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My sister, Addison, answers her phone, and I blurt out in an excited rush of words, “I got the job! I’m officially a Thunder employee, just like you. Speaking of which, I think we may be starting a dynasty down there in Atlanta.”
That makes my sister laugh and agree, “Yeah, we could just be. But really, though, congratulations, Willow. I’m so happy for you.”
I’m happy too. But I wasn’t joking about the dynasty thing. Working for the Atlanta Thunder is becoming quite the family affair these days. Not only is my sister an employee in the marketing department, but her fiancé, Hayden, plays for the team, centering their top line.
And then there’s me, now an accountant for the Atlanta Thunder in the finance department.
Landing this new position is due in no small part to Addison and Hayden. They both put in good words for me. I know in my heart that their endorsements sealed the deal, on top of my excellent grades in college and stellar set of interviews.
It was like a perfect trifecta.
Prior to that, I almost landed a job with a big accounting firm in New York City. That one fell through the same day I received the offer from the Thunder. I figured the turn of events was meant to be, though the New York position paid more—a hell of a lot more.
Of course, expenses are sky-high in that city.
So, yeah, no, I’m good.
“Wow.” Addison blows out a breath. “I can’t believe you’re going to be living down here in Atlanta. It’ll be so nice having you close by.”
“Yeah.” I laugh. “It’s going to be just like how it was when we were growing up.”
She chuffs, “Hopefully without all the bickering, though, right?”
“Right.”
It’s true. For as much as we love each other, we’ve been known to have some knock-down, drag-out fights over the years. Thankfully, they’ve always been resolved quickly. I think it just comes down to the fact that my sister and I are far too much alike.
Despite our squabbles, we’ve always been tight. We’re only one year apart. Still, for the past few years, we’ve been like ships passing in the night.
At first, we were both away at different colleges that kept us apart. We only were able to see each other pretty much over holidays spent at our parents’ house.
Then Addison moved to Atlanta for her job.
I’ve missed her a lot over the years, so living in the same city once again will definitely be nice. The timing is perfect, too, as I think my parents are ready for me to move on.
I share that thought with Addison and add, “Mom and Dad need to have their house back to themselves. I’m sure of that. I mean, shit, I think they’ve made it clear, as they’ve already packed half my crap in my car.” I laugh. “It’s all good, though. I’ll be saying goodbye to Butler this Friday. And hopefully, this time, for good.”
Butler is our hometown. It’s a quaint little city north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’ve been living with my parents since graduating a couple of weeks ago, but it’s time to turn the page and move onto the next chapter of my life.
And I can’t freaking wait!
“So you’re leaving Friday for sure?” Addison asks.
“Yes, definitely.”
“Okay, good. I’m thinking even if you stop for an overnight, which I highly recommend ’cause I don’t want you driving all night long, you’ll arrive in Atlanta fairly early on Saturday.”
“I should,” I agree, nodding for emphasis even though we’re not FaceTiming at the moment.
“That’s perfect,” Addison says. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it down here until after we leave for our trip.”
My sister and Hayden are taking an extended vacation to Europe. Following the Thunder’s disappointing exit from round one of the playoffs, they moved up their departure date.
Hayden claimed he didn’t want to sit around and dwell on what could have been, and Addison agreed. She just changed the dates of her leave of absence she’s taking for their trip.
That was no problem, as she works with Thunder players on promo events. There won’t be any of those during the offseason since most of the guys are away. Of course, she’ll be back in time to set up things for when the new season starts this fall.
So, with her having to go back to work sometime around early August, and Hayden needing to return to Atlanta in time to prepare for training camp, they’ll be gone for close to three months.
