Tennis

         His breathes came irregularly, as he stared down at the blistering hot cement. Thought came hard to the athlete, but he managed to focus past the pain and concentrate solely on his foot. He lifted his right leg to take a step. This was the part he hated, the part that made him want to quit right then. He slowly and carefully let his foot drop to the pavement, making sure that his numb appendage was well balanced before he let his weight drop down on it. The player kept up this routine in order to make his way back to the baseline. The swelling in his foot cut off most of the circulation and the only sensation he was receiving from the appendage was a slight tingle. But even that had started to fade in this third set tiebreaker. As his left foot came down, he couldn’t help but wince, the pain from his twisted knee shot up through his thigh and into his stomach. He would have vomited but he had previously ejected everything in his stomach before the last point.

         It seems like it has been forever since it was 6-0, but that was when the injury occurred. When he had dove for a ball and got his left ankle and right knee severely twisted in angles the human body was not meant to bend. It was only 5 points ago but it seemed like so much longer. Every step he took seemed exaggerated and in slow motion. Every movement the pain seemed like it was going to overwhelm him. Standing still the pain throbbed but was tolerable. It was the constant pounding of every step on the pavement that made flaring pain shoot up through both legs.

         Finally, he thought to himself, he had made it back to the baseline. He turned to see his opponent waiting patiently for him serve the ball. The opponent was ready and alert, he could see the determination to win in his eyes, after all only 1 more point and they would be all tied up. A single tear leaked out of the athlete’s eye, he couldn’t take the pain any longer. He would end it now, one last point and his team would qualify for regionals. They were all counting on him he wouldn’t fail them. He looked over to the sidelines and caught his girlfriend’s eyes, she was worried for him and it looked as if she has been crying. The player nodded at her and turned his attention to the ball in his hand. This was it all or nothing.

         As was his pre-serve ritual, the player bounced the ball 3 times on the ground then tossed it in the air. He saw nothing but the ball as pain shot up through him like a tidal wave. His vision blurred over to the point that he couldn’t see anything but black specs floating around. He pushed off that left knee, and pain enveloped him and was his very essence. A primal roar of rage, brought him back to his senses long enough to ignore the pain for a split second more. He swung, with more strength than he knew he had, up thru the ball. The tennis ball became a missile, scorching its way pass the net. The athlete came down hard on that numb foot, and immediately tumbled to the ground. As he was falling, he saw the best image in his life. The opponent’s racket missed the ball as he could not quite reach it. The player hit the ground hard.

         As soon as the point was over his girlfriend rushed to his injured body. “Are you o.k.?” she asked. “Come on, will get you to the trai…,” “What are you laughing about?” She asked when she realized that her boyfriend was laughing uncontrollably. “Nothing,” he replied. “It just hurts so much.” The athlete continued to laugh as tears of pain streamed from his eyes.