It had been a while since I played basketball. Growing up, I'd spend hours on our driveway, counting down the seconds, pretending to hit the game winner at the buzzer. While I worked out often, I craved that nostalgic feeling of shooting hoops. I decided to go to a small outdoor court nearby. The sun was just setting over the hills, a beautiful backdrop for the court. There was only one hoop and I ran back and forth, shooting fadeaways, hook shots, long distance. I felt like I was back in my element.
The dim light turned on and I wasn't close to finished yet. Suddenly, a woman had approached out of nowhere with a ball of her own. She was several inches shorter than me with a muscular build. She had red loose shorts that went to her knees and a loose black t-shirt. "Hey," she said.
"Hello," I remarked, turning around quickly and firing another basket. Nothing but net.
"You're not bad," she said. "Why don't we play one-on-one?"
I sized her up and down, surprised. "Really?"
"What? Don't want to lose to a girl?"
I hadn't played against a girl since my youth basketball league. I was much stronger and taller than this lady. "Ok fine. I'll give you five points."
"C'mon seriously. I don't need em. I'll beat you."
"Ok let's make a bet. If you beat me, what do you want? Name it."
It was as if the smile remained a permanent fixture on her face. I wondered what that face looked like without that smile. I was determined to find out by beating her. That's for sure.
"I like that shirt you have on. You have to give it to me." I looked down at my Bob Marley shirt, one of my favorites. "Okay, fine." She was clearly pleased. She dribbled a couple times with her palm before the ball went off her foot and rolled away. Her face reddened in embarrassment as she chased after it. This was going to be easy, I thought to myself.