Twenty Five| Words of wisdom

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They made their way behind the hotel

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They made their way behind the hotel. As they stepped outside,

'Stay close, where I can see you,' Patrick instructed his daughter. Gracie nodded obediently. Patrick took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. 'Look,' he began, 'I'm going to propose something to you, and it's going to make you angry. It's going to make you very angry. But you have to hear me out. Okay?'

Tashi stared at him expectantly. Patrick continued, 'I don't think it's an accident that we're both here. I don't think it's a coincidence. We're both at a turning point, and the universe is throwing us together because we need each other. You and I need each other right now to get to the next phase in our lives.'

Tashi's eyes narrowed. 'If you're about to say what I think you're about to say, please don't,' she said curtly.

Patrick drew a deep breath. 'I want you to be my coach,' he declared.

Tashi blinked in disbelief. 'What?' she exclaimed.

'I'm finally ready to listen to you. I want to give myself over to you completely. I know that if I do, we can do something really incredible together,' Patrick explained 'Art's best days are behind him. You know that I know that everybody knows that,' Patrick said, his eyes meeting Tashi's. 'That's why you made him come here: just to confirm that he's done.'

Tashi remained impassive, her face a blank canvas upon which emotions played hide-and-seek. Patrick continued, his voice rising with a hint of frustration. 'Even in the best-case scenario, let's say he has a great season, wins the Open, completes his career grand slam, he's still gonna retire as someone who was just really, really good. That's what you will have done together: you will have taken a guy who was a mediocre player and you will have made him really, really good. But he's not gonna be one of the greatest who ever lived.'

'And I know that's not on the table for me. I'm not an insane person. I know I fucked that up a long time ago.'

He looked up at Tashi, his expression earnest. 'But I still have a season. I still have one good season, and I need you to bring it out of me. Imagine if you could turn Patrick Zweig into a guy who wins a slam. I know you're gonna say no. You maybe should say no. But it'd be one of the most incredible things that's ever happened in the history of tennis. Maybe in the history of sports.'

'

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