Chapter 443: Jamlyn
Monday, February 13th, Evening
Laying down in her bed, Ashlyn took up her phone and looked at it. There have been no texts from her dad or Huck. She sighed, and put the phone down, and turned on her TV. With a sigh, she set the TV to the channel to the one the Miami Game would be on.
Adjusting the pillows, she sat there and watched the pre-game. After a sigh, Ashlyn knew that James grumbled on the eleventh. Miami lost to Philadelphia 109-117, and it was a bad game. They are home in Miami tonight, and it's an all Florida game as Orlando was playing them.
Ashlyn let her thoughts drift to the conversation she had with her dad earlier. What sounded like what happened was her mom had some incident and was basically dead. Huck and his crew brought her back enough for the hospital to have some hope.
Shaking her head, Ashlyn slammed her fist down on a pillow. Maddie Pierce had never been a good mom to her. Ashlyn suspected she was only named her name because they were expecting a boy, and she was to be named after her dad, Ashley, but they wanted to save it for the brother that never came. Savannah had always been her mom's favorite. Savannah died in that horrible car accident that nearly caused Kay to lose her arm.
Her phone buzzed, and Ashlyn reached over for the phone. Looking at the screen, it was a text message from Angela.
Angela: You awake?
Ashlyn: Game night, what do you think?
Angela: Well, who knows?
Ashlyn: Me.
Angela: LOL! Well, anyway I got some news.
Ashlyn: Yes?
Angela: I agreed to terms with a team.
Ashlyn: Let me guess, the Dream.
Angela: Oh, hell no.
Ashlyn: It really ended that bad there?
Angela: Yes.
Ashlyn: Chicago?
Angela: No.
Ashlyn: Then where?
Angela: I wanted to give you a heads up before they announced it. Of course, I've not signed yet, and it's pending a physical.
Ashlyn: Don't I know that.
Angela: Of course, there will be a press conference and a new jersey.
Ashlyn: Let me guess, number twenty-two.
Angela: Of course, unless it's taken. I have others to text, TTYL
Ashlyn: TTYL
Ashlyn put her phone back on her nightstand; she pounded her fist on the pillow again. Angela is her best friend and cousin-in-law. Angela had been more a sister to her than Savannah had ever been. They loved each other; they named their first daughters with each other's first names as their middle names, Brett Angela and Jessica Ashlyn. Ashlyn was Jess's godmother; just as Angela was Brett's.
Ashlyn sometimes would get jealous; they both talked about playing professionally, then Ashlyn blew her knee out. Getting pregnant didn't help either. Angela helped her get into college, but a different one from where she went. They competed against each other for the first time.
It didn't matter they bothered up in the WNBA on the same team, the Atlanta Dream. That lasted a half-season, as Ashlyn's knee gave out. Ashlyn, after one year, ended up retired and back home starting her march to her current position. Angela played internationally one year, had Jess, won three WNBA titles, several gold medals, and other accolades.
Ashlyn shook her head and watched the TV. It was no use to get mad. That's when she saw the sports ticker was highlighted WNBA. Ashlyn held her breath and watched.
The Connecticut Sun have reportedly come to terms with G Angela Scott.
Ashlyn nodded; she understood it and practically expected it. Jess was in an excellent private school, and Angela wouldn't want to displace her. The Liberty wasn't a well-run team, so Ashlyn got the team change, but there's more here.
The Miami game is starting, taking Ashlyn's attention away from Angela. She watched the game with casual disinterest. Ashlyn would play with her nails, and sometimes she would even watch the game. Every so often, she would look at her tablet to go over the Laney scouting reports. After a few moments, she put it down and pulled out the latest book she was reading, the latest in a female-centric erotic thriller series; Jolie recommended it down at the book store.
Once halftime arrived, Ashlyn got up and checked on the house. Her younger children were well trained and already in bed. Logan was already asleep. Landen was tossing and turning; Ashlyn claimed him down and gave him his teddy bear. Maeghan had fallen asleep on her tablet; Ashlyn shut it off and put it away.
The routine was, all the same, Ashlyn would fix the covers of each of her younger children. After the covers were adjusted and in place to her liking, Ashlyn would kiss each child on the forehead or temple good night.
Ashlyn returned to her bedroom and got comfortable. Initially, she was content with just having Brett. They weren't really trying when she got pregnant with Maeghan. Of her friends, she waited for years before having her second. She waited for years before having her second. Maeghan was the same age as BB Burke, a year younger than Joplin. The twins were a surprise, both that she was pregnant and the fact they were twins.
Often, Ashlyn would wonder what life would be like if she had Angela's life. Angela is unmarried and doesn't seem nailed down. She was watching college basketball Ashlyn would see Angela working on the sidelines for ESPN. It seemed better than her rather gray life. They were both functionally single parents. Maybe, there was more going on out to bring some excitement to her life.
Ashlyn reached over to her phone and opened up the gallery. She looked through the images. Most of them were of James, her, her and James, James and the kids, and her and the kids. Ashlyn smiled as she looked at pictures of the kids at Halloween, even Brett dressed up. It was fun as Brett helped take the kids trick or treating. Finally, Ashlyn opened a file and looked through the images.
Studying the images, they were a mix of pictures from her time at Duke University. Much better times, happier times, things were simpler than. Ashlyn sighed and looked at the other images; most of them were taken by James for him, for them. Ashlyn studied her younger self.
Some of the pictures were of her while pregnant. She was showing the growth of her various baby bumps. Ashlyn smiled while tearing up; she remembered how James was during her pregnancy with Maeghan. With Brett, Ashlyn was made to hide her pregnancy as it was shameful. There were no pictures of her first pregnancy. James tried to make up for it with Maeghan.
Shaking her head, she reflected, as much as Ashlyn appreciated what James tried to do. No matter how much her second and third pregnancies were made easier by James being involved. Ashlyn remembered how she got to experience Angela throwing her a baby shower. Haley was being a dotting, expecting grandma. Nathan would look on like a proud but protective patriarch. None of them knew, except Ashlyn, that once it became vapor, it was gone and would never be back.
Ashlyn sighed and looked at an older picture of her younger self.
"If you only knew," Ashlyn said, "You peaked, and it's just a slow descent from here."
Putting her phone down and watched the final seconds ticked away. Ashlyn cursed under her breath, she was feeling down, and she was going to have to deal with a frustrated James, as Miami lost again 107-116 to Orlando and at home no less.
