Ping Pong Summer

"You've got to be kidding!" they both heard the same girl say.

Zach chuckled politely then whispered, "Now she's been flirting with me. Non-stop since I got here."

Rachel turned and noticed the woman was probably in her early 20s and very cute.

"She's a very pretty girl," Rachel whispered back.

"Okay. Sure. I won't argue that," Zach said quietly. "But the key word there is 'girl'."

Feeling her confidence return Rachel said, "Oh, so you don't like girls, huh? I'm surprised, but, hey, it's 2018, and if you like...the other team..."

Zach laughed loudly then said, "No, I'm definitely straight. What I meant was I do like you, Rachel. And I can be very persistent."

"Okay. This has been very entertaining, but you don't even know me, Zach. And just because you're cute, and yes, I think you are reasonably attractive, that doesn't mean...well, it doesn't mean anything," Rachel informed him.

"Just 'cute', huh?" he asked with feigned disappointment. "Not 'gorgeous' or even 'devilishly handsome'? Just...cute?"

Rachel tried not to laugh, but the look on his face was too much.

"Okay, you might be a little bit handsome, but you're also a whole lot young."

"Does it count that I've been all over the world, have a college degree, and can speak Mandarin Chinese pretty well?" he asked in a way that made her want to laugh but she couldn't.

Now feeling...something...strange, Rachel said, "I uh...I really do need to run."

"Yes, that's why you're dressed that way," Zach told her with another smile. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

"No, you don't..."

He smiled again, touched the small of her back, and said, "Come on."

The girl behind the desk shot her a dirty look which she pretended not to see as Zach and...that woman...walked in front of her.

"You look like you run a lot," Zach said as they walked.

"Yes. Well, I try. I really love to run, but with Tommy, you know, it can be a challenge."

"I run quite a bit myself," he replied.

Before Rachel could say anything, Zach said, "Maybe we could run together one of these days."

"Oh, I...I don't think so, Zach. I mean..."

"You still haven't said exactly when you'll be back today," he told her before she could finish.

"I never even said I would be," she reminded him.

"Fair enough. But I'm hoping you will," he told her as he opened the front door for.

She walked past him within inches of his face, and as usual, he was smiling at her.

"How about 1 o'clock?" he asked.

Rachel hesitated then said, "I don't suppose that would be such a bad idea. Tommy is kind of shy, and meeting you might be help him feel more relaxed on the first day of class."

Before she realized it, Rachel had explained how and why she'd been trying to find a hobby Tommy would enjoy that also involved some amount of physical activity.

"Table tennis, at least at the beginner's level, won't exactly provide an aerobic workout, but it's a whole lot better than sitting on the couch, and who knows? He may find himself really enjoying it."

He smiled then said, "As a matter of fact, you might enjoy it, too."

"Oh, no. I...I don't think so," Rachel said.

"Okay. But if you change your mind, you'll let me know, right?" Zach asked.

Rachel smiled weakly then said, "I guess I'll be back at one, then. With Tommy."

"I'm looking forward to it," he told her.

"Okay, well, I uh...I guess I'll see you then," she said.

"Uh-huh. See you then," he said back.

Her run now a disaster, all she could do was head for home, shower and change, and get ready to come back in...four hours. Plenty of time to do all that and get something to eat.

"Do I have to go?" Tommy asked as soon as his aunt let him know.

"Yes, you have to go," she told him. "It's just to meet the instructor."

"Why can't I do that next week?" he asked, hoping to win the argument.

"Um...because I said we're doing that today?" his aunt said politely but firmly.

"Can I take my phone to play games on?" he asked.

"You mean while you're talking to..."

She didn't want to refer to an adult by his first name, but now she couldn't remember his last name. She's been so out of kilter just talking to him, she felt lucky to remember anything at all.

"Your instructor?" was the word she settled on.

"Instructor? So this is gonna be like school?" Tommy asked, making a face that indicted displeasure.

"No. Of course not."

"But aren't instructors the same as teachers?"

"Well, in one sense, yes. But they're not teaching facts like two plus two equals four. They help you learn things like, in this case, how to play ping...table tennis better than if you just tried learning on your own."

Knowing it was a losing battle, Tommy finally said, "Fine. I'll go to stupid ping pong."

"Tommy!" his aunt said before realizing this was a battle to be won with honey and not vinegar. "Just give it a chance, okay?"

"I said 'fine'," her nephew told her with that same tone of voice.

"He's a very nice man, Tommy. And he really wants to help people learn to play."

"It's just stupid ping pong," she heard him mutter as he walked away.

Tommy moped around through lunch and all the way to the 'Y' before finally perking up a little when he saw the building.

"I've seen this place before," he said as he looked in through the windows from their car as Rachel drove around back to park.

"They have a lot of stuff to do here. Maybe we can find something you'll enjoy if...ping pong...isn't it."

Rachel couldn't help but smile when Zach was at the door waiting. He opened it for them, smiled at Rachel and said, "Right on time. I like that."

Before she could reply, he bent over a little, stuck out his hand, smiled again, then said, "And you must be Tommy."

Tommy's shyness took over and without looking at Zach, he shook his hand and said, "Uh-huh."

"My name is Zach, and I'm really glad you're here, Tommy. How about we go back into my secret room?"

"You have a secret room?" Tommy asked as he again perked up.

"Well, now that I revealed its existence to you, it's no longer secret. But yes, I had one anyway."

Rachel tried not to laugh because Zach was being very serious.

"Superman has a secret place," Tommy informed the older man.

"Yeah, right! The Fortress of Solitude."

"How do you know about that?"

"I used to read comic books all the time. Superman was my third favorite superhero."

"Who was your favorite?" Tommy asked, now very interested.

"Oh, that's easy. Green Lantern, of course."

"He's okay," Tommy replied.

"Okay? Zach said as though everyone knew he was right. "That power ring is the most awesomest thing ever!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't have any power over anything that's yellow. That's not very powerful," Tommy countered.

"Hmmm. Good point. I may have to reconsider."

They talked comic books for another minute or two after they walked into a large room with a half dozen tables in it.

"So...have you ever played before?" Zach asked.

"Yeah. My dad and I used to play," Tommy told him.

"Very nice. Do you guys still..."

He saw Rachel shaking her head and mouthing, "No! No!"

"Um...let's go grab a paddle," Zach said after stopping in mid-sentence.

He had a huge selection in all kinds of colors.

"Just find the one you like the best, and I'll let you take it home with you as long as you promise to return it whenever you're done with the class."

Tommy was having a hard time choosing until he saw one with a skull and bones on it.

"This one!" he said as he reached for it. "Aunt Rachel? Look!"

"Yes, I see," she said in a way that let Zach know it wasn't her favorite without hurting Tommy's feelings.

"This is so cool!" he said as he pretended to be chopping heads off with it.

"Great," Zach said. "That's one of my favorites, too, and it always goes first or second in any class."

"Can I hit the ball now?" Tommy asked when Zach laid one on the table.

"Not just yet, okay? I need to show you a couple of things first. Is that all right?"

"Sure," Tommy said, sounding uncharacteristically chipper.

Zach picked up his paddle which didn't have any design on it, and said, "Okay. The very first and most important thing to learn is the correct grip. Right behind it is the proper stance. Once we have those things down, we'll try hitting the ball. Sound good?"

Tommy nodded then watched as Zach held out his bare hand then laid the paddle in it.

"Okay, there are two main grips in table tennis."

Zach paused, put a hand on Tommy's shoulder then said very seriously in a quiet voice, "Never let me hear you say the words..."

He paused dramatically for effect then, just above a whisper, said, "Ping pong."

Tommy laughed which made Rachel smile. Zach noticed she did, and that made him smile at her which made her feel whatever she'd felt a few hours ago when they first met.

"So. Two grips. The first is called the 'handshake' and the second is the 'penholder'."

Tommy demonstrated both then asked Tommy to do the same.

"Which one feels better?"

"The shaking hands one," Tommy told him almost immediately.

"Ah. Very nice. I use that one, too. So do most European players while people from places like China use the pen grip."

He didn't bother explaining that many Asian players were adopting the handshake grip as that didn't matter.

"Okay. That's the grip. Now the stance, and then we'll go over footwork."

"Then can we hit the ball?" Tommy asked.

Zach smiled again and told him they could.

Rachel had never really played other than a few times here and there. Even so, she walked over and grabbed a paddle herself. Brits called the paddle a 'bat', but Zach was a Yank, and paddle it was.

"Come on over, Rachel," Zach said with a smile.

"I don't want to get in the way. I just want to try whatever Tommy is learning."

"Perfect. It'll give him a chance to play against someone with a similar skill level. Unless you're a closet champion."

"Me? Ha! No way. I'm terrible," she admitted.

Zach showed them both how to stand, starting with the 'ready position' and from there the basics of footwork. Many instructors taught the basic strokes like forehand and backhand first, and only then introduced footwork. Zach felt footwork was more important and taught it first. Footwork included 'body rotation' which was critical to learning to play well, and that was his thought process on the order of things.

"So you see, it's kind of like boxing where you need to have good footwork before you can throw good punches."

Tommy started pretending he was boxing, and Rachel loved how patient Zach was with him. He shadow boxed with the boy for a few seconds and played along rather than telling him to stop goofing off and get serious.

Zach then demonstrated each of the basic strokes before saying, "Don't expect to be an expert. That's where people lose interest. They want to be perfect the first time they play, but it takes a lot of practice. So don't get discouraged, okay?"

Tommy nodded happily then Zach took him over to table that had a 'wall' at the other end.

"We'll start here and work on the basics. Then just before you leave, you and your mo...aunt...can play a little. Sound good?"

Rachel saw the benefit of doing this immediately as it kept Tommy from watching his shots fly wildly over the end of a real table. It let him hit the ball without too much concern about where it went, and Zach knew he could teach precision later on.

Tommy missed several backhand shots altogether, and when he started to get discouraged, Zach assured him everyone did that when they were learning.

"Even you?" he asked.

"Oh, especially me. I was terrible!" Zach told him.

They spent about five more minutes working on basic strokes then Zach turned to Rachel and said, "You ready?"

"Yes. Well, at least I think I am," she told him.

"I'm not going to stop you and correct anything today. Just try to remember the basics then have some fun, because table tennis is supposed to be fun."

Rachel was as bad as she'd let on, but she was still a little better than her nephew who managed to score a few points after realizing that finesse was more important than strength.

"All right! Nice job, you two!" Zach said when Rachel declared the game a tie and over.

"Did you like it?" Zach asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it was fun," Tommy told him.

"Great! Then I'll see you here on Tuesday all ready to go."

As they walked out, Tommy was up ahead of them and Rachel told Zach how much she enjoyed watching him work with her nephew.

"He's a good kid, and I had fun, too."

"You're very patient. I like that."

"It doesn't do anyone any good to get upset. I want people to like table tennis, and giving them the business tends to have the opposite effect."

"Oh, I meant to tell you. You know, when you almost called me his mother. Tommy lost his parents in a car accident four years ago, and it's..."

Zach stopped, turned toward Rachel then said, "I...I feel really bad. I had no idea that hap..."

"No. Don't. I was just explaining why I reacted that way. Maybe 'over-reacted' is the better word."

"So you've raised him ever since?" he asked rather gingerly.

"Yes. My husband also died in the accident," she said quietly as she noticed him glance down at the large diamond ring on her left hand that wasn't there a few hours ago.

"Oh, my goodness. Rachel, that's...that's awful. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," she replied. "It's been hard raising him alone but we couldn't have children, and we loved Tommy like our own, so when my little sister...died I..."

"I understand," Zach replied quietly. "That's pretty amazing of you if you ask me."

"It hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Now that you shared with me why you're single, I'm feeling a little guilty about the way I flirted with you this morning. I hope you didn't think I was too far out of line."

Rachel smiled then admitted, "No. Not at all. It...it was actually kind of nice."

Zach smiled at her then said, "I had every intention of asking you out if you came back."

"Wait. You're asking me out...as in...on a date?" she said, unable to keep the incredulity from showing through.

Zach chuckled, but not in a mean way before he answered her.

"In all fairness I haven't actually asked you yet, but yes. That's what I'm about to do," he told her with another of his amazing smiles. "So...will you go out with me, Rachel Curtis?"

"Come on, Aunt Rachel!" Tommy called out. He'd been waiting by the door, and was getting impatient.

"Be there in a minute, okay?" she called back.

"Zach, I...I don't know. I'm very flattered, but I'm..."

"Pretty amazing. And very beautiful," he said, politely cutting in.

Rachel gave him a look then laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"A guy like you thinks I'm beautiful. That's what's funny," she told him.

"A guy like me? According to you, I'm just 'cute' at best. So since you're beautiful, maybe 'cute' isn't good enough for you?" he teased.

"Stop!" Rachel said. "You're being ridiculous."

"I am kidding around, but not about the 'you being beautiful' thing. That part is 100% true."

"I told you I was older than you are now when Tommy was born, Zach. You may not be a mathematician, but you should be able to figure that out."

"I can. I already did the math this morning. Is there a point?" he said just as seriously.

Rachel 'spurted' before she laughed.

"Okay. Then at least be serious," she told him as the laugh became nervous.

"I am. I would very much like to go out with you," he said with complete seriousness.

This time it wasn't that faux variety he'd been using to be playful. This time he really was serious.

"You're...you're not kidding, are you?" she said as her brain tried to understand why he'd want to go out with her.

"Not at all. I'd love to take you out to dinner, and I'd love for Tommy to come with us."

"Oh, Zach. I...I don't know. I mean..."

"What day works best for you?" he said, now smiling again.

"You really are persistent, aren't you?"

"I warned you," he told her in the playful kind of serious way.

"You're really sure?" she asked again, as the thought of going out with this...very handsome...younger man didn't seem quite as absurd.

"Yes. I'm positive."

"Well, okay. I don't suppose that would be...completely terrible," she replied.

"Not completely terrible, huh? Wow. I've got a lot of work to do, don't I?" Zach said in response.

Rachel laughed then told him she rarely dated, and couldn't remember the last time she'd been asked out.

Ignoring her comment, Zach pressed on.

"How about Saturday?"

"Um...okay. Sure. Why not?" she replied with a smile of her own.

"Try and tamp down the enthusiasm a little, would you?" he said, continuing to playfully tease her.

"I'm trying over here, Zach. I really am," she told him, giving it back to him.

"Okay, but I'm going to do my best to make you want to try a little harder."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh as Tommy came back over and asked what was taking so long. His aunt didn't answer him. She just put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

"So...how will you find me?" she asked feeling like she was once again back in control.

"Well, let's see. I believe you signed up for my class, remember? So I uh...I know where you live," he said as he lowered his head slightly, cocked it to one side, and raised an eyebrow as though he were a Mafia boss or a hit man.

His antics made Rachel laugh.

"Goofball!" she said.

"You're even more beautiful when you smile," he said in reply.

That comment knocked her off kilter again, and before she could reply, Tommy asked yet again what was going on.

"Well, Zach said he'd like to maybe, you know, do something with us. Sometime," she said to Tommy while looking at Zach.

"For real?" the boy asked as he looked up at his aunt.

"Well, I think so," she said as she watched the expression on Zach's face.

"Cool!" Tommy said before quickly asking if that involved exercise.

"No. No exercise," Zach promised him.

"Awesome!" the boy said. "What are we gonna do?"

"I can't answer that for sure yet," his aunt told him, still looking at the unbelievably handsome younger man standing right in front of her.

"Can we go to Dairy Queen after?" he asked excitedly.

"He's obsessed with Blizzards," Rachel told Zach.

"Me, too! I love 'em," he replied.

"Oh, my heavens!" Rachel said. "I do my level best to keep him from eating junk food, and here you are encouraging him!"

"It's what I do," Zach told her with a little shrug of his shoulders. "I encourage the youth of America."

"To clog their arteries," Rachel said with a bit of an edge.

"And you could use a Blizzard or two yourself there, o' skinny one," Zach informed her.

"I...I'm not...skinny!" Rachel said defensive in a kind of playful way as that's how Zach had meant it.

"My Aunt Rachel is beautiful," Tommy informed Zach as though he hadn't noticed.

"I see that, buddy," Zach replied while looking at his aunt and smiling.

"I think it's time to go, Tommy," his aunt said as she gently pushed him in the direction of the door.

As they started walking away, Zach called out, "Saturday. I'll text you the details once I figure out what they are!"

"We'll see!" Rachel called back, keeping up the playfulness as a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very long time washed over her. It was probably nothing more than a reaction to having an attractive man, albeit a very young man, show some interest in her in the form of flirting and added to by being asked out. But whatever the cause, it felt very nice.

But in the short amount of time it took to get back home, Rachel was already plagued with doubt, wondering why in the world she'd ever agreed to something so...foolish. It wasn't as though she was desperate. Getting a date wasn't all that hard. Granted, finding someone interesting was a challenge, but wasn't that just a matter of luck, timing, and persistence?