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“Yes, Mr. Collins.” I nodded stiffly, feeling my nerves take over. Taking in a deep breath, I watched my dad open the doors and enter the lively room, clapping his hands.
“All right boys! Settle down.” A soft smile grew on my face as I listened to my dad silence the boys; he sounded like a teacher. “You have been without a mental health consultant for a while now. I’d like to introduce you to Miss Collins. She will help you sort out most of your issues to make sure you’re ready to play! Let's give her a warm welcome.” I could hear his chewing all the way from this door—and was that introduction necessary?
I entered the room, and the “warm” welcome got a bit louder. Some of the guys even whistled, and my dad slammed his hand on the table. “Jameson, that’s my daughter!”
“Dad!” I exclaimed. Didn’t I just say we weren’t family?
“Sorry pudding.” He smiled innocently as he sat down and happily motioned to the space he was standing in. Did I really have to introduce myself? I was already embarrassed as it was.
“Hi.” I waved as I quickly looked around, all the presentation skills that I’d learned quickly flying out the window. Pick one person, pick one person, Naomi! My eyes immediately landed on Aaron, and my smile grew as I watched him wave energetically. At least there was someone I know personally besides my father. “Uhm.” I cleared my throat as I slipped my hair behind my ear. “My name is Naomi Collins, and I am a Certified Mental Consultant with a Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology. I look forward to working with you all.” I smiled as I waved my hand and a chorus of awws erupted from the players. I was pretty sure I was’ redder than my hair was.
I did not want to be perceived as cute!
“We look forward to working with you as well, Naomi!” one of the players said, and I raised my finger to correct him.
“Miss Collins,” I said softly, and he laughed, shaking his head.
“Nah, Naomi is much cuter.” I’d just said I didn’t want to be perceived as cute.
“Yeah, Naomi sounds approachable. We can only call Noah ‘Mr. Collins,’” another player said, and I squinted my eyes.
“Yeah right, jackass. As if.” My father rolled his eyes as he got up and stood next to me. “Where's the pitcher?” he asked as he scanned the room again.
“Fashionably late!” The boys laughed and my dad shook his head, with a light shrug. Was the pitcher always late?
“Whatever. Tell him to go introduce himself to Miss Collins when he gets here. Everybody knows he will need consulting more than all of us here,” Daddy said as he gathered his notebook and pen.
I’d always been a fan of baseball, but ever since college, I hadn’t been such a loyal fan. Who was this he they kept talking about so amusedly?
“Meeting dismissed; go get to practicing, boys!” Daddy said as he popped his gum, and I looked at him, absolutely disgusted. I should have been used to it by now, but I wholly hated it! “Get to work, pudding!” He smiled innocently, and it was always that smile that made me let him off the hook. I smiled as I walked to my office, immediately sagging as I noticed the mess I had made in less than five minutes. Groaning, I picked up the files I had dropped on my couch and filed them alphabetically in the file storage cabinet. I packed all the other knick knacks I had brought from home to make the office more congenial for the players—and staff, if they ever needed someone to talk to.
As I packed my office, a few of the staff members came to introduce themselves and their roles on the team. I realized I just might be the youngest staff member, since everyone else seemed so… mature.
Once I was done organizing my office, I grabbed a cup of coffee and decided to read the files the previous consultant had left for me. Going through each player's file, I made sure to make notes of my own on their previous consultations. I needed to see if they had improved since then.
The hours seemed to fly the moment I was deep nose into their files. Such unique, diverse people. It felt so unreal to be working with them! As always, there were going to be troublesome players who believed they didn’t need any counseling, and that was why I was here—to break such biases and let them know it was totally okay to be in touch with your feelings.
Lord knows, I was proof.
A knock on my door brought me out of my keen research. I looked up and smiled when I saw my dad standing by the door with a gentle beam. “Pudding, most of the staff has gone home. Don’t stay too long on your first day, okay?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’ll leave soon,” I said, and he nodded as he waved and told me he would see me at home. Working a bit more and coming up with a viable schedule, I packed up my many items and decided to call it a successful day even though I didn’t have any consultations.
I definitely learned a few lessons today:
Do not come to work with more than what is expected.
Don’t be shy, because they will think you are cute when you aren’t!
Locking up my office after much struggle, I managed to carry my items in perfect balance. As I reached the garage, I searched for my keys in my handbag, and someone bumped into me, knocking down everything that was in my arms.
Is he not going to help me? I looked at the retreating form, annoyed, as I picked up my items; what a rude prick! There is absolutely nothing wrong with apologizing and then helping me pick up my items that you dropped when you pushed into me.
Wait. Panicked, I looked up again and noticed the man getting into my car. “Hey, that’s my—car?” I looked at the black classic convertible car as the man stood staring at me as if I had lost all senses. “Where’s my car?” I asked as I walked toward his car, inspecting it. “This isn’t my car.”
My car wasn’t black, nor a convertible either.
“Yes, that’s because it’s my car.”
