Your Eyes Tell Me What I Need to Know

Knowing that there were trade rumors floating around the league about her, made forward Katrina Anderson worry. Her teammates and friends that she had been playing with since she was eighteen told her not to worry, that she would be fine. That did nothing to calm her nerves. The fear of no longer playing with the girls that she had become friends with. Especially Shannon Boxx, who took up the role of looking out for her. When she had first joined the team, Shannon had opened her home to Katrina for as long as she wanted, but Katrina only stayed for a little while, until she found a place of her own. But now that she would be traded, who knows what it would be like in the new place, or if she would get along with her new teammates.

Coming home after an afternoon run, Katrina went to her house phone and played the machine which had the number four blinking for the unheard messages. Standing in the kitchen while she played them, she took out a bottle of water from the fridge.

Message one.

“Katrina, I’m sorry I didn’t catch you, but I thought you should hear it from me. The Washington Freedom has been bought out by New York. And they are looking for a star like you. So you are heading to the big apple. But don’t worry; the team is looking forward to having you. You can come by at practice to say your farewell to the team and clean out your stuff. I do want to say thank you for an amazing three seasons. I’m sure you’ll rise up to your potential in New York and we wish you the best of luck.

Message two.

“Hey, Kat, it’s Shannon and the ladies. We heard about the trade. We aren’t happy to say the least, but keep your head up because you’ll be fine. After all you are the next Mia Hamm. We understand that you might want to be alone right now, but don’t be too down. You always wanted to go and see the sights that other places have to offer, so now is the chance to see New York. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun and you have to remember the time difference when you call me and tell me all about it. I guess I’ll catch you before you leave. Bye.

Pressing the stop button on the machine, Katrina walked over to one of the chairs in the kitchen and sat down. Feeling the prickling sensation in her eyes, she knew that the tears were on the way. This was the very thing that she had been dreading, but she knew it was coming. There was no way she could prepare for the fact that it was now upon her. She loved the fans of the Sol and she loved the girls, they had become a family. Three years of her life she spent building a relationship with the media out here and now she was going across the country. It just wasn’t fair. She really wanted her whole career to be in just one place, but it wasn’t turning out the way she wanted.

As soon as the tears started falling from her eyes, the phone started ringing. Katrina stayed seated in her chair, glaring at the device as if it were the reason she was so upset. Hearing her voice recorded answering machine go off, she let out a sigh of relief. She waited for the person on the other end to speak, but when they didn’t, she headed to her bedroom to get in a shower and change before packing a bag. If she was leaving for New York, she’d need a place to stay. Although it was the last place she wanted to be, it was how it was to be. Even if she didn’t like the way she was informed of the final decision. But in some way, she knew all along that she wouldn’t be coming back for another season in Los Angeles. That was the downside. The upside was she could probably afford an apartment with a nice view for the same price she was paying for this two bedroom one and a half bath apartment.

Before she knew it the week was gone and Katrina was staying with Shannon for her last day in Los Angeles. She had a press conference to talk about the trade since there was so much talk about what happened and why. She personally didn’t see the big deal about it, but then again, after meeting a few of her new teammates, her nerves about playing in New York had disappeared. It was hard leaving the girls, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Getting dressed in a simple dark blue scoop neck dress that fell a few inches above her knees, Katrina had to remind herself that she wouldn’t cry during the press conference. Leaving her light brown hair down, she straightened it before applying a little bit of make-up to her face. When she felt that she was ready, she slid on her black heeled boots and zipped them up the sides. Grabbing her bag and sunglasses, she walked out into the main room where Shannon Boxx was waiting for her, ready to go.

“You look good, Kat,” Shannon said. “You’re not that shy kid right out of high school who wanted nothing more than a chance to prove herself.”

“I’m still trying to prove myself,” Katrina smiled. “I don’t know why they had to call me the next Mia Hamm; I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live up to that.”

“Maybe they see something that you don’t see in yourself,” Shannon suggested as they walked towards her car. “So everything is set up in the new apartment?”

“Yeah, everything is decorated and set up to be lived in,” Katrina said. “I’ve pictures of the good times I had out here with the girls set up around the place. I got a good deal on the place too. It’s got a beautiful view and a balcony.”

“Sounds like you upgraded.”

“I’ve gotta try and make it out there,” Katrina said as Shannon started the drive. “Abby Wambach has been really great. She helped me find the apartment. But no matter what I’m really going to miss this team and this home.”

“Just because you are going to be playing in New York doesn’t mean that we can’t still talk,” Shannon told her as she noticed a tear fall from under the sunglasses Katrina wore. “This is just a step in your long career.”

“I wish I could take you with me,” Katrina sniffed, trying her hardest to hold back her tears. “You were there for me after my Grandma died.”

“She did a great job raising you,” Shannon told her. “I may have only met her a few times, I could tell she was proud of you. You miss them, don’t you?”

“All the time,” Katrina admitted. “They raised me from as far back as I can remember. I don’t know who my dad is, but my mom took off when saying she was just going to the store for diapers.”

“Well it’s because of them, you are the way you are today,” Shannon smiled as she pulled into the underground parking lot. “And that’s a good thing.”

“I’m really going to miss you, Shannon,” Katrina told her, as they got out of the car. “You’ve done a lot for me when you didn’t have to.”

“I’d do it again,” Shannon told her as they started their walk to the entrance. Both knew there would be cameras, but neither thought there would be this many. “Time to face the cameras.”

“For the last time here,” Katrina said. “The day after I get to New York, Abby and I have a charity event to go to. We are the only two from the team going to this one. But it will be my first thing as part of the Freedom.”

With that being said, the girls made their way inside. Katrina saw the podium and all of the cameras set up. This was the last thing she was going to be doing as part of the Los Angeles Sol. It was saddening and didn’t feel real. At least she kind of hoped it wasn’t. Hoping that someone would jump in front of her and tell her it was all a joke. Shortly after getting there, Katrina was being informed that it was time. She took a deep breath and gave Shannon a small smile. Sitting in-between the coach and Shannon who was representing the team, Katrina looked at the cameras waiting for it to start. After someone did the formalities, the questions started.

“What was the reaction for everyone to find out about the trade?”

“Well for me, I cried. There was a message on my answering machine when I came home from a run,” Katrina said speaking into the microphone. “I didn’t think this would happen so soon, I mean you hear about early trades in careers, I was hoping to have a long career with the Sol, but there isn’t much I can do about it. I’ve accepted the decision and I look forward to being a part of the Freedom.”

“The team and I are going to miss Katrina, but we have no doubt that she’ll do a wonderful job in New York. Our losing her is New York’s gain,” Shannon said. “But hopefully we’ll be able to get a win against them. Having her on the opposite team might take some getting used to.”

With a smile on her face, Katrina leaned forward towards the microphone. “Shannon, I plan to take full advantage of that.”

The laughter of the media made the smiles on the soccer players’ faces even brighter. They both knew that as soon as this day ended, Katrina was on a flight to New York to play with a new team. It was something they both weren’t looking forward to. It wasn’t that they didn’t want the other to succeed, but they knew the distance and the different schedules would make it hard to talk all the time. Katrina would never admit it to Shannon, but she was really nervous about going to New York by herself. So they both wore their brave faces.

“When do you leave for New York?”

“Soon,” Katrina said. “There’s an event I’m attending with my new teammate. It’ll be my first official event as part of the New York Freedom.”

“Have you met any of the New York Freedom?”

Katrina smiled at the question. “I met them when they were the Washington Freedom,” she said. “When I went to get a place to live in New York, I met Abby Wambach as well as some of the others. They have all been very welcoming.”

“Do they treat you differently since you are known as the next Mia Hamm?”

“Not to my face they don’t,” Katrina said. “I don’t think there will ever be another Mia Hamm. I think there can only ever be one and being compared to her is an honor, but I don’t think I could ever be as great as she is.”

“Would you come back to the Sol if given the chance?”

“It would be nice to come back, but this happened and so that makes me think, maybe the Sol doesn’t need me as much as I need them,” Katrina said feeling the tears coming into her eyes making her vision blurry. She took a deep breath before she continued. “I’ve had a great three seasons playing for Los Angeles and the girls and I bonded. I just hope it will be like that in New York.”

Looking at Shannon, Katrina accepted the tissue she offered her. The rest of the press conference went by in a blur for Katrina. It was filled with sadness and many tears. She didn’t want to shed any tears, to appear strong, but it didn’t work that way. After the press conference, Shannon and Katrina went back to Shannon’s home where some of the girls had set up a good-bye party for her. It broke her heart that she wouldn’t be able to see them every day. She had only barely turned eighteen when she joined and now here she was three years later, leaving them to go across the country to play for another team. She wished many times that she could wake up from the dream she thought she was in, but that never happened. Instead what did happen was, she was almost late to her flight. Fortunately for her, she made it and then when she had to change planes, that one was delayed for three hours. The passengers on the flight with her waited on the runway for a long time. It felt like an eternity and to say her ass was sore would be an understatement. As soon as the plane touched down and the pilot said the current time, Katrina bit her bottom lip to keep from letting out a groan. She was already forty five minutes late to the charity event. Thankfully, she had her dress in the bag with her luggage, so as soon as she got that, she’d be able to change and go straight to the event, with one minor stop along the way. After all she couldn’t carry her suitcase around all night long.

When she finally got to the event, she did the whole carpet thing. Her red dress was perfect for the event. The V-neckline was cut perfectly and the satin bow under the bust line gave the look of class. The dress fell right below her knees. Her strappy white heels is what completed the look in her opinion, not the barely there make-up, it was the combination of the dress and heels. It wasn’t too showy, but it was suitable to wear again on another night. Katrina had to keep herself from rolling her eyes at some of the things the photographers were saying. Taking out her cell phone, she saw it was a text from Abby. Informing her new teammate that she was there and on the way to the elevator, she put her phone back into her black clutch. Seeing a man enter the elevator, she called out to him to hold it as she walked as quickly in a pair of heels as she could to the elevator.

As she stepped inside, she gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Miss?” he asked, wondering who it was he held the elevator for.

“Anderson. Katrina Anderson.” She supplied her name as he put his hand out for her to shake. She took it as she looked at him in the eyes. His eyes were a beautiful blue color.

“So you’re the soccer player that has been making headlines out here for the past few weeks,” he said as he released her hand. “The news said you had missed your flight into New York.”

A slight blush crept onto her face and neck. “Well I almost missed it, but my second flight was delayed and we were stuck on the runway. So I’m just hoping that no one notices how late I am.”

“You aren’t the only one that is late,” he told her. “I hear Sean Avery still hasn’t shown up.”

“Who?”

“Sean Avery from the New York Rangers.”

“I don’t really follow,” Katrina said. “Is he some big shot?”

“He likes to think so.” he laughed.

“I don’t think I caught your name.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, putting his hand out once again. “I’m Henrik Lundqvist.”

“Well since you seem to know what I do,” Katrina noted. “What is it that you do?”

“Oh, I play hockey,” he smiled at her. “With Sean Avery.”

“I see,” she said nodding her head. “I’m sorry, don’t take it personally, but I’ve never watched a hockey game in my life. It’s not that big out in California.”

“You have three teams based in California.”

“I never had that much time to go and watch a hockey game,” Katrina admitted. “I went to a few LA Galaxy games to support them since they would come and support us, but I guess I might have to see a game or something.”

“Did I peak your interest?” Hank asked her.

“You might have,” she laughed, her smile reaching her eyes. “Well it was really nice to meet you Mr. Lundqvist.”

“Please, call me Hank.”

“Ok,” she said. “It was nice to meet you, Hank.”

“And it was nice to meet you as well, Katrina,” he smiled at her. Realizing he was still holding her hand, he let it go in time for the elevator doors to open up. “I hope you have a good night.”

With a smile, she walked out of the elevator and saw Abby waiting for her. That was probably the only person she would know at this whole event, well besides Hank. But this was for charity and if that meant she was alone most of the night for a good cause then that was okay. It gave her time to think about how her life in the span of a few weeks had changed. No longer was she living in the sunshine state playing for the Los Angeles Sol, no she was now living in New York City playing for the Freedom who had recently played in Washington. She hoped that things in New York would go her way, because if they didn’t she’d have to wait with hopes of maybe being traded back to the Sol, but she did want things to work out in New York. Everything that happens has a reason, at least that was what her grandmother used to say. So here she was, a native from California living in New York while playing the sport that she loved.