The Wait Is Over

A Foggy Future

The Breakers' players have split up around Washington, DC on this night before their showdown with the Spirit. Steph Labbe and Rose Lavelle are at Mythology.

Rose: Tell me a bit about yourself. I don't feel like I know you that well yet, despite our dogs being fast friends.

Steph: I was born and raised in the greater Edmonton area, went to college at UConn, played in Sweden for a few years before coming to the Spirit ahead of the 2016 season. Been in and out of the Canadian National Team system for the better part of 15 years now. Have a bronze medal from the 2016 Olympics, a silver from the 2020 Olympics but you already know that since you have a gold from those games, and won the Silver Glove at the 2019 World Cup in France.

Rose wasn't really looking for a rundown of Steph's career when she asked the question, but more about her likes/dislikes and personal information. She takes another stab at getting the goalie to open up.

Rose: What do you like to do in your free time?

Steph: Play with Rio, yoga, being outdoors, shopping a little bit, eating. You're the inquisitive type, aren't you?

Rose: Just want to get to know you better, since we're teammates here even though we're rivals on the international stage.

Steph is being slightly straight-forward with her answers, not wanting to lead Rose on or to express interest in the cute midfielder. She's thinking that Rose could be a good "girlfriend for appearances' sake" in order to keep the eyes and rumors of her relationship with the team's assistant coach out of the public eye, but doesn't want to go down that road just yet.

Steph: You said you were into older women. Why's that?

Rose: I think that I'm too much of a kid still to be serious in leading a relationship, and women my age are still in the finding-themselves stage of life, whereas I'd like to settle down sooner rather than later. With an older woman, both of those could happen. She'd be in control of how the relationship progressed and she'd also be seeking something long-term probably.

Steph: Well, older women have also seen a lot of things that you've yet to encounter and thus might be more jaded about love and stability than you think.

Rose takes Steph's words to heart, knowing that she is probably still bitter over the break-up with Georgia and isn't able to hide that from her.

Rose: I'm sorry if it seems like I'm prying, but how did you and your girlfriend come to break up?

Steph: I was a bit of an asshole when it came to her career, believing that she could take a couple of years off from competing in order for us to have a child together. She felt put upon by that and decided she didn't want to shut down her training or pursuit of an Olympic medal in LA just to satisfy my desire to be a mom. I think she also wasn't too thrilled that I was gung-ho about the trade to Boston without letting her weigh in on it. In the end, we just wanted two different things out of life.

***

Jessie Fleming and Mallory Pugh have met up at Shake Shack for dinner and gossip.

Jessie: Mal pal, what's new with you?

Mal: The usual. CP and JJ took me out for brunch when the Storm were here for the season opener.

Jessie: Wasn't Philly playing in Chicago that day?

Mal: Yeah. Julie flew here after the game to hook up with Mama.

Jessie giggles at that description.

Mal: Any luck on the dating front in Boston?

Jessie: Nope. Most nights I'm at home with Rose getting fat and watching Netflix.