She nodded.
“Cool, come on,” I said, and we walked over to the car. “Any ideas on where to go?” I asked. “It's kinda late, so I'm not sure what's available around here.”
“I know it's not the kind of stuff athletes should be eating, but I know that there's a 24-hour burger drive-thru about three blocks away.”
I grinned, happy to be able to lighten the mood somewhat. “We can eat crappy food once in a while,” I said. “Burgers, fries, and milkshakes it is.”
Twenty minutes later, we were walking back into Eryn’s mother’s apartment. “Let's eat first,” Eryn suggested. “I'll call my sister later. I've got some other stuff I want to talk to her about, too.”
“All right,” I agreed as we sat down at the kitchen table to eat. “So how long has your mom lived here?” I asked, trying to make conversation.
“Since I was a little kid, actually,” she replied. “This is where I grew up. That room over there,” she said, pointing at a door across from the table, “that was the room my sister and I shared when we were kids.”
r /> “How much older is your sister?”
“She's five years older than me, but she and I have been super close since we were kids; more like best friends than sisters.”
“What does she do out in San Diego?”
“Oh, she was offered a really good job with a tech startup there a few years ago. The company has grown a lot, and she's worked her way up the ladder. She's doing really well for herself, but she's married and has twins to take care of. She got married right out of college.”
“Wow. She must be busy.”
“She is. We still talk weekly, but I miss her. Especially at times like this.”
“I'm sure you do, Eryn.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Where did you grow up? You have any brothers or sisters?”
“I'm Florida born and raised, not from here, though. I grew up in Jacksonville. Well, not in Jacksonville itself, but close enough. Lived out in a pretty rural area. The boonies, actually. I grew up riding dirt bikes and camping out and all that. Old school – no video games, nothing, just outdoors stuff.”
“And, siblings?” she asked again as she munched on a French fry.
“I have two brothers, one older and one younger.”
“So how did you get into volleyball if you grew up in the boonies? I don't think too many guys out in the boonies are into volleyball,” she joked.
I chuckled. “No, they're not. I actually only picked up a volleyball for the first time when I was 16. I was on a vacation with my family, and some kids were playing on the beach. My brothers and I asked if we could play. They explained the rules, let us join, and from that moment, I was hooked.”
“Did your school have a team?”
“No. I transferred to a high school in Miami near my grandparents because they had a good volleyball coach, and after that, right here to Florida State University. The rest is history, I guess.”
She smiled and sucked on the straw of her milkshake. I was happy to share anything about my life, but I also I wanted to find out more about hers. I just didn't want to pry. I decided to keep the questions light and simple and not get into too much personal stuff.
“What about you? When did you start playing volleyball?”
“Oh, at a much younger age than you. It was in elementary school. The gym teacher introduced us to the sport in class one day. Like you, I had a natural ability for it from the beginning.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it's pretty obvious to see. And I have to say, I'm very happy to be able to do what I can to bring out your full potential. I really do think you can go very far, Eryn. Seriously.
“I see in you what I had when I was in college – that same drive, that same determination, the same raw talent, and fire. You have to keep working hard at this. I honestly think you have the potential to get to the very top.”
I didn't want to get her hopes too high, but I was being completely honest. The next Olympic Games were in two years, and if I could see Eryn playing volleyball for Team USA in the Games...well, I thought that would be one of the greatest moments of my life. And, I really did think she had the potential to get that far.
“You really think that I have that much potential?” she questioned me.
“I don't think it,” I said, “I know it.”