The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Chapter 5

Two years later, my soccer career was on the rise. Being the USWNT goalkeeper got me some attention on and off the field. People started asking for my autograph and replicas of my jersey were being sold in stores. I was taking online college classes at UCLA while I was playing around the world. I had even written a couple books about my life and my experiences. I hadn't seen Alex for a long time since the last day. Last I had heard, she was living in London and was an up-and-coming journalist and photographer. I remembered how badly she had always wanted to go to London. When Coach De've (he was French) told me we were going to play England in London, a plan started to formulate in my head. I figured I would go see her and see if she remembered me.

We touched down in London at about 2 o'clock. When we got to the hotel, the team had a quick running session to strecth our legs. After that, I changed into my regular clothes- a USWNT hoodie and jeans- and decided to walk around the city. There was a restaurant/coffee shop a couple blocks from the hotel with free Wi-Fi so I decided to go in there so I could watch replays of our past games. As I walked up to the door, I looked in the window. Then I saw something I wasn't prepared to see. There she was, in the coffee shop. She was right there. I thought I was going to be ready to see her the next time I got the chance but I wasn't. I turned and pressed my back to the wall. Pull yourself together, I thought to myself. My head was racing and my heart was pounding in my chest. Eventually, I finally calmed down enough to walk inside. I took a deep breath. She probably doesn't even remember my name, I reasoned. I pushed the door open and walked up to the counter. I ordered a frappuccino. Not the healthiest but I was too out of it to order anything else. I saw an empty table over by hers. I sat so I was diagonal to her. She looked over and watched me sit down. I looked at her and for a brief moment, our eyes made contact. A spark of recognition looked like it passed through hers. I gave a small smile and she turned away. I pulled out my headphones and my laptop. I sat there watching plays for about 30 minutes. I could feel her eyes on me. A couple of times, I looked up and glanced in her direction. I caught her staring intently at me. She watched my ADHD movements- my leg bouncing up and down, my fingers tapping the table in an unfamiliar rhythm- but didn't notice I was looking back at her. She snapped her head so she was facing forward. I smiled to myself and returned to watching the videos. I noticed my drink was gone after I was absent-mindedly sipping it and nothing came in my mouth. I sighed, pulled out my headphones, threw my laptop in my bag, and got up to leave. I looked in her direction again. She was staring at me again but this time, she didn't turn her head. I sort of waved and she smiled at me. I turned toward the door to walk out but I, being the klutz I am, got my foot caught on the chair. I tripped and fell right in the middle of the shop. I checked on my laptop to make sure it wasn't broken. All eyes turned toward me. My face got hot and stung with embarrassment. I smiled weakly and rushed out the door. I made it almost a block away before I heard fast-paced footsteps behind me. Someone put their hand on my shoulder and spun me around. The person wrapped me in a hug.

"You found me," Alex whispered.

"You remember me?" I asked.

"Yeah. After I got out of the hospital, my mom helped me get my memory back. She told me all the stories and showed me pictures and eventually, it all came back to me." she said.

"I missed you. Gosh I missed you. I'm so sorry I had to go," I said after standing there speechless for a while.

"It's okay, I promise. I missed you too. I didn't forget about your promises either. I'm still waiting on the trip around the world," she said with a smile.

"Can you come to our game tomorrow if I get you a ticket? It's at Stamford Bridge in Fulham," I said, hoping she would come.

" Sure. I know where it is," she said. I tried to contain my excitement.

"Ok I'll let the box office know about your ticket. I'll see you later," I confirmed with a smile.

"Ok. Bye. It was great... no... really great to see you again," she said and smiled back.

She turned and walked back toward the coffee shop. I turned, breathed deeply, and ran all the way back to the hotel. I jumped and skipped like a kid. I felt on top of the world. I was so excited. I immediately had one of my infamous plans running through my mind.

When I got back to the hotel, my teammates all asked me where I went. I told them about everything that had just happened. They knew about my past with her and the pain that resonated with me every moment of the day because of it. They were all ecstatic.

"Ok guys. I need your help with something. I have a plan," I said.

I went into a very detailed overview of what I was thinking about. They all agreed and even gave me some new ideas. Then I called Alex's mom. Yes, even after all this time, I still had Mrs. Myers' phone number in my phone. I told her my plan and she said that it sounded great. She also told me some stuff that would help me pull it off. I thanked her and hung up. Now I just had to wait for the game.