Page 9 of From the Courtroom to the Court
Emily takes the racket and looks at it as if it were an alien object. Then she grips it so hard that her knuckles turn white.
"Like this?" she asks, looking at Leah.
"That's perfect if your plan is to kill someone with the racket," Leah comments, arching an eyebrow. "Loosen up a bit. It's not an iron bar, you just need to feel like you have a good hold on it, nothing more."
Emily loosens her grip and nods.
"Okay, now that we have the grip, let's move on to position," Leah says. "Place your feet apart, exactly shoulder-width, and bend your knees slightly. You need to be ready to move."
Leah positions herself as she explains, and Emily imitates her, but in the process, someone walks by the side of the court and she turns her head, which makes her lose her balance and nearly end up on the ground.
"Oh, God," she says and repositions herself under Leah's perplexed gaze.
"Look, Emily, you need to be focused. Forget about what's happening around you and concentrate on what I'm telling you."
Emily smiles and tries again, but she's gotten so close to Leah that she ends up stepping on her foot.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes, embarrassed, jerking away.
"It's okay, don't worry," Leah responds, wondering if she's ever had this much fun with anyone.
The answer is no, not even with Stella.
"My goodness, you're like a flamingo with a hangover," Emma calls out from the bench.
Leah has to turn around so Emily doesn't see her smile.
"Okay, let's continue," Leah says, more calmly. "Now we're going to try a forehand. Move the racket backward and then forward, it's like drawing an arc in the air."
Emily follows the instructions, but her movement is so forced that Leah feels like she's wielding a medieval sword.
"Like this?" she asks, enthusiastically.
Leah bites her lip and clears her throat.
"No, not like that. Let me show you."
The tennis player positions herself behind Emily as she's done dozens of times with other students, but this time is different. For an instant, both feel as if time freezes and the air becomes heavy, but they don't give it importance. Leah guides her arm gently, making sure the movement is more fluid.
"Like this," she explains, and Emily holds her breath when she feels Leah's voice like a whisper, "the movement has to be smooth," she adds before stepping away and leaving her alone.
After a couple of attempts, Emily finally manages a decent hit.
"Wow," she says excitedly, raising her racket as if she'd won a tournament.
After practicing the stroke for a while and sweating as if they'd been running for hours, Leah decides it's time to try some light rallying. She positions herself on the other side of the court and prepares to hit a soft ball.
"Just focus on returning it calmly. Don't try to do anything spectacular, just concentrate on hitting it well."
Emily nods, completely determined. She prepares, fixes her gaze on the ball that Leah hits to her... and lets it pass without even moving the racket because her attention wanders and she ends up watching the game on the adjacent court.
Leah looks at her, astonished.
"Emily!" the coach calls her attention.
"Oh, damn," she says and smiles with that spontaneous gesture that Leah finds so sincere.
"Were you planning to return it with your mind or what?" Leah asks, laughing.
