F or a while I dealt with the girls and women in groups only on the basketball court. Now it seemed I was going to have a little one-on-one time with Yael.
Yael loved to be on the move but basketball just wasn’t her thing. Sometimes while I’d be teaching basic skills to the women’s group she’d ask if she could speed walk the perimeter of the court. It was distracting for me and more challenging to keep the others focused but being involved in three things at once was becoming second nature to me in Retorno.
Yael had received permission from the staff to go walking before breakfast but they required her to have a walking partner. Unfortunately none of the other women had any interest in exercise at that hour. Since I was a “sports coach ” she asked me if I’d join her. I couldn’t get to Retorno at that hour every day but I agreed to come once or twice a week when I could.
At first we talked about exercise fresh air and the names of the flowers and birds we saw. I didn’t want to pry or make her uncomfortable. She on the other hand started asking a million questions about me my background my family. I shared many things with her. In fact I found her a good listener and enjoyed my time with her.
