‘Not really,’ Nora laughs.
Nora is head coach at Roebury, which accounts for the athletic physique she maintains, despite having two servings of dessert.
‘While we’re on the subject of tennis, I have something to ask you all.’ She tucks a strand of thick, dark hair behind her ear and hesitates. ‘It’s a bit of a favour.’
‘Is this something you’ve deliberately waited until we’re all a bit pissed for?’ Rose asks, intrigued.
‘Possibly,’ Nora admits, tentatively. ‘The thing is, there’s a problem at our club. An...imbalance. On the men’s side, we have tonnes of players of all abilities and an A team in the city’s top division. But the women are a completely different matter. Aside from a small core of very experienced players in their women’s A team, most of the others are . . . how can I put this?’
‘Crap?’ Jeff suggests.
‘Aging,’ she says. ‘Which is not the same thing at all, by the way. Skill and experience often count for more than speed and athleticism. The number of female members has been dwindling for years and it’s reached a critical point. We need to do something about it.’
‘Why are there so few?’ I ask.
Nora shrugs. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Everyone is just so busy these days, I guess. I’ve been banging on to the committee for ages about trying to do something about it, but things have really come to a head since the Women’s B team finished one place from the bottom of the league last year. They’ve got even fewer people now – which means if they carry on like this, the upcoming season will almost certainly be their last. I’ve come up with a few good incentives – a discount on membership, some free coaching sessions. But I guess I was hoping that . . . maybe you lot might help?’
She pulls the sleeves of her oversized jumper over her hands and looks at us hopefully.
‘Of course we will,’ Lisa says instantly. ‘I’ll get it straight on our school WhatsApp group.’
‘I’ve got a thirteen-year-old niece,’ Rose adds. ‘I’ll ask if she might be interested.’
Nora shakes her head. ‘Thanks, but it’s not teenagers we need. Basically, I need to recruit women of our age and . . .’ she looks around the table, ‘yourlevel.’
‘We don’t have a level,’ Rose points out. ‘None of us play.’
‘Lisa used to when her kids were little,’ Nora argues, turning to her hopefully. ‘You played really well last time I saw you on a court.’
‘That’s only compared with Brendan,’ she says. ‘His technique involved hitting the ball like he was swatting a fly then storming off in a mood if he was losing.’
There’s a short silence as I become aware that Jeff is glaring at me. ‘I can’t believe you’re sitting there –saying nothing,’ he says. I shift in my seat awkwardly.
‘You can play, Jules. You were really good.’
I want to kick my brother under the table when I see Nora’s wide, optimistic eyes.
‘I wasnotgood,’ I tell her.
‘You played in competitions at one point,’ he persists.
‘Yes, and it put me off for life.’ I turn back to Nora. ‘Please don’t get excited. I stopped playing tennis years ago. I really don’t like the game.’
He releases a sound from his mouth like that of a deflating bike tyre. ‘Youlovedit.’
I glare at him. ‘No. I did not. Anyway, how would you know?’
‘Look, I understand, I really do,’ Nora interjects, diffusing a family argument. ‘But this is what I’m up against. We’re all up to our eyes taxiing kids around to a dozen different clubs, working every minute of the day, being pulled in all directions. This is precisely why recruitment is a struggle. And I hesitated to ask because I knew all this, not to mention the fact that Rose has so much to deal with and now has her teacher training and—’
‘I’ll join,’ Rose declares.
Everyone turns to look at her.
‘Would your doctor say that’s okay?’ Lisa asks.
‘He specifically told me exercise will help with my rehab. Besides, it’s over a year since the surgery and I don’t mind admitting that the last twelve months have made me realise how short life is. We’ve all got people who rely on us, but sometimes we need to do something forourselves. When do these lessons take place, Nora?’
‘Sunday at 2.30pm and, once the evenings get lighter, Tuesdays at 5pm.’
