Chapter 1

Pong! Ping! Pong! Ping! and so it went.

It seemed so long ago that my head would be going back and forth following the ball, waiting, even expecting Sue’s opponent to miss, hit the net or her opponent’s shot go out of bounds. Now when I could, I just come here and watch.

She was so particular where she practiced. The town was small and not far away and these courts were clay. We would come to play almost every summer day. We could have gone to the club, that was a lot closer and private but the courts were not clay. Here it was a public and only four courts, less if a net was torn or missing. The selection of people was varied, usually old, older and real old. A few were pretty damn good though and when they played her, most times there were smiles on both their faces and usually a comment or two about it being a great match. Sue usually won too.

My sister was not only young, she was very good and her goal was to be the very best she could be in life, but that did not last very long for her. On a trip to the mall with Mom and Dad, they all were killed. It was a Sunday in June and we were all looking forward to that summer. In August, there were tryouts for the junior world team and Dad had convinced somebody to give her a tryout even though she was still not quite 16. After a sizable donation, the powers to be decided to give her a go. She would have had it made, if ... if only ... it was at that moment when several things happened.

I must have gotten some dust in my eyes because I turned away and started to rub my eyes. As I said, it was a public course so I really did not know anyone there, not like at the club. Everything at these courts was on the honour system; you signed your name and waited for an open court. Sometimes there was a vacancy because a player or partner did not show up. By the fence to the left there stood a girl, she got my attention not just that she clenched an old racquet in her hands, but that she almost looked like Sue when she was about her age.

One spot finally came open. She did not move or indicate she would play. There was no one else around so I went over on the opposite side of the fence and said to her. “I’m not playing Hon, and I think those three can really use you as a doubles partner.” I got a closer look at her shoes, the old racquet and the ratty jeans and decided that my suggestion was a bad move.

“I’m not very good Mister. I have never played just been hitting the ball at the park whenever I can. I’m saving up to get this fixed then I might play.” She held up the racquet and showed me the broken strings on it.

‘Duh!’ I thought. “Hon I have a ton of tennis racquets, clothes, shoes and headgear at home. I mean a lot. If you want it, it is yours. My sister started collecting stuff these last few years so you would be doing me a favour by taking it.”

“Mister won’t she be mad, you giving away her stuff?”

Now it became sort of a challenge to answer her. I turned away and said, “No, she won’t need them anymore Hon, she won’t need them, not anymore.”

“Mister I can’t go with you. My Mom said I should not go with a ‘stranger’, never, not anywhere.”

“Right! Do you live around here or is your Mom around?”

“She dropped me off here today. Usually I ride my bike. She’ll be back by 5:30 for me and I can ask her, maybe next time I can ride my bike over to get them?”

“Good idea Hon but my house is some distance away and you can have a lot of her stuff. Would it be okay if I waited with you or on that bench over there and we can ask her when she picks you up? I do not wish to scare you or make you feel uncomfortable about this.

That man over there, the Park Ranger may remember me too; my sister and I came here for many years. If your Mom has time she can follow me home and you can get the things or if she trusts me not to run away with such a beautiful girl like you, I can get your address and bring the stuff over to your place. Would that be doable?”

I was not sure if I had said the wrong thing to her, saying she was beautiful, but her resemblance to Sue would put her in a category which would be difficult to describe any other way. Sue and my parents left me just a few weeks ago and I wanted to believe their deaths had just been a bad dream, no, a nightmare. I only wish it was so.

I sat on the top row of the bench, she was at the bottom a safe distance away. We talked while we waited for her Mom. It was not long before the Park Ranger came by and asked where the other pretty girl was and was this her sister. I shook my head no. The girl said her name was Wendy and we were waiting for her Mom. The Park Ranger made certain that she was not there against her will, looked at me, smiled then let us be.

I told her then most everything I had should fit and serve her(no pun) for awhile. I sort of got lost in thought about Sue, then I heard a horn honking. Her Mom had arrived.

Wendy looked at me climbing down from the top of the bench, came back and took me by the hand as we walked to her Mom’s car. From the noises the car was making I could see why the strings on the racquet were still broken.

Her Mom got out and said right away, “Nope no strays Wendy, I hope you did not feed him or we will never get rid of him! You’re too young for a boyfriend and I don’t think you would let me keep him for me! Does he pee on the floor like most men?”

Yep, this was starting off on a wonderful footing. “Real nice Wendy’s Mom. I tried to get her to run away with me, but no, she had to ask her Mom if it was Okay first. Seriously though, I have an awful lot of girl tennis gear at my house. Wendy is welcome to all of it. I have no use for it and it should last her several years. Much of it is professional quality, 8 or 9 racquets are ‘Head’ Competition all in several sizes and weights.”

I got the look from her Mom. I could also see the pleading look on Wendy’s face as she waited for what her Mom would say.

“And just why would a young man be havin a girl’s tennis equipment, even more so, why give it away to me Wendy?” (Slight Irish brogue)

I really did not know what to say. I held up my finger in a ‘Please wait’ sign and reached for my wallet. I removed a picture of Sue, handed it to her and looked down, saying “She won’t need it anymore!” I broke down really bad then and turned away from them, tears streaming down my face.

Her Mom took a look at the photo, handed it to Wendy and said, “My God, it’s a picture of Wendy in a few years.”

“It is, was my sister, she ... she is gone now.”

No words came forth now. Wendy looked at the picture, her mouth open, as tears began to roll from her eyes. The face of the girl in the picture replaced with her own now.

“Look Mr. good Samaritan or pedophile maybe, we don’t need charity and I want you to stay away from Wendy. We don’t have much but what we do have I have worked for honestly. I will not let you get close to my daughter so you can leave right now.”

This was really not the way I intended our meeting to go. “I take it then that, in your religion, Pride is not an evil thing, nor is depriving someone from showing a little girl a kindness. I guess I expected too much. I am sorry. Wendy, I will not bother you anymore.” Then I took the picture back, turned and left the two of them by the car. That damn dust must have kicked up again.

I thought about it on my way home. I guess if the roles had been reversed I might have reacted the same way if a stranger had approached Sue with an offer like that. I just wanted to help, that’s all.

Mom and Dad had been comfortable, thanks to the Grandmas and Grandpas on both sides. Everything was left to me now and I was very uneasy to try to do too much with what they left me. Truth be told, I was scared, scared of just trying to do things like my Dad before me had done.

I kept the house and the cabin but placed some land and a vacation condo up for sale. The titles would need to transfer first but I explained all that to the sales agent. The house was way more than I needed but it was on club grounds and with it came membership. Dad was one of the first in the sub and purchased a perpetual membership to the club with the house. That membership in the 20 years he had it was now worth more than he had paid for the house.

I had to decide what to do with the businesses he had left me. To be honest, if I had not been 18 and could own them, they would all have been sold, now I was not certain what to do with them.