She's back ~ L. Hamilton

113. | Luck

I had flow straight from Las Vegas to New York. Daniel had beaten me to it, taking our plane and flying home to Australia. I knew he took it out of spite, Red Bull had flown him to Las Vegas and they most likely offered to fly him home.

But regardless, I couldn't wait around for Lewis's plane to arrive, so we both got a commercial flight. The flight was uncomfortable due to the fact our faces and necks were covered in scarfs.

The morning of my match against Sarah Dvokavoa, there is a knock at the door of my hotel suite, and Lewis answers it.

Tasha comes waltzing in, a pink smoothie clutched in her hand. Her presence makes me instantly stand up from where I was perched on the edge of my hotel bed.

"I didn't know you were coming," I say

Tasha smiles softly. "Yes, you did, honey," she says "It's okay. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere" She hands me the smoothie.

Lewis is gathering my kit and my clothes. He laid everything out on the bed in a way that anyone with OCD would be proud of. I watched as he counted everything, comparing it to whatever was on his phone and then began packing everything into my gear bag.

But when I watch him do it, I realize I didn't do any of the packing. He did it all back in Perth and now he is doing it all here.

So far this morning, as well as asking Tasha to get the smoothie, he's woken me up, called down for almonds, run the shower, put me in it, and then when I just stood there, he got in with me and washed my hair.

"You're playing Dvokavoa?" Tasha asks. I spy her fidgeting with her hotel keycard. She was nervous, what for I didn't know.

Was she nervous for me? To speak to me? Did she think I was one wrong word away from calling it all off and locking myself in the bathroom?

Again.

"Yeah"

Another knock sounds throughout the room, I go to move to the door but Lewis gently wraps his hand around my waist, pulling me back ever so slightly and moves towards the door.

Liam walks in, his gear back slung over his shoulder.

"Full house" he says, glancing around the room.

I feel a pang shoot through me. Because he's right. Everyone is here.

Because Marco is dead.

Tasha looks over at Liam "And you're playing Gusta?"

Liam nods. "If I win, I'll play Ortega, probably. And then maybe Lauch or Brach. But, you know, when I lose, that's it for me" he moved his gear bag further up his shoulder.

"You're retiring" Tasha says

"Yeah. I'm done. I'm ready to be done."

Tasha nods. She turns to me and I can see her pause  "And are you retiring. After this?"

I don't have an answer. I can barely consider this after-noon.

"Okay," Tasha says. "We'll prepare for all scenarios."

Lewis returns to whatever he's doing and then pops his head back up a second later. "Oh, don't forget your note-book."

He hands it to me, and I breathe in. I've read every line of it over and over again since I first found it.

I fell asleep reading it last night. I read the page on Dvokavoa three times this morning alone. I look at my watch.

I'm playing her in a matter of hours.