Playing Above the Rim

Playing Above the Rim

“She’s out of your league, Man. Just forget about her,” My college buddy, Lance, said.

“I know,” I said. “But I can’t stop thinking about her. C’mon, at least let me try. Introduce me.”

Lance shrugged his shoulders. “Okay but prepare for rejection. I wouldn’t have met her if the history teacher hadn’t put us together on a project.”

Normally, I don’t think about how Lance looks. But when I compare us, I do not come out so well. I am 5’ 9”, average build with sandy hair and grey eyes, kind of blah. Lance is over six foot, has dark, curly hair, and works out. If he hasn’t tried to get a date with Harper, what chance do I have?

But the next day, Lance and I are walking down the hall and here comes Harper in form-fitting-jeans and a white sweater crop top that shows off her midriff. Her long, auburn hair fluffs out of a messy bun with chopsticks stuck in it. Most girls would not rock this combination. My heart is flopping around in my chest like a fish out of water.

“Hey Harper, I want you to meet my roommate, Super Nerd.”

She laughs. “Hi, Super Nerd.”

I groan. I will kill him later.

“I’m Anthony. Nice to meet you.”

She shakes my hand and my world. “Harper Sutton.”

I feel my face reddening. I hate this trait inherited from my mother. My dad thinks it is cute on her, but I’m sure it only makes me appear socially awkward.

She turns to Lance. “Ready for the exam today?”

“I hope so, I was up until after midnight.”

“Did he keep you awake?” She says to me.

I couldn’t help myself. “Not while he was studying, but later, when he was snoring like a buzzsaw.”

She laughs again.

“Lance mentioned you’re in your last year of mechanical engineering. You must be good at math. That’s my toughest subject. Geometry is required to become a middle school or high school teacher and I’m afraid I’m not doing that great.”

She might as well have handed me an engraved invitation.

“I’d be glad to help you.”

For once, Lance helped. “Yeah, he has kept me above a “D” more than once.”

“I’ve got time on Wednesdays after class. I could meet you in the library, say around four.”

“Wow, that’s really nice of you, Anthony.” She was silent for a few moments while I stopped breathing. “Yeah, that will work. See you then. Well, I have got to get to English Lit.

After we both watched her walk away, Lance said, “Not bad, Anthony. I’m not good at math or I would have offered.”

So, he was interested in her too, but had been scared to ask her out.

***

On Wednesday, my trig class dragged on and on. I kept looking at the clock. The hands did not move. When it finally ended, I jumped out of my seat, and ran to the library. She was not there.

My phone said 4:13 p.m. when I saw her scoping out the large room. I waved. She came, put her books down on the table, and sat opposite of me. A scent, not unlike baby powder, filled the space between us.

Wednesday became my favorite day of the week. By explaining concepts and then having her figure out how to solve problems, she was learning quickly. I commended her when she did well and asked her to go back over the ones she had difficulty with. When we weren’t discussing scalene triangles, rhombus, or quadrilaterals, I asked her questions. What kind of music did she like? What was her favorite food, wine, and dessert? A plan was forming in my mind.

“Harper, do you have another math class coming up next semester?”

“Nope, this was my last hurdle.”

Panic made my throat constrict. Only one more week. “You won’t need my help anymore?”

“Not with math, but it would be great to bounce ideas off somebody else, like the stories I write in English Lit class. This has been fun.”

I leaned back in my chair, relief flooding over me. “Okay,” I said, hoping it came out casual like.

***

Two weeks later, Wednesday found me waiting and wondering if she would show. She was late again. I kept looking at my phone. No calls.

Then, she burst into the room. Her long hair flowed down around her shoulders. She ran toward me and threw her arms around my neck.

“I got an “A”, Anthony. Can you believe it? In my worst class.”

When I recovered, I stuttered. “Congratulations, that’s …that’s so great.”

She sat down next to me, closer than when we were looking at her textbooks. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

It’s now or never.

“We need to celebrate. What would you think of going on a picnic? Campbell Park has a special deal this weekend where they have an orchestra, and we can sit outside on the grass and eat.”

“Sounds super. Should I bring something?”

“Just yourself. I’ll handle the food.”

She squeezed my arm. “Thanks, Anthony. What time will you pick me up?”

She sounds eager, but was this just a thank you for tutoring her?

***

Lance thought I was going overboard for a first date.

“Yep, but I want it to be special, so she will be impressed. Thankfully, my mom listens to Mozart, Bach, and Hayden, so I could discuss symphonies and other pieces with her. This concert is all classical music. My parents belong to this wine club called Bright Cellars. They get four bottles of wine every month, so they don’t mind sharing. She likes Merlot, and they have a good one. I am going to a Reynard’s Deli and get pastrami on rye sandwiches, and Key Lime pie for dessert, all her favorites.

“Hope it’s worth it,” he said.

“Did I mention she hugged me?”

“Yes, about six times.”

***

A soft breeze stirred the trees in Campbell Park, yet it was hot. Harper wore a big floppy hat and sunglasses. I had put on lots of sunscreen since I burn easily. We sat on a blanket as the musicians on the concrete half shell tuned their instruments.

I laid out our lunch. She shook her head. “Geez Anthony, I’m in awe, you remembered everything I said.”

I allowed myself a big grin. “That was what I had in mind.”

She sipped the merlot. “Yum.”

When the first notes of Bach’s Fugue Number One in C Major floated out over the assembled couples, families, and us, Harper could not stop smiling.

After polishing off her sandwich, she patted her stomach. “I think I’ll save the Key Lime tart for later.”

At the intermission, she said, “Do you always impress girls with awesome dates like this?”

She considers this a date!

“No,” I said, truthfully, thinking about my last date at a coffee shop where I knocked over the woman’s cappuccino by mistake and made a stain on her white t-shirt. “Only ones who are named Harper and make “A’s” in geometry.”

She raised her glass, “To me and my “A” then.”

As I clinked my glass with hers, a zap of lightening lit up the sky, A clap of thunder startled me. Without warning, clouds scudded in and it began to pour. The musicians stuffed their precious instruments into their cases and ran to the gazebo. Though we snatched up the tarts, raindrops made rivulets in the green filling.

Picking up the damp blanket, I grabbed Harper’s hand and we ran, laughing, toward my car in a far parking lot. We were soaked by the time we got there and fell into the front seat.

“I’m sorry this went so wrong,” I said. “Your key lime pie is ruined. I’ll turn on the heater and get you back to the dorm so you can get a hot shower and won’t catch cold.”

“It’s not your fault it rained, Anthony. We can get key lime pie or maybe your favorite pie on our next date.”

Next date? “Sure,” I said.

“Look Anthony, I have never had anyone go to all this trouble for me. It was wonderful and you’re wonderful.”

She scooted across the seat and kissed me, and after a moment, I kissed her back.

Yes Lance, it was worth it.