The Tennis Star Ch. 04

Soon enough it started growing dark outside. We'd discussed where to go for our last night, but settled on getting a pizza and hanging at home. Iryna told me it was far more special than I realized. "Do you know how hard it is to get good pizza anywhere but America? You will."

We ate, watched a movie, and held each other. After a while and without a word she scooped me into her arms and carried me back to our room, where we made love late into the night. I savored every taste, sound, and touch of her, etching them into my memory for the long, lonely nights to come. Two months ago she was just a figure on TV. Now my life was incomprehensible without her.

I remembered something Mitch had said in college when I'd griped to her that I'd never fall in love. "You will, but don't rush into it." When I'd asked her why, she said she knew me, and that I would only love once, and it would be deep and pure and forever. She said it was who I was. I thought she was crazy at the time. Now I clung to those words like a lifeline.

Long before dawn we arrived at Orlando International Airport. I drove, parking in the short-term lot and walking in with her, standing by her side as she checked in at the VIP ticket counter. It seemed to take no time at all before we were standing at the 'Ticketed passengers only beyond this point' sign.

I looked up into her eyes. No need to try to memorize them, that deed had been done long ago. I told myself I was going to be strong, to not cry. I'd lied. We kissed, deeply and passionately, holding each other close as we did. For a beautiful moment the world didn't exist, only each other.

"I love you, Iryna. You'll remember that, right?"

"I will dream of you every night, moya lyuba, every time I close my eyes, until you are back in my arms. I promise this. I love you, too." She reached up and cupped my head in her hand, and I leaned into the contact. "My Carrie." One more sweet kiss, and she was gone.

I managed to make it back to my car before I broke down, sobbing for almost fifteen minutes before I felt like I was safe to drive. I made my way through the morning rush hour traffic back to my apartment. I dragged my two suitcases up the steps, which felt both foreign and familiar.

As I opened the door I called out for Sasha, but there was no answer. I glanced at the wall, and her keys weren't hanging from their cup hook. She was already gone to work. Good. I stumbled back to my room, which was just how I'd left it. My mattress caught me as I flopped down face first. I lay there for a minute, before kicking off my shoes and jeans and climbing under the covers. Sobs began to wrack my body again, and they did not stop until sleep somehow found me.

It was after noon before I finally awoke, wondering where I was for a moment. I debated for a second what I should do first. I pulled up a travel website and checked availability for flights on Friday to Atlanta, and I booked one leaving at 7:00 PM with a return flight Sunday afternoon.

My finger hovered over my Dad's icon on my phone. I really haven't mentioned my family much, I guess. We're not estranged or anything, I usually talked to them a few times a month, but I had been avoiding their calls since meeting Iryna, or at least since things had gotten serious. I'd kept up the texting string with my baby sister Delilah, who was a senior in High School. My middle sister Erin was a junior in college, though she'd choose Tech over Georgia. Of course, she couldn't care less about sports so it was hard to tease her about it. She was more the student council, math club type.

I'd never lied to my parents. Well, that's probably not true. Lets just say I really hated doing it and I hadn't in a long time. They'd never lied to me. Anything, from questions about sex to Santa Claus, had always been answered honestly. Which is why I'd been avoiding them. My mom especially, she always was asking if 'I'd met someone special'. And if I didn't answer with an emphatic negative she wouldn't stop until she'd weaseled everything out of me. Back when I'd told her about Kevin she'd been picking out wedding patterns before the conversation was over. I...just didn't know how she was going to respond to this.

My Dad, he was quieter, more analytic. He was a financial consultant, and had played football in college for a lower division school. I was going to try him first.

The phone rang three times before it was answered. "Good afternoon, Mr. Mitchell's office."

"Hi, May, it's Carrie. Is my Dad in?"

"Actually he's just getting back from lunch." I could hear her talking to my father before she came back on the line. "I'll put you through, sweetie."

"Hey, Pumpkin, what's up? Haven't talked to you in a while."

"Hi, Dad, I'm sorry. Been busy. Um, are y'all gonna be home this weekend?" I always slipped into more of a drawl talking to the parents.

"I think so."

"Can someone pick me up from the airport around 8:30?"

"Sure, Pumpkin, is everything OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have some things to tell you. Some news, not for the phone."

I could almost hear him make his concerned face on the far end of the connection.

"You sure sweetie? You sound, well, agitated. Are you at work?"

"No, I took a couple of days. I go back tomorrow. I'll see you Friday. Love you."

"Love you too, pumpkin."

I disconnected the call, breathing heavily.

I got to work early the next morning. I'd needed extra time to hide the bags under my eyes, as I had not slept well at all. I kept reaching for Iryna, waking up in a panic when she wasn't there. It was an hour before my alarm usually went off that I gave up trying to sleep., so at least I had time to make myself presentable.

I popped my head into Mike's office. "Hey."

"Hey, how was the weekend?"

"It was amazing. But I need to talk to you." He motioned toward a chair, and I closed the door before sitting down.

"Is she gone?" I nodded. "Is taking you with her?"

My mouth gaped open. "How...?"

"Carrie, I've been doing this along time, I know the 'I'm resigning' look." I smirked at his joke. He sighed. "You've been a great addition here. We'll miss you." He reached across the desk and shook my hand. "Good luck, Carrie."

Mike had some paperwork at the end of the day for me to sign, and I put down my last day as the Friday before Thanksgiving.

As soon as five o'clock came I called Iryna. I'd received a few texts during the day, so I knew she'd arrived safely yesterday and such.

"Carrie?"

"Iryna? Hi."

"It is good to hear your voice, moya lyuba. I miss you so."

"I miss you, too. Just a few more weeks."

"Yes."

The time lag made it difficult, when I got off work at five, it was already eleven in Paris. Still, she stayed up for me every night, and it meant everything, just hearing her voice. I ordered the Rosetta Stone French course right away, and spent my evenings going through it with a fervor. I was amazed how much actually came back to me, and my goal was to be conversant by the time I left.

What really amazed me was how scared I wasn't about leaving. I was far more terrified of the conversation that was coming with my parents.

Friday came and went. Soon I was in my car headed to the airport, talking to Iryna. "It will be fine, moya lyuba."

"I hope so." I was trying not to hyperventilate, and Iryna's voice was so soothing.

"What if they hate me? Tell me I'm crazy? What if..."

"What if they do to you what my family did to me?" I snapped my mouth shut. I hadn't been thinking.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It is OK. But, what if?"

I felt tears welling in my eyes. "I'll still have you, right?"

"Of course, moya lyuba. And I tell myself, my family will change in time. Someday I will go home. I believe this. But not until I can proudly take you with me."

We kept talking for the whole of my drive, until I parked in the long-term lot. It was nearing midnight in Paris. "Get some sleep, sweetheart. I love you."

"You will be OK?"

"Yes, I promise. I'll call you tomorrow."

We exchanged 'I love you's' and disconnected. I took a deep breath, and headed toward the tram station. I made it to the plane without incident, and settled into my seat just minutes before the plane backed away from the terminal. It's amazing how long an hour and a half flight can take, or it can take no time at all. This one seemed to do both.

As soon we landed I texted my dad, and he was waiting for me just outside the terminal. I tossed my carry on into the backseat of his sedan before climbing in the front.

"Hey, Pumpkin, it's good to see you."

"Thanks, dad."

"You want to tell me what the big mystery is?"

"Can we get home first?"

"Sure."

We drove in silence, me trying to keep a hold of my nerves. Luckily my baby sister was out with friends, so it was just my parents and I at the kitchen table when I got home.

My mom set a glass of sweet tea in front of me. "Now, sweetie, what is going on? You've got your dad and I worried."

I was shaking, rubbing my hands on my jeans. Mom sat down next to me and put her hand on my leg. "Sweetie, are you in trouble?" 'Trouble' in the south is code for pregnant. Probably in other places too, but here we really love our euphemisms.

"No, mom, nothing like that. I, um..." Might as well start with the easy stuff. "I'm leaving my job."

My dad leaned forward. "Ok, do you have another one lined up?"

I chuckled nervously. "You could say that. It, um, involves a lot of travel. I'll be working as a physio on the women's tour."

"Really? Well that's wonderful sweetheart. How did that happen?"

My dad looked at my mom. "That isn't what she's nervous about telling us. Now, what's really going on?"

"OK, um, I, uh, I met someone." Tears were starting to roll down my cheek, and my heart was hammering away in my chest. Normally that statement would have made my mother giddy, but even she could tell there was something more, and held her tongue. "I'm really happy, I'm in love, daddy." A great shuddering breath. "Her name is Iryna. I'm gay."

My eyes were squeezed shut, mortally terrified of what they would see when they opened. Hatred? Disgust? I heard my mother suck in a breath and pull her hand back from my leg.

"Please don't hate me, please. I love you."

I heard the scrape of chair legs, and a moment later I was being lifted from my seat, my father's strong arms wrapping around me. I clung to him and wept as he whispered in my ear. "Oh sweetheart, we could never hate you, my precious girl."

My mother joined in the embrace behind me, and my parents held as I cried.

Eventually mom broke away and handed me a napkin so I could wipe my eyes and blow my nose. "Ok, now tell us everything."

We sat at the table for over two hours talking. I gave them the full, PG rated recap of Iryna and my relationship, from my dropping the clipboard in the massage room to our tearful goodbye at the airport on Tuesday. They asked a lot of questions, and I know that they were both a bit skeptical. However, never once did they ask if I were sure about my sexuality, or if it were just a phase. I told them a bit about the boys I'd dated, how there had never been a spark, and how with Iryna it wasn't just a spark, it was a forest fire.

My dad held my hand through the whole conversation, and when we were finished and the adrenaline of the day finally wore away, he nearly carried me to my room.

As I sat on the edge of my childhood bed he sat next to me, his hand resting on my knee.

"Now, I'm withholding my blessing until I get to meet this woman, but I trust your judgment. I'm proud of you for following your heart, even when it's hard."

"Thank you, daddy." He squeezed my knee and walked out of the room. I crawled under the covers and imagined Iryna's arms around me as I fell asleep.

My little sister Delilah found out at breakfast, and I don't think stunned was quite the word for it. Later she made me take her for ice cream so we could talk, and she peppered me with questions about what it was like. I tempered my answers, trying to get across that gender was far less important than being with the person you love.

My parents didn't want to meet Iryna over a computer screen, but Delilah was happy to face time with her some. It was hysterical watching my seventeen year-old sister threatening a multi-millionaire tennis star with bodily harm if she hurt me.

The next several weeks passed at a glacial pace, even though I always had things to do. Every night I had new paperwork to complete, some for my WTA accreditation, some for tax purposes. I even bought a fax machine just for those few weeks. Luckily, Sasha and my apartment came with a landline we never used. I had to get an international work visa, fill out W-2's and a stupid amount of other things. I got to know at least five people at Iryna's lawyer's office on a first name basis.

Cindy and Mitch came up the weekend before I stopped working and helped me pack up. I left most of my furniture, mostly a dresser, vanity and bed. We ended up taking two boxes of clothes to Goodwill, and only one box to FedEx to be shipped to Iryna's address. You should have seen Cindy's eyes bug out when she saw how much that cost.

Suddenly it was my last Friday. People at work threw me a little party, and I even went out for drinks with a few of them after work, something I rarely did. Saturday morning I packed up my trunk, gave Sasha one last hug, and headed for home. Delilah was ecstatic, since I was giving her my car.

Once I got home, things really seemed to drag. All of my paperwork was done, my brand new expedited passport was in my hand, and my ticket to Paris was confirmed for Monday morning after Thanksgiving. I was missing Iryna something fierce. She was really busy, although we tried to talk everyday. But every morning, like clockwork, when I woke was a text with a countdown, how many days until she could hold me again. It brought a smile and a tear every time.

Erin got home Tuesday evening, and true to form she handled my big reveal like a politician, pretending that she knew it all the time. She was far more interested in the places I was going to get to visit than anything else.

Thanksgiving dawned clear and cool, well, cool for Georgia in November. It was a good morning, since I actually had things to do, instead of watching the clock tick past so I could knock one more day off the countdown. Although strangely it was also the first time I didn't get my morning text in two weeks. I wasn't going freak out about that, though.

The one nervous bit was that my grandmother arrived around ten. I took her into the sitting room and told her the story.

"Oh, child, I'm so happy for you."

"Really, Nana?"

"Of course. Did you wear your pearls for her, child?"

I nodded. "Yes ma'am." I showed her a picture, and she cooed over my dress.

"You are so beautiful. Now sit, I will tell you a story. Not even your father knows this." I went to her, and she lowered her voice. "When I was a girl, the first man I loved worked for my father on the farm. His name was Benjamin Harp, and he was black. It couldn't go anywhere, not then. His family found us out, and he was sent away to protect him, which was far better than his fate might have been if any whites in town had discovered us. So I know what it's like for prejudice to keep people apart. Don't let that happen with you."

I wiped a tear from my eye as we hugged, and she whispered in my ear. "Just be happy, child. I love you."

We sat down to eat around three, the smell of roast turkey hanging heavenly in the house. Dad said grace, even being sure to thank God for a new member of the family, and asking for safety and happiness in my new endeavors. Plates were being passed around when the doorbell rang.

"What in world?" Dad stood abruptly and walked out of the room. Erin leaned over to look out into the living room toward the foyer, but she shrugged her shoulders.

"No idea."

I heard dad open the door. "Yes?"

"Mr. Mitchell?" My blood froze in my veins and I heard the Eastern European brogue coming from the door. Eyes burning and almost in a trance I rose as my dad answered that he was. "I am Iryna Baraskova. I wished to surprise Carrie"

I came around the corner and there she was, holding flowers and wearing her own misty expression. She saw me, and tears began to flow for her as well. "I could not wait anymore, moya lyuba. I hope this is OK."

My jaw trembled as I stumbled forward, arms outstretched until I was gathered into her embrace. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I clung to her. "Oh, God, I missed you, I love you so much."

"I love you Carrie, Oh, moya lyuba."

We clutched at each other, my head buried in her chest, feeling the trip tripping of her heart, which was beating as fast as mine. I opened my eyes and looked at my family, who were standing to the side. My mom, covering her mouth with a soft expression in her eyes, Delilah, with an ear to ear grin. Erin was just smirking at me, while my Dad had unshed tears in his eyes. Grandma just beamed at me.

Finally I pulled away, still holding tight to Iryna's hand. "Guys, this is Iryna." They surged forward with hugs and smiles, and I think Iryna was a little overwhelmed. An extra place was set, and we had dinner as a family. I promised my parents no hanky-panky, so Iryna slept in my bed. I kept my promise, no sex. I didn't need sex, I needed her arms around me, and that's what we shared all night.

It was a wonderful long weekend, and Iryna had my whole family won over be the time it was finished. I was just delirious she was there, and I don't think I stopped touching her the entire time. In a flash it was Monday morning, and the pilot was gunning the engine of the 777 for takeoff. I reached out and took Iryna's hand. I didn't know what I was getting into, but I was with my love, and as long as that was true, I could face the adventure.

***

As Robert Jordan would say, this the end, but it is an ending. I hope to get back to these two someday, but I have a bunch of other stories rattling around in my head that I want to get on paper, so to speak. I hope to get something else up in the next few months. Thank you to everyone who commented and rated my stories. You mean so much to me, and I hope you enjoyed.

Much love,

JCMcNeilly