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MARA
narrative
april 22nd, 2023
Mara was extremely hesitant to pick up her phone the morning Coach Kenny Brooks of Virginia Tech called her. It was two weeks after her mom passed, and she was still processing the idea of getting out of bed, knowing her mother wasn't with her. But as she laid still, the rings of the phone haunted her. She wanted to ignore it, but something in her subconcious told her to answer.
"He-" Immediately sensing the raspiness in her voice, Mara cleared her throat. "Hello?"
"Hi, is this Mara Sheffield I'm speaking with?"
Oddly professional, Mara noted. "Yes, this is she."
"Hi, Mara. This is Kenny Brooks from Virginia Tech."
"Oh." Mara let out a slight groan as she sat up. "Hi, Coach. Is everything okay?"
"Everything's good here, Mara. I just wanted to check in on you. I was so sorry to hear that your mother passed recently. I remember when we were recruiting you back in the day how fondly you spoke of her."
Mara couldn't deny that she was completely taken aback. That was one conversation she had with a coach nearly five years ago. And yet he still remembered. "You remember that?"
"Of course. You were hard to forget."
"I, uh- thank you, Coach Brooks. Your condolences mean a lot."
"You're welcome."
The line went silent for a minute. "I'm sorry, you called me. Was there something you needed?"
"No, Mara. I just wanted to talk to you. I would be lying if I said the rumors about you leaving Iowa didn't intrigue me, but it's hard when there's a death in the family. Right now it's more important that you focus on you and your loved ones."
Mara felt slightly more relaxed as her lips formed a smile. "I appreciate that, Coach."
"Anytime, Mara. Have a good day."
"You too." She hung up the phone, and for the first time since her mother passed, things started to click for her.
"Mar, you good?" Kate questioned, peeking her head out of the bathroom door.
"Yeah." It was better than she'd felt in a long time.
author speaks
just a little chapter for today
i'm trying to update, but i have exams for the next couple of weeks
