Falling For Her

(1)

"Mom, I'm getting another call; I gotta go! I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Love you, bye!"

Tatumn Milazzo sets her phone down on top of the large stack of papers and folders which are currently occupying a large portion of her desk, feeling only slightly guilty about having ending the phone call with her mother. It's not that she doesn't love her or speaking with her, it's simply that during every one of their conversations, the inevitable questions about her personal life and whether or not she's seeing anyone will come. As they are now into the month of December, her mother Jennifer does her best to sneak it into the conversation by not so subtly asking if they're going to be needing to add another leaf to the table to accommodate an extra guest for Christmas dinner this year. Tatumn knows the answer to the question, it's the same as it's been for the last several Christmas'.

Although she's done her best to reiterate to her family that she's still young, has plenty of time left to find a partner and isn't ready to settle down yet, it's also about the fact that she still hasn't completely recovered from having had her heart broken by her former girlfriend Emily, who without even so much as a word to her, took a new job and relocated to New York. Tatumn will forever be embarrassed and hurt by the fact that she found out through a social media post like the rest of the world that Emily had traded in the windy city, and her, for the bright lights of the big apple. She tried calling multiple times to find out what exactly was going on, only to have the calls forwarded to voicemail. The one and only time she received a response to her messages it came not in the form of a return call but instead a text message, "If it took you this long to notice I was gone, then, perhaps I never should have been there to begin with. Don't call or message me again. Goodbye, Tatumn."

Leaning back in the very expensive leather chair which she bought for herself upon finally securing her dream job with the Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners an agency that deals with the entertainment market, consulting and has recently expanded into athlete representation, which is where Tatumn as a former star defender for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Women's soccer team comes in. Growing up in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, Tatumn worked her way up through the ranks of the Eclipse, a Chicago based soccer club for boys and girls. As a teenager she'd blossomed in more ways than one and found herself on the receiving end of years of harassment and misogyny from the all-boys club who managed the Eclipse program, despite them their archaic beliefs and caveman behaviour, she'd earned a scholarship and parlayed her talent on the field and in the classroom towards becoming one of the most sought-after player representatives in all of women's sports. After all, if you can't join them, then beat them! Her rise and quick success came at much cost, including the loss of many friends and unfortunately, relationships due to the long hours and the take no bullshit demeanour required to be taken seriously in the world of athlete representation. As she continues to stare out the window of her office, overlooking the river, there's a knock on the door and her friend and assistant, Kayla steps inside.

"I told you that I didn't want any interruptions today; I've got a million contracts and offers to look over and the emails from possible clients keeping flowing in."

Kayla smiles at her friend, "Admit it; you love it!"

Tatumn chuckles and nods. "I do."

"TT, it's after 5 on a Friday and unlike you I've plans with an actual human being this evening. Don't worry, I made sure that any calls to your extension are redirected to your voicemail. I'll see you on Monday. Try not to work too late tonight, okay?"

Tatumn smiles and nods, "I'll do my best. Have a good weekend. Say hello to TJ for me."

"I will. Have a good weekend and try to allow yourself to have a little fun."