Can You Repeat That, You’re Name is Schneiger, Shwien—What?
Part III: Destiny Answered
*Ivonne POV: Friday February 12, 2010 at 10:20 A.M. Munich’s News Building*
When I had told Bastian that I wouldn’t move in with him I had foolishly thought that he would realize that he had been wrong and would see it in a couple of days. I was sad but knew he would understand that what he had said wasn’t true, that I was very open to having him in my life and come back to me. It was now about two weeks later and still nothing. The true had sunk in last night while I was sleeping alone in the bed that still smelled of spearmint and rain but was no longer warm with Bastian’s body heat.
He wasn’t coming back.
That night I hadn’t felt anger at the words he said but sadness. I wasn’t able to stop the rush of tears that had spilled forth and the body shaking sobs that had come. Sometime during my misery I had fallen into a troubled sleep.
At the moment I wanted to be anywhere but at work, the need to curl up in a corner and cry was strong.
“You look like shit Ivonne,” Hilda looked at me with concern. “You sure you don’t want to tell Michael you’re sick and go home.”
“It’s only a few more hours of work,” I replied without real emotion in my voice. I don’t know why I didn’t take her advice, it wasn’t like I had done much work up to this point. The computer was still in the logging in phase and I was only staring at it blankly deep in thought.
“Maybe you should eat something you look pale.” She pushed her pack of cookies at me and I automatically took one. I took a bite and tasted nothing, it could be grass in my mouth and I wouldn’t even notice or care. But a sound that I didn’t need at this low point in my life resonated through the room…the clicking of heels.
“Ivonne,” came the cheerful voice of Katrina. “Dear you look horrible.” Why the hell did she have to be here right now? “Well, more than usual.”
“What do you want Katrina?” I wasn’t up for her games today. She gave me a pout that had all the men on this floor jumping to attention and then a cruel smile.
“Just wanted to offer my condolences on your break up.” Of course she knew, the press had finally published the story of Bastian and I’s separation today. Katrina would be happy about this fact as she had expressed her puzzlement numerous times on what I had done to catch the attention of a famous and wealthy footballer. “You’ve had to have seen in coming though, it’s not like you have a lot to offer but debts and bad publicity.”
I reached my breaking point.
Standing I towered over her even clad in her stupid designer heels. I must have looked threatening because she took a few steps back while I said, “I am not in the mood for your bitchy ways today so leave me alone or I’m going to punch you.”
Katrina lifted her chin in false bravo and sneered, “I see why he left you. I think I’ll go visit him later. I’m sure my daddy can arrange it.”
My vision went red at the thought of Katrina’s claws in Bastian or her lips on his. My fist connected with her eye before I knew it. Katrina screamed and went down like a sack of potatoes, no longer the pretty princess.
The whole office went silent and then the men quickly gathered around Katrina and shouted at me.
“Don’t you ever go near him,” I made clear to Katrina as she was tended by her mind slaves.
“That was freakin’ amazing!” whooped Hilda and many of the female employees clapped. I only gathered up my purse and walked towards the door. I saw Michael in my peripheral vision but didn’t hear what he said. Didn’t matter, I knew I was fired. I didn’t even think of the consequences my unemployment would have on my family and I. As I walked the stairs I breathed a little easier. I should have left a long time ago, I wasn’t really a journalist there only helping others with their articles and never having any of my individual work published. I should have tried to get out of there sooner but the possibility that I wouldn’t find another job to put food on the table had held me back. No longer.
Feeling freer than ever before I got in my car and drove.
*Bastian POV: Friday February 12, 2010 at 10:20 A.M. His House*
“Do you want to go out to eat with the guys for lunch?” Lukas asked from the seat across from me as a read a magazine on football.
“Not today.”
“How about going to the movies later on? There’s going to be this awesome one about aliens.”
“No thanks.”
“Luca is having a small pool party since the game is tomorrow and we can’t go clubbing, you going to come to that right?”
“I think I’ll pass.” I knew what my friend was trying to and I just didn’t want to. I had been so sure that Ivonne would come back to me after a few days. I had been waiting by the phone but no call and I sure wasn’t going to be the one to apologize. If Ivonne couldn’t learn to trust me then we had nothing. It was just hitting me that she was too scared to change and wouldn’t return to me.
“How about we rent a couple of elephants and race them down the streets?”
“What the hell?” I asked confused, looking up from the article.
“Finally! I’ve managed to get an emotional reaction out of you!” Lukas said in relief. “Damn it Bastian, you’re worrying the crap out of me!”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine is not a good thing to be. Ecstatic, happy, cheerful those are better words.” I ignored him and stood, going into the kitchen but Lukas shadowed me. “You’ve got to move on Bastian or call Ivonne but you have to do something beside walk around your house like a zombie.”
“I don’t want to talk about Ivonne,” I said looking in the fridge even though the last thing I wanted to do was eat.
“We’ve got to ta—.” Lukas tried again.
“Just leave me alone!” I growled at my best friend shooting him a glare. I was sorry I did almost instantly when I saw the hurt on Lukas’s face.
“It’s your life.” Lukas held his hand up in surrender and then went to grab his jacket lying on the chair. “You’re just not going to find anything to help you overcome this in the fridge.”
Lukas walked out the door and I was left standing in the kitchen holding a carton of milk. With a heave of frustration and rage I threw it against the wall and watched it explode.
*Ivonne POV: Friday February 12, 2010 at 11:42 A.M. At Her Grandma’s House*
I’d been driving around aimlessly for a few minutes before I had suddenly needed to be around my family. Driving to my grandmother’s house, I arrived there forty minutes later and using the spare key under the rug, opened the door to reveal the comforting flower wallpaper. My mother was still at work and my sister was at school but I found my grandmother asleep in her chair, knitting in her lap and mouth slightly open. Smiling fondly I went to fix some food knowing that she would be awake by twelve.
She did waken and we sat at the table talking. By the time we went back to the living room to watch some television it was close to the time Emmaline would be home.
“Can you turn on channel five Ivonne?” she asked snuggling into her chair and picking up the blanket she was making. I did as she asked and almost choked on the tea I was drinking at seeing a football game pop up on the screen.
“This is football grandma,” I told her sure she had made a mistake.
“Hmm? Oh yes I know. Emmaline watches it all the time and I just got use to it being in the background when I work,” she explained with a little grin. It wasn’t her fault that to watch a rerun of one of Bastian’s game was pure agony for me. No one had told her of my ex-boyfriend because she tended to forget things easily and to even tell her once that I had actually dating a man might have given her a heart attack of happiness.
“I’m home!” called Emmaline as the front door open and she walked into the room. Flinging her backpack to the floor when she spotted me she came running into my arms for a hug. “It’s so good to see you! I’ve been wor—.”
“Oh look Emmaline, it’s that player you like,” my clueless grandmother interrupted and made us look at the television. I found Bastian on the screen and looking at him—even on a television—made the feelings I had kept inside break to the surface.
“I’m going to get some air.” I walked out of the room before they could answer or face embarrassing myself by turning into a fountain in the living room.
“Grandma,” I heard Emmaline hiss.
“What did I say?” she replied confused as I closed the door on the rest of their conversation. I walked for hours to try to calm down the hollow aches in my heart. I kept seeing Bastian’s face in front of me or hearing his voice. I wanted to see him step out of nowhere right in front of me and take me in his arms but the only thing that I encountered was a dog lounging on the sidewalk. I went back to the house but unable to face my family I sat in the front porch. Night was close to falling by now and I listened to the sounds of the day fading.
“Do you want to talk about it?” came a soothing voice from behind me. My mom sat next to me and I told her everything: what Bastian had accused me of, the fight, and the feeling that I needed him to be happy in my life. “He’s right you know.”
“Mom,” I protested. “Your suppose to be on my side.”
“Just listen to your mother for once. You are a strong woman Ivonne but sometimes you are blind to the wonders of the world.” She took my hand in hers and looked at me with the eyes of a woman that had gone through a hard life but still had her spark left. “You’ve always hated that I was a dreamer because you don’t want to end up like me—.”
“That’s not true,” I said weakly because I knew she was right.
“It’s alright honey. I understand that you want better things and I want them for you but you have to see that I wouldn’t have it any other way because I have the only thing I need in life, love.” My mom smiled sadly at me. “It’s the one thing that you seem to have forgotten about in your quest to become a better you. Love will help you in this, it will make you reach for higher things because you know that someone will be there to catch you if you fall and help you start again. Your independence from me and our situation here is good but to let that pride and fear of having others see your vulnerability because you are usually in control is foolish.” She tucked a strand of brown hair behind my ear. “This man made you believe in dreaming. Don’t let him get away.”
Standing, she left me alone to think about her words. I wasn’t as bad as all that was I? Were Bastian and my mother’s observations true? I thought back to the times that Bastian had wanted to buy me clothes at the store we were in and I refused to let him. He had wanted to do it to make me happy not guilty about taking his money or injure my pride. My pride was what had kept me from taking him here to meet my family because I didn’t want to see his face at the poorness I came from and leave me.
I’ve been a fool, I thought.
*Bastian POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 2:45 P.M. Allianz Arena*
I changed into my uniform without talking to anyone. My friends knew to leave me alone and chatted among themselves. No one laughed because we were all close and when one player was gloomy we all felt his pain. I just wished it wasn’t because of me. I tried once or twice to joke around but I wasn’t into it. The coach came in and gave us all the strategy to beat Barcelona and who was covering who before we stood to go line up.
“Lukas,” I grabbed my friend’s shoulder and pulled him to the side. “I’m sorry about the other day I was out of line.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled and hit my back to show all was forgiven. “Although now I have something to hold over your head every time you’re being mean to me.”
I chuckled and walked out of the locker rooms.
“Bastian,” I stopped in front of the coach. “I need to know if I can rely on you out there today.”
It was my first game since the breakup and I knew that Klinsmann had to ask for the sake of the team.
“Yes coach,” I responded. I might be miserable but with a ball at my foot I should be able to forget about Ivonne for ninety minutes. Maybe.
“Good, now get out there.”
*Ivonne POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 3:10 P.M. Allianz Arena*
“Thanks again,” I called to Sylwai, the wife of Miroslav, as I ran into the stadium.
I had woken late that morning, sleeping in because of the horrible nights I had been having. I had left the house ready to get Bastian back but had hit traffic—I had no idea how that happened since it was Saturday! Then I couldn’t find him at his house and realized that he had a game today so rushed to the Arena only to face the facts that there was no way I could get in without a ticket. It was a miracle that as I had been pleading to the security to let me in Sylwai had walked out intending to go home because she was feeling ill. She had given me her ticket when I had explained why I was here.
“Go get him!” she waved encouragingly at me. I couldn’t help thinking about my mom’s saying that everything happened for a reason. I smiled to myself, I guess I had a bit of a dreamer in me after all. I was undeniably wishing that Bastian still had a place in his heart for me. I made my way down the steps to the railing ignoring the yells directed my way to sit down.
The game had been going on for a few minutes and it should have been hard to pick Bastian out, for me I only had to follow my heart. I rejoiced just watching him, his face strong and concentrated on the game, the muscles that I had touched outlined by his jersey. My heart raced and I tried to call him but I knew it was no use. The noise of the fans was deafening and he was also on the other side of the field.
My knuckles turning white from gripping the railing tightly and I saw that it was the same railing that had been broken months ago when I had first talked to Bastian. I need to talk to him now. Adrenaline rush up and I looked back at Bastian’s form in determination.
Everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason.
This time I didn’t fall over the railing, I jumped it.
*Bastian POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 3:16 P.M. Allianz Arena*
I wasn’t aware that something was happening until I got the ball and when I started running none of the Barcelona players moved. I looked in the direction their eyes were and saw someone running onto the field as the fans roared. Crazy fa—wait is that Ivonne?! I thought stunned when I made out her streaming brown hair and wild green eyes. It was her! My mouth dropped open and I almost fell over when I didn’t look where I was going and stepped onto the football.
“Bastian!” she screamed running towards me. The security men were behind her but lagging behind her long, elegant strides. “Bastian!”
“I’ll be damned,” Lukas said as Ivonne sprinted past his shocked face.
She threw herself into my arms wrapping hers around my neck and almost knocking us backwards. If I had thought I was hallucinating then the feeling of her heaving chest against mine and her breath tickling the side of my neck was enough to reassure me that it was real.
“What are you doing here?” I managed to get past the lump in my throat and holding up a hand to the security people to tell them I was fine.
“I want to move in with you and I want you in my life forever!” Ivonne shinned with an inner beauty that I had never seen before. “I’ll tell you all my problems. First, there is this woman Katrina that bitches to me everyday and I finally punched her yesterday right in the eye, it felt great!” My eyes widened as she continued. “Which also means that I’m now jobless and broke. I have so much debt that I don’t know if I’ll ever climb out of it. My mother, grandmother, and sister—whom I want you to meet as soon as you want—are counting on me for support and I don’t know what I’ll be able to do to help them—.”
“Ivonne you don’t hav—.” She placed a hand over my mouth.
“You’re the one that wanted to now my problems so listen please these next few are the worst.” Ivonne took a deep breath. “You aren’t there when I wake up in the morning. I don’t get to eat the burnt pancakes you make when I’ve had a bad day or hear you talk about football and see your eyes light up. I don’t hear your off tune singing coming from the bathroom when you take a shower. I don’t get to kiss you and tell you how much I love you.”
“Listen here, Miss we have a game to continue,” the ref said coming over to us.
“This will only take a minute more.” She grasped my hand like I was her lifeline. “I’m so sorry Bastian, take me back.”
I opened my mouth and no sound came out.
“Should we take her sir?” asked one of the security men when I looked at them. They were shifting from foot to foot unsure what to do. Ivonne glanced back and looked surprised to see them there.
“I still don’t know if you’ll trust me,” I said disregarding the men a little longer and making Ivonne looked at me.
She smiled sheepishly, “Well I trusted you by running onto this pitch and knowing you will not let the security people drag me away and lock me up forever.”
I realized then what had made her glow, she looked like a woman in love…with me. I crashed my lips to her and she met my passion equally with hers. Pressing Ivonne as close to me as possible while our lips moved as one I knew I was never going to let her go again.
The crowd and teams cheered as the ref talked but we didn’t hear them. We gently broke apart but I leaned my forehead against hers. Everything was going to be alright now, we were together and I would help her and her family get back on their feet.
“You know, if we’re going to be together forever marriage is going to be down the road.”
“And your point is?” Ivonne asked tracing my lips with her finger.
I smirked, “You’re going to have to learn to say my last name correctly or it’s going to be an embarrassing situation.”
She laughed, “Well Bastian whatever-your-last-name-is, kiss me.”
Who was I to refuse?
When I had told Bastian that I wouldn’t move in with him I had foolishly thought that he would realize that he had been wrong and would see it in a couple of days. I was sad but knew he would understand that what he had said wasn’t true, that I was very open to having him in my life and come back to me. It was now about two weeks later and still nothing. The true had sunk in last night while I was sleeping alone in the bed that still smelled of spearmint and rain but was no longer warm with Bastian’s body heat.
He wasn’t coming back.
That night I hadn’t felt anger at the words he said but sadness. I wasn’t able to stop the rush of tears that had spilled forth and the body shaking sobs that had come. Sometime during my misery I had fallen into a troubled sleep.
At the moment I wanted to be anywhere but at work, the need to curl up in a corner and cry was strong.
“You look like shit Ivonne,” Hilda looked at me with concern. “You sure you don’t want to tell Michael you’re sick and go home.”
“It’s only a few more hours of work,” I replied without real emotion in my voice. I don’t know why I didn’t take her advice, it wasn’t like I had done much work up to this point. The computer was still in the logging in phase and I was only staring at it blankly deep in thought.
“Maybe you should eat something you look pale.” She pushed her pack of cookies at me and I automatically took one. I took a bite and tasted nothing, it could be grass in my mouth and I wouldn’t even notice or care. But a sound that I didn’t need at this low point in my life resonated through the room…the clicking of heels.
“Ivonne,” came the cheerful voice of Katrina. “Dear you look horrible.” Why the hell did she have to be here right now? “Well, more than usual.”
“What do you want Katrina?” I wasn’t up for her games today. She gave me a pout that had all the men on this floor jumping to attention and then a cruel smile.
“Just wanted to offer my condolences on your break up.” Of course she knew, the press had finally published the story of Bastian and I’s separation today. Katrina would be happy about this fact as she had expressed her puzzlement numerous times on what I had done to catch the attention of a famous and wealthy footballer. “You’ve had to have seen in coming though, it’s not like you have a lot to offer but debts and bad publicity.”
I reached my breaking point.
Standing I towered over her even clad in her stupid designer heels. I must have looked threatening because she took a few steps back while I said, “I am not in the mood for your bitchy ways today so leave me alone or I’m going to punch you.”
Katrina lifted her chin in false bravo and sneered, “I see why he left you. I think I’ll go visit him later. I’m sure my daddy can arrange it.”
My vision went red at the thought of Katrina’s claws in Bastian or her lips on his. My fist connected with her eye before I knew it. Katrina screamed and went down like a sack of potatoes, no longer the pretty princess.
The whole office went silent and then the men quickly gathered around Katrina and shouted at me.
“Don’t you ever go near him,” I made clear to Katrina as she was tended by her mind slaves.
“That was freakin’ amazing!” whooped Hilda and many of the female employees clapped. I only gathered up my purse and walked towards the door. I saw Michael in my peripheral vision but didn’t hear what he said. Didn’t matter, I knew I was fired. I didn’t even think of the consequences my unemployment would have on my family and I. As I walked the stairs I breathed a little easier. I should have left a long time ago, I wasn’t really a journalist there only helping others with their articles and never having any of my individual work published. I should have tried to get out of there sooner but the possibility that I wouldn’t find another job to put food on the table had held me back. No longer.
Feeling freer than ever before I got in my car and drove.
*Bastian POV: Friday February 12, 2010 at 10:20 A.M. His House*
“Do you want to go out to eat with the guys for lunch?” Lukas asked from the seat across from me as a read a magazine on football.
“Not today.”
“How about going to the movies later on? There’s going to be this awesome one about aliens.”
“No thanks.”
“Luca is having a small pool party since the game is tomorrow and we can’t go clubbing, you going to come to that right?”
“I think I’ll pass.” I knew what my friend was trying to and I just didn’t want to. I had been so sure that Ivonne would come back to me after a few days. I had been waiting by the phone but no call and I sure wasn’t going to be the one to apologize. If Ivonne couldn’t learn to trust me then we had nothing. It was just hitting me that she was too scared to change and wouldn’t return to me.
“How about we rent a couple of elephants and race them down the streets?”
“What the hell?” I asked confused, looking up from the article.
“Finally! I’ve managed to get an emotional reaction out of you!” Lukas said in relief. “Damn it Bastian, you’re worrying the crap out of me!”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine is not a good thing to be. Ecstatic, happy, cheerful those are better words.” I ignored him and stood, going into the kitchen but Lukas shadowed me. “You’ve got to move on Bastian or call Ivonne but you have to do something beside walk around your house like a zombie.”
“I don’t want to talk about Ivonne,” I said looking in the fridge even though the last thing I wanted to do was eat.
“We’ve got to ta—.” Lukas tried again.
“Just leave me alone!” I growled at my best friend shooting him a glare. I was sorry I did almost instantly when I saw the hurt on Lukas’s face.
“It’s your life.” Lukas held his hand up in surrender and then went to grab his jacket lying on the chair. “You’re just not going to find anything to help you overcome this in the fridge.”
Lukas walked out the door and I was left standing in the kitchen holding a carton of milk. With a heave of frustration and rage I threw it against the wall and watched it explode.
*Ivonne POV: Friday February 12, 2010 at 11:42 A.M. At Her Grandma’s House*
I’d been driving around aimlessly for a few minutes before I had suddenly needed to be around my family. Driving to my grandmother’s house, I arrived there forty minutes later and using the spare key under the rug, opened the door to reveal the comforting flower wallpaper. My mother was still at work and my sister was at school but I found my grandmother asleep in her chair, knitting in her lap and mouth slightly open. Smiling fondly I went to fix some food knowing that she would be awake by twelve.
She did waken and we sat at the table talking. By the time we went back to the living room to watch some television it was close to the time Emmaline would be home.
“Can you turn on channel five Ivonne?” she asked snuggling into her chair and picking up the blanket she was making. I did as she asked and almost choked on the tea I was drinking at seeing a football game pop up on the screen.
“This is football grandma,” I told her sure she had made a mistake.
“Hmm? Oh yes I know. Emmaline watches it all the time and I just got use to it being in the background when I work,” she explained with a little grin. It wasn’t her fault that to watch a rerun of one of Bastian’s game was pure agony for me. No one had told her of my ex-boyfriend because she tended to forget things easily and to even tell her once that I had actually dating a man might have given her a heart attack of happiness.
“I’m home!” called Emmaline as the front door open and she walked into the room. Flinging her backpack to the floor when she spotted me she came running into my arms for a hug. “It’s so good to see you! I’ve been wor—.”
“Oh look Emmaline, it’s that player you like,” my clueless grandmother interrupted and made us look at the television. I found Bastian on the screen and looking at him—even on a television—made the feelings I had kept inside break to the surface.
“I’m going to get some air.” I walked out of the room before they could answer or face embarrassing myself by turning into a fountain in the living room.
“Grandma,” I heard Emmaline hiss.
“What did I say?” she replied confused as I closed the door on the rest of their conversation. I walked for hours to try to calm down the hollow aches in my heart. I kept seeing Bastian’s face in front of me or hearing his voice. I wanted to see him step out of nowhere right in front of me and take me in his arms but the only thing that I encountered was a dog lounging on the sidewalk. I went back to the house but unable to face my family I sat in the front porch. Night was close to falling by now and I listened to the sounds of the day fading.
“Do you want to talk about it?” came a soothing voice from behind me. My mom sat next to me and I told her everything: what Bastian had accused me of, the fight, and the feeling that I needed him to be happy in my life. “He’s right you know.”
“Mom,” I protested. “Your suppose to be on my side.”
“Just listen to your mother for once. You are a strong woman Ivonne but sometimes you are blind to the wonders of the world.” She took my hand in hers and looked at me with the eyes of a woman that had gone through a hard life but still had her spark left. “You’ve always hated that I was a dreamer because you don’t want to end up like me—.”
“That’s not true,” I said weakly because I knew she was right.
“It’s alright honey. I understand that you want better things and I want them for you but you have to see that I wouldn’t have it any other way because I have the only thing I need in life, love.” My mom smiled sadly at me. “It’s the one thing that you seem to have forgotten about in your quest to become a better you. Love will help you in this, it will make you reach for higher things because you know that someone will be there to catch you if you fall and help you start again. Your independence from me and our situation here is good but to let that pride and fear of having others see your vulnerability because you are usually in control is foolish.” She tucked a strand of brown hair behind my ear. “This man made you believe in dreaming. Don’t let him get away.”
Standing, she left me alone to think about her words. I wasn’t as bad as all that was I? Were Bastian and my mother’s observations true? I thought back to the times that Bastian had wanted to buy me clothes at the store we were in and I refused to let him. He had wanted to do it to make me happy not guilty about taking his money or injure my pride. My pride was what had kept me from taking him here to meet my family because I didn’t want to see his face at the poorness I came from and leave me.
I’ve been a fool, I thought.
*Bastian POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 2:45 P.M. Allianz Arena*
I changed into my uniform without talking to anyone. My friends knew to leave me alone and chatted among themselves. No one laughed because we were all close and when one player was gloomy we all felt his pain. I just wished it wasn’t because of me. I tried once or twice to joke around but I wasn’t into it. The coach came in and gave us all the strategy to beat Barcelona and who was covering who before we stood to go line up.
“Lukas,” I grabbed my friend’s shoulder and pulled him to the side. “I’m sorry about the other day I was out of line.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled and hit my back to show all was forgiven. “Although now I have something to hold over your head every time you’re being mean to me.”
I chuckled and walked out of the locker rooms.
“Bastian,” I stopped in front of the coach. “I need to know if I can rely on you out there today.”
It was my first game since the breakup and I knew that Klinsmann had to ask for the sake of the team.
“Yes coach,” I responded. I might be miserable but with a ball at my foot I should be able to forget about Ivonne for ninety minutes. Maybe.
“Good, now get out there.”
*Ivonne POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 3:10 P.M. Allianz Arena*
“Thanks again,” I called to Sylwai, the wife of Miroslav, as I ran into the stadium.
I had woken late that morning, sleeping in because of the horrible nights I had been having. I had left the house ready to get Bastian back but had hit traffic—I had no idea how that happened since it was Saturday! Then I couldn’t find him at his house and realized that he had a game today so rushed to the Arena only to face the facts that there was no way I could get in without a ticket. It was a miracle that as I had been pleading to the security to let me in Sylwai had walked out intending to go home because she was feeling ill. She had given me her ticket when I had explained why I was here.
“Go get him!” she waved encouragingly at me. I couldn’t help thinking about my mom’s saying that everything happened for a reason. I smiled to myself, I guess I had a bit of a dreamer in me after all. I was undeniably wishing that Bastian still had a place in his heart for me. I made my way down the steps to the railing ignoring the yells directed my way to sit down.
The game had been going on for a few minutes and it should have been hard to pick Bastian out, for me I only had to follow my heart. I rejoiced just watching him, his face strong and concentrated on the game, the muscles that I had touched outlined by his jersey. My heart raced and I tried to call him but I knew it was no use. The noise of the fans was deafening and he was also on the other side of the field.
My knuckles turning white from gripping the railing tightly and I saw that it was the same railing that had been broken months ago when I had first talked to Bastian. I need to talk to him now. Adrenaline rush up and I looked back at Bastian’s form in determination.
Everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason.
This time I didn’t fall over the railing, I jumped it.
*Bastian POV: Saturday February 13, 2010 at 3:16 P.M. Allianz Arena*
I wasn’t aware that something was happening until I got the ball and when I started running none of the Barcelona players moved. I looked in the direction their eyes were and saw someone running onto the field as the fans roared. Crazy fa—wait is that Ivonne?! I thought stunned when I made out her streaming brown hair and wild green eyes. It was her! My mouth dropped open and I almost fell over when I didn’t look where I was going and stepped onto the football.
“Bastian!” she screamed running towards me. The security men were behind her but lagging behind her long, elegant strides. “Bastian!”
“I’ll be damned,” Lukas said as Ivonne sprinted past his shocked face.
She threw herself into my arms wrapping hers around my neck and almost knocking us backwards. If I had thought I was hallucinating then the feeling of her heaving chest against mine and her breath tickling the side of my neck was enough to reassure me that it was real.
“What are you doing here?” I managed to get past the lump in my throat and holding up a hand to the security people to tell them I was fine.
“I want to move in with you and I want you in my life forever!” Ivonne shinned with an inner beauty that I had never seen before. “I’ll tell you all my problems. First, there is this woman Katrina that bitches to me everyday and I finally punched her yesterday right in the eye, it felt great!” My eyes widened as she continued. “Which also means that I’m now jobless and broke. I have so much debt that I don’t know if I’ll ever climb out of it. My mother, grandmother, and sister—whom I want you to meet as soon as you want—are counting on me for support and I don’t know what I’ll be able to do to help them—.”
“Ivonne you don’t hav—.” She placed a hand over my mouth.
“You’re the one that wanted to now my problems so listen please these next few are the worst.” Ivonne took a deep breath. “You aren’t there when I wake up in the morning. I don’t get to eat the burnt pancakes you make when I’ve had a bad day or hear you talk about football and see your eyes light up. I don’t hear your off tune singing coming from the bathroom when you take a shower. I don’t get to kiss you and tell you how much I love you.”
“Listen here, Miss we have a game to continue,” the ref said coming over to us.
“This will only take a minute more.” She grasped my hand like I was her lifeline. “I’m so sorry Bastian, take me back.”
I opened my mouth and no sound came out.
“Should we take her sir?” asked one of the security men when I looked at them. They were shifting from foot to foot unsure what to do. Ivonne glanced back and looked surprised to see them there.
“I still don’t know if you’ll trust me,” I said disregarding the men a little longer and making Ivonne looked at me.
She smiled sheepishly, “Well I trusted you by running onto this pitch and knowing you will not let the security people drag me away and lock me up forever.”
I realized then what had made her glow, she looked like a woman in love…with me. I crashed my lips to her and she met my passion equally with hers. Pressing Ivonne as close to me as possible while our lips moved as one I knew I was never going to let her go again.
The crowd and teams cheered as the ref talked but we didn’t hear them. We gently broke apart but I leaned my forehead against hers. Everything was going to be alright now, we were together and I would help her and her family get back on their feet.
“You know, if we’re going to be together forever marriage is going to be down the road.”
“And your point is?” Ivonne asked tracing my lips with her finger.
I smirked, “You’re going to have to learn to say my last name correctly or it’s going to be an embarrassing situation.”
She laughed, “Well Bastian whatever-your-last-name-is, kiss me.”
Who was I to refuse?