Page 84 of Red Zone Realizations
“You’d better go get packing.” She rises from behind her desk, looking like the matriarch she is and wraps her arms around me.
I’m flooded with warmth in her embrace, a sense of being exactly where I need to be.
A feeling that I haven’t felt around my family in so long, and it’s glorious.
She keeps her arm around my shoulder as she steers us out of her office and out into the shop. Dad, Lane, and Sarah are all standing behind the counter chatting about the game that was on last night.
Mom clears her throat to get their attention. “Audrey has some big news.”
I take a deep breath. This is my family and they want to support me. I need to remind myself of that instead of taking the defensive. “Noah is getting traded to Chicago and I’m going with him.”
Lane is the first to speak. “How exciting for him!”
Sarah gasps, out of shock or support I can’t tell. My dad stands completely still for a second, taking it in. We’ve never lived farther than an hour from each other. I’m the first one in our immediate family to leave the city, much less the state.
They break out of the reverie and all collapse around me for hugs and well wishes.
“When do you leave?” Dad asks.
“I’m not sure yet. Next week we’re flying to Chicago so Noah can meet with the team and we can look at houses.”
“Let me know what time your flight is and I’ll take you to the airport.” I know we have Davide, but my dad is so busy with the shop usually that this is a big deal for him to offer. I’m sure Noah will understand the importance.
“That sounds great, Dad. I’ll text you the flight info.”
The bell above the door chimes as a customer walks in, effectively ending our family pow-wow. My mom squeezes my hand as she lets me go to greet the patron at the front door, Dad ambling after her.
Lane wraps his arm around me in that side hug all brothersgive. “Excited for you guys.” He heads off to the stacks to restock the shelves. Then it’s just me and Sarah. There’s a beat of silence between us. We’ve not been so nice to each other in the last couple months. I kind of feel like it’s on her to break the ice, so I wait her out. A small smile cracks her lips when she asks, “Chicago?”
“Chicago,” I reply, quoting our family favorite movie from the ‘90s,Tommy Boystarring Chris Farley.
She completes the scene. “Ugh.” We break out into giggles. We both have that entire movie memorized. And it feels like it fits my life right now.
“You’ll come visit me, right? Bring Mikey to see a game?”
She reaches for my hand and I let her take it. “Of course.”
It’s not a lot, but I think it might be the foundation of a new era between me and my sister.
I hurry home to meet Nicole for the season premiere ofSurvivor. The thought of this possibly being our last in-personSurvivornight for who knows how long makes my throat tight.
When I open the door for Nicole, she immediately says, “What’s wrong?” I guess I don’t do a good job of hiding the look on my face.
“Noah is getting traded to Chicago and I’m going with him.” Saying it for the second or third time has really pounded into my head how real this actually is. It’s one thing to agree to go, it’s another to tell your closest friend you’re leaving her, and it’s another to pack up and dip entirely.
“That’s great. Right?” Her voice wobbles a bit, moving between sadness and forced enthusiasm.
Tears prick my eyes too. “Right. A new adventure.” But itcomes out quiet, not like someone who is ready to set off on a new quest.
We hug and hold each other for a long time. My best friend of more than twenty years, who’s dedicated her life to helping others. How effective will I be telling her that she needs to do things for herself over the phone? I’ll be way easier to ignore than in person.
We finally break apart when the sounds of the episode start pouring from the TV.
“We’ll do video callSurvivornights, right?”
“Every Wednesday they’re on. Unless you’re working, then we can watch them later. I’ll always save them to watch with you.” Sadness drifts over me again. “I won’t know anyone else there, so it’ll be even more important to me.”
“Join a yoga studio and I’m sure you’ll make fast friends.”
