So now we've come to part two of this chapter and I have a couple things to say before it.
First, while part one was about Trev and what he's battled to get to this point in his life, this chapter is about what Pam's dealt with and I feel like I need to put a WARNING with it. There are certain instances that some might find disturbing and might act as a trigger for you. So please proceed at your own discretion.
Second, like many chapters, this one was influenced by a particular song which I of course have included.
Thanks so much for reading, and continuing on this journey with both Trev and Pamela! Hope you enjoy it!
****Pam****
A gusty winter wind almost knocked me off of my feet as I
walked out of Riverview stadium, making me wonder how it was possible that I
stood on my balcony without a coat just three nights before. That was the challenge of packing for away
games; trying to figure out the weather and making sure that you didn’t pack
clothes that didn’t stifle you but at the same time kept you warm. I thanked my
lucky stars that I had enough sense when I packed to remember that Riverview
tended to be colder in late October, but the frigid air still caught me by
surprise and I stopped dead in my tracks.
The smart thing to do would be to turn around and head back
inside, but that wasn’t what Trev and I agreed to when we talked on the phone;
a conversation that I originally tried to convince myself would never happen.
He asked when we texted back and forth during his visit home if he could call
me, but as the next day passed and most of the next, I told myself that he
forgot or hadn’t even meant it when he asked.
I tried to distract myself with
preparing for my trip to Riverview and the upcoming game but no matter how many
different ways I tried to pack my suitcase or review team stats and info for
both teams, I still couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting away from the tasks
at hand and to the up in the air phone call.
By the time I arrived at Riverview and walked out of the
airport to find a taxi I was beating myself up about getting my hopes up. He
didn’t owe me a phone call, after all. We were friends, my text was meant to encourage
him, which he said it did, and in an effort to say something nice in return he
offered to call me at some point. It sounded reasonable and logical, and it
made perfect sense in my mind. But there was still a spot deep inside my heart
where my disappointment clung to that didn’t want to listen. I tried to ignore
it and shove it even further down as I arrived at my hotel room and started to
unpack my things, but a part of me still knew that I was fooling myself.
That was of course the moment that my phone rang and my
disappointment instantly turned into a hopeful excitement that made my hands
shake a little as I reached for my phone. Which I told myself was stupid since
we’d talked countless times in the years we’d known each other. He instantly
apologized for not calling sooner. He mentioned staying later in Appaloosa than
he originally planned, since he didn’t get to see his twin brother much, and he
wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. By the time he made it back into
Bridgeport, it was almost midnight and he didn’t want to bother me so late. It
wasn’t a long conversation, and most of it was small talk; the exception being
my inquiry about how the overall trip to Appaloosa was, but it put my mind at
ease about him not calling and it ended with us agreeing to meet after the game.
But neither of us had known was how cold it would be, and as
if proving my point, the cutting wind once again tried to penetrate the layers
of my coat and finally persuaded me to seek a smarter option. I shivered as I
whirled around and decidedly marched back towards the stadium doors, only to be
halted by seeing Trev quickly striding towards me.
