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Chapter 4
Wednesday night was club dinner night with my Suns’ team—my soon-to-be old team—and even though I had to stop playing mid-season for the Santa Ana Suns, I was still included in club night. My two besties—Steffi who played shooting guard and Aimee who played center—always kept a space for me next to them. I missed them; I missed playing, the discipline, the excitement, the routine ... the only thing I didn’t miss were the injuries.
Aimee was an Amazon, one of the tallest in the team; I swear she could look The Russian in the eye. You expected her to be tough with her size, but she was a big sook; she cried over sad commercials! She was exotically beautiful – her mother was originally from Jamaica and her father from Sweden! Steffi, on the other hand, was a shorty, the shortest on the team at five-foot-eleven and she was thin like me. But unlike me—I seemed to sport a tan easily—Steffi was almost translucent ... I secretly thought she was a vampire, and she was a little too keen on that idea for my liking. I hadn’t started wearing neck scarves around her yet, but I was considering it. Me, I was somewhere between the two of them. One thing we had in common was that we could all pack away a fair quantity of pasta, particularly during the season.
“What are you wearing to the Ball?” Aimee asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “I’ve bought an off-the-shelf, slinky red number ... I won’t be able to eat on the night, or I’ll bust out of it.”
“I’m going nude,” Steffi said, and Aimee and I gasped. She rolled her eyes. “Not nude with nothing on, nude in color. It’s in, apparently. I have a fitted bodice and flowing skirt ... it’s very romantic.”
“Is Wilson coming?” I asked after her boyfriend.
“He wouldn’t miss it. He says my cooking is so bad that at least at the Ball he can get a decent feed,” she said, with a smirk.
“I’m bringing my cousin Roy,” Aimee rolled her eyes. “He’s visiting from Jersey City but I reckon he’s come knowing the Gala Ball is on and he wants to meet girls ... he’s been checking everyone out online. I think he’s a bit keen on you,” she said with a look in my direction. “Anyway, saves me finding a date, he’s not bad on the eye and he’s worth a fortune ... could be worse.”
“I’m bringing someone,” I said. I took a deep breath and smiled.
“Hold up, girlfriend,” Aimee said, “is this big news?”
I nodded. “This is huge news.”
A couple of the girls stopped talking around us and tuned in. I held the floor.
“It’s not a date,” I said, “so no one rush out and buy a hat for a wedding, we’re just friends. I’m bringing ...”
Steffi drummed on the table, preparing for my announcement.
“The Russian!” I said.
“Fuck me, no!” Aimee said.
“The Russian as in the gorgeous, huge, Saints player, the guy on the Timex billboard?” Steffi’s mouth dropped open.
I nodded enthusiastically. “That Russian.”
“How did you meet him?” Lia—six seats away from me—leaned over and asked. She must have bionic hearing.
“Are any other members of the team free? I need a date,” Karley asked. “Can you ask?”
I put up my hand to silence the pack. “I met him through work and then again at the gym ... we had a bet and I won ... so he has to come with me. Yes, that’s him wearing the beautiful sports watch on the Timex billboard,” I said, licking my lower lip like the cat that got the cream.
We got interrupted by a request from the other end of the table to pass the salt and to stop hogging the water jug, and I could hear the news working its way down the table. Eventually the buzz The Russian had created died down.
“So, what are you going to wear?” Aimee said, refocussing.
“I’m getting a dress made.”
“Ooh, I should think so,” Aimee gushed. “Last week you were wearing the green dress from your closet.”
“Time to retire that dress,” Steffi said.
“Really? I’m clearly clueless then because I thought it had plenty of life in it yet,” I sighed. “Josh said it and all my outfits sucked,” I said, whirling pasta on my fork.
“Josh would know, the man’s a style king,” Steffi said. “Besides, you want to look your best if you’re with The Russian. You two will be the ‘IT’ couple for the night.”
I imagined myself walking in on his arm – one of the hottest players in the league, with me! My whole body was tingling and in some places more than others.
“Lucky bitch,” Aimee said, hitting my arm.
