Reclaimed Dreams
There was absolutely no logical reason for them to be there, but nevertheless there they were. Perfectly placed at the bottom of locker number 23 in the women’s changing room were a pair of seemingly brand new Air Jordan’s. Kate almost didn’t see them as she stuffed her duffel bag inside, hurrying to get into the pool before the seniors took over. But the flash of red and black caught her eye, and when she recognized the familiar swoosh on their sides, she let out an audible gasp.
Before she even realized what she was doing, her hands snatched up the sneakers, unzipped her duffel bag, and shoved the pair underneath her jeans and t-shirt. Her swimming routine forgotten, Kate quickly dashed from the changing room.
“Slow down Kate. Act natural,” she told herself. She forced herself into a casual walk but suddenly became aware that she was still in her swimsuit. “Oh, who cares. People walk out of here without changing all the time. No one will even notice,” she thought.
She slinked past the YMCA’s front desk, praying that the attendant wouldn’t notice that her hair wasn’t even damp, and in a moment’s time was out the front doors and into the parking lot. Unable to contain herself any longer, Kate bolted to her car, threw her bag on the passenger seat and locked the car doors.
With the adrenaline wearing off, Kate returned to her senses. “What am doing? I can’t just swipe someone’s shoes just because of stupid flashback.” But with that thought she felt compelled to look at them once more. She slowly opened the duffel bag, filled with a sense of regret, knowing full well that once her eyes fell upon those laces she’d never be able to give them back.
They were an exact duplicate of the pair she had worn all through her highschool basketball career. She always had big feet, and girl shoes just never seemed to fit properly. The other players used to tease her about them until that day she stepped out onto the court wearing those bad-boys. Air Jordan’s? Man, you could practically smell their envy. They were her trademark, borrowed from the greatest basketball player of all time of course, and she felt invincible every time she put them on for a game.
Until they failed her. Coming down hard after a lay-up, Kate felt that sickening pop as her ankle gave out and she crumpled to the ground in agony. When she got out of the hospital, Kate had been so furious with herself and the world that she threw away those shoes like they were cursed. But it really wasn’t the shoes’ fault. If that big oaf, Stacy Hildebrant, hadn’t gotten in the way she would have landed fine. Then she would have gone on to play college-ball, maybe have even gone pro. Instead, she ended up with six pins in her foot and spoiled dreams.
Returning to the present, Kate realized she had been crying. That future that never was still haunted her, but for some strange reason holding those shoes now gave her comfort. Whoever had left them in that locker was careless, and didn’t deserve them in the first place. She would give them their proper respect and make sure they stayed like new forever. Besides, Kate knew that they weren’t just sneakers; they were a time-machine to a past where she was a superstar and her prospects were boundless and full of promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment