I'll Be There

14 | conversations in the dark

Three months later

Meditate. Tea. Journal.

Glad she had been responsible and gone to bed early the night before, Olivia went through her routine in preparation for the long day ahead.

These days, her mornings were the only time she had to herself. Splitting her days between work, Simone, and Spencer, her schedule was perpetually overbooked. Sleep deprivation aside, she wouldn't want it any other way.

On her way to the office, she mentally went over her notes for the meeting with the agency heads. She felt as if her whole career was riding on this national pitch. Being chosen as the office story had only been part one.

Considering the risk she took by leaving her last position, she needed her story to go well.

Her job transition happened a little over a year ago when the realization hit that her ideal role in a big LA newsroom didn't exactly pan out to be as ideal as she imagined. Boxed into the same repetitive stories, she grew frustrated with office politics and workplace favoritism. So when a college mentor reached out to her with the opportunity to join a budding team at an up-and-coming agency, she gave her two weeks and followed the promise of free rein.

The smaller agency had started off producing standard local news coverage. But as their online presence took off, they started to expand into deeper stories, digging into the reality of music, sports, and art in the greater Los Angeles area. Exactly what Olivia had been after. With less structure, the hours were longer than at her old job, but the control she was given over her own writing was worth the trade-off.

Arriving at the office, she headed straight to the conference room where she would meet with her bosses to discuss her piece. As they entered the latter half of the year, the pressure of executing was starting to build.

Each year, the agency selected a story to pitch to the major networks, and this year it was Olivia's.

"I like where you're going, but I'm not sure how many people are actually worried about this," her department head challenged her.

"Athletes are people, too," Olivia defended, "they deserve the same moments as everyone else."

"But one could argue that the other perks of a professional sports career are more than enough. Do you really think they need more?" Steve questioned.

"Yes." Exasperated, Olivia laid her palms out on the table, "this isn't just about the individuals. It's about their families, their relationships, their mental health. It impacts how the public sees professional athletes."

"Okay," Steve backed down. "Like I said, I like your take. I just want to make sure your heart is in it. You know how demanding fans are when it comes to professional athlete's careers, they may not see where you're coming from."

"It is," Olivia sat back, crossing her arms.

In fact, her heart had never been more committed to a story.

Back in the work room, Gabby looked up from her desk as Olivia came out of the meeting. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," she huffed. "Just the usual grilling."

"You sure you're up for this?" her friend asked honestly. "There's already so much backlash out there."

"Yes, I'm sure," Olivia shot back. "Why does everyone keep questioning it?"

"Okay, I was just checking in," Gabby held her hands up, rolling her chair away to give Olivia some space.

"Sorry, it's not you," Olivia apologized, taking a deep breath. "I just don't get why this is even a topic of discussion. Why don't athletes get to be human?"