China trip leads to trouble for local woman

by Glenn Houghton
Wednesday August 09, 2006

Strathroy’s Melissa Zinn is back at home after a fight to get out of China, where she had gone to teach English.

Strathroy Age Dispatch — Strathroy’s Melissa Zinn has a cautionary tale for young Canadians thinking of working abroad.
Her job teaching English in China earlier this year ended with a nerve-racking fight to get out of the country, damaging her health and leaving her and her family thousands of dollars poorer.
“I don’t sleep properly,” she said. “It has made me quite sick.”
“I was in constant fear,” she said. “I still wake up and think I’m in China and wonder if they’re coming to get me.”
“I just want people to know what can happen,” she said.
After graduating from a college program to teach English, Melissa said she had dozens of offers from several countries. The choice was easy for her, though, she said. “I always wanted to go to China.”
After looking at offers from a number of schools, she finally settled on one in Gongyi City of Henan Province. The school was run by the foreign overseas affairs ministry of the Chinese government. The school sounded good, she said, with good working conditions and comfortable accommodations.
The school administrators also promised to look after all of the paperwork needed for her stay in China. “They said that the only thing I had to worry about was getting my visa to get into the country. They would take care of the rest.”
But when she arrived at the school in February, she said she started to find things weren’t quite as promised. There were a lot of little things wrong that she brushed off, but there were larger issues too. “They breached my contract so many times.”
For example, the three Chinese assistants who were supposed to help her deal with her 2,800 students were rarely present. She said she felt very isolated as the only westerner at the school.
The school officials did everything they could to increase that sense of isolation, she said.
“They made it very hard for me to leave the school,” she said. “I was basically a prisoner there.”
They held her return airline ticket as a means of asserting control over her, she said. Then she found out in dramatic fashion that the school had broken another very important promise to her.”I found out I was illegally in the country.”
She said she had gone to the local police station with her fiance, Linus, an English teacher from another school, so he could have a routine verification done on his residency visa.
The police also asked to see her passport, she said, which was not a surprise because it happens frequently.”When you’re a foreigner, everywhere you go they ask for your passport.”
The surprise came when several police officers surrounded her, yelling and brandishing handcuffs. Melissa didn’t have the documentation attached to her passport to indicate that she had permission to stay and work in the country. Without it, she was not legally entitled to be in the country.
“I know this now,” she said. At the time, she said she had trusted the school officials when they told her that everything had been taken care of.
It was only through the intervention of another Canadian with diplomatic experience that Melissa avoided being taken into custody immediately, she said. Instead, the police decided on the spot that she would have to pay a fine, which she said worked out to about $2,000 Canadian.
Not having the money and not believing that she should have to pay the fine, she asked to be allowed to go to the Canadian embassy in Beijing to ask for help. Instead of allowing her to go to Beijing directly, though, the police granted her a pass to travel to the next police station along the route.
She said she worked her way to Beijing by going from one police station to the next on temporary passes, worrying at each stop that she would be arrested.
Finally reaching the Canadian embassy in Beijing, she said she thought she’d found a safe haven. Instead what she got was a cold shoulder from the embassy’s staff.
“They told me there was nothing they could do for me,” said Melissa. The embassy told her they could contact her family for her, but that was it. By this point, Melissa said all she wanted to do was go home.
The embassy said they couldn’t help her get the exit visa she needed to leave the country without being arrested.
They did sum up her situation for her very succinctly, though, she said.”They said you can’t leave or you’ll be thrown in jail, and you can’t stay or you’ll be thrown in jail.”
The embassy did give her a letter of support, she said, but it was ignored by Chinese officials.
Realizing she would get no support from her own government, Melissa said she really started to worry what would happen to her. The idea of being sent to a Chinese detention camp for an indefinite stay started to seem like a real possibility.
After being contacted by the embassy, Melissa’s family was able to send money to her by Western Union. That money saved her, she said.
With no ability to work, and not wanting to return to the school that had put her in the situation to begin with, Melissa said she was in a difficult position.
She couldn’t even be seen on the street because she feared she would be arrested the first time that somebody demanded to see her passport. She ended up having to stay in a hotel, paying with money that her family had sent. Because she was a foreigner, she said, the price for a modest room was about $300 a night.
As she continued to try to find a way to get home, and repeatedly tried to explain that it was the school that was responsible for her lack of a visa, she said was given two options -- continue to stay in China at her own expense and take the school officials to court to try to prove that they were at fault, or take the responsibility, pay a fine, and be granted an exit visa so she could go home. Going to court would have taken at least six months, she was told, or more likely over a year.
With the second option looking like the more likely way of getting out of the country, Melissa said she decided to take responsibility and pay the fine. She said she reported to the police station to confess, hoping that things would go as promised.
She said she underwent an interrogation by several police officers, but in the end she was told she would be allowed to leave if she paid a fine, as well as a fee for the exit visa. She also had to pay for her air fare home from China, because the schools still had her original return ticket. She said that despite the cost, she was relieved that she was being allowed to go home.
It didn’t stop there, however. On arriving at the airport, she said she was confronted by security staff who clearly knew who she was and were familiar with her situation. They demanded she pay another fine, which amounted to about $2,000, she said.”They said if you don’t pay, you’re not getting on that plane.”
She said she was fortunate enough to still have some money left from her family, so she just gave it to them and was able to get on the plane back to Canada, where she arrived in mid-July.
She said the experience has badly damaged her health, leaving her with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
It has also robbed her of any desire to go to another country, she said.”I will never, ever travel again.”
She said she would strongly advise other Canadians against going to China to work. For those who will go anyway, she said she has some simple advice.
“Make sure that you protect yourself because nobody else is going to protect you,” she said. Melissa said she feels that the Canadian embassy let her down badly. She said her fiance, who is from Cameroon, couldn’t believe the lack of support she got compared to how his embassy stood up for him and his countrymen.
Melissa advised people going to another country to make sure they have a reliable life line from home. “Make sure you have family at home that has extra money they can send you.”
“My family has done so much for me,” she said.”I can never repay them.”

back

     Eons ago, Earthlings were made when Snake-people crossed with Elf-people.  Earthlings even called themselves S-elf, but eventually forgot the reason why.  Then Earth was visited by frightening-looking Reptile people from another galaxy.  The Reptiles said to the innocent Earthlings: "We'll show you how to make all kinds of stuff, but you have to think like we say, and you have to do what we say".  Though the Reptilians were scary, they were also smart, smiled a lot, and acted really nice.  The Earthlings, being kind and loving, were happy to have some new and helpful friends.

     But the Reptile-people wanted to wreck Earth, just like they did to every other planet they landed on.  They just didn't tell this to the Earthlings...

     A few thousand years later, the Reptiles owned the whole world.  Using the Earth's body and blood, Earthlings made the stuff Reptiles told them to make.  This went on and on untill the Earth and Earthlings got sicker and sicker.  The Reptiles also made sure that Earthlings didn't get along anymore; they made them be afraid of one another, and gave them ideas on how they could even kill each other!  Some of the Earthlings had  a feeling that something wasn't right, and cried out into space for some help.  Their cries were heard.

     The Reptiles were happy: "Earth will be dead soon!", as they began replacing their ugly, scary bodies with the bodies of dead Earthlings.  You see, Earthling bodies are the most perfect and beautiful in the universe, but the Reptiles never told the Earthlings this. It looked as if the Reptiles would never be stopped.  Then, because the Earthling's cries were heard, things began to turn around...     

 

     It amazes me how things have changed on TV.  One of my all-time favourite shows ran from 1974-1979 on the conservative CBS network, a situation comedy called Good Times.  It was created by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin,  mavericks in the industry.  The show was a spin-off of All In The Family, which spun-off Maude (about a liberated woman), which spun-off Good Times. 

       Starring Ester Rolle (Maude) as the mother, John Amos (Roots) as the father, Ralph Carter as the youngest militant son, Michael.  BerNadette Stanis played sister Thelma, and Ja'net DuBois ('Love of Life') appearing as sassy neighbor Willona Woods.  Older brother JJ  was an aspiring comic book artist and painter, with then-unknown comic Jimmy Walker cast in the role.

     Good Times was a ratings smash right away, tackling issues like bullies, rent parties, gangs, crime, drugs, and under-employment.  Until that time, TV had never explored these controversial topics and hilarity ensued.  The show was set mainly in the family's tenement apartment, low budget, and well-lit in comedic TV- style.                            

      According to legend, the studio audience erupted into convulsions as Jimmy Walker stepped out on stage for the first episode.  Particularly funny where the exchanges between JJ and his sister Thelma.  The success of the show caught many by surprise.  I even had a t-shirt back then that said DYN-O-MITE! on it, because that was JJ's big laugh line on the show.

     Even though fans loved JJ, TV critics were less kind.  Newsweek said: "His beanpole body suggests a vitamin deficiency, his Silly Putty face flaps around a set of buck teeth that could have come from a joke store," TV Guide said. "He has the neck movement of an automatic sprinkler, and the bulb-eyed glare of an aggravated emu, all supported by a physique that resembles an inverted 6-foot tuning fork."  The show was becoming incredibly popular and reached the top 10.

     The Good Times were starting to go bad, however.  Esther Rolle and John Amos had become concerned the show was moving in a negative direction."The writers would prefer to put a chicken hat on J.J. and have him prance around saying 'DY-NO-MITE,'" John Amos blasted. "And that way they could waste a few minutes and not have to write meaningful dialogue." The lead actors were led to believe that the show would convey positive ideals for youth, and Esther Rolle insisted from the beginning that the family have two parents, even though CBS wanted the show to be about a single mother.

     In 1976, John Amos left the show, "I did not quit the show but was in fact fired," the acclaimed stage and screen actor tells TVparty. "I was informed by phone that I was considered a disruptive factor and that my option would not be picked up for that season or any other episodes." JJ became a greater focus of the show, and in 1977, Ester Rolle walked off the stage.

      The show went from a two-parent family to a no-parent family, with neighbour Willona Woods popping in to check on the Evans kids.  The show then introduced a young Janet Jackson (wardrobe malfunction) as Penny, a  girl adopted by Willona who came from an abusive family where they burned her with an iron and other cruelties. It was the departure of the lead characters which force JJ to grow up, ironically, and JJ landed a job as an artist at an ad agency to support the family.

     Ratings began to slide and Ester Rolle returned to the show but it didn't help.  On the first episode of the

1978 season, JJ lost his job and became associated with drug dealers to support the family.  He also became engaged to a heroin addict who was hiding it from the loveable JJ.  He found out and was devastated, breaking off the marriage plans.

     It was too late to save the Evans family, and by April 1979, the final episodes ended in a rare high note with Michael going to law school, Thelma meeting the love of her life and JJ selling his comic strip.

     Today, TV is filled with 'Reality Shows', but Good Times was one of the first and last reality shows.

    

 

I remember when we met

Past, Present and Future

All in one moment

Man meets Woman

Did you miss me?

Yes, but I never left

You were the one

I was waiting for

When I first saw you

I had a feeling

We had known each other before

"Where have you been?"

"Who are you now?"

We have catching up to do

Do you know how much I still Love you?

I must slow down

I am moving too fast

This time I want our Love to last

I Love you now

As I Loved you in the past

Please don't hurt me this time

Or my soul will be cast

Into the void once more

Drifing alone on the Ocean 

In search of a shore

 

Babylon System-  Bob Marley, 1979.

 

We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be
We are what we are
That's the way it's going to be, if you don't know
You can't educate I
For no equal opportunity
Talking about my freedom
People freedom and liberty

Yeah, we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Rebel, Rebel
We've been trodding on the
Winepress much too long, Rebel

Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the children day by day
Me say the Babylon System is the Vampire
Sucking the blood of the sufferers
Building church and university
Deceiving the people continually
Me say them graduating thieves and murderers
Look out now
Sucking the blood of the sufferers

Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth
Tell the children the truth right now
Come on and tell the children the truth
(repeat)

'Cause we've been trodding on
The winepress much too long
Got to Rebel, Got to Rebel Now

We've been taken for granted
Much too long, Rebel
(repeat)

From the very day we left the shores
Of our father's land
We've been trampled on, oh now
Now we know everything we got to rebel
Somebody got to pay for the work
We've done, Rebel

    Energy is defined as "the ability to do work".  This is true, but there's more to energy than serving fries, counting money and digging graves, isn't there?  Where do we, the human animal/angel get our energy from?

Flashback please:

 

                   " A Famous Inventor, Picturing Life 100 Years from Now, Reveals an Astounding
                       Scientific Venture Which He Believes Will Change the Course of History

     Lately my friends come over and  gather 'round the computer for a session of Hot or Not.  Its all about the 'Hot' these days, as you are probably aware, and this website is another extension of the 'Hot' kulture.  Hot or Not allows the visitor to vote on a face picture that men and women submit. The voter submits a number of 1 to 10 in 'hotness', 10 being 'hottest'. I always feign disinterest initially, but when my friends get into the voting, it becomes the proverbial car wreck where you can't help but look. 

     Seems like eveyone pretty much agrees on who's hot and who's not. I noticed it doesn't take them long to make their decisions, though at times there is serious debate about who should get a higher number or one deserving lower. The jokes start flying and Hot or Not can be really funny, but its at the expense of someone's looks.  If some of those Hot or Not people could hear the comments about them...Is this bad???

From : Folk Medicine. D.C. Jarvis M.D., 1958

 

     "The advantages of civilization are many, but it has disadvantages also.  The lack of mineral-bearing food is a major disadvantage.  The composition of the human body being mineral, it is of utmost importance that it should be maintained by the needed minerals.  Ocean kelp furnishes such a maintaining agent...Though our diets are mineral-deficient because the soil is mineral-starved, fortunately we know where these mineral riches have gone.  Every year, every day, as our soils become more impoverished, the seas become richer in these minerals...Some maritime nations, however, like the Japanese, the Irish, and formerly our coastal Indian tribes, have been large consumers of edible seaweeds.  It should be noted that, because of this diet, certain deficiency diseases have been very rare or entirely absent among these peoples.

     At Cornell University, Professor Cavanaugh showed me his experimental work with kelp on white Leghorn hens, which demonstrated how much their health could be improved by a food supplement in the form of sea kelp and how much better their eggs were.  Later Professor Cavanaugh made a study of the influence of kelp on the healing time of fractures when kelp was taken each day. This study disclosed that the healing time of fractures could be reduced 20 percent by having the patient take kelp each day and that kelp raised the blood calcium.

     The composition of the human body and the composition of seven gallons of sea water are the same.  In view of this fact it would seem practical to turn to the sea in order to supply the mineral needs of the body.  We shall materially step up this process if we take one 5-grain kelp tablet each day.  This is a simple , effective means of avoiding the mineral-deficiency conditions which appear in the human body when we eat only land-grown foods, which all too prevalently are grown in mineral-starved soils."

 

wordz took flight

meant to delight

ear of the beholder

shapes the sounds into a fight.

Labels are easy for someone else

How would you describe yourself?

See me for who I almost am  

I'm unconvinced you even can

I'm not your  'Once-upon-a-time-Man'

See me as I really be

a swirling, pulsing flesh body

just like you

who is longing to be free!

green veil  jealousy

over our eyes

evil prevents us from REALIZE

 

 

Woodstock-  Joni Mitchell

 

I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him "Where are you going?"
And this he told me
"I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
I'm gonna join in a rock and roll band
I'm gonna camp out on the land
And try and get my soul free"

CHORUS #1:
         
We are stardust, we are golden
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden

Huy do  do do do do do  huy do  do do do do do
Huy do  do do do do do  huy do  do do

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it's the time of man
And I don't know who I am
But you know life is for learning ...CHORUS #1

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation ...

CHORUS #2:
We are stardust, billion year old carbon
We are golden, caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden

 

Linda Goodman's Star Notes, June, 1989

 

"Have you noticed the growing mis-use of 'that' and 'who' in recent books , magazines, newspapers, television news, and talk shows?  Using 'that'when 'who' is correct almost seems to be a plot to turn humans into robots.

     The word THAT is correctly used when describing one or more inanimate objects, such as: "the cars that were sold yesterday".

     The word WHO is correctly used when describing one or more humans, such as: "the soldiers who returned from Vietnam", or "the Democrat who voted against raising taxes".

     It seems today nearly everyone is guilty of the error of substituting THAT for WHO when referring to humans.                                                   CORRECT                                                    

                                        "the group of Feminists who marched"             

                                            "all the Republicans who attended"                    

                                              "the man who forged the papers"                   

 

                                                               INCORRECT

                                          "the group of Feminists that marched"

                                            "all the Republicans that attended"

                                             "the man that forged the papers"

 

     You see what I mean?  This incorrect usage grates on my ears, but evidently doesn't sound wrong to those who continually abuse it, sometimes as often as 10 times a night in a single newscast.  I hope it doesn't gradually sneak into the language, as errors occasionally do- and become accepted usage.  Join my movement to keep 'that' and 'who' in their proper places, won't you?"

 

Louder than the trains that go by unrelenting, I woke up to the commotion of  party people two doors down the hall at 8:30 this beautiful blue-sky,morning.  Panic and Terror were visiting today. Their shouts bounced off the walls and  I looked  down into the alley.  My view was like a helicopter skycam flying low, capturing the carnage for the 6 o'clock news.  One guy was on the ground,  as another, standing, kicked him in the jaw. The receiver of the kick, who fancied himself a butcher of men, looked  like a cartoon character who just got hit with a sledge-hammer, tiny spinning stars circling his head.   "You stabbed my buddy, you stabbed my buddy!" the kicker screamed, scarlet outrage splattered off his words.  Then 4 of them gathered at the southwest corner behind the building to see how badly injured their buddy was.  One held a long metal bar and they frantically discussed more retribution. Little men.  The 'victim' looked down at his blood-stained white shirt shock..."Cops!  Cops!" another shouted, and they all split inwards through the back door up the stairs to their apartment.  No one would answer the door, so the constable threatened to kick down the door.  A girl opened the door. Five minutes later, there was a stunned looking dude with no t-shirt handcuffed, placed in the back of the cruiser, taken away. Insane, slain blood stains remain awaiting rain. 

"Want to make six figures?", starts the Yahoo  Canada article.  "You're  probably thinking you have to work on Wall Street, a law firm or gone through years of medical school to earn that kind of salary".  Ya, that's what I'm thinking...but I want to make $100 000 a year so I keep reading.  Ok so what are the jobs?  The author says a good typist is in demand and if one practices intensely, reaching 200 words per minute, one can land a job as court reporter.  Well there goes that job.  I failed Grade 10 typing and maxed out at around 15wpm.   Then the guy says the median salary is $62 000 a year...hey, that''s a long way from $100 000.  The article was starting to bug me.

       Next!   The writer switches gears abruptly, writing: "mining companies sometimes don't even require a college degree for a mine manager position, achievable for those who started in lower positions who show a knack for organization skills. These managers, who average $106,000 annually, plan out procedures for mining projects, from setting budgets to enforcing deadlines" No way.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself raping and plundering Gaia for big bucks.  Next.

      The author adds:  "not every well-paying job in publishing is in editorial...Traditional pressmen and printing plant operators still command big bucks in some markets. In New York and other big cities they make over $30 an hour, which means six figures is possible with overtime".   Hey, that's BS too, cuz that's not really $100 000 either.  Hurtfully, he adds: "One caveat: Bureau of Labor statistics show that the industry employs only 191,000 printing machine operators these days, down from over 300 00 five years ago". T his article is going nowhere, but I desperately continue reading.

     "For anyone interested in white collar work, consider one of the fastest growing career paths: the "professional coach."  Professional what?  "While some provide specific expertise, such as those hired by large companies to train a sales staff, others rake in money from those looking for little more than a cheerleader as they open a business or try their hand at writing a book".  By now I'm numb from the fact there only 3 jobs that pay $100 000, sort of, and the "life coach" is the last one in the article! "Coaching is exploding...Another business spawned by coaching, naturally, is coaching the coaches".  Serve the Servants.

     So there we have it folks...typist, mine manager and printing press operator.  I better get me a "Life Coach"!

 

 

 

So this entry is about Oprah.  I need not write anymore.  Already, your mind is spiralling madly upward as her  name is metioned...Who is she ?  Perhaps extraterrestrial, part saviour, part dumbass?  She's part black so that gives her street cred...but she's cool, and she's not gay, even though the rumours persist and her best friend is named Gayle... and she was raped by her uncle and now she has the biggest show on TV and you can't f*6k with her...or can you??? Remember when Oprah  SPOKE OUT AGAINST MEAT and was wrangeled by 'the man' for years afterward?...Texas...today, she never gets too political, i've never heard a politician's name on that show...she has soooooo much power, but she never speaks OUT about ANYTHING...and she is so POWERFUL.  Who is OPRAH???

 

Screechin' useless martyrs hangin naked upon the cross

They would have you believe their  lie they shriek that all is lost

Forget their logical desperation, utilize your imagination

The future's here right now if you're willing to pay the cost

 The power crazy leaders who control your very fate

They would twist your will, steal your life and sell your soul away

If you're drifting or wandering lost,

you're the perfect target for the double cross

Freedom's yours right now, if you rule your own destiny!

Here they come, cosmopolitan automan

Here they plunder, interstellar diplomats

Some say the truth was meant to be hidden

Others maintain nothing is forbidden

The key to the mystery...

 And our _ mind explodes in a post atomic dawn

The future breaks like a tidal wave, engulfing everyone

Confusion and chaos, trauma of birth

A strange new day for the people of the Earth

Traditions, burned away by the rising sun

Excerpts from:  Folk Medicine, D.C. Jarvis, M.D. 1958

 

"In recent years there have been many substitutes for honey, in the form of manufactured sugars, tending to replace honey on our tables.  Honey still remains the one sweet, however, offering life-giving qualities not found in any other...the minerals Iron, copper, manganese, silica, chlorine, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, aluminum and magnesium are all present in honey.  What is the vitamin content of honey?  Being a perfect product of nature, it may be expected by definition to contain vitamins...honey contains all of the vitamins which nutritionists consider necessary to health.

     Yet for me the crowning glory of honey is its medicinal value...Where else will I find for augmenting the daily food intake such a sedative as will calm down the nervous, highstrung, race-horse type of individual if taken at each meal, and doing only good, never harm, to the human body?  Where will I find a sweet that will produce sleep at night?  Honey is soothing to the stomach.  It will relieve an annoying cough.  It has a laxative action which is effective, yet mild.  It will relieve pain in arthritis.

     Honey will, by several effects, render old age less difficult to live.  I am saddened when people tell me that they don't eat honey because it costs more than white sugar.  I try to make them see that health is not  to be had for the asking.  Good health is earned.  In the long run you must either  pay the grocer or the drugstore.  When you become  sick, you find you must spend the money you saved on food to purchase drugs to bring back your health.  By purchasing the right kind of food, such as honey represents, you can constructively cut some corners".

My friend Hersh and I hit the courts this week and rallied it out.  I used a tennis racket he loaned me cuz I lost my keys one day in the spring...I mean, they just vanished from point A to point Z, and I can't get in to the trunk of my car to pull out my vintage 1985 Wilson oversize I bought on my first trip to Florida.  For at least 25 years, we have been playing at those 4 courts.  Ya, there were some years we didn't play, when Hersh was in the army, comes to mind.  But here we were, stepping out onto the courts again, and it makes me feel like all those years never happened, or whatever happened bad was really nuthin' and its OK cuz the tennis court is still here and so am I, and everythings' OK.

     Tennis was a lot of fun when we were kids and we would spend hours messing around, goofin it up, getting better all the time.  Then the adults would come on and they had nice rackets, and boy could they hit the ball hard!  They'd also be able to keep the ball near the top of the net, not just send over moonballs.  So we'd watch them, and keep playing. The courts used to be packed with kids and teens back then;  it was just Hersh and I tonight.  Two kids who came with their family to the softball game beside the courts were looking for tennis balls,  and they found a few in the vines that grow on the fence that surrounds the 4 courts.  One of the boys who was around 6 years old, gave me a ball tonight for free!  "Thanks" I said.  "Are you sure?"  .  He looked at me like I was maybe kinda dumb, like:  "buddy, I gave you a ball!  Take it!" Then I felt like an idiot and said "Thanks!" again, thus sounding like an idiot.

     So Hersh and I rallied on the court  with 4 balls now instead of 3, pretending to play like the tennis stars we were trying to emulate.  The softball game ended with the kids yelling hip hip hooray and the cars that were parked all drove away.  A teen girl with long, straight  brown hair was cutting through the courts over to the subdivision across the street.  As she turned the sharp 90 degree corner of our court, Hersh sent a ball deep into the exact corner she was walking around, and I had give up the chase or else hit her.  "Tennis tragedy" she joked, after the averted accident.  "Collision" I replied dryly. 

     It was getting dark and the large lights were still off.  A man and woman had shown up and were playing on the other side of the courts.  Then the lights overhead slowly began lighting up, and we left...until next time.