EndGame

Somehow I woke up this Sunday morning when I was supposed to. My wristwatch laying besides me. Staring right at me, silently telling me that it is 6:45am. "Oh you dirty...." but just then the sentence is cut off by my obnoxiously loud cell phone ring. I think it's set at 3 above mute. "Hello Ryan, it's Kevin," my coworker, "want to meet at 7:15?"

"Oh sure, I'll see you there." bells and whistles my....I hang up and get in the shower. Today is the day I've been dreading for a month now. It's the company's vendor Olympics. (cut to clip of lightening striking top of Frankenstein's castle). As I have previously bemoaned, I have been selected (forced by the smiles and twinkly eyes of my loving coworkers) to join the basketball squad. A 7 man roster. Going up against teams of 10 and 12 paid athletes. Paid in the sense that it is generally known that they are given monthly bonuses for making their companies' teams.

I make my way downstairs. Head across the street to find the parkNshop still closed. Rats! my one chance at breakfast. Along the way I notice an elderly couple practicing their morning tai chi. I head a block down the street and wait for Kevin. I reach his building and wait out front. Standing with a hand on my hip and my other hand gripping my backpack strap I notice some people across the street lawn bowling. A gate creeks open and Kevin emerges. Bleary-eyed like myself. Apparently feeling my pain. Seems right since both of us were at the hottest club ever last night. Le Nest. In case you were wondering that's French for The Nest.

We cab it over to our office, and meet some others at the company van. We drive to a middle school that's built in the center of a large apartment complex. The place is old and moldy. Rust and water damage has left it's mark on everything. floors, walls, iron barred fences, goal posts, benches. We meet more people from our office their and start seeing the other companies show up. 6 in all. I am very antsy. I am worried about hurting myself, and more importantly need to get some food in me. I score a banana and a hard boiled egg from a friend. It's not much but it's something.

The teams warm up and numbers are drawn to fill out the brackets. Fate has smiled on us because we have drawn a bye for the first round. We watch the first two games. Quickly realizing that we are screwed. There's no two ways about it. An hour in and it's getting close to our turn. My stomach is in knots from hunger and anticipation. Apparently my rain dances were actually sun dances because it is clear as can be and hot. A whistle blows. We head to center court for tip off. And we play. Play hard but as the game goes on I'm starting to get light headed. The heat has me feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass. 40 minutes later we have lost. Weak kneed, and dizzy I am happy to hear that we are heading off for lunch.

We drive to a restaurant not too far away. I wonder what we will be having and then am discouraged to find that it's spicy Sichuan! Just what we need in between games. Loads of chillies. it seems that's all I eat here. But I must eat and do so. We head back and I feel even worse about playing another game. it turns out though that the food is just what I needed. The second game is also lost but we play much better. I have myself a nice game, hitting a couple jumpers, banging down low for hard rebounds and strong put backs. Block a couple of shots get some assists, and before you know it, I am having fun. Sweating, aching, lungs burning. As the game's last whistle blows I am relieved of all weight of Olympics burden. I'm done and content. now after a slowly eaten dinner and a long hot shower I can sleep well tonight.