Luckily, it never did take long for the truth to come out. A gold digger showed her true colors early enough on that I never really risked being hurt. My first run in with this type of woman was with Kelly, a hot little volleyball player who I nearly did a backflip for when she agreed to go out with me. But she showed me her real intentions regarding our “relationship” at a dinner with a few of my teammates and their wives in San Francisco, when she commented about how big one of the wives’ wedding ring was and said to me, in front of everyone, mine better be bigger.
Zariyah was next, and she made it perfectly clear when she hinted that plastic surgery would be a lovely Valentine’s Day gift.
And my favorite, the beautiful, sweet, seductive Lucia, who truly had me fooled for about two months — until the first time we had sex, and she asked me so how does this whole sugar daddy thing work?
So no, as much as it hurt, it wasn’t hard to figure out if a girl only wanted me for the things the NFL had brought into my life — whether that be money, fame, or connections. And honestly? I was glad for it. Those women showed me everything I didn’t want. They taught me the hard lessons that put me on guard, that gave me pause and reserve with every woman I’d met since then. I was spared a lot of disastrous relationships by seeing those signs early on, and I was tougher for it.
Still, I longed for a true connection, one that was more than friendship and one not born out of a desire to use me for the dollar signs or possible fame attached to my name. I wasn’t well-known enough in the NFL to cause a scene yet, but I planned to be one day, and I wanted someone who would support that without exploiting it.
What I really wanted, more than anything, was a girl who didn’t know me at all, one who I could tell my own story to, one who loved me for me.
What a sap, right?
The main point here is that while football was second nature to me, love was a fleeting fantasy.
But being in a new city, with a new team? Everything felt possible.
Maybe my dream girl was hidden somewhere in the Windy City.
Maybe, with a little luck, I’d find her.
And maybe, with a lot of luck, she wouldn’t have any clue who I was.
“Where are you going to sleep tonight?” Oliana asked, scrunching her nose as she looked around at the empty space.
“I’ll get an air mattress.”
Mah’s eyes lit up with horror. “No, no, no! You cannot sleep on an air mattress, that is terrible for your back.”
“We used to sleep on air mattresses all the time when we had sleepovers!” I reminded her.
“You were ten. And about half the size you are now.”
“It’s just for a little while, Mah,” I assured her with a smile, framing her arms in my hands. “I’m meeting with an interior designer later this week, and she’s one of the best in the city. Next time you visit, it’ll be a whole new place.”
“I could be your interior designer.”
I chuckled. “I know you could be. But hey, this is a new city with a new style. It’s different from anything we’ve ever seen. Don’t you think it’ll be fun to let one of the Chicago professionals who knows the city best bring that new style to life?”
“I think no matter how professional they are, there is nothing Chicago has that is better than Hawai’i.”
Oliana laughed, wrapping her arms around our mother to replace mine. “Alright, I think it’s time we leave Makoa and let him settle in. We should get some sleep, anyway.”
“But our flight is not until ten in the morning!”
“Makuahine,” Oliana said, giving her a look. “Kiss your one and only precious son goodbye and let him breathe for once in your life.”
Mom pouted, but I had her smiling at the end of a bear hug. And with a whispered Mahalo in my little sister’s ear when I hugged her, we said a hui hou — until we meet again — and then I was blessedly alone.
The sun was slowly setting over the city and the lake, casting everything in a warm, orange glow that leaked into my empty condo like rays from heaven itself. Slowly, lights twinkled to life, and I smiled, feeling the newness that only a big move like this one could ever bring.
Moving to California had felt big, but not in the same way. After all, I was still close enough to catch a short flight home to feel the culture and warmth of Hawai’i, and my family was never too far away. But now, I was in Chicago — the Midwest, a city as unfamiliar as the team I was about to play with.
And I had something to prove.
I wasn’t a rookie anymore, but I was new to the team, and that meant I’d have to fight for my spot. While the veterans could rest easy knowing they had a position regardless of what happened in the pre-season, I would have to work my ass off at training camp just to earn the chance to play and show coach what I could do if he kept me on the team.
And I wanted more than just a position.
I wanted a starting position.
Or, at the very least, enough playing time to surprise anyone who picked me up for their fantasy football team.
I blew out a breath as the last of the sun dipped away, the city somehow coming more alive in the twilight. There was no ocean, but instead, a grand lake that seemed to hold completely different possibilities. The palm trees had been traded in for European buckthorns, the albatross for starlings, the city on the bay for the city by the lake.
There at the window in my empty condo,
