School Player

It started innocently enough with two of my team members approaching me to join them in a game of table tennis after they had secured the services of another to help them make it a doubles team. And then it began. 'Did you know she was in the school team back in primary school?' gushed one of my team mates on the experience of one those participating in the upcoming game. I think it’s in me not to like losing so I replied instantly ‘I was also a school player in my primary school’. ‘Wow really??!! That’s so impressive!’ ‘Yeah I used to play table tennis in the SCHOOL canteen.’ I added.

You should have seen the expression on my colleague’s face after I said that. I was not sure if she was still impressed or really just stun into silence. I would really like to go with impressed but given the conversation that had just transpired, being stun into silence would really be more appropriate. Just then another colleague who overheard the conversation chipped in, ‘You know, I used to play interschool table tennis, I played it with my friends from different schools at the nearby community centre.’ That just wrapped up all there was to the conversation. We decided it was best to leave her still standing stunned while we headed out for lunch. She should recover sufficiently after we are back.

School seemed such a long time ago and I really remembered those days where we would head to the school early just to catch an hour’s worth of ping pong or table tennis in the canteen just before the school starts for the day. Then there’s always time for a match just right after a paper during the finals examination or in between the breaks before the start of another paper. It was little wonder I never really went far when it came to good grades. My mom never really understood why her hard working son would go to school so early daily but still struggle for a pass grade. I hope she never gets to read this!

So anyway, word got around that we were going to have a round of ping pong right after work and more decided they wanted in. Death matches have been set up and balls of fury, I love that movie and Maggie Q of course, will be served come this Friday. We were talking about the upcoming game over lunch and one colleague lamented that she doesn’t play table tennis and another said we should play basketball because she’s better in that game.

I couldn’t resist it. With my greatest charm and grin, I turned to her and said ‘Basketball? I can play that. I used to be a school player.’