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ACT NINE
BACK THEN
TATIANA
Tacoma, Washington
Elaine’s parents own a beautiful property on the coast that overlooks the Puget Sound. It’s two miles away from my favorite arena, and thankfully soundproof so no one can hear me crying in the guest room.
Without looking in the mirror, I know my face is puffy and I can’t bear to join my “family” for dinner. Wrapping myself in a blanket, I tiptoe down to the garage and slip inside the driver’s seat of my father’s car.
Over the past few hours, my life’s trajectory changed on a whim, and I’m still trying to process how the hell I didn’t see this coming.
My future, my dreams, my everything are swirling down the drain. Just like that.
Unable to wait for Travis’s nightly call, I dial his number.
“Hey,” he answers on the first ring. “How’s studying for that Russian business program going?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“I’ve heard the rules for tourists are pretty strict in certain areas,” he says. “Whenever you start your program, will you be able to sightsee on the weekends?”
“I’m not going anymore,” I say. “I’ll compete in the Sochi Olympics, and then I have to fly right back home.”
“I’m confused. Why?”
“Because I don’t have…” My voice cracks. “They drained…”
My phone rings with his request to make this conversation a video call and I oblige.
When his face appears on screen, I see that he’s dressed in a suit and sitting in a well-lit office.
“You landed the Gatorade sponsorship, didn’t you?” I ask. “I knew you would. How much are they paying you?”
“I don’t want to talk about me. Why are you crying?”
I try to hold back the tears, but they fall anyway.
“They drained everything from my account,” I say. “The money that my mom left for me, everything I was planning to use to go to that program and move out after? It’s gone, all except three hundred dollars.”
His face pales.
He looks as stunned as I feel.
“It’s like they don’t even see how messed up it is, and…” My voice trails off as Elaine walks inside the garage. She moves to the driver’s side and taps on the window.
“Hold on a second, okay?” I set aside the phone and roll down the window. “Yeah?”
“Why are you out here crying instead of eating with the rest of us?”
I don’t answer.
“If it’s about our discussion earlier, you need to suck it up instead of acting like it’s the end of the world.” She has the audacity to hand me a Kleenex.
I let her offensive offer linger in the air.
“Your father and I have paid for all your costumes, transportation, and events foryears, and it’s not fair for you to keep every dime of your sponsorship money , all while sitting on twenty thousand dollars. It’s money that you could’ve offered to use to pay us back a long time ago.”
