Page 55 of Lucky 22

And it wasn’t only the traveling that was weighing heavilyon me. It was the WAGs.

No one was ever mean to my face, but there were plenty oftimes when I caught the looks or heard the whispers. And none of them wereflattering.

I grew up in a middle-class family, and we didn’t have muchextra money. I’m not someone who cares about designer labels, and I’m so proudwhen I can DIY something instead of paying a premium price. I can be veryfrugal. I’m a small-town girl who is comfortable in blue jeans, T-shirts, andmy Hello Kitty purses. They make me happy, and anyone who really knows me knowsthat.

These women live in a completely different league…the bigleagues.

So, when I went to games and sat with everyone, they wereall there in their designer clothes and Louis Vuitton bags, and there I was,sporting Hello Kitty.

The snickering was hard to miss.

Outwardly, I didn’t let it show that it bothered me, but itdid. And it took some of the fun out of flying out to watch my man play. Everytime my feelings wanted to be hurt, I remembered Christian’s words to me.

You should be friends with everyone, but close with noone.

And I refused to change just to fit in. That’s not who I am.If a purse was going to be the thing that made people not like me, it said moreabout them than me.

You should be friends with everyone, but close with noone.

There was another dynamic within the WAG group that hadnothing to do with designer labels. I was new to the group—the team—and I wasjust a girlfriend. It was also different for me because I didn't have anychildren. Many baseball wives are moms with young kids. So, I didn't fit intothat group either. There was no meanness to it; it was just a fact. We didn’thave anything in common. And it added to my loneliness.

You should be friends with everyone, but close with noone.

Whenever Jess was at the game, I would sit with her. Ialways felt more comfortable when I did, but when she wasn’t there, I usuallysat by myself in the family section.

Summer came and went, and we were still in that freneticpace of trying to see each other as much as possible but giving our all to ourcareers at the same time. The Anaheim Magic made the playoffs, which meant thatChristian was deep in baseball mode.

If I thought the regular season was intense, it was nothingcompared to playoff mode.

They’re currently in Boston, and things aren’t looking good.When we were on the phone last night, my heart broke just listening toChristian recount how badly the game had gone and how he blamed himself for theloss. They have to win game three. Otherwise, their season is over.

I hadn’t planned on going to any of the games in this roundbecause my schedule is tight, but tonight is a make-or-break game, and I know Ineed to be there for him. And who knows, maybe surprising him, and him knowingthat I’m in the stands will be a good thing and boost his spirits?

I book my flight on my way to the Atlanta airport and makearrangements with the assistant in charge of seating for the team’s families. Inervously wonder whether I should text him and let him know I’m coming butdecide to wait for him to call me like he usually does in the morning. It’ssuper early, but this puts me on the ground in Boston by 9:30 a.m., which iswhen he is typically done with his first game-day workout. I wish I could justshow up and be like, “Surprise!” but throwing something like that at Christianwhen he’s in his hyper-focus mode might not be the best.

The man lives by a schedule, and you can’t deviate from it.

When I land in Boston and check my phone, I see a missedcall and text.

Christian: Hey, beautiful. I know you’reprobably busy, but I really wanted to hear your voice. Call me when you get achance.

Aww…

Lugging my carry-on, I head out to get a cab and don’trespond until I’m on my way to the hotel.

Ella: Are you free to talk?

My phone rings almost immediately.

“There’s my girl,” he says with relief when I answer thephone.

“Hey, you,” I coo. “What’s going on? Bad day?”

“I’m still frustrated because of last night. There’s a lotof pressure on tonight’s game, and the overall mood here is really intense.Everyone was quiet at breakfast. I needed something to perk me up, and thesound of your voice always does that for me.”

That is so sweet. I’ve always felt that way about his voice,too.

“What if I said I can do better than just the sound of myvoice on the phone?”