In the Nick of Time

In the Nick of Time

This is a story of an ordinary high school guy. The story of a basketball hero. A story that took event several years ago.

The wind was blowing mildly and the day was a bit cloudy. Kennedy was on his way to another basketball practice at the school gym. As usual, he arrived just on time again.

“Okay, let’s start!” –Eddie enounced. Eddie was their team’s captain. Basketball practice started immediately.

Kennedy was giving his best just as his teammates were. Before long, the gym bell rang. Basketball practice was over. Kennedy went on his way home but his teammates decided continue practicing for a few more extra minutes because the inter-school basketball league was opening soon.

“He’s the only one that doesn’t practice extra hours. I wonder why?” –Eddie thought.

Several instants passed and soon it was another day. Kennedy arrived at school promptly. He did his studies and it was soon recess. His teammates who were also his classmates, were talking all about basketball. He was the only one who looked liked someone who wasn’t interested in the topic at all.

After a while, it was dismissal time. He and his team went on their way home. They were not living very far from each other. They just ate their lunch then went back to school for another session of ball practice. All of the members of his team arrived ahead of time again for except him. Just as before, he arrived just exactly on time.

A few moments later, practice was over. He seemed like he was not interested in extra practice time and went on his way home. Eddie was baffled at why Kennedy is the only one who looked like someone who isn’t interested in basketball at all. Kennedy is the only one in their team who doesn’t participate in extra practices.

Eddie decided to follow Kennedy to find out why he was like that. He was following from a distance so that he would not be detected.

He saw Kennedy leaving home again after changing to a more casual clothing from his basketball jersey. He trailed him and saw him entering a donut shop. “A donut shop? This is where Maya is working part-time!” –Eddie reckoned.

From the look of things, Kennedy looks like a slacker and looks like all he is paying attention to is his crush. He looked like he was not eager to help his team win the upcoming league.

Several weeks continued. Kennedy was always doing the same. He was always out of the gym on dismissal time while his teammates spent extra time and he was always on the donut shop where Maya worked. His teammates had known this but they did not make a big fuss out of it. They just allowed him to do that.

A few more weeks on, and the tournament opened. His team was supposed to be playing on the first game on the league but something was stopping them. They had a problem.

“We haven’t paid our entrance fee completely yet. The amount we need to pay is six thousand pesos, we’ve only paid four thousand so far. We need two thousand pesos more. Oh my, where will we get it at this time?” –Eddie stated to his team. They all looked gloomy and sad. “Well I guess, we just have to go home now. We can’t play because of our remaining balance. Let’s just go home and get some sleep.” –He expressed.

Then, after a while, just as they were going to leave the stadium premises, Kennedy came and handed over a couple thousand bucks to Eddie. “C’mon team, let’s groove it!” –Kennedy said with a big smile on his face.

They then used the money to pay for the rest of their entrance fee. The team suddenly had a burst of hope in them. They were determined to win this game.

The team played the game very well. They did not reach the championship but the tourney left them some nice memories to cherish.

Kennedy wasn’t being a sluggard after all. The reason why he was not able to give extra hours to basketball practice was because he was working at the donut shop. He was working there so that he could help his team in its financial needs.

So, don’t judge others based upon what you see on them because you don’t know what is in their hearts. What do you know, secretly, they could be preparing themselves to help you out when you most need them, right in the nick of time!

Note: All character names and the storyline used in this short story were of my imagination. They don’t exist in real life. Likenesses are partly intentional.