Chapter 1: Andi
Every interaction withmy ex-husband is an opportunity to practice my poker face. Two years of marriage plus four years of divorce is a lot of time to hone this skill, not to mention the 32 years that came before that. It doesn’t matter that we’re on the phone and he can’t see my reaction. I stop packing my suitcase and turn to the mirror to verify my eyelid is not twitching.
Still as stone.
My blue eyes stare back. Not a single dirty blonde hair on my head moves.
Perfect.
“Andi, are you sure you want to do this? You can always back out. I’m sure Nathan will understand.”
I’m tempted to blink in an attempt to decipher his true message, but I don’t even let myself have that tell. I know what he’s saying.
Quit.
Back out.
Back down.
It’s like he doesn’t know me at all.
That would probably explain why he’s myex-husband. FYI, they don’t let you list blind ignorance and weaponized incompetence as reasons for divorce, at least not in Massachusetts.
But they totally should.
Lucky for me I got to list adultery. But that’s not the point.
After all this time, Mike should know the best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t. I mean, he was the one who said, “It’s not like you’re ever going to leave me.”
Some people are just slow learners, I guess.
Because, while I may seem passive and quiet, that’s only on the exterior. I will die before I back down, especially when it’s important.
Like now.
I’ve worked the last 15 years to get to this point. No way in hell I’m letting this slip through my fingers. I don’t care what a logistical nightmare it’s created for me. I don’t care that it’s the worst-case scenario. I don’t care that Mike thinks I should back out.
But I do want to knowwhyMike thinks I should.
“That’s an interesting option. Why should I consider it?” He’s likely to explain more when he thinks I’m actually looking for his advice. This is yet another time when I wish I didn’t work with my ex so I could leave him in the past like most people do when they divorce.
“Oh, you know what these two teams can be like.”
I don’t even need to look at the text from our manager, Nathan Forget, to know what game I’ve been asked to officiate.
Boston Buzzards vs. Baltimore Terrors.
It’s the big time.
Thebig time.
I’ve been dreaming about this day for years.
That’s right, an official USSL game. To be more specific, the MUSSL.Men’s United States Soccer League. Not to be confused with the WUSSL, which is the Women’s version of the league.
Except, as is true in our society, men are the default, so when people refer to the USSL, they’re generally talking about the men’s teams. But they always make sure to call the female side the WUSSL, probably because of the resemblance to the word wuss.
Chauvinists.
