Dodo Eggs

What is the difference between the sweet feelings of infatuation and a love that is more precious than diamonds and twice as resilient?  The answer is simple:  true love has been tested.  The gloss that comes with young love has been worn away and all that you have left is the relationship as it truly is.  This trial came for Mrs. Teply not long after we began dating. 

At the time, both of us worked part-time at a day care center in a decent part of Memphis.  The daycare was housed in a massive church, which also built the large family life center next door.  (A family life center is three parts gym, two parts convention center and one part a reason to join the church.)  During the week, large groups of day care children would be funneled to the FLC for open gym and the chance to run around like the heathens they were.

I was still in my semester of student teaching.  Rushing into work at the last possible moment, I would still have on my nice cotton slacks and dress shirt.  The tie was usually but little else before picking up a basketball.  I would play an easy pickup game with some of the older kids.  Yet, even just fifteen minutes of tomahawk jams and ankle breaking, double clutch, jaw-dropping moves can cause perspiration.

A fifth grade girl approached Mrs. Teply.  “Miss Melissa, aren’t you going out with Mr. Matt?”

Mrs. Teply replied.  “Yes, why do you ask?”

(While this conversation was beginning, I was in the middle of a quadruple pump fake from just over the half court line.  It’s a tactic that NBA players haven’t picked up yet but I’ll tell you this…it freezes a defense!   They will come out of their ready positions and just put their hands on their hips.  This leaves me free for another pump fake.)

The girl arched her eyebrows and gestured toward me.  “Well, he’s a little sweaty.  Do you like that?”

Melissa watched my lithe form dance up and down the court.  Since I couldn’t take my eyes off the ball and dribble at the same time, I always displayed powerful concentration.  Yes, there was a glint on my brow but what the girl was referring to was the wet streak down the middle of my seat. 

Mrs. Teply grimaced a bit and assured the girl, “Well, no but Mr. Matt’s hindquarters isn’t always like that.”

Au contraire!  It was at least three times a week!  That’s how often we went to the FLC and each time I did the same thing.  Many kids laughed and giggled but they didn’t understand the strengthening process that was taking place between Mr. Matt and Miss Melissa.  She looked upon the sweaty band in my slacks and loved me anyway.

• OLIVIA ARRIVES!
• Childish Reasoning
• The Name of Nonsense
• Scent to Hades
• Prince Phillip