1.
."Sweetheart, wake up. Your dad got a call to replace a toilet that cracked. He is waiting for you in the van with hot coffee, you both."
" MA, please let pa know I will be there shortly." My mother leaves, and I get up and change, use the restroom, and brush my teeth. I make my way downstairs. I look at the clock on the wall, and it shows it is three-eleven in the morning. Today is the last day before I leave for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. I worked really hard and paid a ski instructor since turning 18. I am twenty-four years old. I moved back home since spring to save money. I made my way out to my father's brown van and opened the passenger door, and got in. " PA, thanks for waiting. It took me longer to get the overalls and change. This coffee MA made is hitting the spot. I leave at two for the Olympics. I am scared to go and worried I will let the family and others who support me financially." I take a few sips of my coffee as my father driving us to the Sutton house, which is huge.
"We will be in and out quickly. I don't want us staying longer for them to find anything else. We need to be on the plane soon. Your mother will be the only one going. I wish I could have more of us to go, but business hasn't been as good as I like it to be. You just make us proud."
We enter with the new toilet on the dolly. We both are glad it's a downstairs bedroom. They great us and Mr. Sutton hands me an envelope. He tells me not to open until I am on the plane. It's for me to enjoy myself. He has asked me to bring him signed hats from other skiers. He included an extra 300, and he said that is a rubber band. I tell him thank you. My PA has already removed the old toilet. He is removing the wax seal when I entered the bathroom. " Jane, what took you so long. You know these toilets aren't light."
" Sorry, Mr. Sutton wanted to wish me well and buy some hats to have my teammates sign for him." I purposely didn't tell him about the other money. I know better. He would want his cut. We are done in an hour, and the old toilet and parts are in the dumpster at their home. We put other worthless items in there against my better judgement. We are on our way. We arrive about an hour later. My auntie is there to take us. She tells me to go take a quick shower. I run upstairs and take a very quick one. I put on my Olympic sweats, t shirt, and on. I put on my socks and nike tennis shoes. I do my morning routine. I use the restroom. I wake up Frankie and Tommy to hug them and say goodbye. They both give me money to bring them different baseball caps signed by my teammates and Maura Isles from Italy. They both had a big crush on her when she had dinner one night when she came to Boston for a competition. She does fencing. Maura is 26 years old. Frankie and Tommy get up and carry my bags downstairs. They hug my aunt and our mom. Our father already left for another job.
Auntie Kiki hands them money to buy something special for themselves. " Don't tell my brother. Just tell him I purchased it for you. Go buy yourselves leather Olympic jackets. We need to support your sister as much as we can." My aunt and our mom tell my brothers to do well and make sure we go do what Auntie Kiki says. They loaded up all of my bags and my mom for two and half weeks. We all wave goodbye. My brother, Frankie, is a police officer and will make sure he and Tommy buy what my aunts want them to do. Tommy is going to college to be a dentist. My Auntie Kiki is helping him pay his tuition. Frankie is looking for an apartment to live in. He is tired of our father's crap. We arrive at the airport. We get out bags out. We hug my auntie goodbye. She hands my mother and me cash. She tells us both to have fun and buy ourselves something and not our father. We all know she thinks he is a useless provider now. We say goodbye. We check our bags in and go find the others to have breakfast with them and their families of the ski team and coaches.
