Page 9 of Made Better Together

“C’mon, kiddo.” Nat appears more than happy to follow me as we step toward the sliding glass doors leading out to the deck, where we walk down to the grounds.

Outside it’s less formal. A large pool has casual lounge chairs sprinkled around it, and an unstaffed drink station is stocked with water and beer in ice buckets.

Thirty feet beyond the pool is the lake. Other homes are sprinkled along the shore in the distance, all big and beautiful like this one.

My eyes catch a field on the side of the pool where a handful of kids are running around. They all appear ten and under, perfect for Nat to play with. There’s a woman watching over them, laughing at something a little girl said.

“Should we head to the other kids?” I ask.

Nat shakes her head in agreement. She’s not shy, so I’m not surprised she doesn’t hesitate.

When we get closer, she runs ahead and begins twirling around like the other kids.

“Hi, I’m Eden,” I say to the woman once I reach her. She looks to be in her mid-thirties. “That’s Natalie, my stepsister.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lainie, the groom’s sister.” Up close, I see the resemblance to the famous visage of Johnson Samuels. “Two of these munchkins are mine.” She points to a little boy and a girl Nat’s speaking with.

“Do you want to play a game?” the girl says.

“My big sister plays soccer, she could play with us. Is there a ball?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“How about a race? Emma loves to run,” Lainie suggests to the girls.

“Me too,” Nat responds excitedly.

“Don’t get mad if I beat you,” Emma says to her, a mix of pride and sweetness in her voice.

“Oh, I’m second to nothing and no one,” Nat replies in her typical confident manner.

The girls insist we watch as they trade wins in their first two races, but then stop caring about our attention as they continue, while the little boy is occupied trying to keep up with them.

Lainie turns to me. “So, soccer? Are you still in school?”

“Yes, I have one more year at Tolliver. That’s where I play.” I don’t mention that I was named All-American for the second time in a row junior year, or that I was selected for all four U23 national training camps last year too. It’s not my thing to brag.

She still seems impressed. “Oh, that’s amazing. Do you want to continue after graduation?”

“I’m planning on going pro, but I’m also applying to med school.” I chuckle softly. “Don’t ask me how all of that is going to happen.”

I truly don’t know how these dreams will mesh together. My top peers from the US Youth program either skipped or left college to go pro already, which wasn’t possible with my pre-med track. I’ve already taken the MCATs, so at least one step is done.

“Ambition is never a bad thing. Do you know what kind of doctor you want to be?”

“My mom is a neurologist, and I’m debating that too.”

“That’s incredible.”

I shift the conversation to her and learn she works at a local tech start-up. After more small talk, she offers to watch Nat with the other kids.

“I’ll need to bring them inside soon anyway with the heat. But you should go enjoy yourself. I’ll make sure Nat finds you or your parents once we come back in.”

“Okay, if you’re certain.”

“No problem at all, it’s nice for Emma to make a new friend.”

I walk back to the house once Nat knows the plan, glancing at the clusters of guests bearing the heat around the pool.