“We have everything a person could ever want right here!” he enthuses like he’s the mayor starring in a “Welcome to Elk Lake” commercial. He itemizes, “We have a lake, woods, several charming eateries, a movie theater, a bustling tourist trade during the summer months …”
My head bobs up and down like a bobble head on a speeding dashboard. I clear my throat and wait for him to take a breath. He doesn’t. “There’s Rosemary’s that makes the best cookies in town, the Elk Lake Lodge which has a lovely restaurant, there’s the country club that makes the best beer-battered fish I’ve ever eaten …”
It occurs to me that Johnathan Cooke’s idea of the perfect town is centered around his stomach. Which is probably why his girth has increased so much over the years. “Johnathan,” I interrupt him before he can regale me with tales of his favorite burger from the diner, “I was wondering why we don’t have a girls’ basketball team.” I remind him, “We used to when I went to school here.”
“Girls’ basketball?” he asks like I just introduced a foreign concept. A look of confusion takes over his features.
Nodding my head, I assure him, “It’s a thing.”
He presses his lips tightly together before saying, “I don’t think we have any girls interested in basketball.”
“We do. Leah Flynn scrimmaged with the boys’ team this morning. She says she has several friends who want to play.” I add, “They’re coming to practice today, if you want to stop by.”
“Is that so?” Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Johnathan finally confesses, “I don’t have the manpower to oversee a girls’ team. I don’t have the budget, either.”
I can’t help but wonder, “Why do schools always prioritize boys’ sports over girls’ sports?”
His eyes widen like I just asked him the meaning of life. “Well … I suppose …” He finally settles on, “It’s just always been that way.”
“Maybe so, but what if the girls are better than the boys? Don’t you want Elk Lake to be known for something other than the food we have to offer?”
“Arethe girls better than the boys?” he asks anxiously.
I shrug my shoulders. “Leah Flynn is just as good as her brother and she’s two years younger.”
Clearly surprised by that knowledge, Johnathan says, “She’s just one girl though. What about the others?”
“Again, why don’t you stop by practice and see for yourself?” Even if Leah is the only girl with talent, it seems fair that the girls are given an equal opportunity to shine. Or in the case of our current boys’ team, fail.
“I guess …”
He doesn’t seem the least bit sold on the idea, so I suggest, “How about if the person you hire to take the English teacher’s job is brought on with the understanding they will also be the girls’ basketball coach?”
His expression is so comical, you’d think I just asked him to conjugate verbs in Swahili. “I don’t think there are that many women who play basketball.”Does this guy live in the nineteen fifties?
“First of all, a lot of women play basketball. Secondly, youdon’t have to hire a female coach,” I tell him. “Men can coach girls just as well. I just won’t have the time.” That’s when an idea suddenly hits me. “My sister’s friend from childhood used to play high school ball.”
His unruly eyebrows furrow. “Does she live in Elk Lake?”
“She does,” I tell him.
“Is she looking for a job?”
“Maybe.” I don’t know where Allie currently works, or if she even does. It sounds like she might have moved home to nurture a broken heart, which for all I know might be all she can take on.
“Can she teach English?” he wants to know.
“Couldn’t tell you, Johnathan. But I know she graduated from college. If nothing else, I’m sure she would make an adequate sub.”
While not excited about Allie’s coaching prospects, the principal does seem pleased she might be a candidate to fill the English teacher position. “Why don’t you talk to her and see if she can come in for an interview?” he asks.
I suddenly wish I had kept my mouth shut. It’s not that I’d mind talking to Allie again, but I didn’t get the feeling she would welcome it. Also, I’d have to call my sister to get her number, and Lorelai is currently full of complaints about my apartment décor. Or rather, the lack thereof. I know she’s itching to redecorate for me, but I’m not interested in funding her little hobby. Especially when I like the rustic, college-boy vibe.
“Listen, Johnathan, I’ve got a gym full of kids ready to practice so I need to hustle.” I remind my boss, “Don’t forget to stop in and check the girls out for yourself.”
I can tell by the look on his face that he’s not going to, which really irks me. He’s the principal for Pete’s sake, and it’s his job to giveallthe students at this school a chance to participate in extracurricular activities.
I jog several yards to the gym’s entrance and am surprised by what I see when I open the door. There are seven girls on the court shooting hoops while eighteen boys sit on the bench gossipinglike a bunch of church ladies at a potluck. Approaching the bleachers, I demand, “Why aren’t you on the court?”
