The Last Match

The cable had been cut three days ago when Elena moved out, taking with her the premium package and my will to care about entertainment. I sat in the dim light of the living room, scrolling through streaming services I'd resisted subscribing to for years, when my phone buzzed.

"Padel at seven?" Marco's text read. "Court 4. Your old friend Raul's in town."

I hadn't seen Raul since his divorce last year—the messy one where his wife revealed she'd been sleeping with his business partner for three years. We'd been friends since college, the three of us, until Raul's life became a cautionary tale about blind trust and the people we let closest to us.

The padel court smelled like rubber and desperation. Raul looked thinner, his expensive watch replaced by a simple band. He moved with aggression, smashing balls against the glass walls, playing like he had something to prove to someone who wasn't there.

"She's getting married next month," he said between points, breathing hard. "To him."

"That's fast," Marco offered, volleying weakly.

"Bullshit," Raul spat, sending a ball ricocheting off the back wall. "They were probably together before. I just didn't want to see it."

Later, over drinks that tasted like regret and lime, Raul laughed—a genuine sound that surprised me. "You know what the funny thing is? I feel like I've been chasing this bull my whole life. The promotion, the house, the perfect marriage. And now that I've been thrown off, I realize I never even liked the ride."

Marco's phone rang. His wife. He stepped away, leaving us alone.

"I never told you," Raul said, staring at his drink. "That night you found me at the bar, three sheets to the wind? I wasn't just upset about the divorce. I'd found out you were right about the accounting. About everything. I just didn't want to admit it."

I remembered that night. I'd told him his business partner was shady, that the numbers didn't add up. He'd called me jealous. I'd never mentioned it again.

"Why tell me now?"

He shrugged. "Because you're still here. Still my friend. And I realized that's worth more than all the rides."