The Goldfish at Court Seven

The goldfish at court seven swam its endless loop, unaware that between points, Sarah was watching it instead of Marcus. Three sets of padel with her almost-ex-husband's best friend, and she still couldn't tell if they were playing together or against each other.

Her iphone lit up in her bag—David again, asking if she'd signed the divorce papers. She let it buzz out.

"You're running hot," Marcus said, wiping sweat from his neck. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." She adjusted her grip. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Marcus didn't answer. He just served, the ball skimming the net, a perfect point.

The thing about bear attacks, the ranger had told them on that camping trip years ago, is that they happen when you're least expecting them. Not when you're making noise or carrying food, but when you're quiet, when you've let your guard down, when you've forgotten you're in territory that was never yours to begin with.

Sarah remembered David's face that night—the firelight, the way he'd looked at her across the flames. She remembered thinking: this is what happiness looks like, until it doesn't.

"David's leaving for Seattle on Thursday," she said after the match, sitting on the bench while Marcus packed his gear. "He asked if I wanted to come with."

Marcus stopped. "And?"

"I told him no." She watched the goldfish swim another circle. "But I'm not sure I told myself the truth."

Marcus sat beside her, their shoulders barely touching. "What's the truth?"

"That I'm tired of swimming in circles." Sarah took Marcus's hand, his palm rough against hers. "That I want to be the bear. The one who walks away like it knows something everyone else forgot."

Her iphone buzzed again—David, probably calling this time. She turned it off without looking.

Marcus squeezed her hand. "The marina court? Seven tomorrow morning?"

Sarah nodded, standing up. "Seven tomorrow."

She drove home with her phone still dark in her bag, the goldfish swimming its endless loop in her memory, and for the first time in years, she didn't feel like she was waiting for something to happen.