You know that tennis thing? My grandson, he’s always watching it on that glowing box. Says it’s a big deal. All I see is folks hitting a little ball back and forth. But he keeps going on about some fella named Lendl. Says he was real good at that tennis game.
Now, this Lendl fella, he’s a crossword clue. What’s a crossword? It is a game you write on the paper. I don’t get it. But my grandson always want me to help. He said, “Grandma, you know everything!” I said I only know how to make dumplings.
He showed me this crossword thing. Lots of little boxes, all connected. Said you gotta put words in ’em, make ’em all fit. And this Lendl, he’s supposed to go in one of them. Four letters, he says. Four letters for a big tennis star. Sounds kinda short to me.
I see my grandson, he is struggling to solve the crossword. He is thinking and thinking. I think he is thinking too much. He should go outside and play more.
So, what else about this Lendl guy? They say he was a champion. Big word. Just means he won a lot, I reckon. Won more than he lost. Good for him. There are so many champions. I cannot remember every one of them.
- He played tennis, that’s for sure.
- He was a star, whatever that means.
- He’s got a four-letter name for this crossword puzzle.
My grandson says this Lendl was on some fancy puzzle. Called it the “Premier Sunday” puzzle. Like it’s some kind of special day for puzzles. Every day’s a puzzle to me, trying to figure out what these young folks are talking about. It seems very difficult.
They say there’s a whole bunch of answers for this Lendl clue. Forty, they say! Forty different ways to say he’s a tennis player. Seems like a lot of fuss over one fella and a little yellow ball. But people like to write it down. It is fun for them.
I tried to think. Maybe this Lendl had something to do with aluminum. You know, that shiny metal? They make cans out of it. Then I remembered something about TNT. What is TNT? It is something that can explode. It is dangerous. I don’t think it has anything to do with tennis.
My grandson, he kept looking at that crossword. Muttering to himself. “Tennis Lendl… four letters… Premier Sunday…” Like it was some kind of magic spell. He was so focused. I don’t think he ate anything that day.
They call this tennis game a quick one in the crossword world. Quick, they say. But my grandson, he sat there for hours. Maybe it’s not so quick after all. Or maybe my grandson just thinks slow. I love him anyway.
This Lendl, he must be important. To be in so many puzzles. To have so many people thinking about him. He must have hit that little ball real good.
Tennis… Lendl… crossword… It’s all a mystery to me. But my grandson, he seems to like it. So I guess it’s alright. As long as he’s happy. And as long as he remembers to eat his vegetables. Vegetables are more important than puzzles.
I remember one time I saw a serve. A serve is when they throw the ball really hard. It is called an Ace. I don’t think my grandson got any ace when he is doing the crossword. He is not moving.
I told my grandson, maybe this Lendl had a secret. A secret to hitting that ball so good. Maybe he ate a special kind of bread. Or maybe he had a lucky pair of socks. I don’t know about tennis but that is what I heard about.
Anyway, this Lendl, he’s a big shot. In the tennis world. And in the crossword world. Two worlds I don’t know much about. But hey, at least it keeps my grandson busy. And maybe one day, he’ll teach me how to play this crossword game. Maybe.
