The Seat Across the Carrom Board

After swim practice, Ivo usually spread dominoes across a table in the recreation center's snack room. When Farah joined his relay team, he saved her a seat and pushed a pile toward her. "We'll teach you our game," he said. Farah smiled, but her hands stayed in her lap.

The next afternoon, Farah carried in a square wooden board with a pocket at each corner. "Could we try carrom? I play with my cousins." She opened a box of smooth playing pieces and a larger disk called a striker. Ivo glanced at the dominoes. He had already arranged them for another round.

Coach Elena helped Farah set the board on an empty table. Two teammates wandered over, but Ivo remained in his chair. He liked being the person who explained things. On Farah's board, he couldn't even tell where to begin. When she looked toward him, he suddenly recognized the uncertain smile she had worn yesterday.

Ivo carried his chair to her table. "Will you show me?" Farah placed a card beside the board. Its heading read "Our Practice Round." Beneath a drawing, a caption explained, "Flick the striker toward a wooden piece." They would take turns trying to send the pieces into the corner pockets. Farah kept the red queen in its box because its special rules could wait.

Ivo pinched the striker between two fingers and lifted it. "It stays flat," Farah explained gently. She demonstrated a flick with one finger, then reset the pieces so he could try. His striker slid past its target and landed in a pocket. For their practice round, they had agreed that pocketing the striker would end a turn.

"I'm better at dominoes," Ivo muttered. His face felt warm. He almost stood up, but Farah was carefully lining up the pieces for the next turn. Yesterday, he had explained dominoes so quickly that she had barely touched one. He took a breath. "Could you demonstrate that flick again, more slowly?"

Farah rested her hand beside his and showed him how to aim. This time, his striker tapped a wooden piece into a pocket. Ivo grinned, then leaned closer to watch Farah's next shot. Soon he was asking about angles instead of watching the clock. Farah began telling funny stories about games with her cousins.

When another swimmer arrived, Ivo moved his chair to make space. "Farah can show you the flick," he said. "I'm still learning." The words no longer felt embarrassing. Farah slid the striker toward the newcomer and began explaining. This time, Ivo noticed how patiently she waited for a question.

Before they left, Ivo made a sign for the snack room: "Thursday: Farah's Carrom Table." He added a smaller line underneath: "Beginners welcome. That includes me." Then he asked Farah which day she would like to learn dominoes. "Friday," she said, tucking the sign safely beside her board.