The Tennis Partner

Abraham remembers a tennis lesson he once took with Pancho Segura in Carlsbad. Segura gives Abraham fundamental advice on tennis: “The ball must be hit deep, or angled away. The short ball must be punished outright—or used to attack. The game is won at the net” (271). They rally, and Segura notes Abraham’s shots are decent, but he needs to anticipate his opponent’s shots better and be more aggressive. Rather than correct the mechanics of each shot, Segura focuses more on instructing Abraham when to use each one. After the lesson, Segura smiles at a picture of Steven that Abraham shows him, and autographs it for Steven.

A week after David leaves, Abraham meets a new patient, Gato Salazar, who is also an intravenous drug user. Abraham tells Gato David’s story, and Gato reassures him that warning signs are sometimes impossible to spot in someone with addiction. Gato himself was clean for six years, and something small triggered a relapse immediately.

Abraham reflects on how his early days of friendship with David showed such promise. Tennis was vital to and symbolic of their relationship, their efforts to play earnestly and regularly giving their days order and meaning.