Chapter Text
Chapter 1
“Excuse me, Ms. Welton?” Gloria, from the cleaning crew, did not expect to see the owner of the AFC Richmond football club in her office an hour before the upcoming game.
“Yes,” Rebecca, looked up from her laptop with the last bit of biscuit still in her mouth. At the doorway, she sees Gloria with her cleaning kit tentatively looking into the office. “Fuck me.” Rebecca looks at her phone and realizes the late hour of the day. Meanwhile, Gloria does the sign of the cross and a quiet prayer for the club owner’s eternal salvation.
“Um, should I just…” Gloria standing at the doorjamb in suspended animation, knowing she needs to clean the office before night’s end but unsure of what to do at this moment. She never had been alone in the same room as the formidable club owner.
“Gloria, I am sorry. Please come in. I was just finishing up summarizing some communications with the majority shareholders and ironing out some sponsorship deals. I can’t believe I’m in my office this time of day on a Saturday.”
The gray-haired woman rolled in her cleaning cart and dusted and cleaned one side of the room to the other. Gloria reached Rebecca’s desk as the owner of the club was just closing down her computer. Gloria picked up the empty pink biscuit box from the corner of the desk. Usually, the daily pink box was already in the trash receptacle when Gloria was making her rounds in the owner’s office.
“Please leave the box, Gloria.” Rebecca was quick to say before Gloria could drop the box in the trash. Gloria put the empty box back on the desk.
“Yes, Ms. Welton.”
Just as Rebecca got deep in a silent side session of self-analysis, only knowing Gloria’s name because anytime she was with Ted and they passed an AFC Richmond staff member, he would know their name and extended family and a list of their favorite things like a damn Kansas version of The Sound of Music. Also, why was she so quick to rescue an empty biscuit box with a few words scribbled on it?
“Hey, Babes!” Keeley saved Rebecca from deep thoughts just in time. Bouncing in Rebecca’s office, with the long ponytail swishing from one side to another and an AFC Richmond gift bag in her arms, she plopped onto the couch. “Here is your card back.” Keeley drops Rebecca’s platinum gold Mastercard on the table in front of her and plucks out festive AFC Richmond attire from the gift bag. “I am so excited you asked me to pick out some Richmond apparel for Spirit Night for the game tonight.”
“Thank you, Keeley, for taking the time for this.” Rebecca put her gold card back in her purse and held up the Richmond scarf and beanie cap that her dear friend just bought. “My day has just been crazy with wrangling majority shareholders to lean on their own contacts for connections. The handholding and ego tending that has to be done for such supposed ‘powerful’ people seems never ending and absolutely exhausting.”
“Aw, babes.” Keeley took the scarf from Rebecca’s hands and placed it around her friend’s neck.
“And thank you again,” Rebecca continued, adjusting the new Richmond scarf so that it was placed evenly and stylishly between her coat collar of her coat and jacket lapels. “I don’t even know where the Gift Shop is in this clubhouse.” Rebecca chuckled to herself.
“No problem. The boys will well up with pride seeing you mad fit and all decked out in Richmond gear.”
“Good luck tonight, Ms. Welton,” Gloria said from the door, pushing her cleaning cart out of the office.”
Keeley, looking like she has just seen a ghost, jumps into Rebecca’s lap.
“Thank you, Gloria.” Rebecca shook her head at Keeley and looked towards the door. “As Coach Lasso says, we are all part of the team here at Richmond.”
“Oh yes, ma’am.” Gloria reached into her apron pocket. “I’ve been reciting the rosary as I’ve been cleaning today.” Gloria fingered the beads, remembering which bead and prayer she was on this go around. “Father Janssen said that I should not pray for such simple things as a football team win. But, after stating that rather loudly, he then whispered to me that if I promise to direct my prayers to Our Lady of Cheveremont, the great patron saint of athletes, that twelve rosaries would do the trick.”
Keeley looked like she had seen a ghost. Wedging herself off of Rebecca’s lap, her head bobbled from Premier club owner to Our Lady of Chestermont.
Rebecca smiled, “Thank you, Gloria, again.”
“And, Ms. Welton, I ran into Coach Lasso earlier today and he said to add an extra rosary for good luck. A baker's dozen! I have three left. I will not share with Father Janssen my extra rosary but I don’t think Lady of Cheveremont will mind one bit.” Gloria continued out to the hallway, whispering to herself the beginnings of Our Father.
“Where the fuck did she come from?” Keeley snapped to Rebecca and then caught sight of the pink biscuit box on top of Rebecca’s desk. “And Our Lady of Chestermont, or whatever, didn’t even pick up all your trash on your desk.”
Rebecca let out a quiet laugh. “Gloria came in earlier when I was finishing up work. She must have been entranced in her work and doing her part for the team with that rosary that we didn’t even notice her presence.”
“Where is the Rebecca I know?” Keeley jumped off the couch, crouched down, looking directly at Rebecca’s face with hands on her knees. “Rosaries and doing your part for the team while not even doing your job?” Keeley bounced over to the desk to toss the empty pink box in the trash.
“I told her to leave the box on my desk.” Rebecca glanced to where her friend hung in the air, mid motion. Keely already had the box in her hands, ready to chuck it in the trash.
“Keeley,” Rebecca said a little louder with more authority. “Please, just leave the box on my desk.”
Keeley looked up at her friend. Rebecca sounded more stern with her than with Our Lady of Chesterwood.
“Got it. Okay.” Keeley replied, looking like a wounded puppy. “I was just trying to help.” Box still in Keeley’s hand, bringing it back up to the desk when she spotted some handwriting on the inside lid of the box. She opened up the lid.
Rebecca tried to remain calm, but the heat in her cheeks and tone of her voice betrayed her. “Keeley, if you could just please…”
“Let’s win the whole fucking thing. T.” Keely read the inside of the box. “Um, Rebecca? Are you keeping something from me, my love?”
“What?” Rebecca worked to keep herself busy, standing up from the couch and picking up her purse and adjusting the new scarf.
“Has Ted been sending secret love notes every morning with these biscuits?” Keeley shrieked with joy and carefully set the box back on Rebecca’s desk, as if it was a new-born baby.
“Keeley,” Rebecca replied in a deadpan voice. “That is not a love note. It’s just a good game day mantra. And, no. This is the first and only time Coach Lasso left a note with the biscuits.” Rebecca’s voice was rising and sounding a little defensive as she continued. “I mean it’s Saturday. It’s not even a regular Biscuits with the Boss day. Ted just must have seen the team calendar and saw that I’d be spending dreaded time today before the game with the bloody lot of shareholders. The biscuits were on my desk as I arrived today.”
“Uh, huh. Okay, Babes. Not a ‘regular Biscuit with the Box’ day and love notes and checking each other’s calendars…”
“Fuck, Keely. It’s not…” Rebecca brought her hands to her forehead in frustration.
“Rebecca,” Keeley cut her friend off. “Have to agree to disagree on this one.” Keeley heads to the door with a walk and stature of confidence and satisfaction, like she knows what she knows. And she knows she is right. “Come on, Babes. We have to walk out to our box seats. My favorite part of the match is watching my sexy man walk out onto the pitch. And, I’m sure you want to see your m…”
“Keeley,” cutting off her friend. “I’ll join you in a minute. I have a quick last item to get finished.”
“Right then. I’m off. Don’t take too long.” Keeley bounces out of the office, down the stairs on her way to the box seats.
Rebecca waved Keeley off and walked back to her desk. Sitting at her desk, quiet like the calm before the storm. She took a big inhale and then smiled and looked over at the box. She opened the lid and used the creased edges to tear off the folded flaps of the lid and then separated the lid from the rest of the box. She kept the lid in front of her on the desk and discarded all the box remnants in the trash. She turned the lid over, pink side up, took out her black fountain pen and scribbled a few words on it. The lid, about the size of a business card, she tucked safely in her coat pocket.
Rebecca’s phone buzzed as she was heading to the door. A text from Keeley.
IT’S COLD AS A WITCH’S TIT OUT HERE. DON’T FORGET YOUR NEW AFC RICHMOND BEANIE HAT. ROY SAYS A CRAZY MAD AMOUNT OF HEAT ESCAPES FROM OUR NOGGIN.
Rebecca smiles and picks up the beanie cap from the couch and looking into the reflection of herself in the window. Beanie caps brought her back to a 14-year-old awkward self at any age. Her phone buzzed again.
GET YOUR SEXY ASS OUT HERE!!!
Rebecca chuckled and put the beanie cap on as best she could and quickened her pace to get out to the pitch and box seats.