You and Tashi were the best players at Stanford. Not just out of the girls, but out of everyone. It was always you two against everyone else. You were doubles partners, you practiced way more than all the other girls, and you won more than all the other girls.

Until you got hurt. Until you tore your ACL and dislocated your patella. Nothing was ever the same for you since that tragic injury. You couldn’t play the game you loved. You couldn’t be in that special relationship you had with tennis anymore.

Tashi knew how much it pained you. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too. She saw how much you were affected by the injury. She was always there for you; always at your physical therapy sessions, always waiting for you to finish your weekly therapy, always trying to make you smile.

You couldn’t blame her for all her efforts. She was trying, trying so hard to be that support system you needed. And she was. She got you through the darkest time of your life. When you felt like you lost everything, Tashi was there to help you find your way back.

Maybe that’s why you couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Or maybe it was something you felt for her all along, and it’s why you married her, had a kid with her, and continue to coach her, ten years later.

Five-thirty in the morning. “Tashi, wake up. Let’s go.” You say to her softly, rubbing her back to rouse her from her sleep. She replies, mumbling “Yeah, yeah… I know.” She gets up, gets dressed, and the two of you head to the courts. It’s so early the sun hasn’t risen yet, but as she practices, it rises and warms up the day. She doesn’t necessarily need your coaching, which you both know. She’s the Duncanator, after all. But, who is she to deny you? She’d never stop you from helping her and supporting her in any way. And it's not like she's against the tough regimen she goes through everyday; she knows that it's how she stays at her best. She's still as amazing as she was when she was younger. Really, she'll never be worse.