to do something
The lengthy discussion following The Intervention™ have shed light on quite a few things.
- Hermione’s anxiety
- The absence of positive social interactions with her age group
- The significant amount of time she is cooped in her room
- How these three happen to feed one another.
Her stomach churned on and on and she felt queasy still but after everything was said, Hermione was, if nothing else, determined to do something about the situation. Steeling her nerves, she reached for the sport pamphlets her parents eagerly provided.
( Why sports you wonder? You see, Jean and Robert are very much concerned with Hermione's desk-bound lifestyle. As proud as they are of her stellar academics and ravenous appetite for knowledge, they’re not unaware of the outcomes of such an inactive way of life.
Heart diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, to say nothing of back pains and strains.
No, a sport it must be. )
After reading through dozens of those brochures and some very serious consideration, the family of three selected five extracurriculars to further examine. Two soccer classes, one for tennis, one for volleyball and the last being basketball.
While Hermione held no particular like or dislike toward these sports, the volleyball coach Teresa Ruth had her earlier indifference all but shriveling up like an apricot in the sun.
From her neat appearance, to her amiable smile, to the hearty way she spoke, her refreshing earnestness, her passion and love for the sport, Hermione’s mental scale was quickly tipping in favor of Volleyball.
The middle aged woman’s main concern was turning the sport into a delightful, gratifying experience and giving the children a solid base to build upon.
Considering Hermione had never done volleyball before, this suited the Grangers just fine.
As such, when a day later their precocious daughter presented the enrollment form for Coach Ruth’s class, Jean and Robert had nary a reason to refuse.
Volleyball checked all the boxes : a physical activity, built on teamwork and communication, the gym was clean and equipment well maintained, the class hadn’t started yet so there was no fear of getting left behind, Coach Ruth was straightforward and dedicated to the well being and safety of the girls and Hermione was taken with it all.
And that was that.
October of the year 1989 announces itself through howling wind.
Hermione learns how the drop in temperature reduces auxin production, said hormone decrease strains the abscission layer causing the bond linking leaf and branches to weaken.
Which explains why their streets are all but crisp orange, flaming red and dying brown.
Hermione is made busier with her new routine. Being ten of age, she was slotted into The Sunshine Smashers. They met three times a week : Tuesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning.
No matter her parents’ encouragement and Coach Ruth's amiable disposition, the jaded, cynical part of her - a most preponderant voice - was gearing up for another gargantuan disaster.
For history to repeat itself, as it wont to do.
(For Elizabeth to show up and remind her in that awful sneering voice of hers that no beaver teeth, bushy haired, detestable know-it-all was worth enduring let alone befriending.
For Riley to pop up with the infamous bushy, rumpled, filthy, mop they had named Hermione. In your honor, she’d croon with all the innocence of a persistent offender.
For Hazel to creep on her, sneaky as she is, and pour the janitor’s bucket on her hair. Look at you matching! You’d think they were sisters! would cheer the quietest of the lot, ever so proud of her artistry.)
Should that come to pass, she hoped to at least exit the gym with as much dignity as she can salvage and not, say, pray to the porcelain god in front of the masses.
Thankfully and surprisingly, nothing happened.
(For now. She’s dreading the moment the other shoe drops.)
For all that nausea made itself snug in her esophagus on her first day among The Sunshine Smashers, and her palms were sweating out a river (eccrine sweat glands her memory had provided unhelpfully) and her stomach made her horribly off-kilter, it– well, it went smoother than she expected.
Her soaking wet shirt and hair had more to do with her body releasing heat to maintain its optimal temperature during exertion, than the foul content of a cleaning water bucket.
Speaking of exertion.
The Sunshine Smashers class of 1989 had been, for the first two weeks, the ill-prepared recipient of Coach Ruth’s Warm-Up plan.
When Teresa Ruth stated her mission was to lay and consolidate the groundwork, she meant that.
Seldom had Hermione run as much as she did, which rather explains why her stamina was nonexistent.
High Knees, High Knees Lateral, High Knee Hugs, Quad Stretch, Baby Skips, Speed Skater, Hopscotch, Volleyball Shuffle, Sumo Shuffle, Front Straight Leg Run, Toy Soldier and so on.
They take plenty of breaks, during which Coach Ruth encourages them to drink water but not too much, and walk a bit around the gym. She assures them it gets better, as their bodies gradually adapt to the rhythm and the effort. She explains why it is crucial to have a good warm up routine and the consequences when one skips it.
For all that her muscles are screaming and her lungs ready to go on strike, Hermione isn’t so keen on cramps and sprains.
The last thirty five minutes of their session is spent playing volleyball related games, to get familiar with the ball, before they go further. And as volleyball is a team sport, the class breaks up in groups. This is how Hermione meets Sophia Attal and Hafsa Nazir.