Thwack … thwack … thwack.
Frank heard the tennis ball slam again and again against the back of the school gym. A smile spread across his face when he saw Dedra in a short white skirt that revealed her shapely, athletic legs. She was playing an imaginary opponent as she practiced her forehand, aiming high, low, left, and right. Dedra returned each volley steadily and consistently.
Frank admired her powerful swing as much as the repetitive motions of her muscular arms. He stood at the edge of the pavement, his heart beating fast. His dream was that football would take him to college, to a better life. He knew Dedra had a dream too: to be the next Althea Gibson.
Finally, Dedra missed a return, and the ball rolled next to Frank’s feet.
“Frank Woods, how long have you been standing there? Are you watching me?”
She walked toward him, the tennis racket swinging by her side. A rosy glow accented her big smile.
“Sure I was. You’re really good. When are you going to play against a person? That wall can’t take much more of you.”
“None of the other girls are interested. There’s no court, and the volleyball net is too high.” Dedra shook her head. “Football practice must have ended a while ago. What are you still doing here?”
“I was with Coach.”
Dedra zipped her tennis racket into its case and wiped her face with a small towel. “Well, I’d better get going.”
Frank didn’t want the moment to end. “Can I walk you home?”
Dedra lived a mile past his house on a small farm, and the trip would make him later than he already was, but he didn’t care.
Dedra’s smile faded. “No, my daddy wouldn’t like that.”
“He’d rather have you walk alone?”
“No, he doesn’t know I stay here after the other girls leave. But he’s strict about boys visiting. If he saw you without knowing about it first, it would be the last time you could come over.”
Relieved that she was refusing him only because of her father’s rules, Frank gathered the courage to try once more. “Can we walk as far as the road splits off?”
“Sure, and then you can tell me why you were talking to your coach.”
Without asking, Frank lifted her bag full of books and tennis balls, and they headed down the road past the school.