A Successful Physiotherapist

...Five Years Later...

Mari stood on the sidelines of the soccer field.

Her eyes fixed intently on the player she was working with, midfielder Jack.

He was doing agility drills. Rapidly changing direction and speed as he ran through cones.

"Jack, keep your knees bent, and push off hard when you turn." Mari shouted, her voice rising over the field.

Jack nodded and kept going, his eyes focused. Beads of sweet dripped down from his face.

Mari continued to watch him closely to see if he was getting or failing it.

Her blue hawk eyes, quietly analyzing his movement patterns. She identified the areas he needed to improve.

On her note she scribbled down her observation.

After the drill, Jack jogged over to Mari, sweat drenched and breathing heavily.

"How did I do?" he asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

Mari face flamed, as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Good, but I want to see you move faster and stronger. Remember to use your hips and legs for power."

She handed him a bottle of water.

"Got it. What's next?" He smirked.

Mari smiled wryly.

"Now it's time for some jump training. I want to see you jump high and fast."

Jake eyes glinted and his lips curved into a sly smirk.

"How about after my drill, I take you out for lunch?" Jack was hopeful.

"Nay."

"Why? I'm rich and the best player in my team." He boasted.

No, because you're not Ray. Mari thought.

"Well, Jack, I'm rich too," she said sweetly. "And as your physiotherapist, I don't mixed business with romance."

Jack frowned.

"We can work it out Mari. It's been two years now since we're working together and my feelings for you have not changed one bit."

"Well, Jack, in those two years, you've managed to get entangled in quite the scandals. There was that messy affair with a model wannabe, and then the paternity suit with an actress. Your denial only led to a costly lawsuit, causing significant financial losses for the company." Mari kept her voice sweet and low

"But it's not my fault, Mari," Jack protested, exasperatedly. "I swear I used a condom with that actress. The baby can't be mine."

"Not my problem, Jack. Just focus on your jump training. I have other players to attend to."

"Fuck!" He dejectedly went for his jump training, moving high and fast with the speed of an horse.

Mari's attention shifted as her phone vibrated.

Her face fell as she saw the caller. Melissa Kings, her mother.

It was a rare occurrence for her mother to call. And Mari knew it's to lecture her about her family's high social standing, and the expectation that she would marry someone worthy of the Kings' name.

Mari had dutifully stayed away from men, not because she couldn't attract someone of her mother's esteemed social caliber, but because her heart still ache for him.

Five years ago, before she left, Mari had boldly visited Raymond St Daniels at the hospital.

It was in the night, as the nurses changed shifts, she'd sneaked into his private room.

The soft beeping of machines and the faint hiss of oxygen filled the air.

Raymond lay motionless on the bed, an oxygen tube inserted into his nostrils. His face was deathly pale, and his legs were heavily bandaged.

Then in a moment of tender recklessness, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, stealing a kiss from a man lost in a coma.

The next day she had left for abroad.

The memory of that kiss never left her. Mari often found herself wondering about Raymond's fate.

Was he still trapped in a coma? Or had his family been forced to make an impossible choice, and discontinued his life support?

"Catherine, you need to come home," her mother's voice commanded through the phone speaker.

Mari let out a frustrated groan.

As a successful physiotherapist, her appointment book was fully packed. She couldn't just drop everything and jump on a plane.

"But Mom, I'm really busy with work," Mari protested.

Melissa Kings' tone was firm.

"There's no room for excuses, Catherine. Your father wants you here, and it's a matter of great importance that only you can attend to."

Melissa Kings offered no further explanation and the phone went dead.

Mari sighed and signal to Jack that she's off.

She made a phone call and another physiotherapist hastily replaced her.

Mari didn't go back to her small cramped apartment downtown Manchester, she simply hailed a taxi to the airport.

She slept through her seven hour flight home.

The flight speakers jolted her awake, as they announced their arrival at Seattle Airport.

It's as if the pilot had awaken every jittery nerves in her body.

Her instincts screamed that her family was up to no good. The fact that she was the only one who could fulfill their mysterious requirement meant it's something bad.

She knew her family's dynamics all too well__ as the least favorite daughter, she was the perfect pawn to be used and exploited.

At home, everything was just as normal as she left, everywhere sparkling clean. Her mother probably had employed a new maid.

Melissa Kings, greeted her with a warm kiss on both cheeks, her eyes never missing any details.

"Catherine, darling, you look thinner than I remembered. Tell me, are you eating properly? You're not struggling financially, are you?" Melissa's eyes sparkled with criticism, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Mom, I eat well. I'm thin because of the demands of my job," Mari explained.

"Then quit," Melissa retorted, not hiding her distaste. "I won't have you looking like a waif, Mari. It's unbecoming."

"I can't, Mother. I love my job," Mari replied firmly.

"Well, you would have to quit when you hear what I and your mother have to say," Cullman Kings said as he sauntered into the sitting room.

He looked slightly aged since the last time Mari saw him.

She rose to greet him, her lips brushing against his cheeks in a gentle kiss.