Writing for Fun
July 2022
Shuttlecocks And Sausages - Lynn Gale
The door of Darborough sports hall squeaked open. Everyone's head swivelled towards the long-legged man with a mop of shaggy dark hair as he crept inside. He stood self-consciously, his eyes darting around the shabby badminton courts with peeling paint and missing light bulbs. Recognising Bob, our captain, relief spread across his face. He waved and made his way over to our group.
‘Get a load of him,’ Jayne remarked. ‘Hope he is as good as he looks.’
‘Hello, David,’ Bob shook his hand. ‘Glad you could make it. Welcome to the 'Flying Feathers Badminton Crew. Let me introduce you to the members. This is Greg, who you are replacing.’
’I wasn't drunk, honest, fell over my son's truck.’ Greg waved his plaster-encased arm towards him.
David laughed, stepping back straight onto a water bottle that had rolled along the floor. Arms flailing, he failed to keep his balance and dignity when he ended up in Mag's lap.
‘Nice to meet you too,’ she laughed. ‘But I am a married woman.’
‘I'm so sorry,’ he said, scrambling to his feet.
Jayne laughed loudly and gave her partner Steve a dig in the ribs.
Introductions to the other members, twins Bella and Billy, nineteen, hyperactive, who played like they were possessed. Mag's husband, Dermot, a lovely man, blamed his wife for every missed return, always a lively debate when they played together. Then, Jayne and Steve (or the beasts as they were known, out of earshot, of course).
What endeared me to David was the big smile he gave everyone, like he was genuinely pleased to meet you, even when Steve, acting the alpha male, almost crushed his hand. David winced but afforded him the same warm greeting.
Bob moved Steve aside, urging me forward. ‘And this is Kathy, your doubles partner.’ Looking into those grey-green eyes and that smile, I was hooked. So pleased I had my hair cut and coloured the day before.
‘Lovely to meet you, Kathy.’ He grabbed my hand and held it tight.
‘Likewise,’ I replied, my heart beating like a drum solo at a rock concert.
Bob watched on with amusement. ‘Would you like to play? The Farley tournament is only a month away.’
‘Of course.’ David released my hand quickly. ‘It's been a while since I've played competitively, but I will do my best.’
‘We'll give you a game.’ Steve picked up his racquet, giving Jayne a sly smirk. ‘Let's see what you're made of.’
We took to the court to play the beasts. The warm-up didn't give much away; David returned the shuttlecock with a smooth flowing action, while Steve tried to smash it straight back at him at every opportunity.
Why was he so annoying?
‘That's enough,’ ordered Steve. ‘Let's play a game.’
Steve and Jayne took the first ten points with their aggressive style.
After surviving the initial onslaught, David and I began to work together and returned every shot. David's disguised returns had Steve running from side to side. We soon caught up and started to edge ahead. You could see the surprise on Steve's face. He responded by chasing down every return, taking shots he should have left to Jayne. Over-stretching to reach the shuttlecock heading for the corner, Steve crashed to the floor, sliding onto the next court. He crashed into Mr Goode, who was instructing a group of fifteen-year-olds in the art of the perfect serve, ending up in a tangle of racquets and legs, much to the amusement of the watching teenagers, who rushed for their mobiles, a photo opportunity not to be missed.
Jayne walked off in embarrassment. Chastened, Steve followed her to the changing rooms.
Bob walked over, ‘Impressive, and we might even have a chance against the Returminators this time.’
‘Coffee?’ David suggested as we packed up, ‘To discuss tactics, umm, unless someone is waiting for you?’
‘No, no one waiting.’ Ouch! How sad did that sound? ’I...I mean, I’m free.’ Even worse. I could feel my face redden.
David smiled.
Sitting in D'Marco's over two cups of coffee, tactics were forgotten. We had so much in common. Married young, with no children and divorced. With no siblings, we cared for our late parents, feeling resentful, followed by guilt.
Finally, discussing all the places we would love to visit. Two hours passed so quickly. When David suggested dinner that evening, I accepted his offer.
We became a couple.
‘Go on, tell me all about it?’ my friend and colleague Andrea asked me the following day at the daily sales meeting. ‘He must be something, never seen you like this before.’
‘He is; it's ridiculous. I feel like a teenager again.’
‘I'm pleased for you, Kathy. You deserve happiness in your life.’Andrea hugged me. ‘Got to go, targets to reach. See you later.’
The next three weeks flew by. David and I spent every spare minute together, eating out, cinema, walks and honing our badminton skills. Could life get any better?
The day before the tournament, David and I headed into town. We stopped to listen to a dreadlocked guitarist in the square. His version of Over The Rainbow with a reggae beat had attracted a sizeable crowd.
‘David, where have you been?’ A woman muscled her way between us and faced him.
David looked stunned. ‘Elvira, how are you?’
Jealousy flared up inside me. Who was this woman?
‘You said you would wait for me,’ her voice rising.
‘Elvira, this is my fiancée Kathy.’ He gave my hand a tight warning squeeze.
She turned, finally noticing me. Her dark eyes blazed into mine; with thick black hair and heavy eye makeup, she had more than a resemblance to a certain Alice Cooper in his heyday.
‘Your fiancé, since when?’ she shouted.
The guitarist had finished playing and, along with the crowd, began to watch the pantomime unfolding around this angry woman.
‘Must be a love triangle gone wrong, Mary.’ A woman with a green checked trolly bag nudged her friend standing next to her.
‘How exciting!’ Mary agreed, ‘Better than bingo.’
David's shocked face paled under Elvira's accusing stare.
Elvira stood still, arms down by her side, fists clenching and unclenching.
I swore I could almost see steam blowing from her nostrils.
Still holding my hand, David pulled me away, pushing through the growing crowd and towards the shopping centre.
‘Daa..vid,’ a high-pitched wail followed us as we rushed through the automatic glass doors. Once inside, we slalomed between shoppers, mothers with prams and an irritating street magician who wanted me to pick a card.
Once, we were safely ensconced in the Green Dragon public house on the other side of town. David found a table hidden from the entrance. ‘I'll get us a drink.’
Bringing two large glasses of red wine over, he sat down. Then, visibly shaken, he began. ‘Elvira worked at the hospice where my mother spent her last days. She seemed so kind and caring. I bought her a little gift, just a small brooch as a thank-you’.
‘Do you think you gave her the wrong impression? She seemed incandescent when you told her I was your fiancée, which surprised me, by the way.’
‘Er, yes, I'm sorry, I thought that would stop her.’
‘I thought she was going to attack me.’
‘It must have been the sausages.’
‘Sausages?’
‘Elvira asked me if I liked sausages. I was surprised, but I just said yes, then every time I visited mum, there, on her bedside table, a catering pack of premium pork sausages.’
I nearly choked on my drink. ‘Well, that's different.’
‘She offered to cook them for me. I took it as a joke. She would not leave me alone. I even planned my visits on her day off, doing my best not to encourage her. Then I opened my door one night to find her standing in the rain holding a dish of soggy toad in the hole.’
‘How creepy! Your mother died three years ago; where has Elvira been all this time?’
David exhaled, rubbing away an invisible mark on the table with his finger.
‘I told the hospice manager; apparently, the chef had been complaining about missing food, and Elvira was sacked on the spot.
‘Oh dear, that couldn't have gone down well.’
‘It didn't; she went ballistic, ran into the kitchen screaming at the staff. She tipped a casserole over the chef's head. The police were called, and Elvira was
arrested. After tests, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.’ ‘Why did she think you would wait for her?’
David clenched his teeth, ‘I felt guilty and told her I would help when she recovered. I thought she would have moved on by now.’
‘What will you do?’
‘Don't worry, I'll speak to her after the tournament.’
The day of the Farley Sports Badminton Finals had arrived. The state-of-the-art courts, with wooden sprung flooring, custom lighting and plenty of seating for spectators, made it a great venue - a complete contrast to where we usually played.
‘See you on the court,’ David gave me his sweet smile as we headed off to change into our kit.
On leaving the plush ladies changing room, I overheard a familiar voice by the main door.
‘Later, you promise?’
‘Of course, darling, have I ever let you down,’ a female voice replied.
I turned the corner just in time to see the back of a dark-haired woman walking away from David.
‘Who was that?’ I asked him.
A guilty look flashed across his face. ‘Nothing to worry about, Kathy.’
He gave me that smile, attempting to wrap his arms around me. ‘I'll explain later, but right now, we have a tournament to win. it's not what you think, trust me.’
‘I don't know what to think.’
The walk into the sports hall was silent and awkward. Keeping a few steps in front of David, I stared straight ahead. As we approached the rest of the 'Flying Feathers, they let up an ironic cheer.
‘Thought you had abandoned us,’ Bob breathed a sigh of relief, ‘just in time to register.’
The matches began. Out of the six clubs that entered, the 'Flying Feathers' and the 'Returminators' made it into the final. Billy, Bella, Mags and Dermot were all defeated in the first round. Steve and Jayne played well, losing in a semi-final tiebreak. David and I would contest the final against the 'Returminators' undefeated pairing of Butch Finn and Jaycee Johnson.
Family and friends filled the seats. I scanned the crowd looking for Andrea, who had promised to come. I suddenly found myself looking straight into the face of Elvira. Was it Elvira who David was talking to outside? I glanced across at him in a deep conversation with Bob. Then, stealing another look into the stands, Elvira glared down at me, her lips pressed together in a tight, white line. A feeling of dread washed over me. Were they planning something together? I needed to talk to David, but would he tell me the truth?
A buzzer sounded, indicating the finalists should now take the court. A huge cheer went up from the 'Returminators' supporters. ‘You've got this,’ and ‘terminate them’ echoed across the hall.
‘Come on, Feathers,’ Mags tried valiantly to shout above the din.
The final was the best of three sets. The first set, we lost 21-12, and when we went behind 14-3 in the second, it looked like we would be defeated.
However, the mid-game break meant we could get together with Bob. ‘Come on, you two, what's wrong? You are playing like strangers out there.’
David held my shoulders gently. ‘Please, Kathy, trust me, I will never let you down.’
I looked over at Butch and Jaycee, laughing and waving as if they had already won. I decided that if it was now over between us, I would go out on a high. With renewed determination, we started to catch up. Butch and Jaycee were unprepared for our fightback, and we took the second set, 21-18. It was going to be a decider. David was now buzzing. ‘We can win this, Kathy; we just need to keep our concentration’.
Heading back on the court for the final set, I took another peek into the stand. Elvira was gone, but Andrea had crept in the back and roared her support. ‘Go, Kathy, go, David. Come on, the Feathers,’ her dulcet tones could be heard over a jumbo jet.
The final set began, the shuttlecock and points zipping between us. With the score at 21-20, Butch was now serving for the match. Oh well, we had done our best. Just at that moment, something whizzed through the air and landed in the middle of the court. The Umpire immediately stopped the match and ordered the offending article removed. The culprit protested loudly whilst being escorted from the hall by a burly security guard. Elvira had left the building.
The umpire allowed five minutes for the players to compose themselves before calling time. Butch served high to David; a quick backhand flick and the shuttlecock landed at Jaycee's feet. The serve returned to me; I sent it low to Butch; he fluffed the return, enabling David to smash the shuttlecock between them. Now it was my turn to serve for the match. I flicked it high to Jaycee, who cleared it over my head; David returned it. Butch stretched and tipped it back over the net; I reached the shuttlecock sending it to the far corner. Jaycee expecting it to be out, let it go and watched in anguish as it landed on the line. A roar went up from the Flying Feathers. We had won. Butch and Jaycee looked disappointed but congratulated us on our victory.
After the photographs and awards were over, David disappeared into the crowd and led a smartly dressed woman with familiar grey-green eyes over to me. ‘Kathy, this is my cousin Jenny. She offered to pick up something for me earlier today.’
Jenny came over, kissed me on the cheek and handed me a pink envelope. ‘Sorry about the secrecy. David wanted it to be a surprise.’ Inside were two tickets for a trip to New York. One of the places we had discussed on that first day. I burst into tears as David laughed and gathered me into his arms.
Sitting in the Bombay Parlour Curry House that evening, having just polished off our Tandoori chicken with all the extras, plus a large celebratory glass of red wine. We chinked our glasses together to celebrate our perfect day.
‘To us, our trophy and travels,’ David said.
‘And don't forget Elvira's assistance.’ I laughed. ‘Those sausages landed right on cue.