"You do know how to play, don't you?"

I stared down at my shoes, trying to figure out a way to let her know I'd never done anything remotely like this before.

She stepped behind me and pressed her body close. Gently, she took both my hands in hers and placed them around the stick.

"Relax," she whispered reassuringly into my ear. "Just give it a good strong whack."

That afternoon, she replaced Miss Foster---9th grade world history---as the most memorable teacher I'd ever had.