his throat again, an annoying tic. “Look, I know that I have a lot of apologizing to do.”
My brows raise to the sky. This is new. “About what?”
“About being such bloody wanker. I treated you horribly and I’m sorry.”
“Is this a sudden change of heart?”
“No, it’s just. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Patty, that’s her name, she’s very much into forgiveness. She says it’s something we all need to try and she’s right.”
“Stew, forgiveness is something you do because you want to, not because it’s some trendy thing like mushroom coffee or hot yoga. And honestly, I’m the one who needs to work on that, not you. You have nothing to forgive me for, I have plenty.”
“Right. I guess I’m just…I don’t know. I’m going into this marriage with Patty reflecting on our marriage and the mistakes we made. Now before you get smart like you usually do, not every mistake was on my shoulders. You had a part in it too, but that’s neither here nor there right now.”
I’m too tired to argue with him, even if he’s a tiny bit right. “Okay…”
“But that’s not really why I’m calling.”
I sigh. “Why are you calling?”
“I heard you quit Real Madrid,” he says.
Oh.
“Everyone is talking about it,” he goes on.
My stomach twists. “Oh yeah? What are they saying?” I ask, my voice trembling at the possibilities. Do they know about Alejo?
“Actually no one knows anything. There’s no mention of you on the Real Madrid website. Usually they give some sort of statement, but I supposed you’re a therapist, not a player. But you know how we all talk.”
Do I ever.
He continues, “And so all we know is that you quit. You didn’t get fired or let go, but you quit. Why did you quit?”
Like hell I’m telling Stewart the truth.
“It just wasn’t a good fit,” I tell him.
“Really? Because when you came up to play us, you looked like you were completely at ease with the team.”
Well that’s good, because that’s not how I felt that day at all.
“It’s hard to explain,” I say and while that part is true, I’m lying about the rest. “It just didn’t feel right. You know, sometimes you just need a job to feel right.”
“I heard you did an amazing job on Albarado’s knee.”
Oh god. Even the mention of his name has me wanting to collapse on myself.
“Uh huh,” I manage to say. “I just did what I had to do.”
“Word is that the doctor wanted him to have knee surgery and you saved him from that. Don’t sell yourself short Thalia, you’re always selling yourself short. People are saying great things about you. You’re in high demand.”
I laugh. “No I’m not. I’ve been applying to jobs everywhere and no one is hiring and I can’t even get them to save my resume. I shouldn’t have…”
“Shouldn’t have what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe not left when I didn’t have another job lined up? I just left, impulsively, without thinking or planning.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I know it doesn’t,” I say tiredly. “Spontaneity is not my forte.”
“So what are you doing for work then?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe have to look into private practice, but it’s such a step down. I want the thrill of the game, the rush of working on the players at the championship level. It’s what I’ve spent my whole life working towards, I can’t let that career go, not after what I’ve sacrificed for it.”
I have to catch myself before I go on any longer. I forgot that I’m venting to Stewart, not a friend, and the last thing he needs to hear is about Alejo.
“What if I told you that I knew of a job opening?” he asks after a beat. “And that if you applied, you would have the job?”
“Where?” I ask, straightening up. I grip the phone in suspense.
“Would you take it?”
“Where, though?”
“Does it matter though? It’s your caliber. It’s as prestigious as they get.”
“What could be more prestigious than Real Madrid? Is it Barcelona? Bayern? Tottenham?”
“Manchester United.”
I hold the phone away from my ear and stare at it for a moment, just to make sure I am talking to Stewart. “What?”
“Man United, Thalia. You can come back.”
“But I don’t get it. How do you have a spot, I’ve been looking online and calling, I never saw that for you guys.”
“Let’s just say that the man we hired to replace you is a bit of a jackass and we’d rather have you back.”