This is worse thanI thought. At first, she was crying, but if I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s mad now. Not just mad but like seething, raging angry. I take a step back, hoping the distance will help her calm down.
If I’d known about the kid, I would have been here sooner. She’s got to know that. This is partly her fault, for not getting in contact.
Her voice is low and even, in stark contrast with the fire brewing in her eyes. She crosses her arms over her chest. “So, if your child needed a kidney, you’d ask family members to get tested? You wouldn’t get tested?”
I want to avoid her gaze, but I hold it. It’s the least I can do. It’s the bare minimum of what I owe her. But I can’t take it and look at my feet as I admit, “They haven’t made final selections for the National Team yet, but I’ve got a good shot. And then the Global Games are this summer in Paris.” I don’t need to explain. She knows what I mean.
It’s one of the things I always enjoyed about spending time with her in college. I didn’t have to explain about early morning workouts or diets that I couldn’t stray from because I was trying to protein load. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have fun; I simply had priorities. Hannah understood. She didn’t pressure me to change. She knew what I was doing and why.
Her eyebrows pinch together before she hisses, “Callaghan Entay, you could not be more wrong about everything. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“So no one needs a kidney?” That would be a huge relief. I sort of feel like a douche for not giving my kid a kidney, but it’s more the timing of everything. After the Global Games, they can have anything they want.
Tears well up in her big brown eyes. I see her lip quiver. Oh shit, she’s on the verge of crying.
I don’t think I can handle tears. Not from her.
Before I stop to think about what I’m doing, I grab her hands again. “Han, I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you cry.”
She lets out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea.”
“Then tell me. Tell me what’s going on and how I can help you. Anything. I’ll do anything.”
In this moment, I mean it. I never want to see this look on her face again. If I can do anything to make it go away forever, I will.
Even give her a kidney.
She pulls her hands away as if I’m on fire. “Really?”
“Anything.” I nod. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.” I have never felt compelled to make this type of offer before. I can’t for the life of me figure out why now, of all occasions, these words are leaving my mouth.
“I will never ask you for anything for me. Trust me on that. I don’t need anything from you. But if I text you someone’s name, will you contact her? She’s trying to clear Xavier Henry’s name and see if she can salvage his career with the Buzzards.”
This—this is about Xavier Henry?
“Why?” I ask, absolutely dumbfounded. I’m so lost.
“Because some douchebag wrote a terrible article that is mostly untrue, and it’s going to cost him his career if someone doesn’t step in. Text her and she’ll give you the proof that you need. Ophelia needs a way to talk to management. Bjorn Janssen would be great, but Bob Miller would be even better.”
I am impressed that Hannah knows the names of both the head coach and the owner of the Boston Buzzards. I shouldn’t be surprised though, after watching her ClikClaks.
She’s a sports trivia aficionado. Of course, she would know this.
My ex-wife didn’t, but Hannah does.
“Okay, I’ll talk to Coach tomorrow. But what else do you need from me?”
Hannah stalks away. Just before she reaches the elevators, she turns and spits, “Never mind. I don’t want anything from you. I never did and I never will.”
I probably deserve that.
Or do I? Is there a dying kid or not? She never said there wasn’t. She never said there was.
She did say the favor was about Xavier Henry.
So that’s how this could benefit me. He’d be a huge asset to the Buzzards for sure. Not that I don’t like Adam Lazarus as a person. As a defender, it’s a different story. He’s a weak link on our team and we all know it. Adam is one of the last few leftovers from pre-COVID when the Buzzards were dead last in the league.
He was one of their better players then, but Miller used the shutdown to rebuild his team. Considering we made it to the semifinals this year, I’d say the strategy was working. I’d say we’d look even better with Xavier Henry on our defensive line.
