She caught the attention of many in the estate as soon as she moved in. Wendy was tall and had an hourglass shape. She was strikingly beautiful, and her car announced her financial success. She moved into the house at the corner next to the basketball court. The few gossipmongers in the estate found her to be a mystery.
They correctly guessed that she was in her early thirties. She had no husband or kids around yet lived in a four-bedroom maisonette. Her schedule was irregular, so they couldn’t accurately guess what she did for a living. She hardly contributed to the estate’s WhatsApp group, too, but when you saw her, she left an impression.
On the other end of the estate lived Harry and his daughter Nova. Harry was widowed when Nova was nearly four years old and hadn’t remarried. Nova was about twelve, and she enjoyed playing basketball. She was also at that stage where her feminine features were coming out.
Harry was among the eligible bachelors of the estate, and he’d stolen the hearts of many ladies, single and married. He was, however, very cautious about dating and ignored their advances. The ladies always wondered what he was looking for in a woman and how he’d survived that long as a single father raising a daughter. When they couldn’t find a reason, they started speculating but were never bold enough to say it to his face.
Wendy loved the move to the estate. It was a relatively quiet neighbourhood, even with many families with children. She mostly kept to herself save for the occasional ‘hellos’ with neighbours outside. Wendy enjoyed playing basketball but mostly saw the teenage kids and the men in the estate playing. She also spotted Nova playing many times.
Since Wendy lived next to the basketball court, she could easily see what was happening there. She quickly noticed that Nova timed when the court was empty to play. She didn’t see any other girl on the court. One day, she decided to join Nova.
“Hey, I’m Wendy. Would you mind if I joined you?”
“Hi, I’m Nova. Sure thing,“ Nova responded.
They shot a couple of hoops together. Then she invited Nova over to herself for a cold drink.
“My dad wouldn’t be too pleased, but thank you,“ Nova said shyly.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll pack a smoothie to-go for you. I make the best smoothies,“ Wendy said warmly.
When Harry returned home that evening, Nova told her about the new friend she had made at the court. Harry had seen Wendy several times but had yet to meet formally. He noted Nova’s excitement and was happy she had found someone to play with.
Nova went to the court a few days later, and Wendy joined her. After playing, Wendy told her she had something for her. She waited for Wendy outside beside her car as she went inside to get something.
“Here you go. I know the struggles of loving basketball when you’re a young, curvy girl. This should help you feel less conscious about your chest while playing,“ Wendy told Nova as she winked at her.
“Thank you,“ said Nova as she hugged Wendy in tears.
“We girls have to stick together,“ Wendy told Nova.
Harry noticed the sports bras’ wrappings when he got home in the evening. He casually mentioned it to Nova by asking where the papers came from. Nova shyly told him what had happened. Harry felt sad that he hadn’t noticed what was happening with his daughter. He felt inadequate as a father and was grateful that someone had brought it to his attention. He decided to meet Wendy and thank her.
The following day, he went to Wendy’s house. Nova took him. He took a bouquet and a bottle of red wine. They rang the bell, waiting for Wendy to come out.
“Hi, Nova,“ Wendy said warmly as she hugged her.
“Hi, Wendy. This is my dad,“ she said.
“Hello, Nova’s dad,“ said Wendy as she stretched out her hand for a handshake.
“I’m Harry. Nova has told me a lot about you, and I thought I should meet you and thank you,“ Harry told Wendy.
“In that case, come in,“ Wendy welcomed them into her home.
After sharing some snacks, Harry and Wendy talked as Nova started gaming on Wendy’s console. She was officially the coolest person Nova had met. They had so many interests in common.
“I hope you love flowers and, or red wine. I couldn’t decide which one to get you to thank you for, so I went with both,“ said Harry.
“I love both, actually, and you’re welcome,“ Wendy told him.
“I hadn’t noticed that she was struggling with that. It’s just me and her, and she doesn’t have too many women in her life, and I missed it, so thank you,“ Harry said sincerely.
“I see a lot of me in her at that age, so I noticed it immediately I played with her. I suspect that’s why she doesn’t play with the boys. She probably gets too many stares, and it can be uncomfortable,“ Wendy told Harry.
“She always said she thought they were too rough, and I didn’t think about it much, but you could be correct,“ Harry told Wendy.
“You’ve done a good job. She’s a wonderful and respectful girl; don’t be too hard on yourself,“ Wendy told Harry.
That began a wonderful friendship between Harry and Wendy. Nova and Wendy got closer as Wendy became like a mother figure to Nova. Wendy’s relationship with Nova took away Harry’s apprehension to date. He had always been afraid of dating someone who didn’t treat Nova affectionately. In addition to Wendy’s relationship with Nova, their friendship graduated to romantic partners. They became the centre of estate gossip for a while before people got used to their relationship.
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