Mara and Jules lost on Saturday afternoon. By Sunday morning I had found a clip of the last game and watched it twice without sending either of them a word.
The loss wasn’t mysterious. Their opponents returned high and kept Jules from taking the ball early at the net. Mara tried to open the middle, but every opening closed before she reached it. A person watching for a fault in the new partnership could have found one. I watched long enough to see that it wasn’t theirs alone.
Mara called while I was still at the kitchen table.
“Ivo has the film room until noon,” she said. “Would you look at the last set with me?”
“If you want an opinion, yes.”
“I want you there. If you have one, I’ll take it.”
I looked at the frozen frame on my laptop. Mara had given me a choice that didn’t…
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