Part II:
Halfway into 2022, Luis, Rhi, and I struggled to maintain our tennis trio. My work schedule intensified and Rhi and I were both traveling more frequently. During one of our joint trips, she had the brilliant idea for us to treat Luis to a birthday brunch to thank him for his generosity in giving us free lessons. I quickly agreed and shortly after we returned home, we made plans to meet with him to give a proper thank you and simply catch up on life.
Luis and I arrived at the restaurant before Rhianwen and decided to wait in line since the restaurant was where you ordered first and then found your table. He wore a red tennis shirt with matching shorts and a matching cap. He was freshly shaven and wore shoes that appeared to be fresh out of the shoebox, per the norm. I was rocking my favorite jumpsuit with sneakers and a make-up-free face with my curly hair piled on my head with a scarf. As usual, we made small talk but were missing Rhi, the life of our party of three. Luis stood with his hands clasped behind his back and was slightly stand-offish, but I chalked it up to his normal introverted ways.
We looked over the menu together contemplating what we wanted to order. He had his eye on a couple of items so when the time came, I told him to order both. It was his birthday brunch after all.
Rhi showed up right as we were ordering and snagged us a table while we finished up. She and I sat on one side of the table and Luis sat across from Rhi. As expected, he became way more talkative once Rhi arrived. I felt relieved I didn’t have to hold the conversation because awkwardness only made me awkward.
We told him about our most recent trip, and he caught us up on his work changes and recovery from COVID. The food and conversation were plentiful. Rhi asked him plenty of questions, and I learned more about his family and his boys. We laughed, sipped our lattes, and talked about our plans for the rest of the year.
After we finished eating, said our goodbyes, and parted ways, Rhi acknowledged what I had been saying about his awkwardness around me, “Yeah, that’s not normally how he is around me. He was different but I don’t know why. I can’t really put my finger on it. It was almost like he was shy, but I wouldn’t consider him a shy person.”
“He was his normal semi-quiet self while we waited in line. I think he just feels more comfortable around you. You brighten things up, Boo.” We shrugged it off and went on about our day.
The struggle to find time to play tennis continued. Rhianwen started dating someone and joined a different church. She was our buffer, better yet- our glue. I didn’t make as much effort to join when I knew she couldn’t be there. After Sunday church service, Luis would linger around the bookstore where I volunteered to chat about getting the three of us together, but neither of us ever followed through with the plans. We would also catch up during church-related events such as the singles ministry.
Our singles ministry consisted of all ages and ethnicities, but I always found myself feeling like the odd woman out. There were the twenty-to-thirty-somethings who were still figuring out life and then there were the seasoned fifty-five and up crew who had lived quite a bit of life with kids, perhaps a previous marriage, or on the verge of retirement. At the ripe age of 40, I didn’t always have a natural connection with either of those groups.
We played lively icebreakers and activities to encourage fellowship with one another. One night, the activity was a meet and greet where you had to find someone to represent each of the questions or phrases listed on your card. One item on the list was “find someone your exact age.” My competitiveness was devasted because I figured I was the only 40-year-old there which meant I could not win if I couldn’t complete my form. That didn’t stop me from trying. People from other churches were present, so I figured I would keep asking with the hope that one of them was 40. As I asked person after person, someone said, “I think Luis is 40. Ask him.”
It hadn’t even crossed my mind to ask Luis. I don’t think I ever thought about his age. As I approached, I noticed he was dressed differently. He was freshly shaven again, rocking a navy blazer with the collar flipped up, jeans, a cute hat, and his signature fly sneakers. Look at Luis making an effort for the single ladies, I thought to myself before asking him his age. Yes, Luis was the only person who was the same age as me. I now had a chance at winning and low and behold, I learned something new about my tennis coach.
I ended up sitting with him while we ate dinner. We were surrounded by guys because, for whatever reason, the girls and guys from the twenty-to-thirty-somethings crew often separated like eighth graders at a school dance to their distant corners after the activities ended. I turned on my extroverted charm, cracked a few jokes, and tried to break the ice with the other guys by asking questions and driving conversation. It was a tough crowd. Luis gave me a few chuckles but the others . . . well, let’s just say that if this is what they were like on dates, I didn’t foresee additional dates in their near future.
I left with my prize (because yes, I was one of the winners) and was in bed with a good book by the night’s end.
Rhi called me a few days later to share how Luis told her he had so much fun with me that night. I was shocked. He only expressed a few chuckles and a smile, so I had no idea he enjoyed himself to that degree. She exclaimed about how he talked about my jokes and how I lit up the space.
“Huh, you wouldn’t have known it because the man barely said two words to me. I was trying to lighten things up a bit.”
“Well, he said you were really funny, nice and cool.”
“That’s sweet. But am I not like that when we play tennis?”
“No, you’re normally trying to murder the ball,” Rhi joked before continuing, “I think it’s just a different circumstance.”
I shrugged it off and was glad at least one person enjoyed themself that night.
