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Getting back to the topic she called me about, she quickly continues. “So, once you complete your post-grad work, you’d be in a great position to promote into the lead role. Normally, it doesn’t work that way, but…” She pauses and I hear her let out a breath. “Listen, you didn’t hear this from me, but the rumor mill is that the current women’s coach needs an early retirement due to health issues, and they’re down an assistant. This is your moment.”
My moment. The words reverberate through my skull like a shriek in an empty room with no carpet.
“Um, can I think about this?”
“Sure. But think fast. We’ll need to move swiftly to secure this. You’re the first person I thought of because you’d be perfect for it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I mean it. I haven’t spoken to Debbie in a while, and to have her think of me first out of everyone that runs in our old circles means a lot.
“You’re one of the best. I can one hundred percent visualize you on the sidelines of the court, leading your ladies to glory. Just let me know by Friday.”
“Friday next week?” It’s currently Wednesday, so just over a week would be good.
“Nope, day after tomorrow. There’s no sitting on this. The sports world moves fast, as I’m sure you remember.”
I do remember.
“Okay, then. I’ll call you Friday.”
Excitement wells up in me with all the crazy possibilities this could mean for my future. Nervous energy has me spinning in place when I catch sight of the cake I just finished icing.
Shit! What about Sam?
It’s July, and the school year starts in August, with staff having to get back to work sooner. And Debbie needs to know my answer within the next two days. Sam’s coming over soon, and I need to figure out what to tell him. Things have been so good with us and I don’t want to ruin it.
The timing sucks, but I can’t keep this a secret. I need to sit down with him and discuss what’ll change when I take this.
Then it hits me. I’m going to take this. I can’tnottake it. It’s too valuable an opportunity to waste.
When Sam arrives, I rush into his arms.
“Whoa, baby, you just about knocked me over.” He chuckles, and all at once, I’m frightened. What is this going to mean for us?
“I’m happy to see you!” I cry out, and then I do something that might be stupid. “I love you.”
His expression becomes so soft that I wish I had it on video to replay over and over. “Ah, Amanda, I love you, too.”
But there’s a pit in my stomach.
“So, um… I have something to discuss with you.”
He takes my hand and sits next to me at my kitchen table. Last week, he burst in here, pulled my skirt up, lifted me this table and took me without pause. It was exhilarating, even if I wound up with a bruise on my backside for a couple days afterward. Now, though, the memory smarts a little.
“You know you can tell me anything,” he says gently.
I do know that.
“I’ve been offered a job. A big job. And I’m going to accept it—I have to. It’s a coaching position.”
“Yeah?” He grins widely, looking ecstatic. “Just like your dream.”
“Um, yes, but there’s a catch.” Just spit it out and get it over with. “It’s in Atlanta. At Georgia Tech.”
I can see the second the ramifications of this roll over him. But the only teaching jobs available are going to be somewhere besides Oak Valley. He knows this, but it has to sink in.
“Atlanta…” He speaks the name of the state’s capital with a deliberateness you might use with someone who struggles to understand verbal communication. “So, you’ll be moving two hours away.”
“Yes.”
