The Coach's Daughter

Epilogue

IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END ABOUT A NEW BOOK PLEASE READ!

15 Years Later

I was sitting at my kitchen table, making a grocery list for the birthday party this afternoon. It was about ten in the morning, on a Saturday. I rubbed my swollen stomach, feeling slight kicking from inside. 

I had been thinking about my mother all morning, very few tears leaking out every now and then. 

I heard two sets of pounding footsteps running down the stairs, and quickly wiped away and stray tears.

Two boys appeared, spitting images of each other; same shade of light-brown hair, same greenish-brown eyes. The only difference between them was their age and height.

Charlie was chasing our five-year-old son around the kitchen table, his hands outstretched. "The tickle monster is gonna get you!" Charlie yelled.

"NO! Not the tickle monster!" Chase screamed, giggling and running away from his father.

"I'm gonna get you!" Charlie yelled again, wiggling his fingers for effect.

I rolled my eyes, smiling at them. "Boys!" I exclaimed.

They stopped running, and looked at me. "Yeah?" Charlie asked.

"Can you go to the store to get food for tonight?" I asked him.

Charlie nodded. "Sure, what time are people coming over?"

"I told everyone four," I answered.

"Okay, when do you want the food by?"

"Be back by two? I need enough time to get it all prepared."

"Okay, I'll go get ready," Charlie told me. He turned to Chase and said in a deep voice, "You have been saved from the tickle monster today. But one day, the tickle monster will get you."

"No! Mommy save me!" Chase yelled, scrambling over to me and pulling on my arm.

I pushed my chair back, and pulled Chase onto my lap. "Don't worry sweetheart, I won't let the big bad tickle monster get you."

"Yay! I wuv you Mommy!" Chase exclaimed, throwing his arms around my neck.  I wrapped my arms around his body, hugging him back.

"I love you too Chase," I replied, chuckling at his enthusiasm.

I grinned at Charlie, who returned my smile. I thought about how far we've come since high school.

After high school, Charlie and I both went to college. He went to Stanford, with a soccer scholarship, majoring in history, with a minor in teaching. I, on the other hand, went to Berkeley, also with a soccer scholarship. I majored in Journalism, with a minor in business. Even though we weren't at the same college, we were only an hour away from each other, both being in San Francisco.

During our last year of college, Charlie was asked to play professionally for the New York Red Bulls. He played with them for four years, before retiring from the team. I was also asked to play professionally, but with Portland Thorns FC. I only played three years though.

That same year, specifically at my last game with Portland, Charlie proposed to me. We were married a year in a half later, on June 27th. 

A year and a half after being married, we had just bought our first house in a small town just outside of San Francisco. I had just gotten pregnant with Chase.

Five years later here we were, having Chase's fifth birthday party.

I looked back to my son and asked, "Chase, do you want to go to the store with Daddy?"