Happily Bruised Up

In the shower this morning, I noticed bruising in a number of spots along my arms. Did I fall and forget? Was I abused and let it slip my mind? No. I played basketball last night.

 

When I say I played basketball last night, boy, did I play basketball. It was one of those nights where the basket seems liked the ocean. Anything I threw up, went in. Well, not anything, but you get the point. After the first night of basketball, the men have openly accepted me into their league and have no problems playing with me. They don't take it easy on me, however, they do not get overly physical running into me or hitting me.

Last night, a new guy showed up. He knew some of the guys, but this was his first time coming to play. Boy, was he unhappy about a girl hitting shots and winning games. He decided in the second game, that he was going to have none of it! He took over guarding me and had a look of fury in his eyes. I knew as soon as I got the ball, he was going to try to swat it away. So, once I got the ball, I faked my shot, he charged at me and flew through the air. As he was soaring by me, I passed to a guy underneath the basket for a layup. The rest of my night, aside from making all of my shots, was dedicated to make this man's night a living hell.

After stealing the ball from him, his rage raised to new heights. I'm not really sure why this man has missed all of the previous weeks of basketball, but if I were to guess, it was because he was in jail. His face had a thickened, worn look to it, like he spent many nights laying awake on his cot. His tattooed arms appeared to have done several push-ups while passing the time in his cell. And, he acted like he was fueled up on the abundance of bread they feed as prison meals. I hear they get lots of starches in prison. As this man was fuming, I began to wonder why on earth I had set out to humiliate him. I should have picked someone else. God only knows what this man is capable of!

Needless to say, I was knocked around a little more last night than the average Thursday. But, bumps and bruises are nothing too unfamiliar with me. I was a scrappy player, always diving and falling. I spent much of my time on the ground, and happily so.

Look closely at my knees. Can you see them? Here, this is a picture of what they looked like on a regular basis.

So, you see, a few little arm bruises aren't too bad for me. Isn't Jeff a lucky guy? He has a girl that takes such good care of her body and really prides herself on obtaining her appearance. Oh well, I guess bruising is part of the package with me!