Chapter 13
I got the job. I got the friggin job! I had made an idiot of myself on the phone when Karen—the Head of TV Production—had called me herself to tell me. I gave an almighty cheer, and then I got off the phone and did some more high leaps and cheering. Josh raced out of his room, pulling a T-shirt over his chest as he dressed for work.
“What? What’s happened?” he asked, scanning the room for clues.
“I got the commentating cable TV job,” I said, still jumping.
He gave a loud whoop and raced over to hug me. We jumped around in a hug ... he was so supportive of me.
“When do you start?” he asked.
“Two weeks, so I’ve got to go in and give The Sports Daily notice today. My first commentary game will be here when my Suns play the Minnesota Leopards. I can’t believe it,” I said, stopping my jumping to get some air into my lungs.
“Everything is working out as it should,” Josh said. “It’s a new start.”
“It is, my next chapter,” I agreed. “Thanks for being happy for me.”
“Of course, we have to celebrate in style!” he said, planning a gathering already. I swear he loved a get-together. Josh squeezed my arm and went to finish getting ready for work.
I looked skyward to give thanks. I thought finishing playing was going to be the end of me ... that I’d be lost in the world. It was all I had known for almost a decade and everything I had ever worked for. Now I had this opportunity to keep using my skills but in commentary and to still be associated with the game I love. I was overwhelmed with joy. I wanted to call The Russian and tell him but a quick glance at the clock told me it was not yet eight a.m.; I’d leave it an hour or so and catch him at work. I made a cup of tea and plonked myself on the couch; I’d call Mom and Dad, and then I’d text Aimee and Steffi, and my coach, and Carlo, who had all asked me to let them know. Then I would get dressed and go into The Sports Daily and do the deed!
I was now a cable TV sports commentator; Carla Brooker for Sports Network One, I said aloud, practicing using the call sign. I’m such a dick, but it sounded so cool.
****
Half an hour later Josh had left for work and I had made all my calls and texts, plus got heaps of good wishes, bless them all. I was dressed ready to drop into The Sports Daily even though I wasn’t rostered to work today, but I needed to give notice right away to start at Network One in two weeks time. I had one major thing to do before I left the house and it was all I could think about.
I moved onto the balcony, took a deep breath, and finding The Russian’s number in my phone, dialed it. I breathed in, my heart rate always went through the roof at all points of contact with him and after our frosty departure, I really wanted to smooth things over. It rang three times and I debated if I should hang up ... maybe he was in a meeting and was frowning at his phone and my name on his screen; maybe after our last talk he thought it was all too hard; maybe he was with someone ... don’t go there, that’s stupid, it is nine in the morning after all.
Suddenly a male voice answered and it wasn’t The Russian.
“Oh, hello,” I said, surprised. “It’s Carla here, I was looking for The Russian please?”
“Hi Carla,” a very smooth voice said. “It’s Eddie here, The Russian’s business partner.”
“Hi Eddie, we didn’t get to meet when I was in the office the other day,” I said. “You were clearly out working while The Russian was entertaining.”
He laughed. “And that’s the story of my life,” he agreed. “Good news that you can play the big end of season match, pleased for you.”
“Thanks Eddie,” I said, surprised he knew. “It’s a much nicer way to go out than just finishing abruptly mid-season. Anyway, sorry to bother you, I’m guessing The Russian is missing in action?”
“He’s in with the coach,” Eddie said. “Probably getting dropped,” he teased.
I laughed, knowing full well that The Russian was one of their A-list players and they had just re-signed him for three years.
“But I’ll get him to call you when he surfaces,” he said.
“Thanks, that would be great. See you at the game sometime.”
“For sure,” he said.
I hung up and realized I would only be reporting at one more Saints’ games now before I started my new job. But if the Saints games were on different days to my basketball games, I could go and actually sit in the grandstand and watch with the other wives and girlfriends, if I was officially The Russian’s girlfriend. I could be a WAG and The Russian could be a HAB ... husband and boyfriend, well at least at my final game. I didn’t know if HAB was actually a term, I’d have to research that.
I grabbed my bag, locked up my apartment and headed to my car. I just slipped in behind the wheel when my phone rang – The Russian!
“Hey there,” I answered, on top of the world, and now The Russian was calling. “Did the coach give you homework?”
“Brooker,” he said, in his lovely baritone voice, a sound of a laugh in his tone. “He wanted to congratulate me on a great season,” he teased.
“Of course he did,” I said.
“Well you saw right through that, I forgot you were an athlete,” he teased. “Okay, he just wanted to point out areas I could improve in ... coaches are never happy, are they?” he sighed.
“Never,” I agreed. “Even after winning our grand final, Coach made us watch the game and work on our weaknesses!”
“Tell me about it,” he agreed. “So how are you, beautiful?” he asked. Beautiful. I would ride on that one for hours. Sigh.
“I am so good I could explode. I got the job!”
“Brooker, you legend!” The Russian exclaimed. He sounded genuinely excited for me. “I didn’t doubt it for a moment, so when’s your first broadcast?”
“In two weeks’ time, when the Suns take on the Minnesota Leopards, here.”
“That’s brilliant. Having your own team for the first game will help ease you into it too since you know all their moves and their names,” he said.
“True, probably why they picked it,” I said. “I hadn’t stopped to think about that.”
“I’d better get some good champagne for Friday night then, so we can celebrate,” The Russian said. He was adorable.
“Speaking of which, what can I bring?” I asked.
“How about dinner?” he said, then laughed. “Just joking. Just bring you, I’ve got it sorted. About seven-thirty?”
“Done. See you then and thanks for calling back.”
“Really pleased for you, Brooker, this is the beginning of something big,” he said.
Didn’t I know it, big was all around me at the moment, and there was something else big I wanted to get acquainted with too as soon as possible.