The two things friends won't let you play as a "newbie"

#1 - Backgammon

I asked an experienced backgammon friend once, "Can I play backgammon with you?"  His face slightly winced, like the pungent drift of a neighbor's sour milk had lingered to his back house.  It was disheartening to think that his well-used board with his nimble fingers dancing across the pyramids, clicking chips over the bridge, was off limits to my slow and steady, plodding, counting, touching each point, fingers.

That's okay, though...Daniel got a backgammon set from my folks for his birthday.  (Thanks to me telling them that's exactly what he wanted for his birthday).  Imagine my his excitement when he opened the box and discovered a polished smooth landscape of pyramids and clicking chips.

#2 - Tennis

If you want to see your tennis-playing friends squirm, say this, "We've just started taking tennis lessons through the city, maybe we could play sometime?"  They simply don't know what to do.  They long to say no.  They repeat the fact that they and their spouse/friend/colleagues play on such-and-such day each week, they've played since they were 2 (obvious segue into Tiger Woods discussion), that they enjoy the game...always trying to dodge the question.  I suppose the image of me with my Big 5-on sale-racket and my mesh bag of on-sale balls, dingy cross-training sneakers, and purple running shorts (void of any pockets), is almost too horrific for their minds to comprehend. 

So they offer me hummous, or cookies, or ask me about my students, and the moment soon passes. 

But I remember.  And Daniel and I are taking tennis lessons.  We just chased after balls last night.  We still miss a few when we get distracted, forget what a backhand is, or the balls pop out of my sports bra (remember, I don't have any pockets)...but we're improving.

One day we'll be the ones to slightly squirm, wince, dodge when the shiny-new-tennis lessons through the city-couple questions our schedule for the upcoming week.