by Nancy Star
“Are you ready?” she called to Charlotte when she came back in the house to get her purse.
Charlotte ran over with the phone. “It’s for you.”
Annie covered the receiver with her hand. “Get your soccer stuff together and I’ll meet you in the car.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“I don’t like to be left on hold,” Sondra said. “When are you going to be here?”
“Be where?” Annie asked.
“Are you on drugs?” Sondra asked. “Here. My office. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“I’m confused,” Annie said. “I assumed—”
“Stop,” Sondra said. “Don’t assume.”
“But your secretary, Lois—”
“Stop,” Sondra said again. “I no longer have a secretary named Lois. Look, you and I are now officially behind. Ralph called three times looking for the video script, which I’m thinking you haven’t even started. Am I right? Did you start it yet?”
“You never called me back,” Annie said. “I left you over a dozen messages. I thought you didn’t want to proceed.”
“I thought we had an understanding,” said Sondra. “I’ve got Ralph totally hot for the brochure and leadership script, drooling for the video, and you haven’t even started, have you? Didn’t you beg me for more projects? There’s a big one coming up and I was just about to give it to you. My mistake.”
“I thought you weren’t in charge of assigning projects anymore. I thought Ralph was the assigner.”
“I worked that out. I work everything out. That’s what I’m about. I thought that’s what you were about too.”
For a second Annie let herself think about what it would be like if she lived alone, with few financial responsibilities, or if she were independently wealthy, with no financial worries at all, or if Tim made a lot of money or if Tim had a job that was, at least for now, secure. But none of those were the case.
“I’m sorry for the miscommunication,” she said. “But it’s not a problem. I can draft a script very quickly.”
She could do that. As soon as she got home from the tournament she could chug a pot of coffee and get to work. She could stay up all night if she needed to. If she got tired, she could take a power nap and chug a second pot. There were plenty of things she could do to keep up the energy she’d need for an all-nighter. She could run on the treadmill, take breaks to stretch, eat dark chocolate, eat light chocolate.
“All right,” Sondra gave in. “I guess I’ll feel better once we get started. When does the next bus or train or plane or whatever it is you take get in?”
Annie thought about Hank not talking to Tim, Tim not firing anyone in Atlanta, the cost of travel soccer, the cost of food. “I can come in first thing tomorrow morning, as early as you like.”
“Are you completely nuts?” Sondra asked. “Tomorrow is Sunday. I am not working another Sunday. I’ve got a lot of people hot for this, Annie. I’m beginning to think we’re not on the same planet, let alone the same screen of the deck.”
Annie heard the thump of the soccer ball hitting the garage door, a rhythmic reminder of her life, utility bills, tax bills, medical bills, food. Sondra was insane and Annie couldn’t afford to lose her.
“This is all good,” Annie said. “Keeping Ralph waiting is good. You want him to be hungry for it. You know, when I worked at Proxo we had a name for people who tried to please everyone, making deadlines early, doing more than was asked.”
“What do you mean, a name? What kind of name?”
Annie searched her mind for something that would get her out of this.
“One of my clients came up with it. He called people like that sea cucumbers.”
“Sea cucumbers? What does that even mean?”
Annie could do this. Charlotte had written a fifteen-page picture book about sea cucumbers as a science project. She could make this work.
“Have you ever seen a sea cucumber?” she asked.
“No,” Sondra said. “Why?”
“If you saw one you’d understand. Sea cucumbers make slugs look like cocker spaniels. But it isn’t about how ugly they are. The point is they’re spineless, they’re soft, and they’re useless. If they became extinct tomorrow no one would care. I’m not saying Ralph is trying to lower your stock by positioning you as a sea cucumber. But you did tell me there’s a political situation.”
“Useless?” Sondra said. “That prick. I had no idea.”
“You need to show him strength. Having him wait a day or two is a great way to accomplish that.”
“Can you come in Monday morning, then? Say, six o’clock? I’m usually here at six because we’re goddamn global now and England calls every day at six thirty. France calls at five thirty, but screw them.”
“Six on Monday is great,” Annie said.
Sondra wasn’t quite ready to get off the phone yet. “Are you excited about this?”
The side door opened. “Mom,” Charlotte called. “We’re going to be late.”
“Because you don’t sound it,” Sondra said.
“You are so perceptive,” Annie told her. “What you’re hearing in my voice is that I’m on my way out the door to get my fax fixed, and to pick up a new wireless system because my old one doesn’t reach everywhere in the house. To be honest, I need one that will reach the third-floor bathroom.”
“The bathroom,” Sondra said, relaxing at the thought. “Cool.”
Annie hung up the phone and ran out of the house. “Let’s go.”
Charlotte got in the car and closed the door. “We’re going to be late,” she said.
Annie checked her watch. “Don’t worry. Twenty minutes late is the new early.”
The Soccer-Plex had a parking lot optimistically built to accommodate enormous crowds. Today’s visitors barely filled a corner of it. Annie, like everyone else, parked in a cluster near the entrance.
“I have good snacks, so no one will notice that we’re late,” she said as she took several bags filled with chips out of her trunk.
“It’s supposed to be fruit,” Charlotte said.
“They’ll like this better,” Annie told her as they rushed inside.
Charlotte led Annie through the sawdust-coated lobby, past a raw wood structure that would soon be a snack bar, and two large signs announcing that the bathrooms were closed until further notice.
They pushed their way through a heavy, slow revolving door and stepped out onto a new field of artificial turf.
Annie’s ears popped with the change in air pressure. A whistle blew.
“Fury and Power,” a voice called out. “Please go to Field One, which is on my left. Comets and Avengers, you are on Field Two, to my right. All other teams, kindly sit with your coaches on the bleachers.” The tall, thin man who was speaking stood on a small platform at the back of the field. “Coaches, please be sure your parents stay either on the other side of the glass wall or upstairs in our viewing lounge.” He blew his whistle, picked up his portable stage, and walked off the field.
Charlotte showed Annie where her teammates were sitting. Their parents hovered nearby.
“I think you’re supposed to wait on the other side of that glass,” Annie told the parents. “Or you can watch from upstairs,” she added, in case they hadn’t heard.
“Where’s Gerri?” Chip asked.
“She’ll be here soon,” Annie said. “Girls, do you want some snacks?”
“Are we eating or are we playing?” Chip asked.
“Does anyone even know how many games we’re playing?” asked Peggy Ann. “Where the hell is Gerri?”
“We’ll play at least three games,” Annie said. “Gerri will be here soon but she asked me to get everyone started. She emailed me some notes about the other teams.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her bag.
Annie read from the notes. “We might be able to tie against the Fury. We’ll lose to the Force. The Power, as usual, will be a slaughter. Unfortunately, the Holder Crush will probably be
an even bigger slaughter. This season they’ve added two amazing players and their coach thinks—”
“We know about the Holder Crush,” Peggy Ann cut her off. “And by the way, who put you in charge?”
“I’m the new team manager,” Annie explained. “I volunteered because Gerri told me no one else wanted to do it.”
Peggy Ann let out a loud laugh.
Suddenly, Annie remembered what Gerri had actually said was no one she trusted wanted to do it.
“Maura,” Peggy Ann called to a late arrival. “Have you met our new team manager, Annie Fleming?”
Maura’s face wasn’t friendly on a good day.
“Annie asked us if we would mind stepping out into the hall,” Peggy Ann added. “Apparently we’re not allowed to stay in here, but she is.”
“That’s not what I said,” Annie defended herself. “Once Gerri gets here, I won’t stay here, either.”
“Oh, that makes me feel much better,” Peggy Ann said. “Come on, everyone. Let’s let our manager do her job.” Peggy Ann led the parents out through the revolving door to the other side of the glass wall, where they stood in a gossipy clump.
Annie sat with the girls. They greedily stuffed their mouths with chips, hurrying to finish before anyone remembered to remind them that this was not allowed.
Gerri raced in just as the buzzer sounded for the start of the second game. “Okay, girls,” she called to the team. “Are we going to win today or are we going to have fun?”
“Both,” the girls yelled back in practiced unison.
“I’m going to go,” Annie said, excusing herself. She glanced at the parents on the other side of the glass wall, and decided to try the view from the second-floor balcony instead.
She stood at the railing watching from above as the Asteroids ran onto the field. Moments after the game began Charlotte scored a goal, quickly followed by a second one, and then a third.
Annie was so engaged, watching the players go berserk with cheers at Charlotte’s fourth goal, that she didn’t even notice two people had come up the stairs and joined her. Then one of them spoke.
“Hello.” It was the man who’d stood on the portable stage. “I’m Winslow West.”
“I’m Marilyn,” said the woman beside him, “Winslow’s special assistant.”
“Is that your daughter?” Winslow asked, pointing at the girl getting high fives from her teammates.
“Yes,” Annie said.
“You must be very proud,” he said.
“I am,” Annie said.
Winslow looked back at the field. “She has a wonderful natural confidence, doesn’t she? See now? She is completely unintimidated by that girl coming toward her, who’s really nearly twice her size.”
Charlotte stole the ball from the big girl and booted it.
Winslow laughed with delight. “She’s got perfect aim with both feet. My God, where has she been playing?”
“This is her first year on travel,” Annie told him. “Before that she played on the town team.”
“Ah, yes,” Winslow said. “I remember now.” He whistled. “All that talent for the town team. That is incredible.” He watched as Charlotte stole the ball again, kicked it, and scored.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “You know what she has, don’t you? She has passion.”
“She does?” Annie was so happy.
“Now, that is something that cannot be taught,” Winslow added. “Skills can be taught. Endurance can be improved upon. But passion is a gift. I hope you have someone very, very good working with her.”
“Gerri Picker’s working with her.”
“Gerri,” Marilyn said. She looked at Winslow but his expression remained unreadable.
“Charlotte likes her a lot,” Annie said. “She likes the whole team.”
“Yes,” Winslow said. “They are lovely girls, aren’t they?”
“Very nice girls,” Marilyn said.
“I do wish I’d known about Charlotte at tryouts,” Winslow said. “Well, no use looking back. I have to go get the Power ready for the next game. Great to meet you.” He raced down the stairs to the field.
“I know you don’t know me from a hole in the wall,” Marilyn said once he was gone. “But you have to get your daughter off that team.”
“What?”
“A kid like Charlotte on a team like that—it makes no sense.”
Marilyn, thick all around, with stubby hands, a wide neck, and full cheeks, stood too close to Annie. She moved her imposing body even closer. “Anyone can see in a second how good your kid is. A kid like that needs real competition. I’m not trying to insult her team or anything. They’re really nice girls. But letting her play on a team like that, you’re taking a chance. A really big chance. You know what I mean?”
“Not really,” Annie admitted. She took a step away.
“I’ve seen it again and again.” Marilyn inched closer. “First the girls get bored. Then they lose their interest. Then they lose their skills. Next thing you know, they’re putting on makeup, going to the mall, looking for a date and d-r-i-n-k-i-n-g.”
“Charlotte’s not bored,” Annie said. But suddenly she wasn’t sure. Did she know that? Would Charlotte even tell her if she was?
“Face it,” Marilyn said. “Your daughter doesn’t fit in on that team. Anyone who knows anything can see.”
“She likes the girls,” Annie said.
“Of course she does. That’s because she’s a real team player,” Marilyn said. “Which is why she deserves more.” She dropped her voice even though no one else was around to hear. “Winslow has authorized me to invite your daughter to train with our team. Which means he thinks your daughter is a major talent.”
“That’s very nice of you to say,” Annie said.
“It’s not about nice. It’s about she could practice with the Power and there would be no charge. She could play as Winslow’s personal guest, which is a rare thing for him to offer, I promise you.”
“Really?”
Marilyn nodded. “We’re talking about the best training available, and for free.” She moved so close Annie could smell the coffee on her breath. “Will you talk to her? Will you see if she’s interested?”
“I’ll talk to her,” Annie said. “But I can’t promise what she’ll say.”
“She’ll be thrilled,” Marilyn said. “Anyone would be thrilled. You know”—her voice dropped even lower—“when my Shelby saw your Charlotte play, she came right over to me and said, ‘Mom, you have to get that girl on our team.’ It was like a chemical reaction. Shelby could practically smell that Charlotte belongs on the Power.”
“That’s very sweet.”
“With those girls, it’s all about the team, which is an important life skill, in my opinion. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Annie said.
“Tell Charlotte she doesn’t need to make any long-term commitments. She can try us out and then decide.” On the field below, the Power players were moving into place.
“I got to go watch the game,” Marilyn said. “Can I tell Winslow you’re going to talk to your daughter? I don’t want to tell him if you’re not going to do it.”
“I will,” Annie said. “I’ll talk to Charlotte this afternoon.”
She watched Marilyn go down the stairs and make a beeline for Winslow, who was standing on the sidelines waiting for the whistle. Marilyn, close enough to kiss him, spoke with an urgency apparent even at a distance. Winslow looked up and smiled.
When the last game of the tournament was over, Annie went down to the field and found Charlotte in the middle of a group of girls grabbing gym bags and water bottles. Gerri was calling out last-minute observations and instructions. When she noticed Annie she stopped midsentence. “Okay, girls, see you at practice on Tuesday.”
She hurried over to where Annie was standing. “What did he say?”
“Who?”
“You just spent an entire game talking to Winslow West,” Gerri said. “What did h
e want?”
“We just spoke for a few minutes, that’s all.”
“Listen, I don’t really care what he said. But in about two seconds there’s going to be a mob in here and they’re not going to be as nice about this as I am. They all saw you talk to him.”
The herd of Asteroid parents was already rushing over to debrief her.
“What did he tell you?” Peggy Ann said. “Did he mention anything about Laurel?”
“We spoke very briefly.”
“About what?” asked Pat. “Did he mention Winnie?”
“He said the girls all looked very good today.”
Peggy Ann counted on her fingers as she echoed the words. “That took six seconds. What else did he say?”
“We talked a little bit about how Charlotte was doing.”
“Uh-huh,” Chip said.
“Because Charlotte is the one girl he doesn’t know.”
Half a dozen pairs of eyes were on Annie now, and none of them were friendly.
Annie decided there was no point in keeping secrets. They’d find out sooner or later. “Marilyn invited Charlotte to train with the Power this winter as a guest.”
“Marilyn invited Charlotte to train with the Power?” Maura repeated.
“It probably wouldn’t be every week,” Annie said.
“Marilyn invited her?” Maura said again.
“It’s not for sure,” Annie said. “I didn’t even talk to Charlotte about it yet. I assume she won’t want to. But if she does, it won’t be a problem for the team, because she’ll still practice with the Asteroids. The Power practice would be extra.”
“What a relief,” Peggy Ann said. “Don’t you think that’s a relief, Maura?”
Maura said nothing.
The mob dispersed to collect their kids. Annie found Charlotte sitting alone on the bleachers.
“Guess what?” Annie said. “Winslow West came to talk to me. He said you’re really talented and he’s invited you to train with him on his team.”
“Is that why the parents are all mad at you?” Charlotte asked.
“They’re not mad at me.”
“Yes they are. I saw how they looked.”