Shock

I woke up on the morning of June 30 with an extra bounce in my step. I had never been a morning person, but I knew today was going to be different. I got out of bed and began my morning routine of showering, dressing, and eating breakfast. Once I was finished, I left my apartment and headed to work.

“Lacey, can you do me a favour?” My boss asked me as he approached my desk.

“Sure Scott, what can I do for you?”

“I need you to go down to the vault and do some sorting. I know that you don’t normally do this, but I’m in a bind and we need it done.”

“Not a problem. Everything up here is finished so I’ll head down there now,” I said with a smile, grabbing my bag and shutting off my computer.

The walk to the vault was one of the longest walks I’d ever taken in this building. The elevator only went so far and then you had to walk down a hallway that felt like it would never end. Finally, after the walk down the barren hallway I finally made it to the vault. After checking my phone to find that I had no cell service, I walked into the vault and heard the big gears clang shut, locking me away from the rest of the world.

To my surprise, the day passed faster than it would have if I had been up in my office. I finished my work and clocked out from the vault, instantly making my way out and to my car. Once seated, I checked my phone to reveal fifteen missed calls, mostly from my boyfriend Viktor Stalberg. I immediately put my Bluetooth headset in my ear and called him as I pulled out of my parking spot.

“Hello?”

“Vik baby, what’s wrong? Why did you call me so much?” I asked in a concerned tone.

“Lacey, why didn’t you answer my calls?”

“I was in the vault doing Scott a favour. And you didn’t answer my question. What’s wrong?”

“Brian Burke called me.”

“And? Is he resigning you?” I asked, making the right turn onto my street.

“No,” he sighed, “I’ve been traded.”

I pulled into the nearest spot I could and parked my car. “You what?”

“They traded me to Chicago for Kris Versteeg. I’m done here in Toronto,” he sighed.

Waves of shock rolled over me. My boyfriend had been traded. And not just traded to a team close to me, no, he was going to play on a team that was 530 miles away. The relationship that we had worked so hard to build could now possibly be ruined.

“Oh Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Do you want me to come over?”

“Can you? I need to see you,” He whispered into the phone.

“Of course, I’ll be over in about 5 minutes,” I hung up the phone and drove as fast as I could over to his apartment.

“Viktor, where are you?” I called when I entered the apartment.

“In the bedroom,” I heard him answer.

I made my way to the back of the apartment to his bedroom and cautiously slipped through the door. He lay on his bed, on his back facing the ceiling. I couldn’t tell if he had been crying, but I knew that he was upset; and he’d only be more upset if he saw me cry.

“So, you get to go to the windy city. I’m totally ok if you want to replace me with a certain Mr. Seabrook,” I smiled, trying to make him smile.

“I know you’re ok with it, but I don’t think I am,” he smiled.

“Well, how do you feel?” I asked, sitting down on the bed next to him.

“Disappointed, worried, scared; probably all of the emotions in the world,”

Reaching down to grab his hand, I sighed before meeting his eyes. “Babe, there’s nothing that you could have done. You played your heart out every night. I know that you were one of Brian’s favourites, and he probably tried everything to keep you. In the end you’re going to a team that will welcome you with open arms and will make you a better player. Think of this as an opportunity, not something that you failed on.”

He smiled and sat up. “Why are you working in business and not as a counsellor? Lacey I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t in my life. I know I’d me a wreck right now. Sure I still am, but I would have been so much worse.”

“I know, I’m your better half. So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan?” Viktor questioned.

“The plan of attack. Do we pack the apartment now, or later? Are you going home for a few weeks and then coming back? How do you want to do this?”

“Can we not think about moving my stuff to Chicago yet? I want to know what’s going to happen to us,”

“What do you mean what’s going to happen? I don’t think anything will change. We just won’t be able to see each other on a regular basis. Viktor, I love you. I don’t want anything to change just because we live in two different cities. I work for the Blue Jays so I can ask Scott if I can travel down when the boys are in Chicago. I’ll make as many trips as I can. If it comes down to it, I’ll move and work for either the Sox or the Cubs. We’re going to stick together; we’re too solid for a trade to break us apart,” I smiled, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug.

“And this is why I love you. You don’t let anything like this faze you. We’re going to make this work. If you have faith, then I have faith. We’re going to get through this. But Lace, I need to know something,” He said, getting up and rummaging through his night stand.

“What? What do you need me to do?”

“I need to know that you’ll stick by me no matter what. I need to know that you love me for me, regardless of who I play for. I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a long time, and I think it’s better now than ever. I need to know if you’ll marry me,” He said, getting down on one knee in front of me and opening the ring box.

I sat there in complete shock for the second time this day. He wanted to marry me. I had been waiting for this since he brought up the possibility weeks ago. “Of course, Viktor. I wouldn’t dream of marrying anyone else but you,”

He smiled and slid the ring gently on my finger. “I love you”

“I love you too.”

From the moment I opened my eyes I knew that today would be different. It started off bad, but I was on my way to becoming Vik’s wife and the newest resident of Chicago. Life is good today.