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Break Point

September 1, 2023 4 Comments

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“Out!” I called.

Haller froze, incredulous. He glared at the spot from across the net, and then at me. An interminable half-second, then he stalked back to serve the next point.

His grumbled “Love-forty” barely reached my ears. His serve barely missed my head.

“Nice,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, tell me.”

“I said that was out, too.”

“Ass—.”

His second serve, hard as the first, smacked the tape, popped up, and fell back on Haller’s court.

I jogged up to shake hands. “Nice match, Hal—”

His third serve found its mark.

“Nice shiner,” the nurse said when I woke up.

By Dan Crouser

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David says

    September 1, 2023 at 2:51 pm

    Not that easy to write a sport themed microfiction. I enjoyed this.

    Reply
  2. Andre says

    September 1, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    Nice work, Dan. Love the surprises and humor.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    September 2, 2023 at 12:55 pm

    Really enjoyed this tennis story and ending twist!

    Reply
  4. Paul Scott Wood says

    September 6, 2023 at 9:57 am

    Pretty funny story. Haller cheated. You aren’t allowed three serves in tennis.

    Reply

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