“Yup. So as long as you don’t throw up, you’re golden.”
I chuckle, feeling lighter and a little more at ease.
“And hey, I just want to say thanks for reaching out to me and asking me to interview you,” Charlotte says. “I’ve been working to get an interview like this with a player at your level for my whole career. I’ve gotten passed over more times than I can count, so I was starting to lose hope until your manager called me.”
I feel bad. Being a female reporter in a male-dominated industry like hockey must be tough as hell.
But I’ve always appreciated Charlotte’s reporting style during post-game press. She’s not about trying to get a rise out of us or bait us with inappropriate questions, like some other reporters we have to deal with. She’s respectful, even when she asks us tough questions. And she knows her shit. Her knowledge of hockey is impressive.
“You’re the only reporter I wanted to talk to about this,” I say. “Thanks again for making the time.”
After I sent that video of Damien trying to blackmail Ellie and confessing to his lies to the Bashers social media and PR teams, they released the video to the public along with statements defending me and Ellie. News coverage finally started to turn in our favor.
But I wanted to do more. I asked my manager to reach out to Charlotte to see if she’d want to do an interview with me where I could explain this whole situation in my own words. She could ask me any questions and I’d answer them honestly. She said yes instantly.
We finish getting set up for the interview. The producer gives the signal and starts to count down. He turns to Charlotte. “And we’re recording in three, two, one.”
Charlotte smiles at the camera. “Welcome back toHockey Sound Off. I’m your host, Charlotte Vandy. I know you’re used to seeing me at the arena giving you the play-by-play during games, but today I’m doing a special interview with Denver Bashers defenseman, Camden Connors. Camden, thank you so much for sitting down with me today.”
I take a quiet breath, hoping I don’t look as nervous as I feel. “It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me.”
“There’s been some gossip online and on social media about your personal life, specifically about your marriage to your wife. You wanted to set the record straight once and for all.”
“That’s right.”
“There’s a rumor going around that you married your best female friend because she needed health insurance. Is that true?”
I nod. “Yes. It’s true.”
“I think that’s probably going to be a shock to a lot of your fans and hockey fans in general,” Charlotte says. “Do you want to explain?”
I take a breath. “I married my best friend, Ellie, because she suffers from chronic illness. Her whole life, she’s had to battle against health insurance companies to get the care that she needs—that she deserves. I was sick of watching her in agony, both from her illness and from battling insurance companies. They constantly denied her care, even though she paid her premiums. She did everything right, and she still went into debt paying for hospital visits and medication when her insurance company refused to help her. And I was sick of it. I was sick of watching her get screwed over. It wasn’t fair.”
I pause, my heart beating hard in my chest.
“So we got married. Yeah, we weren’t romantically involved at the time, but I’d always had a crush on her. I found out that she always had a crush on me too. It didn’t take long for our true feelings for each other to come out. And we fell for each other. Hard.”
A warm smile appears on Charlotte’s face. “That sounds like a very cute love story.”
I let a smile break free. “It was. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be with my wife.”
That warmth lingers on Charlotte’s face before her expression turns serious. “What do you say to people who accuseyour wife of not having a serious illness? Who call her a gold digger that just wanted to marry you for your money?”
I clench my jaw. “First of all, I’d challenge them to say that to my face and see what happens.”
Charlotte’s eyes go wide the slightest bit as her expression turns amused. Almost like she’s impressed.
“Those lies were spread by her ex,” I say. “He sold outright lies about us to a sports website for money. I’m sure you’ve heard that he’s being investigated for that.”
Charlotte nods. “I saw in today’s news that he’s likely to be arrested.”
“Hopefully. He deserves to be punished for what he did.”
Anger spikes up inside of me. After Ellie and I took that video, we turned it into the Bashers’ legal team and my own lawyer, who reported him to the police. Damien is deep shit for trying to blackmail Ellie. Good. Fuck that piece of trash.
“Nothing he said about Ellie was true,” I say. “She is the best person I know. She has more integrity and kindness than anyone I’ve ever met. She would never, ever exaggerate her illness. She actually downplays it a lot, which I hate, because I know how much she suffers. I know how much pain she’s in sometimes. But that’s the person she is. She would rather suffer in silence than be a burden. A lot of people with chronic illness do that, which is heartbreaking. They hide themselves even though they deserve to be uplifted and supported.”
A soft look flashes across Charlotte’s face. “You speak so beautifully about your wife. It’s quite touching.”
