The Road w/ Anna Part 2
After class had ended Dmitri caught up with her in the hallway, “Ana?” He said as he hefted his bag over his shoulder, “Do you have to work this afternoon by any chance?”
“It’s Friday, Dim.” She said with a roll of her eyes, “Of course I have to work today. You know Maria promised me overtime if I promised to work Fridays for the next couple weeks.”
“Well can you skip just this once?” He asked with a slight plea in his tone, “I really need help with getting my knee back into practice before the scout comes next weekend.”
“Can’t you just wait until Sunday or ask one of your team mates to help you out this time?” Ana asked as she opened her locker and tossed her English book inside as she took out her purse to replace it, “It’s not as if you don’t know enough people around here who would be willing to help you out.”
“They’re all going to Tony’s party tonight and my mom’s working at the bar until midnight. So I’ve got no one who’s able or much less willing to help me with the training I do and sides you’re the best goalie I know who can help with the type of training I need.” Dmitri explained as he leaned up against the lockers.
Ana slammed her locker closed in slight frustration, “You know I don’t play much less practice anymore so I don’t think I would really be that of a much help to you or to anyone else for that matter.” She then moved passed him towards the direction of her car, “But if you really want my opinion on your chances with the scout I think you already have it in the bag. I mean how many players would be able to play with a broken wrist and still have the ability to play without snapping it in half? Now if that doesn’t impress them then I don’t know what will. Just do what you know that you’re good at and don’t get yourself all worked up over nothing.”
Dmitri draped his arm across her shoulders as they walked out of the school, “But you’re so fun to play with, Annie. Can you at least do me the favor of helping me out once you get off work?”
Ana smiled over at him as she played with her keys as she moved out from underneath his arm, “We’ll see what happens, Dim. I can’t promise you anything though with work. Jack maybe all grown but he still can’t cook the way that my dad wants it to be.”
“Well I could always ask my mom to whip up a little something for him instead. I think she’s taken a liking to your dad these past years.” Dmitri teased her causing her to roll her eyes once again.
“Don’t bring that subject up ever again. My dad hasn’t dated anyone since he got custody of Jack and me so I doubt he would do it so close to graduation.” Ana explained as she leaned up against her truck with a deep sigh.
Dmitri sighed as he pushed his fingers through his hair, “You really need to start thinking about what you want, Ana. You can’t always be there for your dad when you’re trying to live your life. Don’t you think that maybe its time that you let your dad have a little fun for once? Preferably not involving any physical contact with my mom. You both need some space to grow on your own without constantly worrying about each other. I get that you’re all trying to stick together as much as possible but one of you is just going to scream and leave.”
Ana sighed as she gently touched his cheek, “That’s so sweet, Dim. You actually think that I have the time to think about other stuff than paying bills and working all the time. That’s really thoughtful of you but maybe you should go tell that to Nikki and see if she does any good with it. Girlfriends usually always listen better when it comes to crap like that. Friends on the other hand can see right through the bullshit and don’t give a shit about it because they know what’s real. What’s real is the reality of life being too tough to think of fantasies especially when there’s no room for it. I’m one of those people who knows what’s best for me and it doesn’t involve just giving up for some cocked up dream.” She then hopped in her truck and drove off.
Dmitri sighed, “Maybe dreams are what we survive on just to keep going from day to day, Anastasia. Even when you think that nothing is worth sacrificing everything you are for it.” He thought to himself sadly as he walked over to his beat up corolla.
Ana made her way down towards the St. Augustine visitor center as she quickly put on some make up and took up her pass. Ana looked over at the old fort and sighed deeply. Even to this day it still mesmerized her with all its history and mystery. In the breeze she could hear whispers of the past and sometimes she thinks she can hear her mothers voice like a distant memory. For the past couple of years she had been thinking of her more and more as she walked the same streets her mother had all those years ago.
Ana quickly snapped out of her zone as she quickly made her way inside as droplets of rain started to come down. Back in San Antonio it only rained when you least expected it but here it almost rained everyday.
Ana worked up until close to nine that night in the gift shop closing up all of the merchandise when her father came in.
“Hey dad.” She said slightly caught off guard as she watched him closely as she did every time he came to her work unexpectedly.
He sighed as he looked at her with a sad smile, “You look exactly like your mother sometimes when I look at you, Ana.”
Ana looked away as she locked up the gate, “Thought you would be home working on your latest project by now.”
He took her hand in his, “Your English teacher called to ask if you’ve made a decision about this abroad trip to Greece. Why didn’t you just tell me that you got this opportunity to go to school for the summer? I mean Greece is the most beautiful place in the world this time of year.”
Ana sighed as she looked up at him, “Because I still haven’t made my decision yet. There’s still a lot I need to do before any of this could ever happen as it is and making a commitment like that right now just isn’t suitable. I mean I still need to make enough for the plane ticket. Money I just don’t have enough of right now to even consider going. I didn’t think that it was that important until I made sure things were finally set. It’s too early to even think about it right now any way what with Jack going off to Daytona and me still indecisive on which school to go to. There’s just too much to think about.”
He shook his head, “I know you just as much as I knew your mother that underneath all of the responsibility you really want to go. I’m not stopping you from making that kind of decision, Ana. We’ll find a way of getting you that plane ticket one way or another.”
Ana sat down on one of the benches, “Why couldn’t you just have waited until I got home to tell me all this?”
He sat down next to her, “Because I know how protective you are of Jack especially about something like this. I know that he would want you to go just as much as I know that you need this. It’s in your blood to want to see the world and knowing everything about it, Ana. So don’t pass this up just because you think that you would be abandoning us. You helped raise Jack and helped me through so much that I think you’ve deserved this opportunity to just leave for a while.”
“But what if there’s more than what I need out of all of this, dad?” She asked in a soft whisper, “What if there’s more than what I can see holding me back from making that final decision? I just have a feeling that if I go there will always be a feeling of regret hanging over my shoulder. What if I’m not ready to leave just yet?”
“Is it because of Dmitri?” He asked looking at her closely with a sigh, “He’s got his whole life planned out for him so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him being left behind. He’s a great guy who understands more than anyone that at some point you have to see the world before you can realize that home isn’t just the place you left behind.”
Ana nodded as she looked passed him to see Dmitri walk out the front door with his soccer gear as she placed her hands to her face in a slight moan and shook her head in despair. She knew that he had heard every word that was spoken and that only made her feel ever more guilty in her ever confused mind.
