Bryce’s parents have a bungalow on the back of their property, only having used it as an office for Sheila in the past. They offered for the guys to store their stuff indefinitely. We all know it could be a long time before they actually get another place of their own, so this saves them from having to pay for a storage unit for years.
When the last box is unloaded from the U-Haul, I fall onto the sofa and moan. My eyes sting from exhaustion. Quinn falls next to me and exhales dramatically.
“This moving shit is tough.”
“I don’t even want to hear it from you. You’ve only been around for three hours. Imagine three days.”
Dean drove up from Atlanta to see Quinn for the weekend, and they agreed to help us unload. When this is all over, I’m going to owe her huge. While I’ve been away the last few days, she has taken care of everything for our upcoming trip.
The program requires we all fly into Rio as a group. Our international flight leaves out of Miami, so we were responsible for getting to the Miami airport with adequate time to meet with Professor Grant two hours before departure.
She worked with the university travel coordinator for the both of us. After reviewing the flights and knowing the importance of being there, we decided to fly in a day early and stay at an airport motel. This disappointed Bryce, but he didn’t say too much.
Quinn also got us a flight into Charlottesville for a short trip to pack what we need and meet with Roxy, the girl watching our apartment and my car while we are gone. She’s a friend who cheers with us and actually needed a place to stay for a few weeks to attend a summer workshop. It worked out well, and we agreed. If we weren’t accepted to the Summer Expo, our plan B was to come back to UVA for second summer semester, but things fell into place once we heard about the program.
So while I’ve been away the last few days, my best friend has organized our lives effortlessly. Yep, I owe her huge.
“Why are you so tired? Was there some wild excitement you haven’t told me about yet?” She raises her eyebrows and pinches my side lightly.
“No other excitement. We packed all day and then went out with some of their friends last night. Somehow, our low-key night turned into me going to bed at four am. Bryce didn’t crawl in until six. Then we were up at ten to load the truck. Even though I didn’t have to, I scoured the apartment the best I could to make sure they got their security deposit back.
“I didn’t sleep on the drive because we stopped halfway to switch drivers, and I rode with Nate the rest of the way home.”
“How’s he feeling about everything coming up?”
“He says he’s pretty open to being stationed anywhere, and I believe him. Bryce and I truly thought he wanted San Diego, but now, he’s talking more about Norfolk. I’m thrilled because I’d hate for him to be across the country.”
“You know it’s going to happen someday, right?”
“I know,” I say softly. “I’m in denial, especially with their skill sets. They’re likely to be in high demand.”
“We’ll take it one day at a time, like always. And in the end, no matter where everybody is stationed, we’ll have a wedding to plan.” She squeezes my hand.
I smile as both our phones ding with incoming emails.
Students:
We received some incredible news today that I could not refrain from sharing. As I mentioned on our last call, the leadership team has been working intensely to gain access to the athletes in the vicinity that are on the road to the 2016 Olympics. These are men and women from all over the world, who have traveled to work with trainers and coaches, and get a feel for the area. They are contenders for their categories, working hard toward their dreams.
It has been confirmed that we will be allowed to interview and photograph the aspiring competitors during our expo. I am working on the assignments now, but you will each be in groups of four, led by one of our professional leaders. I will not be leading, but instead will be floating around, joining you all at different times.
You all have different talents, and I assure you, I will build teams that carry equal weight in photography, journalism, world knowledge, and social awareness. This trip is quickly becoming the envy of all other summer programs.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me directly. I will however tell you, there are no requests for teams. These will be carefully worked through by me.
I look forward to seeing you all in a week.
Sincerely,
Professor Henry Grant
“Oh my God! This is unreal!” Quinn jumps up and dances around as I squeal, kicking my feet in the air.
Nate, Bryce, Dean, and Dave go quiet and stare at us with amusement.
“We have permission to interview the contending Olympians!” I practically scream. Bryce looks at me, stunned, then smiles widely, stalking over to me.
He tugs me off the couch and kisses my forehead lightly; before he can ask, I launch into the email.