Page 7 of A Play For The Heart
Me:What went down in the
locker room?
Jack:Don’t play dumb.
What is up with you and Declan?
Me:Nothing.
You must have imagined it.
Have you gotten your eyes
checked lately?
Maybe it's a sight issue.
Jack:I have perfect 20/20 vision
thank you very much.
And I see the deflection.
Consider this me letting it go.
But I'm not forgetting it.
Setting my phone down on the couch, I press play on the remote and put forth my best effort to erase the conversation from my mind. For the last six months, I’ve adopted the ideology that if I pretend that my feelings don’t exist, then the crushing weight pressing down on my chest every time I think of Sawyer is also just a myth.Wishful thinking.It hasn’t worked thus far, but I’m hoping my tenacity wins out. If my feelings are this strong after not seeing her for six months, I’m terrified of how I’ll feel when I see her this weekend.
CHAPTER 4
“Happy to see how far I’ve come”
Up Up & Away—Kid Cudi
Sawyer
Pullingintothenearlyempty parking lot, I glance at my GPS to make sure I haven’t gotten lost. I’m great at a lot of things, but directions are not one of them. Without Siri and Apple Maps, I would be lost constantly.
Located in a neighborhood directly outside of Seattle, the inconspicuous red brick building sits quietly at the end of the street. Large bushes bracket the front doors and without the GameChangers sign, you would have no idea the building was occupied. I gather my purse from the passenger seat, my chai latte from the cupholder, and walk through the parking lot toward the entrance. I enter through the glass doors heading to the reception desk stationed at the back of the lobby. Perched behind the desk is a middle-aged woman, one I recognize from my interview. Noticing my presence, she stands up from behind the desk, moving to greet me.
“Sawyer. Nice to see you again!” She beams at me, sweeping me into a quick hug.
“Hi, Erika. It’s nice to see you too.” Erika grabs her coffee mug from behind the desk and begins to climb the staircase on the left side of the lobby.
“All the offices are upstairs. I figured I would wait for you down here so I could be the first one to greet you.” Erika is the founder of GameChangers. Before she started the non-profit, she spent twenty years as a schoolteacher in Seattle. After noticing how many children had to miss out on sports and other after-school activities because of the cost associated, Erika opted for a career change and started the non-profit. The story is inspiring, one of the reasons it was an easy yes when she offered the job. She leads me up the stairs into the office space.
“Your office is down the hall on the left. It overlooks the second gym.” The entire building is a recreation center that was renovated to have an office space overlooking both of the gyms. “Unfortunately, I have some meetings with investors today that I can’t miss, so Nathalie is going to give you the tour and spend time with you during the after-school program today to show you the ropes. With that being said, you’ll probably spend most afternoons with the kids, so don’t feel like you need to dress up. Jeans are just fine here.” She smiles at me as I look down at my outfit. Dressed in a cream sweater, black dress pants, and black pumps, I look heavily overdressed compared to Erika, who’s rocking a pair of jeans and a Game Changers long-sleeve T-shirt. “I have to head out but make yourself comfortable and Nathalie will come find you for the tour.”
She makes her exit and I finally circle around to take in my surroundings. The office is spacious with a large, wooden desk facing the window overlooking the gym. A basketball court takes up one side of the gym, while the other looks like a hockey game is planned for the afternoon. I set my purse and coffee mug on the desk and drop into my chair. I obviously spin in it for good measure. Pulling out my phone, I open my messages up and send a text.
Me: Hey, want to have dinner tonight?
I can cook something you like :) I miss you.
I place my phone back down on the desk and begin pulling things out of my purse to decorate the office space. Pens. Sticky notes. I set my laptop in front of me, pull out two framed photos, and place them in the corner. I continue setting up my desk space when I hear a soft knock on the door.
The door flings open and a woman I'm assuming is Nathalie steps into the office space. Long, brown hair is intricately braided away from her face.I wish I could braid like that.Wide, brown eyes hidden behind a pair of funky blue glasses stare at me with curiosity. Dressed similarly to Erika, she’s wearing a pair of jeans, a Boston Celtics t-shirt, and a pair of platform green Converse.
