by Niles, Naomi
My breath caught as Vladimir Kusch closed the gap between himself and Alan, but then the first leg was over and Alan was still maintaining his early speed.
“Oh my God,” Winnie yelled in my ear. “I think he’s going to make it.”
“Yes!” I screamed, as Alan hit the finish line before anyone else. It was a clear win, and I could barely contain my joy. “Yes, he did it!”
I left the stands and headed toward the tunnel to catch Alan. He was talking to his fans but the moment he saw me, he excused himself politely and headed straight for me.
“I knew you would win!” I said, the moment he approached. “I just knew it.”
I ran at him and hugged him hard around the waist as he laughed and pulled away. “I’m all wet,” he reminded me.
“I don’t really care.”
He laughed louder and bent his lips to my own. “You were right… I won. I knew you were my good luck charm.”
“Your victory had nothing to do with me,” I said fiercely. “That was all you. You won because you put in the hard work.”
“Remember that when you win,” Alan told me with a wink.
I smiled and nodded silently. Alan took my hand and kissed it gently and once again I felt as though we were in a little bubble of our own making. It was cozy and comfortable here. I felt safe and loved and protected. But most of all, I felt happy.
“Jessica?”
“Yes?”
“I know you’re upset about your parents not being here,” Alan started slowly. “And I understand that. But you need to start swimming for yourself. This is yours… it’s no one else’s and your happiness should not be contingent on theirs.”
His blue eyes were sincere and caring and I felt understood and gratified. “You’re right,” I agreed, as his words got through to me. “I never really realized it before now, but all these years… I’ve been swimming for my father. But now it’s time I started swimming for myself.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Alan
“It’s your turn now,” I said as I gave Jessica a wink.
“I’m starting to feel a little… nervous,” she admitted, as her grip around my hand tightened.
I pulled her hand up to my mouth and kissed it gently. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You have this. You are an incredible swimmer. You’re gonna take home gold today.”
“And what if I don’t?” she asked.
“You’ll still be an Olympic athlete, and you’ll still be a great swimmer,” I said confidently. “You just have to believe you can do this.”
“I’ve never swum like this before,” Jessica said, as her eyes clouded over for a moment.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… my parents have always been in the crowd every time I’ve competed. I just… I’ve never competed without a support system before.”
“You have a support system,” I reminded her. “You have me.”
Jessica’s face split into a beautiful smile. “That’s right… I keep forgetting.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll keep reminding you.”
Jessica nodded and then she took a deep breath. “I think I need to get going.”
“Of course,” I said reassuringly. “You’re going to do great, don’t worry.”
I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her passionately. When we broke apart, her eyes were lighter and she was smiling. “Thank you,” she whispered, before she disappeared down the tunnel.
I headed for the stands, searching for Langdon or Winnie, when I noticed a couple that looked eerily familiar. I squinted up in their direction and took a couple of steps closer.
“No way,” I breathed. “It can’t be.”
“Alan!” Langdon’s voice interrupted my thoughts and a moment later he had blocked my line of sight with his face. “Why are you standing there gawking like an idiot?”
“Umm, look over there,” I said, surreptitiously pointing Langdon in the direction of the couple I had spied moments before. “The tall man in the blue blazer and the woman wearing the red suit.”
“Yeah… I see them,” Langdon said in confusion.
“Are they Jessica’s parents?”
Langdon looked at me as though I had lost my mind. “How the hell would I know? I’ve never met them.”
“Oh… right,” I said. “I forgot.”
“How do you recognize them?” Langdon asked. “Last I knew you hadn’t met them either.”
“Jessica showed me a picture of them last night,” I said. “I’m almost positive it’s them.”
“Okay… what are you going to do about it?”
His question stopped me in my tracks, and I considered what I should do for a moment. “I think I’m going to go up and talk to them.”
“What?” Langdon said, raising his eyebrows. “Are you serious?”
“Yes,” I said, realizing that I was serious. “Why?”
“As far as I know, Jessica’s father probably hates you,” Langdon pointed out.
“I’m aware.”
“And you’re just going to walk up to him and say hello?”
“I was going to try and explain myself,” I said.
“Are you also going to mention that you deflowered his daughter?”
I rolled my eyes at Langdon. “Move aside.”
“At least there will be witnesses,” Langdon yelled after me and I gestured for him to shut the hell up. I walked up the stands to where Jessica’s parents were seated. A few people shook my hand and congratulated me as I passed, but I didn’t encourage any further interactions. My heart beat a little faster as I approached them, and I realized that this was the first time I was ever speaking to a girlfriend’s parents.
Girlfriend? I stopped in my tracks as I realized the innocent word that had just crept into my thoughts. Jessica and I hadn’t really decided on anything, but at this point, things seemed decided for us. I mean… I was walking up the stands to brave a meeting with Jessica’s parents without her. That was a pretty big commitment right there.
Jessica’s father was taller than I had imagined. He was a big, broad-shouldered man who looked all the more impressive next to his slight wife. Jessica’s mother was fine-boned with delicate features and she was the first one to notice me. I could tell instantly that she recognized me.
“Hello, Mrs. Winters,” I said, nodding my head to her respectfully. “Hello, Mr. Winters. I saw you in the stands and I wanted to come up and introduce myself. I’m Alan…. Alan Burbank.”
Mr. Winters’s eyes narrowed considerably as he took me. It was clearly an appraising look, and I could tell that he knew who I was, too.
“Can I just start off by saying that I’m sorry about the Fourth of July,” I barreled ahead. “I meant to have Jessica home early but… there was an incident and things got held up.”
“I heard about your brother,” Mrs. Winters said with sympathy in her eyes. “How is he?”
“He’s doing much better,” I said. “Thank you for asking.”
“Were you aware that Jessica lied to me about where she would be that day?” Mr. Winters asked in a gruff voice.
He was testing me, and I knew it. If I said I didn’t know, then I would be throwing Jessica under the bus. If I said I did know, I would be directly challenging him. He wasn’t giving me a way out, and I understood his need to intimidate me. But there was one thing I was sure of and that was that I could not allow myself to be intimidated by this man, because if I did, I would spend my whole life running around in circles trying to win his approval.
“Jessica mentioned it to me,” I admitted.
“And you didn’t think to dissuade her from going against her parents?” Mr. Winters asked in a clipped voice.
I looked him in the eye. “With all due respect, Jessica is a grown woman who simply wanted to spend a few hours with me. She didn’t think you would approve and at the same time, she didn’t want to disappoint you. So she made a decision that she thought would
benefit everyone.”
“Is that her excuse or yours?” Mr. Winters asked.
I took a deep breath. He was tough, but I knew I couldn’t back down. “It’s not an excuse. I’m trying to explain to you what happened that night. I understand you were upset and worried, but I assure you I did my best to keep her safe.”
“She was in close proximity to a gun.”
“Yes,” I said. “And if I’d had any indication of how the night was going to turn out, then I would never have asked Jessica to come with me. But in my defense, sir, it was a carnival. I didn’t think we would be in close proximity to a real gun.”
Mrs. Winters gave her husband a small jab and he gave a big, audible sigh. “Are you and my daughter… an item now?” he asked, as though he had to force the words from his mouth.
“I would very much like us to be,” I said.
“I see.” Mr. Winters nodded. “Well… in that case, let me say this to you. If you ever hurt my daughter, I will find you and chop of your nuts so that you can display them in a trophy case next to that gold medal you just won.”
I raised my eyebrows in shock and simply stared. I don’t know if it was my expression or his fantasy, but Mr. Winters chuckled unexpectedly and Mrs. Winters gave me a calming smile. I found myself smiling, too, and I realized that in his stiff and arrogant way, Jessica’s father had just given me his reluctant approval. He wasn’t doing it because he wanted to; he was doing it because he had no choice, but it made no difference to me. It meant that from here on out, things would be a little easier for Jessica and I.
“Would you mind if I stayed here and watched the race with you?” I asked.
All I got from Mr. Winters was a grunt, but Mrs. Winters gave me a warm smile and sidled over to make room for me. “We’d love to watch the race with you.”
“Jessica thought you weren’t coming,” I whispered to her.
“I wanted to surprise her,” Mrs. Winters replied.
“She’ll definitely be surprised,” I laughed.
Moments later, the women’s two-hundred-meter freestyle final was announced and Jessica appeared from the tunnel. Her eyes drifted momentarily around the stadium, and I knew instinctively that she was looking for me. I tried waving to her but she didn’t see me.
I held my breath as the whistle sounded and the women hit the water in a whirl of blue splashes. Jessica was amazing; she swam as though she had been born in the ocean. It was mesmerizing to watch her and for a moment I forgot that she was competing against other countries. I just focused all my attention on her. It wasn’t a close race at all. Jessica won with three feet between herself and the second-place winner from Hungary, and American fans filled with stadium with their applause.
“She did it!” Mr. Winters cried, thrusting his fist into the air. “She’s won gold.”
“I knew she would,” I said as Mrs. Winters turned to me unexpectedly and gave me a joyous hug.
“I’m going down to the tunnel now,” I told them. “Would you like to join me? I know Jessica would be over the moon to see you here.”
Mrs. Winters nodded vigorously while her husband gave me a curt nod. I smiled to myself as I walked them down to the tunnel. My new challenge would be to win him over. As I turned the corner, I saw Jessica surrounded by a throng of people, but the minute she saw me, she broke away from them and ran straight into my arms.
“I did it!” she cried.
“Yes, you did,” I laughed. “Just like I predicted you would. I think you just broke a world record.”
“That’s what they’re saying,” Jessica said. “I can’t believe it!”
“I can!” I said. “You won by a mile. I can’t wait to let the whole world know that my girl won the Olympics.”
“Your girl?” Jessica asked with raised eyebrows. “Am I your girl?”
I was smiling down at Jessica when the smile froze on her face, and I realized that she’d just caught sight of her parents behind me. She removed her arms from around my neck and took a step toward them.
“What are you doing here?” Jessica asked, addressing her father.
“What do you mean?” he asked gruffly. “We came to watch you compete. We came to support you.”
“I thought you were mad at me?”
Mr. Winters looked supremely uncomfortable, but I respected the fact that he continued forward in any case. “I was… at one time… but then…”
“Yes?” Jessica encouraged.
“Your mother convinced me that I was being unreasonable about a lot of things.”
“Really?” Jessica said, glancing at her mother, who was beaming from ear to ear.
“You were right, Jessica,” Mr. Winters continued. “You’re not a child anymore, and you’re more than capable of being a serious swimmer and having a personal life, too.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Jessica sighed and I heard the relief in her voice. “Does that mean you’re moving back home?”
“Yes, it does,” he said.
“Good.” Jessica smiled. “Things just didn’t feel right with you gone.”
Mr. Winters extended his arms out and Jessica leaned in and gave her father a hug. “Thank you for coming. It means so much to me.”
“How could you possibly think I would miss this?” Mr. Winters asked, shaking his head at Jessica. “Not for anything in the world.”
As I watched Jessica with her parents, I felt an unfamiliar sense of pride come over me. I was proud of Jessica, not just because she was an amazing girl but because she was my girl. This was a new experience for me, and I found that I was comfortable with that. It didn’t frighten me anymore. Jessica was mine now, and I wasn’t ever going to let her go.
Epilogue
Jessica
Six Months Later…
“Excellent work, Sarah!” I screamed as Sarah finished her lap. “That was great.”
“How’d I do?” she screamed from the other side of the pool.
I smiled, remembering all those times I had asked my coach the very same question. “You’ve shaved down your time by twenty seconds.”
“Yes!” Sarah cried, throwing her fist up into the air.
“Remember the practice drill we ran last week?” I called to the seven girls who were spread around the pool. “Let’s go through that again before we finish up.”
I sat down at the edge of the pool with my clipboard in hand and watched the girls swim. They were all young and inexperienced, but several of them had real potential. They all wanted to make it to the Olympics, but I knew that realistically only half their number would get that far.
As the girls worked over the final drill, I checked my watch. It was almost five-thirty, and I had promised to meet Alan at six. I had always been the kind of girl who was on time but my new coaching job had turned that around. The last time I had kept Alan waiting almost half an hour at our favorite restaurant.
I picked up my phone and dialed in Alan’s number. “Hi, hon,” I said, the moment he picked up.
“Hi,” Alan replied in a chipper voice. “Are you on your way?”
“Umm… the thing is…”
Alan laughed. “Got held up again, huh?”
“Just a little bit,” I said. “Don’t hate me.”
“Impossible,” Alan replied. “How about instead of meeting at the restaurant, we’ll just meet at our place? I can cook you a nice meal, and we can have a nice romantic dinner at home?”
“Actually, that sounds pretty amazing,” I agreed.
“Okay,” Alan replied. “I’ll see you soon.”
After he hung up, I had the girls finish up the drill and I motioned them forward. “Okay, great practice, girls. We can pick up where we left off on Wednesday.”
“Is your boyfriend coming to pick you up today?” Tabitha asked. She was one of the more outspoken fourteen-year-old girls I’d met.
“Not today,” I replied, suppressing a smile as the seven faces in front of me soured.
“How come?” Leslie asked.
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“Because he’s cooking for me tonight,” I replied.
“It’s been almost a week since he’s been here,” Tabitha pointed out.
“I wonder why?” I teased. “Maybe because the last time he was here, you girls cornered him for about an hour and wouldn’t let him go.”
“You are so lucky,” Josie sighed. “He is so dreamy.”
A murmur of assent went through the girls and I laughed. “Yeah, he kinda is, isn’t he?”
“And he’s an Olympic gold medalist,” Tabitha pointed out as though that was the most important point.
“Umm, excuse me?” I said. “I’m an Olympic gold medalist, too.”
“Yeah, but you’re just our coach,” Tabitha reasoned. “He’s… well, he’s Alan Burbank.”
“I can’t argue with that logic,” I laughed, shaking my head at the girls.
“Will you get married to him soon?” Elise asked shyly. She was one of the quieter girls and reminded me a little of myself before I’d taken charge of my life.
“I don’t know, Elise,” I replied.
“Of course, she will,” Tabitha answered for me. “They’re living together. It’s serious.”
I turned to Tabitha in amazement. “How did you even know that?”
“I read it,” Tabitha replied. “In Sports Illustrated… my brother has a bunch of magazines.”
“Is it true?” Leslie asked with wide eyes.
I laughed. “Yes, it’s true.”
“So, that means you will marry him soon,” Mary-Ann asked.
“Not necessarily,” I sighed. “Now go get changed. It’s getting late, and I’m getting hungry.”
“What’s it like living with him?” Josie asked.
“How do you get anything done with Alan Burbank around?” Tabitha piped in. “He’s so hot.”
“Okay, if you girls get dressed and get home now, I will have Alan come around at the end of our next practice,” I promised recklessly. “How’s that?”
Their response was to scatter immediately, leaving me to the peace and quiet of the pool. I sat by the pool’s edge and basked in the silence even as my mind wandered. Elise’s question stuck in my mind, and today I found it hard to shake. The truth was that I had been thinking about marriage quite a bit in the last few weeks.