The Wait Is Over

Put It On The Board

Sam and Abby have settled into a comfortable position on the couch, with Abby's head resting against Sam's stomach. The broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games has started and Sam is stroking Abby's forehead while playing with her hair.

Sam: Too bad the other two aren't here to watch this with us.

Abby: Yeah, but I get where Steph was coming from. Most of the good restaurants around here are going to be closed on Monday, so she wanted to take Kristie out for Valentine's Day early. It'll probably be one of the last chances they have to do something like this before preseason splits them up.

Sam: I don't know how they're doing it. This will be the sixth season with Kristie in Washington and Steph in Chicago. The league schedule did them no favors this year as well.

Abby: I know. Before the league was split into East and West, you could face a team up to four times in a season. With them in opposite conferences, it's only one guaranteed game and this year it's at DC, so they won't even have a chance to spend time together the day or night before the game.

Sam: I don't know why Kristie doesn't just barge into the coach's office and demand a move to the Red Stars.

Abby: 1) She doesn't have the leverage some other players on that team do, having been out of the national team picture for a few years now; 2) Gabarra doesn't place a player's happiness and well-being ahead of winning, unlike John; and 3) He's vindictive enough to ship her off to Vancouver or Atlanta to drive that point home. She still doesn't know what is up for this season, and it has her worried. She's even talking retirement if things get worse.

Sam: No kidding?! I knew the being apart was driving her crazy, but I didn't think it had gotten to the point where she'd consider hanging up her boots just to be with Steph.

Abby: I wish Steph knew about all the times the two of us talked this past season about her and you and our situations. We were sort of each other's lifeline in the midst of wanting you close. Luckily for you, the distance between us shortened up a bit by the middle of the season.

Sam: And then John ripped your coach off to get us back together.

Abby: True. The stunned look around the ballroom after the announcement said a lot without saying a single thing.

Sam: They really need to talk about this, but Steph is so non-committal.

Abby: Steph really needs to drop down and say the magic words.

Sam: Hoodrat propose??? Clearly you jest!

Abby: Then Kristie should do it.

Sam: That's not how their relationship works. Kristie is a softie, and that means she wants to be on the receiving end of that question. She won't take it on herself to do it just because Steph is dragging her feet.

Abby's phone goes off.

Sam: Who's texting you?

Abby: It's a notice from SB Nation. I have their Twitter account send me alerts when new articles concerning the NWSL go up. It seems that the interview Steph Labbe and I did with Steph Yang is now online.

Sam: Can you pull it up for me?

Abby: Sure. I think this is the best one I've given since coming into the league, because it was done on Skype and I didn't have to worry about all the ums I use to think about my answers. The fact that it was with the two Stephs also helped, because the one has become a really good friend over the past year and the other has been following you, your sister, and her Steph for a decade or more, so it was easy to open up with her.