Hello, Privet! #1: Hello/Привет

Chapter 21

ANTON

I am always nervous before my matches and to calm down I stay in the locker room all day before my match and talk to the other guys. This morning, an hour before my match, the devochka walks up to me. She says to me, "Here's your teddy bear," and hands me my water bottle, the one I asked her to find last night.

"Huh?" Why is she talking about teddy bears?

"Good luck," she says.

"Even if it is against Anderson?"

Her eyes widen. "What is it with you?" She shakes her head. "Either you have a chance or you don't, you know. Just do your best, but you always do—so—" She stops talking, then speaks again. "This is why I hate to do this. I'm awful at this, but I have to do this because I'm your assistant, right?"

"Hmm."

"After your match, we're going to the children's hospital, okay?"

I nod, shrugging. It is a job, going to the hospital, but the way she said it, it is like it would make her happy if I go there. I don't understand why she would care about the children. She does not even know them. But then, she also cares about the Russians and the Georgians, and probably everyone on this planet.

Then she waves at Josh and also wishes him good luck and they laugh, probably about something they were talking about when they had dinner together last night.

I twist my towel in my hands.

SOPHIE

Am I imagining it, or are there more people today than yesterday? Anton hardly ever reaches the semis these days, as Kirill explains, but despite that, people always come to see Anton play. I think it's going to be tough. Yesterday, Josh defeated with the Argentinean Manuel Higueras in three straight sets.

When Anton and Josh come out to the courts, the photographers ready their cameras, and then all you can hear are camera clicks and flashes, and the fans screaming. It's hard to tell which one they love more.

Anton is waving at the fans, and he looks over at us, smiling, then he does this gesture, like a salute at Kirill, who responds in kind, shouting, "Davai, Antosha!" which is repeated by the other fans. Josh's fans respond in kind, cheering. Tamara, who's in Josh's box, is waving a tiny American flag. His parents are there too, cheering as loud as the others. Tamara mentioned they had flown in this morning to watch Josh's match.

"How come Anton's parents don't come see him play?" I ask.

Kirill shrugs. "He doesn't want them to see him."

Anton is so weird. "Why not?"

"He says it makes him nervous." Kirill shrugs, taking a long swallow of his soda. "Antosha worries that they are worried and nervous for him."

I note that Kirill sometimes uses the diminutive form of Anton's name when he refers to him. They must be close if he gets to call him that nickname. Sometimes I can't figure out if all the controversy and the stories about Anton are true, because then there are these details about him that makes it seem as if Anton is a nice guy after all. I mean, if a guy like Kirill can be loyal to him, he might not be all that bad.

ANTON