Cortado
With half a cup of cortado sitting on the wooden table at a nicely decorated café, Kelley was enjoying the scene of surfers and sunbathers in front of her. It was a nice late-summer Sunday. The knocking and beating of waves, laughter of children, pop music from one of the speakers afar…she was letting her mind drift, after all that had happened in the past few months, heck, the past few years. The warm breeze ruffled her hair, but more so her heart.
It all began in 2011, when Kelley was called back to the World Cup roster after being one of the last ones cut. She didn’t get many minutes, but it was such a great learning experience for her - it was the foundation of everything she accumulated on the field from there on out. Soccer aside, it was also the rudiment of everything that happened between her and Hope. It the point at which their paths first met. Those eye contacts, the occasional hellos at hotel corridors, the brushing of sweaty shoulders on the field…Kelley took a sip of her coffee and smiled at the thought of how nervous she was that one time when Dawn had asked her to bring an ice bag to Hope. It was funny, because Kelley would always find her eyes wandering and eventually landing on Hope…at breakfast, on the bus, at team meetings, in the ice tub, heck, even at practices when Pia was practically screaming in their ears. Kelley was the newbie of the team and Hope was the star goalkeeper, a talented, troubled goalkeeper.
Kelley, despite being a beast on the field, had always been and still is intimidated by Hope. Those piercing blue eyes, killer instinct, formidable demeanor…that was exactly the way Kelley liked about Hope, exactly the way Kelley was attracted by Hope, infatuated with Hope. A badass, a rebel, a lone wolf, a…Solo. Kelley had never had someone like that in her life. She had grown up in the South and spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco. As the middle child, she has always been goofy and light-hearted off the field. She is a person that’s easy to spend time with and just has a way of making people around her feel comfortable and happy. She is a ball of zest. Her jokes are pretty bad but are infectious somehow.
So what happens when this warm ray of sunlight hits the cold mirror? Well, either the light gets reflected or the temperature changes and little water droplets form on the cool surface. The majority of the USWNT predicted the former, but Kelley and Hope’s budding relationship ended up being the latter.
Kelley took another sip of her cortado. The blend of sweetness and bitterness tugged at her heartstrings. Her mind backtracked to the end of the 2011 World Cup…the devastating loss to Japan. Everything, literally everything, went wrong in the penalty shootout. Kelley’s heart was shattered, for her team, for her teammates, and of course, for Hope. Kelley could not bear to watch Hope’s reaction. The look in the goalkeeper’s eyes when the Japanese player scored the last penalty kick was something that Kelley would never forget. It was disappointment, angst, wrath…it was pain. Dagger-in-the-heart type of pain. Four years of immeasurable hard work, sacrifices, drive, commitment…so close to bringing the trophy home, yet it didn’t happen. A lot of players were sobbing, but there were no tears from Hope. Hope hadn’t say a word to anyone since that last goal went past her. After the prize ceremony, Kelley saw from the corner of her eye that Hope walked straight into the locker room. Kelley could feel the hurt and blame that Hope was inflicting on herself. She didn’t know how or what to do to make the goalkeeper feel better. Still, she quickly gathered her gear and hurried behind Hope.
Hope leaned against the sink and splashed water onto her face. Dejected and emotionless, she turned off the tab and put her hands on the collar of her yellow shirt and closed her eyes. Kelley could see the bulging muscles on the keeper’s arms. Next she heard Hope let out a primal scream and ripped her shirt off. The locker room fell silent. Everyone could feel the frustration and agony in Hope’s cry. Hope needed space. The whole team needed space. Tears streamed down the defender’s face but Kelley could not bear herself watching the hurt lioness anymore. She dropped her cleats and water bottle and gave Hope a tight hug. Kelley could feel Hope’s shoulders tensed up upon the unexpected physical contact, but she didn’t care, she held Hope even tighter and her shirt was dampened with Hope’s sweat and tears. That was the very first time the contours of their bodies met. First, certainly not last.
“Would you like more coffee ma’am?” Kelley was brought back to reality by the barista’s question. “Hmm I’m alright. Thanks. It’s my turn to take a dip.” Kelley pulled out her wallet, placed a $10 bill under the coffee cup, grabbed her phone and car key, and walked towards her car.