and the injuries each had sustained. At the end of each session, she spoke with them to wrap things up.
“My job is to help improve the function and mobility in your back. To help you begin to walk more fluidly. I’m also here to help relieve the pain and teach you exercise and pain-management techniques. We’ll run some general exercises today, testing your strength, balance, coordination, posture and muscle performance.”
He sighed and rolled his eyes.
Oh. No. He. Didn’t.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hightower, but am I boring you? Does the discussion of how I plan to help you with your back bother you?” She knew her tone was snappy, but she couldn’t help it.
He sighed again. “I heard all of this from my doctor. I know what a physical therapist is supposed to do, so can we get to it and just do it?”
Oh. Yes. He. Did.
How could she have been so wrong about a person? This impatient, irritable man was nothing like she had imagined, nothing like the man she had dreamed of him being. She almost wished she had never met him. At least then she would still have her sweet version of him to think about.
She plastered on her most professional smile. “Fine. I can explain as we go along.”
You surly sourpuss of a man!
Once she started working with him, things went somewhat smoothly. As long as they didn’t try to have a conversation, they were fine.
After working with him on balance, coordination and trying to get him used to moving around without the cane, she decided to try another shot at small talk. They had three months of therapy to get through, after all. It would be nice if they could build at least a cordial working relationship.
Basketball!
What man didn’t like to talk about sports? And the Nets and the Knicks were both having great seasons. As a Jersey guy, he was bound to be a fan of one of those teams.
Being a Chi-town girl, she personally liked the Bulls over all teams. She had been a fan since the days of Michael Jordan and she believed he was the greatest player to have ever played the game.
No one compared. No one.
And she included the Bulls in her prayers at least once a week—two or three times during the play-offs—in hopes the team would return to its former glory.
But she could squelch her fandom to reach out to a patient. She didn’t hate the Nets or the Knicks. She could tolerate those teams and their fans. As long as he wasn’t a Lakers fan or God forbid a Phoenix Suns fan, they could have a nice conversation.
“So, what do you think about the Nets?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think about them. I’m not really a fan of the team.”
“Oh, so you’re a Knicks fan?”
“Knicks? No way. That’s my brother Lawrence’s favorite team. I can’t stand them. They invent new ways to lose a game. Sorriest team in the league, well minus the Chicago Bulls, who haven’t seen a good year since that highly overrated ball hog Jordan left.” He laughed.
The hair stood up on the back of her neck and her lip twisted to the side.
Did he just call Jordan overrated and the Bulls sorry?
Her mind did a rewind as she replayed his blasphemous words in her mind. Sure, she’d wanted him to lighten up so they could connect, but…
“Actually, I’m a former Lakers fan. Now it’s all about the Suns. Shaq Diesel will go down in history as the best to ever play the game.” He flexed an arm muscle and nodded.
She could only assume he was trying to convince himself that the nonsense he was spouting was somehow true.
“On what planet? You must be delusional. Even if Michael Jordan had never played the game, Shaq would hardly qualify as the best to ever play it. And really…the Lakers? The Suns? That just lets me know you don’t have a thing to say about the sport worth listening to.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she winced.
She turned and looked at him and saw he was staring at her with a perplexed expression.
“So, because I like a different team and don’t think Jordan hung the moon, then I just need to shut up?”
Well, when you say it like that, it does sound kind of harsh.
She took a deep breath.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Mr. Hightower, “yes, shut up!” He made her mouth go on extra-overload saying things she would have never said to a patient, ever.
Her father used to take her to see the Bulls when she was a kid. After he was gone, she still watched all the games on television when she could. It had been the one thing she could do to remain close to him.
However, she could maybe, possibly, put her feelings on hold for a minute.
“No, of course you don’t need to shut up. You can certainly voice your opinions, no matter how woefully misguided they are.”
Now, see, you could have left off the woefully misguided part, Samantha, she told herself.
“How about we just leave basketball alone?”
“That’s probably a good idea.” She used her fake but very professional smile again. “So, I want to try a little electric stimulation today. It’s one of the methods we use to relieve pain.”
It was better to just stick to the basics with this guy. The only thing they seemed to have in common was getting him well.
Chapter 2
Driving back to his town house in Passaic Park with his brother, Joel couldn’t stop talking about his physical therapist. She was certainly great at what she did. In one session, she had put him through more activity than he’d seen in months, and it seemed like the more irritated she became with him, the more she did.
He had a feeling Lawrence was a little bit tired of him talking about Samantha Dash, but every time he thought he was done, he would remember something else.
By the time they were sitting in his living room watching a basketball game on his large flat-screen television, he remembered the horrified look on her face when he had made his comment about Michael Jordan. You would have thought he’d said the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus should be executed at the firing range.
She rebounded quickly though. Yes, Samantha Dash seemed to be quite the trouper. He smiled.
“What are you grinning about now?” Lawrence studied him a little too intently before shrugging. “You got anything to eat in this place? How’re we supposed to watch the game with no snacks?”
“There’s some stuff back there. You know Mama and Aunt Sophie have been trying to outdo one another by keeping my fridge and my cupboards full.”
Lawrence’s eyes lit up. Although all of his brothers
