you a new member?"

"Well... sort of. I signed up about two months ago," she told me. "I've just moved to the area, but this is the first time I've been able to come on a weekend. I'm usually busy," she told me. "Wednesday afternoon is the best time for me."

"You're new to the town then?"

"Yes. I moved in just over three months ago... to be near my folks. My dad is an engineer but he was hurt in an accident at work," she revealed, suddenly looking despondent.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that," I told her.

"Yes. It's likely to be a while, so I moved here to help my mum look after him. She has to work weekends." There was an awkward silence for a few moments. "What do you do Katie?" she asked, breaking the silence at last.

"I'm at university... full time," I told her.

Her face dropped. "Oh," she said, looking a little crestfallen. "That means you're busy midweek then does it?" she asked.

"No. I have study time in the week, but it doesn't matter when I do that. I don't usually come here midweek because Lynne isn't available and there's rarely anyone else around..." I told her, "but I could do my studying in the evening," I smiled.

"Oh, that would be wonderful," she said, brightly. "I have Wednesday afternoons off. I work in a shop and Wednesday is half-day closing. There was a pause and she smiled so warmly, I felt drawn to her. "So... Wednesday then?" she repeated. "I could meet you here then, if you'd like to," she suggested.

"That sounds lovely," I replied, with a broad smile, just as we reached the clubhouse. "Well, I'd better be going," I told her. "It was lovely to meet you, and thanks for the advice."

"I haven't given you any yet," she laughed. "Aren't you going to take a shower?" she asked. She was looking at me almost expectantly.

"I'm not that bad," I told her, sniffing my arm. "I rarely have time to work up a sweat playing against Lynne, and anyway I walk home from here so I'll be outside. I'll have one when I get home."

"That's something else we'll have to change," she said looking into my eyes. She seemed to be searching for a response of some kind, but being so naive I completely missed the cue.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"We'll need to get you working harder or you'll never beat her," she said, cunningly slipping herself off the hook. "You dowant to beat her, don't you?"

"You bet," I said with a bright smile. "So... I'll see you here about 2pm on Wednesday then, shall I?" I asked.

"Perfect," she replied. "I'll look forward to it."

"Me too," I said. "Bye."

"Bye Katie," she said softly.

As I walked away down the drive, I felt an odd urge to turn back and look for her. There she stood, waiting in the doorway of the clubhouse, watching me walk away. It was strangely exciting to think that she seemed as interested in me as I was in her. I imagined there must be some curious chemistry at work between us, and I could hardly wait for Wednesday to come.

... To be continued...

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