Page 16 of Entangled With You
“Oh, nothing. It's just that the team seemed like they were gasping for air at tonight’s performance, and rumor has it, it’s all because the team is having a hard time adjusting to the newcomer, Cattleya Cardona, a Colombian rich girl who wants to rule the locker room at any cost.” My blood turns icy as Noelia continues to read the article. It’s a shame people enjoy stirring up drama instead of doing a good job of reporting how well we played today.
“Wow, what a bitch. She approached me the other day and asked for an interview. I simply told her that I was very happy to be here, but I was so focused and committed to giving my all to the team that I didn’t have anything else to say.” My words are met with silence, everyone in the locker room seems nervous. Some are biting their nails while others are biting their lips. “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, what? What the fuck am I missing?” I ask, and this time it’s Stefa, who’s standing next to me and speaking.
“Well, Colombiana. It sounds like you pissed Romina off, she’s used to getting her way. Asking more questions than she’s supposed to. Twisting our words for clicks. The mina is a real piece of work.”
“Well? So, what are we going to do about it? We are a team, we are working hard to win games, together. Are we going to let this brat ruin our season?” I look at every single one of my teammates in their eyes. If we let this woman win, there’s no way we’ll ever win anything.
“As much as I like you, Cata, I cannot risk my spot on the team. It’s been a very tough road for me to make it to this level, and I’d rather abide by Romina’s fist of terror than challenge her and show up on her column as the super villain no one wants to work with.” Viole, one of the defenders, is brave enough to speak. I’m a little stunned. Sure, I come from a rich family, and yes my talent and dedication got me where I am today. But I’ve never had to worry about what I’d do if this didn’t work out for me. If I can’t find a team who wants to sign me, it’d suck, for sure, but at the end of the day, I have enough money in the bank to live one thousand lives and then some.
Relaxing my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I look at my teammates again. “I know I don’t live with as many struggles as some of you do, and I don’t want you to ever think that I’m insensitive to your life and the battles you’ve had to face to be where you are today. But at the same time, I cannot stay quiet and let this woman dictate how our team plays. I understand if you don’t want to join me in speaking our truth, but I just can’t stay silent,” I say in the most gentle tone I can muster. My blood is boiling at the thought of having to bow my head to a woman who hasn’t probably touched a soccer ball in her life.
When no one speaks, I head back to my cubby to grab my stuff. “You guys know we are trailblazers, we’re paving the fucking way for future generations of women who dared to play a sport dominated by men. When they learn about us, are they going to be proud of us? Or ashamed that we didn’t stand up for ourselves?” I’m nearly at the door when I hear clapping. I turn around, and Noelia is rallying everyone. Slowly, one by one, they start clapping and before I know it, I’m joining in. Our collective roar fills the air. We’re in this together.
“Who are we?” I shout as loud as I can.
“The Golden Warriors!” my team replies.
“What do we want?”
“Eternal glory!”
We form a circle in the middle of the locker room, arms around shoulders, forming a huge tight embrace.
“Thank you, Cata, for speaking up. Truth is, we are scared, but I feel like together we’ll be invincible,” Stefa says, and I hug her tight.
“I’m scared, too, but we won’t let fear win. Fuck no.”
This game was less physical than last week’s, but I’m still dead tired, even more so after the emotional speech I just gave in the locker room. All I want is a warm meal and my bed. But Sofi is in the bleachers with her husband, so I’m going out to dinner with them. I’m making my way to the family area, where usually the significant others wait for the players, when I’m approached again by Romina. I saw the little note she wrote in her paper; it seemed harmless enough, but what I heard after our encounter has me on high alert.
“Cata, great game. Do you have a few seconds?” I give her a smile as I try to look for Sofi and Franco. “And here we are with Cata Cardona, another great match. You have had a fantastic start in the league: three games, three victories so far. What are your thoughts about that?”
I twist my hair in my ponytail as I think about the correct words to use. “It’s been a dreamy debut, my teammates are amazing and have welcomed me with open arms. It’s easy to play well when everyone is working toward the same goal and the coach has been amazing, as well. I’m lucky to be surrounded by greatness, I’m just trying to keep up.” I finish my answer, and more journalists approach me, so I continue answering a couple of questions. By the time I’m done, Sofi and Franco have come out of the family area and are waiting for me. My sister's eyes gleam with pride, and I can’t hold my emotions back.
“Ugh, we had to be criers like Mom,” Sofi says as she hugs me and I chuckle. “I’m so fucking proud of you, sis. You killed it today.” I squeeze my sister for one more second before I hug Franco.
“What a game, Cata. You ate that midfield.” I smile at them as I wipe my tears off my cheeks.
“Thank you both so much for being here. You don’t know what it means to me to have family in the bleachers, cheering me on.” Franco ruffles my hair and I slap his chest with the back of my palm. “Sofi, control your husband. I’m not a baby anymore.” We all share a laugh as we make our way to the parking lot. There are fans still waiting to get autographs and pictures and when they see me, it gets really loud. I’m pleasantly surprised to see how fast the fans have warmed up to me. That’s another relationship I have to cultivate and nurture: fans are the soul of the game. There’s no soccer without fans.
Sofi and Franco wait patiently for me as I take selfies with the people who waited for the chance to see some of the players. There’s a young girl who reminds me of myself at that age. She has her hair styled in two braids, and she’s wearing black bike shorts, black Converse, and a shirt that says: “The Future is Female.” She’s adorable, and she’s looking at me with eyes full of wonder. I crouch to get down to her height and give her a wave.
She waves back at me as she says, “Hi, Cata! I want to be like you when I grow up.”
I grin at her sincerely. “Oh, thank you. That’s a very kind compliment. What’s your name?” She looks up to her mom, silently asking for permission to tell me and her mom nods warmly at her.
“I’m Matilde.”
I smile at her as I tell her, “My name is Cattleya, but people call me Cata.”
Her eyes grow big like saucers. “Cattleya? What does that mean?”
I chuckle at her curiosity. “Cattleya is a flower, a type of orchid. They are very common where I come from.”
She nods her head. “That’s a pretty name.”
Her mom holds her by her shoulders and smiles at me. “We don’t want to keep you. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with my daughter. She can be a little parrot when she’s excited.”
I chuckle and wave her off. “No worries, it was a pleasure. Next time you come to a match, please go to will call. I’ll leave a little something for Matilde there.”