In a heartwarming story emerging from the tennis courts near your house, your dad is currently explaining the rules of tennis to your girlfriend, and he appears to be happier than he’s ever been.
Aww! He’s found his happy place at last!
“I’ve never seen my dad look like this,” you told reporters gathered at the scene, where your dad – Jim – had taken your girlfriend – Genevieve – aside to explain the difference between the “doubles” and “singles” lines. “There’s a light in his eyes that I honestly haven’t seen since I was a child. There’s just something about explaining rules that makes him light up.”
Sources confirm that your dad didn’t originally want to play tennis, but as soon as your girlfriend let slip that she had never played before, he was all in and could not be deterred.
“He very loudly demanded that we play the next day,” you continued. “I think he was less excited to play tennis than he was to explain the rules of tennis.”
Back at the court, your dad had begun showing Genevieve exactly where and how to hit the ball in order to get it to go over the net. She seemed to be showing a courteous amount of interest, while he was displaying signs of mania.
“I think this life has been kind of hard on him, honestly,” you continued, smiling softly as your dad yelled at Genevieve to hit it harder into the upper left corner. “It’s nice to know that there are still ways to bring a smile to his face, even if it requires listening to him drone on for 30 minutes about the ‘momentum of a proper serve.’”
According to your mother, your dad’s passion for explaining stuff is nothing new.
“He never cared for poker,” she told you while watching your dad mirror Genevieve’s swing right over her shoulder. “As soon as you kids were old enough to learn how to play, though, he couldn’t wait to teach you. And in the process, yes, he developed a gambling addiction.”
Reporters had to break for a second to intervene, as your dad had started yelling at Genevieve with such fervor that she’d started crying.
“I don’t know why he’s mad at me, but he definitely is,” she told reporters through tears. “I guess I’m just happy I can bring him so much joy, though. It’s a really special moment for us.”
As of press time, you’d hit three rallies with your dad before he suggested you guys turn in for the day and instead play a card game no one else had heard of, such that he could explain the rules of that one, too.
