i started playing racquetball with a friend of mine about a month ago. he has a couple of racquetball courts at his apartment complex.

the other day, i'm waiting on my friend to get there, and i decided to start stretching in the grass.

i'm listening to the counting crows on my ipod as loud as it will go, and in the familiar "hurdler stretch" position, lying on my back with my eyes closed.

after about a minute, someone taps me on the head and scares the everloving piss out of me. i look up to see a 50-something-year-old man who is a complete stranger to me.

he says, "are you alright?"

i reply, "yeah, i was just stretching for some racquetball."

he chuckles and says, "oh, i thought you must have had a heart attack by the way you were lying."

i smiled and said, "no, but check on me in a few hours, the day is young."

he looked at me with a very peculiar expression on his face and walked away.

i thought, "Fuck you, dude."

and then i thought, "wouldn't it be ironic, if he actually scared me so much from checking to see if i had a heart attack that i actually had a heart attack."

then i lost seven straight games of racquetball and came home,


scott