Tennis

   It was several months after starting my current job when I started practicing tennis in the courts by Barnes Jewish Hospital.  I couldn't tell you why I started going there.  But the courts were never busy so it worked out fine.  Oh and this post has nothing to do with tennis.

   One day practicing my serve in front of the hospital I had 3 guys ask me to join them for doubles.  I don't get many invitations.  At all.  And if you're reading this you know why.  But no matter how many times I replay that invitation in my memory it looks legit.  I can't find anything suspicious  or any red flags.

   There's nothing out of the ordinary at all.

   There really isn't.

   But a part of me keeps saying there is and why don't I see it?

   I have no reason to say anything but nice things about those 3 guys.  I was happy to be playing tennis against other people and not a wall.  Before they finished playing and went home one of them mentioned going to bars.

   And that was it.

   Except 1 of the guys gave me his number and we setup a time to play tennis again.

   There aren't any power lines involved in this post but it gets just as strange.  It started a week prior to playing doubles with the 3 guys (so back up just a little).  Something was said in a conversation at work that stuck with me.

   It wasn't said to me and probably had nothing to do with this situation.

   What was mentioned was making use of "outside help".  Pretty silly comment to get stuck on but that's the one.  And now red flags all over the place...

   My new tennis partner wanted to talk about:

• Work
• He definitely didn't like his boss (though when he finished talking negatively about him he specifically said he liked his boss)
• Said his boss "didn't know what he was doing".
• Health
• Seemed to want to discuss my health insurance though - not his.
• Mentioned marijuana and there being other/worse things that he should or shouldn't do.

   Now that I've made this list I  have a guess as to what he was up to...

   He was making suggestions.

   Extremely roundabout suggestions about topics he wanted to influence me on.

   He was there as a warning.

   Something I tend to like when someone cares enough to walk up and explain a warning as it's given.

   You can safely assume I strongly disliked him being used that way.   He didn't like being used to do it  either (maybe he was compensated in some way for being nice and asking me to play tennis?) and I don't think he knew any more than I did.

   Why do I think he was doing someone else's work for them?

   Right after he won the first X out of Y sets (it's been a few years and I don't remember those actual numbers) and made so many odd suggestions I asked to play again.  Except I asked without trying out the question in my head a few times first.  So what I asked him was:

   "You want to try it again?"

   He reacted immediately in the most confusing and backward way.

• Turned even whiter.
• Eye's opened in surprise and framed the perfect deer-in-the-headlights look.
• Then froze in place where he stood.

   I immediately felt like I needed to clarify so added something about a rematch at tennis.

   He blinked and was fine.

   We played a few more sets but didn't try to setup another time.

   I only saw him 1 other time after that.

   Where was that and why does it matter you ask?

   It was as I walked up to my office building at work.  He literally crossed paths with me (probably not by accident).  As a matter of fact I laughed as I saw him.  He had shaved so looked very different.  He also jogged a memory as he walked by of some sasquatch footage where the person in costume walked out of frame.

   So now I have several friends who are barely acquaintances.

   And they started giving me odd suggestions just like my temporary tennis partner did:

• "Moustaches are bad"
• Something about "Daddy issues"
• "Red eyes" are caused by all kinds of things
• "Be transactional" - that I should give things with value in exchange for asking for anything

   With that kind of list you'd think I was born in the 70's.

   But the point is that someone else knew what had been done to me way before I did.

   It might have been nice to be told.

   A card goes through the mail for 20-some cents (make your own card to save on the cost).  An email goes through the series of pipes nearly instantaneously (nothing to save on).

   That someone didn't seem to have any issues letting other people know.  By which I mean sending them to my apartment full of suggestions.  All things that made no sense in a realistic or logical context.

   

   But like so many details I might have the point of that backwards.

   Maybe those someone(s) who know what was done to me and others would like to make their presence known.