My mom calls before eight in the morning. I groan, not sure I like being in the same time zone as her. “Ma, it’s early,” I say, listening to her laugh.
“I just wanted to hear how things are going. Did you do a good job in practice?” I try not to think about this week’s sessions so far. It was my first time really meeting the team and I didn’t exactly make a great showing.
“I’m still finding my way,” I admit, letting my voice drift off.
“Oh, honey pie, I know it’s hard to meet new people and new routines and stuff.” She tries to soothe me from afar and I feel bad complaining to her. Here I am dripping with money and opportunity, complaining to my mom that my week as a professional athlete on a new team was less than glamorous.
“It’ll be fine,” I tell her. “It’s the same game everywhere, right?”
“That’s right, Hawk. Today will be a better day. When do you have to leave?”
I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the time. “Um, now…we have a press conference this morning.”
“Press conference! Look at my boy. Talking to the media.”
“That’s nothing new, Ma.”
She laughs. “I guess not for you. But now you’re close by enough that I might actually see you in our paper.”
“You don’t think they prefer to run news about the Ohio teams?”
“I’m allowed to be excited for my baby,” she chides. “Let your mother gush.”
I sigh and get up, tugging on some Forge sweats and the new sneakers my agent sent over. “You can gush, Ma. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. Talk to you soon?”
“Looking forward to it.”
“I’m happy to take your questions.” Kioko spreads his hands wide, addressing the members of the media throughout the room. He asked me to join in on the press conference in case people had questions for me, but I can tell the majority of the action is for him, for the coach, and for our team captain. They’ve all repeatedly assured everyone that no current members of the Forge engaged in illegal doping, but the smell of scandal is too tempting.
I zone out as the reporters ask more questions about the dangling forbidden fruit of high-tech illegal drugs, and whether the team thinks that’s a sound strategy for their first season in the premier league. I actually don’t know how the former trainer got caught, but he certainly didn’t go out quietly. I’ve only been in town for a week, but I feel like I’ve heard a month’s worth of complaints about how that guy screwed everyone over.
The reporters ask all the usual questions about how we’re preparing for the game, how Kioko plans to maintain our fitness regimen with the coaching vacancy…honestly, I tune out.
My mind drifts back to Lucy, how she wasn’t afraid to play soccer against me. How she kissed me. Like a fool, I’ve been checking my phone all week to see if she reached out. I did give her my number with my autograph, after all, but she never gave me hers. I have no idea what I’m doing with this whole scenario. I’ve picked up beautiful women before. Hell, I know what I look like and I know the work I put into my body. I’ve seen beautiful women in all stages of undress. It wasn’t her beauty that froze me in my tracks. There was just something magnetic about her, like she had some sort of ferocity forcefield around her. She emits this sense that she can do anything she sets her mind to. I’m sure if I played against her long enough, she’d score on me in a soccer match. There’s really nothing hotter than a woman who’s good at soccer.
I want her to set her mind on me, damn it. I realize I’m nodding along with these dirty thoughts when Kioko turns to me and says, “I’m glad you agree, Mr. Moyer.” He nods his head in my direction and I shake myself to attention. “Hawk here is going to revitalize the midfield. He’s a deceptive runner, an electric player. I promise, you are all in for a thrill. He makes the beautiful game all that much more beautiful.”
I smile, admiring how Kioko invokes the international nickname for soccer. “Hawk, will you be starting this weekend against Baltimore?” A reporter from the front row stands up and holds his little recorder in my direction.
I shake my head. “Hopefully I’m able to elevate my performance this week at practice and earn a starting spot.”
I say a quick prayer of thanks for all the media training I did with my college team. I can answer these questions with my eyes shut if I need to. Always flip back to the team, team effort, great coaching, the heart of the opposing team. Yada yada.
It helps that I’m not known for being an attention whore with the media. I know my stats. But I also am well aware that there’s ten other guys on the field making it possible for me to achieve anything out there.
If only I had the same autopilot mode when it comes to mentions of this city, why I don’t want to be here, and oh yeah. My biological origins.
All I can ever think of are the evenings when my mom didn’t know I was still awake, listening to her cry quietly in her bedroom while she tried to map out the bills, wondering how many extra shifts she’d have to pick up at Grocer Joe’s to cover the gaps.
I squeeze a water bottle in my fist while the press keeps asking questions. Eventually I look up and Kioko is gesturing at me like I missed a question.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “I’m a little jet lagged. Can you repeat the question?”
“Yeah.” An irritated-looking guy in a houndstooth blazer seems like he’s going to trash me in print. “I asked what excites you most about being here in the Steel City. You’ve got family in Loudonville, Ohio?”
I nod my head. “That’s right. My mother is south of Cleveland. It’s great to be in the same time zone.”
The reporter looks at me funny, like maybe I missed half the question or said something odd. I quickly add “plus, you know, I was actually born in the ‘Burgh. So joining the Forge is a true homecoming.”
The reporter looks at me strangely and I turn to face Kioko, wondering where I went wrong. Kioko clears his throat and leans into the mic. “I’m sure you can all appreciate that the team is eager to get to training. We have a big weekend ahead of us. That will be all for today.”
Coach Todd taps on my elbow and I get up from the seat, following him down the hall as Kioko waves and eases the press away a little more gently.