Long Distance Lover

“Who was that?”

“Can you believe it? I haven’t been home five minutes and reporters are calling already!” She frowned. “How in the hell do they keep getting my number? I’ve changed it three times. Do you think they followed us from the hospital?”

David walked over to the window and peeked out. “I don’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Which is more of a reason for you to get to New York and away from prying eyes.” He closed the blinds and joined her on the couch.

Kelly folded her hands on her lap. “You know what, David…”

“What?” He took a seat beside her and angled his body to the side.

“I’ve never done anything else but run.” She laughed lightly. “It seems as long as I can remember I was out in the air trying to slice through it. It paid my way through private high school, got me into college and the endorsements padded my bank account.” She turned and glanced at him for a moment. “I’m scared.”

“Why?” He reached out and stroked her hair.

“I’ve never even had a real meaningful relationship, never held a real job. If I’m not running it’s almost as if I’m not living. I have dreams of it all disappearing and me along with it. I never thought there would be a time when I’d even have to think about not flying through the wind, hearing the roar of the crowd. I know there is more to life than this. I’m just not sure what it is.”

“Kelly, you’re young, healthy and you have a long career in front of you.”

“Maybe. But I need to be realistic. I need to start thinking about alternatives.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If this therapy doesn’t work, I need to be prepared for that and I’ll need to prepare myself for the real world.”

“Hey, hey. What kind of talk is this? You’ve never been a pessimist. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll be back out there before you know it and coming into my office complaining that I work you too hard. Just like old times.” He chuckled and was relieved to see the slight smile brighten her face. “Now that’s better.”

“You always know what to say.”

“Just the truth.” He slapped his knee. “How ’bout I whip us up something to eat?”

Kelly grimaced. “Uh, the last time you fixed us something to eat we needed the Pepto-Bismol. How ’bout if we order something instead?”

“But I’ve been practicing,” he moaned, feigning hurt.

“Well, you just keep at it.”

“You wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart.

Kelly giggled. “Right. The menus are in the drawer next to the kitchen sink.”

“Fine. What do you have a taste for?” He headed for the kitchen.

“Pasta.”

“You got it.”

While David was gone Kelly wondered how long David would hang around if she couldn’t run again.

Chapter 6

When Kelly next opened her eyes, the room was submerged in darkness. She was soaking wet. Her heart raced. She felt exhausted. Were they still after her? Panic contracted the muscles in her stomach. She blinked, attempting to clear her head and her eyes. Had she gotten away?

She tried to sit up and felt the weight of the cast hold her in place. A thin streak of light filtered in through the partially opened blinds. Where was she? She looked wildly around and by degrees her pounding heart slowed. It was only a dream, she realized, a dream that had its genesis in reality, but a dream nonetheless. This was her bedroom in Atlanta, not the back woods of Mississippi, or the alleyways of Chicago’s South Side. She was safe here. Home.

Kelly reached for the bedside lamp and the room was bathed in a soft light. The antique shade in a bronze-colored velvet with its dangling clear crystals—a present from her grandmother—cast prismatic shapes against the winter-white walls.

Propped up against the lamp was a note. She picked it up and opened it, recognizing immediately David’s simple print. She stared at the paper and said each word aloud and slowly.

“‘Food in oven. Will call later.’”

She smiled. The always-thoughtful David. She slowly eased her legs over the side of the bed. She reached for her crutches and pushed until she was standing. She made her way into the kitchen and found a Pyrex dish in the oven filled with tender veal cutlet Parmesan and angel-hair pasta. Her stomach grumbled.

After several attempts she was finally able to get the dish out of the oven, while balancing on her crutches and not falling on her face.

She savored every morsel, taking sublime pleasure in each mouthful. It was the first real meal she’d had in a week. But she knew what she’d have to do. She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure if only for the moment, dropping her fork against the yellow-and-white-checkered plate.

It was times like this, late in the evening when she wished there was more to her life than the next day on the track. She had no real friends or family. Although she had teammates and they went out from time to time, she never felt like one of them, that she was really accepted. For the most part she kept to herself and was ultimately branded a diva. What a joke. If they only knew.

Kelly pushed up from the table and took her dish to the sink. She turned on the water and watched as it mixed with the remnants of sauce to gather in a stream of red and disappear down the drain. It was as if she were suddenly watching her life dissolve in front of her. All that she’d endured, all that she’d worked for could wash away like the sauce on her plate, disappearing into a black hole of no return—unless she fought back. All she had was her skills. She wouldn’t lose the only thing in life that she’d ever succeeded at—not without a fight.

The phone rang.

She ambled over to the wall phone. “Hello?”

“I know it’s late, but I wanted to check on you.”

“David.” Her insides warmed.

“Did you get your dinner?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you. How…did I get in my room?”

“I carried you. You were totally out of it and I didn’t want to wake you. And I certainly didn’t want you to fall off the couch.”

She laughed. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

“You need your rest. It’s one of the best remedies for any ailment. Do you need anything? I can drive back over if you do.”

As much as she wanted the company she declined. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Well, I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Don’t you have to be at practice?”

“Reggie can run the team through the drills. I don’t want you to be alone.”

She didn’t want to read more into what he said. He was only offering his help to an injured member of his team. He would do the same for any of them.

“I’ll call you when I get up.”