Beyond the Face-Off

Chapter 5

Kelly had a free night on Thursday and was able to join the tennis ladder at the Clarington Tennis Club. Last week's play rehearsal had conflicted with the round robin, but this week, the rehearsal had been shifted, so she'd called and added her name. Tennis was her number one go-to for stress management – the exercise and the social interaction were her dopamine. Plus, it was just fun.

She changed into tennis gear and looked at herself in the mirror. The short skirt showed off her toned legs and flattered her narrow waist. She clipped her hair back and paused. How was it that her mother was busy dating, yet she was single and alone?

It seemed like love was all around her. Her best friends Sarah Jain and Danni Angelo were in happy couplehood. Sarah had tied the knot with Mike Wallace last summer in a romantic traditional ceremony. Danni and Trey Mason, the coach for the Quakes, had a destination wedding planned in Barbados at the end of May. Danni was busy as the team physician for the Quakes and had been waiting for the hockey season to end to give the wedding preparations her full attention. So far, they'd nailed down the date and destination, and Sarah, Jordyn, and Kelly had gone shopping with Danni to pick out the bridesmaid dresses. They found stunning creations in Danni's favourite colour, black.

Was her mom also bitten by the love-bug? More power to her, Kelly thought with a shrug. She'd stick with single life.

She'd tried love, and she wasn't interested in getting burned again. Her four-year stint with Chris had been a crash course in what a relationship shouldn't look like. It shouldn't be about control or selfishness or isolation. When she'd finally stepped back, when she'd finally listened to her own heart, not to mention the gentle nudges from her mom and friends, she'd realized how toxic it really was. She thought of herself as a strong woman, and yet, when she was in the midst of it, she hadn't seen how passive she'd become, how manipulated she'd been. She'd just assumed all relationships were like that. Apparently not. Now it was glaringly obvious, but at the time, she'd been shamefully oblivious. She had no interest in putting herself in that position again. No thank you. She'd enjoy life as a single.

She tied her sneakers and picked up her tennis racket. She hoped the competition was stiff. She had energy to burn.

The sun was low in the sky when she parked at the tennis club. She pulled her ponytail through the back of a visor, gathered her gear, and headed inside. Two women were playing on the outdoor court, and she slowed to watch. "Hey Sheila, hi Gwen. Gorgeous evening for a game."

"Kelly, we missed you last week," Sheila said, raising her racquet in a wave. "Are you still busy with the show?"

Kelly nodded. "It's getting closer. How did your game with Steve turn out?"

Sheila flashed a quick grin. "Beat him by a hair."

"Woohoo! Congratulations."

"Thanks." Sheila nodded her head at Gwen. "I'm getting whipped today, but if I had to have one good game this year, it couldn't have happened at a better time."

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "The tennis gods were smiling." With a wave, she walked into the clubhouse, and Gwen and Sheila continued their game.

Kelly greeted the clerk behind the desk and checked the board for the tennis ladder. Anna Petrov. Excellent. She'd have a great game. They were assigned court number four, so Kelly walked outside again and sat down to change into her court shoes. Anna hadn't arrived and the court was empty, so Kelly took a moment to stretch and then she grabbed a basket of tennis balls and practised serving. Half-way through the basket, Anna arrived.

At the end of the second set, Kelly was totally high on endorphins. Anna had a wicked serve, but Kelly hadn't lost a point without a good rally. She'd managed to keep Anna running across the court with well-placed shots. Her muscles felt limber, and she bounced with energy waiting for the next serve.