/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.11014140]

Today I decided to try public reading for the first time since high school and the results were the exact same with a public of old people as it was with high school kids. Though, I did,t expect it to be, just shocked once more by the way you are looked down upon for such an audacious act.
I play pickleball on Mondays and Wednesdays with my Grandmother at a local church. Nice crowd, genuinely supportive people who have helped me to not only get better at a nitch sport but also build some much-needed confidence. Last week, Wednesday, I was playing and having the best game of my "season" to date. Getting the unusual compliments and looks from the one sweet nurse Anne. I put my elastic brace on my weak right knee (damn badminton back-peddle injury) and started my 4th game of the night. During the 3rd volley, or rally, I can't recall, I went to return a ball and-
No. Not *snap*, more *rolling out of place onomato*, there goes the right knee. Luckily for me, I not only was wearing my trusty Ace™ Elastic Strech Max Comfort Best Stability Brace but also in the company of two nurses, 3 ex-cops, a cancer surgeon and chiropractor (not to mention a Luthern Priest, his wife, and a nurseryman; but that joke is too "high-brow", even for /lit/) so I felt quite sure that I would make it through this alright. After waiting an hour for my grandma to finish playing, we went home and she set me up for a comfy night of relaxation and rest. The next day she drives me to my appointment to get this "thing" checked and informs me she has already been called by the pickleball director of the church (Carol the ex-teacher) to see how I am and hopes that I can make it back soon and healthy. This is when I hatch the idea of enjoying a nice book without the judgmental gaze of those I was silently ridiculed by in school.

[Anonymous No.11014190]

>>11014140
Days come and go as they have since before Adam, and upon reaching today when the next pickleball match is held I was already strong enough to walk on my own, without a crutch, up and down stairs even; provided I'm wearing the sturdy hinge brace insurance got me from the doctors. Grandma comes to give me a lift to the church with her friend, so I quickly grab the book I had planned to read in public: Fathers and Sons(1862) by Ivan Turgenev. The perfect book for this experiment. Unknown, yet not obscure. Russian, but not Marxist. Early, but not antiquated. I had read over half already from the previous week and was shocked to realize this but relieved because I had not only a firm grasp of the plot and theme but also it looks like I'm not just doing this for posterity's sake. My choice of Turgenev was primarily because I had never heard his name before in any sense of him being "controversial" or "extreme", just a simple Russian writing about how the times they be a' changin'. I was pleasantly shocked when greeting my grandma's friend to hear "How is your knee doing??" before even a "hello", and more so when she said "Oh, Turgenev? I read him years ago" come from her too. This gave me high hopes and that extra boost to read publically.
That is until I was sitting alongside the courts while the game was going on and kept being asked "Whatcha got there, smarts?"

[Anonymous No.11014207]

didn't read

[Anonymous No.11014222]

>>11014190
I knew to expect this question. Who doesn't? People have to mention the elephant in the room, right? I sat at the end and didn't read right away. Because of my injury and the call, I knew my pickle-pals would inquire about my knee's state, so I took in the "Ohhs" and "Awws" from old women and listened intently to the ex-cop and chiropractor who gave advice on how to not let this ruin my life. After the parade was over and games resumed as normal I pulled out my $6 dime-store copy of Fathers and Sons and set to work.
I was a challenge at first, I will admit, to be able to get back into the mindset of blocking out all noise around you to focus on what you're reading, causing me to re-re-read more than I'm used to. Eventually, though I caught on to distracted-reading as if I was sitting out of gym class again with the previous injury. The ball flying past, wondering if I should grab it for them. Set changes where you have to tuck your feet in to not trip anyone. Looking up at the perfect time to catch a play that you can describe to the instructor later to not seem as though you're "missing out on class". I was in school again, heart and soul, but this also meant the ignorance that follows the "learned man like dying to the plague doctor" was still afloat.

[Anonymous No.11014285]

what the hell is pickle ball?

[Anonymous No.11014301]

>>11014222
The first instance to cross me was innocent Carol. LIke a teacher excited to see her student participating for the first time, she runs (walks quickly) up and recites the line she has said more than anyone there "What are you reading there?"
I freeze. What will she ask after? What If she knows this book better than the back of her hand and makes me look a fool before this game can begin. "Uhh.. Fathers and Sons" I respond, whilst closing the book over my fingers to show the cover. "Written by.. some Russian author" I forgot how to pronounce anything that hasn't been beaten into me since birth.
"O, I see" she says with all the enthusiasm drained from her. No excuse, no further comment, she walks away like a personal insult had just been directed towards her. "Strange" I wonder what could have caused this reaction, perhaps next time I pronounce his name for some pseudo-linguist or recall machine. My next opportunity to talk about the book was when Don, your typical goodhearted, early 50's, "gotta keep the blood pumping" dude who is the personification of a friendly dog comes over to check on me.
"Man, that knee is swollen, boy, can you walk?"
"hah Yeah Don, that's the brace I got. It's really strong, has hinges on the side and fits under my jeans, too."
"Well, sure seems to be working, you walked in here just great, can you play today?"
"Sadly, no. My MRI isn't until tomorrow. Doc just told me I most likely won't need surgery, and that in fact, my previous injury from school was much worse than this new one. In that instance, the doctor tells me, I actually managed to tear the knee cap's cartilage. It's healed now and this time I just, sort of, moved everything around."
"Haha, that brace you had did do wonders, you're the kinda guy that without any bad luck, you'd have no luck at all."
"You could say that" I reply, turning that new expression over in my mind as I move the book back center to my lap.
"Hey, what book you got there? Anything good?"
"Yes, actually, I've been enjoying it. Fathers and Sons: It was written during the mid1800's in Russia, set just a bit further back. Before their revolution. Shows the divide between the romantics of the Fathers and nihilist movement of their Sons. It.."
"Revolution? American Revolution" (I hope he was pulling my leg, sincerely)
"n-No, Russian. When they were still a monarchy, before the.."
"DON! YOU'RE UP!"
"Hey champ Ill talk to you in a bit."
"Alright Don, see ya then."
At this point, I was a little distraught, but anxious to read because I was learning about the "oh la la" of Madame Odintsova and her fan.

[Anonymous No.11014329]

>>11014301
There is no better feeling in the world than when you are out in public, reading a book you enjoy, and being able to casually look up and take small breaks between long stretches. It may not be the best way to appreciate the content of the book but gives reading a whole new level of comfy.
Soon it was prayer time, so the games stop for 5 minutes and we all sit on the side to listen to Carol read the prayer "Grandma's Hands" sent via e-mail by the ex-cop Dennis. Last week he printed out 10 full-color pictures of flowers to coincide with the prayer that we could flip through at our leisure. These were of great comfort last week while I sat there in mild pain waiting for grandma to finish her last few matches.
As we prayed, or, listened to the prayer rather, Purple Pete, the 82-year-old Iroquois Native folded his hands and bent forward far into his lap. One line of prayer read "Many times have I shook these hands in anger." and Pete let out a small "Huff" orally accompanied by the shake of his head. Short, Sharp, Shock. 82 years and 2 weeks old, his regret that he felt he should express out loud, what that of the anger that he put into his hands. He took a break after prayer and came to sit next to me.

[Anonymous No.11014344]

>>11014329
I didn't try to read this time. I merely watched where he was watching and he asked: "How's the ankle doing?"
"heh, Well, the ankle is great, but my knee has been giving me some trouble lately"
"Oh, that's right. How's your knee doing?"
"Great. Not the best, but better than when I fell. You see, the big problem I have is that it doesn't hurt. I almost forget I have a problem.."
"Until the problem reminds you."
"yeah.. Yeah, that's right, till I accidentally hurt it doing something too much, like getting out of bed or going upstairs."
"Don't rush. Only time will heal that wound. Time and effort. Cortozone shot helps too, I had one done, for my meniscus, years and years ago. Only needed one, but that's because I stopped running. I don't know if I ran. I ran every day, from 45 till about 5 years ago. Maybe 8. I had qualified for Boston, but, didn't go."
I'm silent for a second, taking it all in when he slaps his knee
"Oh, I see, because of the knee?"
"Yes, because of the knee. I miss running, it is an addiction like any other. Each day you wake up with the goal to run, and each day you don't, you feel you wasted the day."
"I'm here for kind of the same reason, I feel almost guilty if I were to not show up for a month or two, like when I missed football for my back"
"I see that, but no rushing, healing comes first, most of all."
"PETE, COME ON YOU'RE NEXT LET"S GO"
"Gotta go"
"Bye Pete."

[Anonymous No.11014364]

>>11014285
Old people tennis as far as I can gather

[Anonymous No.11014490]

>>11014364
yeah.
Good insight here
seeing inside all your minds and stuff
as really helped me to fully grasp
what it would actually be like
to be inside
your minds
looking inside.

I'm dull.

[Anonymous No.11014492]

>>11014140
>nitch sport
>nitch
You don't read at a high school level.

[Anonymous No.11014515]

>>11014492
niche*

[Anonymous No.11014614]

I enjoyed your story and I would have more to say if it wasn't 4am and I wasn't falling asleep

[Anonymous No.11014618]

>>11014515
Nietzsche

[Anonymous No.11014655]

What was Carol's problem?

[Anonymous No.11014721]

>>11014655
Not sure, really, but it was her birthday and we all had cake so I was gonna work that in somehow.
all based on true events

[Anonymous No.11014728]

>>11014618
"like 'knee'-'chaa'"
John Green answers the hard-hitting questions