Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 16

SOPHIE

I wake up to a ringing cell phone. I check my watch—it's only 4:00 a.m. "Hello?" I ask thickly.

"Kirill here. Anton wants to practice—"

"Okay, that's cool," I slur.

"He wants to practice in an hour."

I am hearing the words, but I don't really understand what they have to do with me. "It's 4:00 a.m." I sit up slowly, rubbing my eyes, and then feel around the nightstand for my glasses. I put them on.

"He wants to practice. He will be in the courts maybe in an hour."

"Fine—why are you telling me this?"

"You should call the organizers to have someone meet us there and open the courts."

"How am I going to manage that? It's 4:00 a.m. Does he realize this? People are asleep."

"I don't know. He wants to tell you this."

"Fine." I exhale loudly and then start rooting around in my bag. Someone gave me a folder with all the information and the contact numbers last night, along with those badges—darn it.

"And he needs his rackets."

"What?" I blink. "I don't have any rackets on me."

"The blue bag he gave you. Where is it?"

My eyes widen and I stand up. Now I'm really awake. "I left them on the plane—" I start pacing around.

"Sofiya—"

"Where can I get a racket?" I ask, shoving my feet into the first things my hands close around—knee-high boots with tassels, beads and feathers. Very Native American chic, but what the heck. I throw on my trench coat, just enough to make me look decent, I hope. To this outfit, I add my tasseled red and white scarf from Israel over my shoulders.

"Huh?"

"Where do you get the rackets? He has a sponsor doesn't he?"

"Yes, yes. They are sent to us by the company who makes them."

"How do I get them to send the rackets to us?"

"Ask the guy from Head."

"What?"

"They make the rackets. They send them to us. You know he has broken one hundred twenty-seven rackets this year? They have records."

"Interesting, Kirill, but this isn't the best time to be telling me this." I take deep breaths. "I am just going to buy him some rackets, okay?" Then I realize my plan wouldn't work. "Nothing is open at this hour." I stay rooted to the spot, then start pacing again. "Okay, I'm going to call someone and find out how I can get them to open the courts and then, I'll find a racket for him to use. I guess I'll ask Head to send us some rackets?" I have to stop talking, because I am breathing much too quickly.

"Sofiya, are you all right?"

"No."

"Hey, don't worry. I will help you, okay?"

***

Kirill tells me he will try to convince a utility guy at the courts to open the gates at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m. I had asked the organizers if it was possible for Anton to practice this early, but the annoyed girl on the other line said that they open at 7:00 a.m., and then told me snootily that waking her up at that hour was not cool before hanging up on me.