It's time for an update! Full disclosure - This update is slightly longer than usual because I won't be updating this coming week (traveling minus my laptop for a few days). Hopefully this update will see you through any possible withdrawals (who am I kidding?!).
Some of you have asked about Rachel's ranking, so this chapter should clear that up. And maybe give some of you a little insight on how layered the women's tour is.
As always, thank you to everyone that left me feedback, praise or wrote be a review. i have done my best to reply to each and everyone of you, and will continue to do so in the future.
Happy reading :)
Rachel felt like she was walking on sunshine. Even now, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she sifted through some clothes at Bloomingdale's. The brunette had to remind herself to tone down her grin from time to time, since she figured it was best not to look like a deranged serial killer on the loose.
"Anything?" Hiram asked, walking up to her with a few items of clothing in his arms.
Rachel shook her head, before pointedly eyeing the clothes he was carrying, "Clearly you aren't having as much trouble."
Hiram winked, "It's not my fault that clothes tend to look so good on me."
Rachel rolled her eyes, but laughed when Leroy popped up behind her dad and stated, "Yes sweetheart, but let's not forget that we're here to buy Rachel a birthday present, shall we?"
Hiram huffed, "Whatever you say sweetheart. You can't blame me for keeping myself occupied while our daughter searches the land, sea and sky for a gift for herself."
Leroy chuckled, "Darling, Bloomingdale's big, but it isn't that big."
Rachel looked on as her daddy turned and walked towards the change rooms, "Looks like you aren't doing too badly either, honey" he called back over his shoulder.
Leroy looked down at the bags he was carrying, before turning his gaze to his daughter and shrugging, "Well, your dad's right Rach. A man's got to stay busy while his daughter shops." His eyes crinkled as his laughter mingled with his daughter's, "Haven't you found anything you like yet?"
"I don't think I want clothes" Rachel said, shaking her head. "I mean, I already have plenty of outfits that I haven't had the chance to wear yet, and it makes no sense to buy more when I'll be traveling for the next six weeks."
"And I'm sure you'll be buying plenty more dresses to keep in mint condition while you're off traversing Europe" Leroy threw in.
Rachel smiled cheekily, "Perhaps."
"Alright, well, why don't we wait for your Daddy to finish in the change rooms, and then we can go wherever you want to look for a present" Leroy said. Rachel nodded. "In the meantime, how would you like to look at those rankings with me again?" Leroy asked, his eyes twinkling as he dangled his cell phone in front of her face. Rachel squealed, the shit eating grin back on her face.
The young tennis player had spent most of the month of April playing Future's tournaments across America, and her travels had proved to be more fruitful that she could have ever imagined. She had started off at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, and the WTA Premier event had been exactly what she needed to get over the disappointment of not making it to the main draw in Miami. Rachel had made it to the round of sixteen before losing to Dani Devonne, the current World No. 14, and also managed to get plenty of practice on the green clay with Shelby and Brittany. She must have taken to the slow surface pretty fast, because she went on to win the Future's tournament at her next stop in Pelham. From there she went on to be a finalist in Dothan, and a semi-finalist in Charlottesville, making it a very satisfying and successful few weeks of tennis. And now she was looking at the biggest bonus of her golden run; her highest career-ranking till date.
"I still can't believe my baby girl is the 174th best female tennis player in the world" Leroy marveled, staring at the rankings on his phone.
His daughter couldn't believe it either.
The new rankings list had come out this morning, hours after Rachel had first checked the WTA website to see where she stood. Truth be told, the young brunette knew exactly where she would be, but she couldn't wait to see it in writing. The first time she saw her name next to number 174 there was a tiny voice in her head telling her that her ranking would have been even higher if she'd gone on to win both Hardee's Pro Classic and the Boyd Tinsley Clay Court Classic, but she was quick to shut it down. Her inner nagging was replaced by Shelby's calm voice, telling her that the world would be putting immense pressure on her soon, and the last thing she needed to do was pile on more herself. The teenager knew that she had surpassed everyone's expectations, including her own, and she was determined to revel in what had been the most successful run of tennis she'd had till date. This was a moment to stop and smell the roses.
Now Rachel was back in New York with her father's, having taken her coach's advice to take a week off before flying to France to play another Future's tournament in Saint Gaudens. That would be Rachel's one and only tournament on red clay before she headed to Paris to try her hand at conquering Roland Garros. This time Rachel would have to do the hard yards and battle her way through qualifying to make it into the main draw of the French Open. The USTA had thought it would be unfair to give her wildcards to two back-to-back Grand Slams, despite her better-than-expected showing in Australia. The brunette didn't rue them their choice to award Jane Hayward with the wild card though, and knew that the girl who had opted to turn pro barely two months before she turned sixteen was definitely deserving of their generosity. Besides, Rachel was brimming with confidence after her strong showing on the green clay of her native country.
On the bright side, the decision makers at the American tennis body had been kind enough to give Rachel a free pass into the main draw at Wimbledon, for which she was supremely grateful. Rachel loved playing tennis, and was excited to actually be playing in Grand Slams. But she knew she'd be lying if she said that the All England Lawn Tennis Championship's weren't right up there in her mind, above the other three major's. Then again, which professional tennis player hadn't dreamed of holding the Venus Rosewater Dish? Last year Rachel had made it to the final four of the grass championship's junior's tournament, and she hoped to surpass that achievement at the sport's most elite level.
But that was still weeks away. Right now, it was time to celebrate being ranked no. 174.
Rachel and Leroy were broken from their quiet revelry when Hiram walked out of the change room with the clothes he'd decided to buy, and an hour later Rachel was the proud owner of a brand new Kindle Touch when the Berry's walked into Flip for dinner. The voracious reader had finally given in and bought the new gadget, having grudgingly accepted that carrying dozens of books around the world with her just wasn't a realistic option anymore. She promised herself that her new toy wouldn't stop her from buying actual hard covers of her most favourite books, to store in her beloved library at home here in New York.
"Are you sure two hundred dollars is enough?" Hiram asked, glancing over the top of his menu at his daughter.
"It's plenty, Daddy. Thank you" Rachel reassured her father. Her dad's hadn't thought the e-book reader was enough of a present for their daughter's eighteenth birthday, so they'd also bought her a two hundred dollar iTunes card that she could use to download material for her Kindle.
"I wish you weren't going to be so far away on your birthday Rach" Leroy said, reaching for Rachel's hand. "And I'm sorry we can't be there for your big day."
Rachel squeezed her father's hand, "It's really not a big deal, Papa. You've been there for every other birthday I've had.
"Which is what makes this even more horrible" lamented Leroy, the corners of his lips turning down.
It wasn't that Rachel's father's couldn't afford to fly to Paris for her birthday. The problem was that Leroy's PR company had a big launch to handle on the same day, and they had decided that it wouldn't be fair to him if Hiram got to go alone. Instead the Berry men would be joining Rachel in London in time for the Queen's Club Championships, and would stay with their daughter for the duration of her Wimbledon campaign.
Rachel wasn't lying when she said she didn't mind that they were missing her birthday. She knew that her father's loved her to the moon and back, and that was all that mattered to her. And truth be told, she was hoping to be more focused on the French Open than her birthday, which fell on the first weekend of the major. All she wanted for her eighteenth birthday was to still be alive in the tournament.
"How about you promise to be there, in person, for my twenty-first?" Rachel asked, hoping to calm her distressed father.
"You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there sweetheart!" Leroy said, the passion visible in his eyes.
"Done. Now, shall we order?" Rachel asked, hoping to steer the conversation back into happy territory. She didn't want her father's to be unhappy on what was to be her last night in New York for quite a while. "The show starts in two hours."
The show being Wicked, one of Broadway's most successful musicals of all time, and Rachel's guilty pleasure. Growing up in New York, it was impossible not to be caught up in the world of arts and culture, and Rachel's father's had made it a point to expose their daughter to all the great things the various theatres in the Big Apple had to offer. She'd seen everything from The Phantom of the Opera to Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark, but it was the tale of Elphaba and Galinda that held a special place in Rachel's heart. She suspected it had a lot to do with the fact that The Wizard of Oz was one of her favourite movies of all time. Tonight would be the seventh time Rachel would walk into the Gershwin Theatre to watch the magic unfold, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
The Berry's ordered their early dinners, all three of them opting to create their own burgers. Leroy and Hiram had wanted to take Rachel somewhere more fancy, but the tennis player has asked to eat at Flip. The way she saw it, she was going to eat plenty of, not to mention authentic, European cuisine over the next two months, so she wanted to spend her last night in the United States eating burgers and fries. Her dad's couldn't really argue with that argument, so there they were.
The trio was waiting for their meals to arrive when a shadow loomed over Rachel. Looking up, she was pleasantly surprised to be looking at the face of a smiling Finn Hudson.
"Finn Hudson?" Hiram exclaimed, incredulity evident in both his voice and expression. Leroy, who was sat beside his husband, mirrors Hiram's expression, but unlike his better half, Leroy seemed incapable of making an actual sound.
"Yeah, hi" the football star said, smiling kindly at the two gawking men before turning his attention back to their daughter.
"Rachel, right?" Finn asked. Now other diners had caught on to the fact that here was a major celebrity in their presence, and to Rachel it felt like everyone at Flip was staring at their table.
The brunette nodded, "Hi Finn. This is a…surprise".
Finn grinned, "I thought I recognized you from the other night in Miami."
Rachel considered standing up to be on level, sort of, with the football player, when she realized that some of their fellow diners were now taking pictures and videos of the Miami Dolphins player. So she made a quick decision, "Are you here to eat?" Finn nodded. "With other people?"
He shook his head, "I'm at Bloomingdale's for a brand endorsement thing for one of my sponsors. It starts in," he checked his watch, "thirty minutes, so I figured I would grab something to eat before. My manager's going to see me inside later."
"In that case, would you like to join u?" Rachel asked, glancing at her father's who were still staring wide eyed at the newcomer.
"Yeah actually, I think I'd like that" Finn smiled, and sat down next to Rachel when she moved to make room for him.
"So, Finn, these are my dad's" the brunette said, glaring at her father's and hoping they would stop embarrassing both themselves and her any minute now. Fortunately they seemed to catch her look, and brought themselves back from wonderland just in time. "This is my Daddy Hiram, and my Papa Leroy".
If Finn thought it was strange that she had two fathers then it definitely didn't show it. He shook hands with each man as the introductions were made, and didn't blink an eye when Leroy said "Enchanté", snatched his hand back and turned beet red, all in three seconds. A waiter showed up just as Hiram questioned aloud why his husband was suddenly speaking French, and Rachel was seriously considering kicking both grown men under the table while Finn ordered his meal.
When the order was placed, Finn turned to Rachel, "I would have thought that you would already be in Europe by now."
She shook her head, "No, I stayed back in America to play Future's tournaments." She didn't want to seem condescending, but she wasn't sure how much Finn actually knew about tennis, so she asked "Do you know what they are?"
Finn didn't seem the least bit offended by her question, "Yeah. I mean, Quinn used to play them too, right? Back in the day."
"Right" Rachel smiled, "she did. So yeah, it was go to Europe and try to make my way into the main draws at Premier events via qualifying, or get straight into the main draw at lower level tournaments back home. I picked the latter."
Finn nodded, "And?
The brunette grinned, "And it was the right decision. I had a good run."
At this point Leroy seemed to regain the ability to use his voice, "She had a great run! Which is why as of today she's reached a career high ranking of world no. 174!"
Rachel blushed dark rouge, but Finn again took no mind as he exclaimed, "That's fabulous! Congratulations Rachel!"
Their food arrived, giving Rachel a much needed moment to compose herself. "Thank you Finn", she smiled. There was a pause in conversation as everyone studied their own meals. "So, uh, how is Quinn?" Rachel asked, before taking a bite of her burger.
Finn paused with his own burger halfway to his mouth, "Good. She likes Europe."
"And Europe clearly likes her too. Didn't she just win the title in Stuggart?" Hiram asked.
"And win both her rubbers in the Fed Cup win over Italy?" Leroy added.
Finn nodded as he swallowed, "Oh yeah, she plays well on clay. But I actually meant that she likes Europe. As a place. Y'know, museums, history, and all that.
"Oh, I didn't know Fabray liked things like that" Hiram said, intrigued.
"Funny all your gossip magazines never mentioned that, hey Daddy?" Rachel said, sounding amused.
Finn laughed, "Oh yeah, she loves going to the museums, and looking at local architecture and all that. If I didn't know any better, I'd call her a nerd. Oh wait, I take that back. She is a nerd" he finished, fondly.
Everyone at the table laughed, before Leroy piped up, "So, how long have you two been dating for?"
"Papa!" Rachel exclaimed, mortified that her father would broach the subject with a very famous person that he barely knew. 'Hell, I barely know the guy' she thought.
Finn dismissed her chagrin, literally waving it away with his hand, "It's ok, Rachel. It's weird if I'm not asked that question at least once a day" he smiled. "Quinn and I aren't dating, Mr. Berry."
"Please, call me Leroy", the older man said.
'That's what he focuses on?' Rachel wondered, still embarrassed.
"Well, Quinn and I aren't dating, Leroy" Finn stated again. "I mean, we used to, but that was a long time ago" he added, taking another bite of his food.
"You did?" Rachel asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. 'Great, now I've turned into my father', she mentally berated herself.
The tall man seemed nonplussed, "Yup. When I was a wise old ten-year-old, and she was eight."
Rachel's father's actually aww-ed, causing Finn to chuckle, "Yeah, it didn't get too serious though. Shocking, I know." He took a sip of his soda, "She's my best friend though. Has been for a while now."
None of the Berry's seemed to know what they could contribute to that, so they opted to eat silently. Finn was happy to keep the conversation going, "We lost touch, a little bit, when she was away training in Spain for two years. But we picked up right where we'd left off when she came back. And she's one of the few people that really understands what my life is right like now."
If Rachel was being honest then it sounded like Finn still harboured some feelings for Quinn. But this time she was able to keep from prying too much. Fortunately, Finn changed the topic, "So, no. 174, huh? That's exciting. Will you be playing the French at all?"
Rachel nodded, "Yeah. I actually leave tomorrow to play another Future's event in France, and then I'll try to make it through qualifying at Roland Garros. Either way, I'll be playing doubles there with Brittany Pierce. She's British. English, actually."
Hiram stated, "That's right, you're only British at the Olympics", causing the group to chuckle.
Finn looked at his watch, "Whoa, I need to get going." He signaled for the waiter, who practically ran to their table to grab the credit card Finn was holding out to him. "Could you please ring up everyone's orders? All three Berry's protested as the waiter scurried off with the card in hand, but Finn argued back, "No, you were nice enough to let me sit with you. It's the least I could do." The Berry's continued to protest, but Rachel could see that her parents were thoroughly charmed.
The waiter returned with Finn's card, and the football player stood to leave, "It was good to see you again Rachel. And it was nice to meet you Mr. … Leroy and Hiram."
Leroy looked like he might start speaking French again, so Rachel quickly piped up, "Well, thank you for lunch Finn. And it was lovely seeing you too."
Finn grinned down at the brunette, "I'm sure our paths will cross again." His phone started to ring, and he glanced down at the caller I.D, "Yeah, I really need to go. Good luck in Europe, Rachel. Bye!"
And with that, off he went. His path to the door was intercepted by autograph seekers, leading Rachel to believe that he'd definitely be late for whatever event he had to get to just a hundred meters away.
The young brunette turned back to her parents, who were watching Finn's escape. "C'mon father's, chop chop! Those burgers aren't going to eat themselves. And I don't want to be late for the show!" she pushed.
Leroy and Hiram looked away from the exit, and at each other. "That did really happen, right hon?" Hiram asked his better half.
"I'd say so. Either that, or these Portobello mushrooms are Portobello mushrooms" Leroy answered, before both men broke into what could only be described as a giggling fit.
Rachel watched them, shaking her head even as she smiled. This might be a day out to celebrate her eighteenth birthday, but it looked like it was her fathers that had gotten the best present they could ever imagine.
