Page 42 of Brick Wall
“I love it here. This trail is on the backside of the hill, so it doesn’t get as many people as the main entrance. I figured if someone recognized you, they’d probably leave you alone since it’s mostly solo hikers over here.”
“Sounds good,” I say when we ascend a trail with some wooden steps in utter silence.
I’m not ignoring Annie per se. I’m concentrating on my breathing. How much farther do we have to go?
Not sure if she’s a mind reader or I say my thoughts out loud, but Annie shares we are about halfway there.
“Let me know if you want to stop at any point for a quick break.”
“I’m good,” I lie.
I’m a professional athlete and do an extensive workout for hours every single day. However, practice was intense today and I’m exhausted. Climbing a hill isn’t how I want to spend my evening.
Although the view is nothing to complain about, we finally make it up to the top. I can see the Boston skyline in the distance, and it’s beautiful.
“Wow,” I say in between breaths.
Annie gives me a smile in return.
After a few minutes, Annie takes out a small blanket and drapes it on a rock. She also starts to pull out food onto the blanket.
“Nothing fancy.” She must see something on my facebecause she blushes nervously. “Is this okay?”
“Yes, this is great,” I reply quickly.
Annie continues to pull things from her backpack like a magician.
“What do you got in there?” I tilt my head closer to get a better look. Everything smells so good.
“This is a cold salad with spinach, salmon, avocado, eggs, nuts, and a lot of good stuff in here. Hopefully, it will fill you up, but I also have quinoa salad, some fruit, yogurt, and more. Help yourself to whatever,” she explains as she hands me a paper plate with some utensils.
“This is great,” I repeat. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I went off what I eat, what our nutritionist recommends to our players, and what I had on hand.”
“You had this all on hand?”
When Annie volunteered to help, she also asked if it was okay if she brought dinner or if I wanted to eat on my own. I told her I was flexible. Dinner sounded great, but I didn’t want her to worry about feeding me because I eat a lot, and I didn’t give her too much notice to prepare for our unexpected plans.
“Yeah, I food shop and prep stuff on Sundays.”
“I don’t want to eat all your food for the week,” I state.
She waves her hand above her face. “No, you’re not. I just started meal prepping, and I don’t have it done quite yet. I often prep too much, and I sometimes don’t get to things before they go bad. Goldie has also been eating at Bryce’s more lately, so I’ve had more leftovers than I usually do. I can always head to the store later in the week.”
“Well, thank you, this is great.” I take another bite, and then another.
In between bites, Annie asks, “Do you have a nutritionist?”
“I do. I have a meal plan she recommends, but I sometimes struggle sticking with it,” I admit. Snacks are my downfall. They are so delicious, and I need to keep up my calorie count to do my job properly, but I guess I went a little overboard in the off-season this time.
“Did she have any advice?”
“Uhh.”
“Maybe you should set up another meeting?” She reads my hesitancy perfectly. “You have a team. Use it.”
“I know. I should.” After a moment of silence, I add, “I’ll call her tomorrow,” and Annie gives me a bright smile as a response. It makes me want to do anything to keep that smile there.
