Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
WACO, TEXAS—TEN MONTHS LATER …
Paisley rose at four in the morning for her usual workout. She used to be a runner. Then a jogger. Finally, at the ripe old age of thirty-two—and post-surgery and rehab—she was a walker.
She did a series of stretches for half an hour which focused on strengthening, stretching, and range-of-motion.
Her fractured patella, while now officially healed, had caused lingering stiffness and muscle weakness, and she continued months after surgery to retrain her knee so that it moved as it did prior to her injury.
At least Nikki Jones had been banned for life from playing in the WNBA.
Still, the rookie had simply moved to Europe and now played for a Russian team, making five times what she had earned playing in the US for the Hurricanes.
Paisley pushed aside thoughts of Jones. She’d learned through her talk therapy sessions that no good came from dwelling on Jones or the incident between them.
Instead, she now set out on her daily walk, trying to keep her swirling thoughts at bay.
She limited the first part of the walk to twenty minutes, entering the building where the Baylor’s women’s basketball team held their workouts.
As a former team member, the head coach had granted her privileges to the facility, and Paisley spent another half-hour on strength training.
After her workout, she walked back to the apartment she was renting and showered, blow-drying her long, chocolate brown hair, and then brushing it until it fell into soft waves.
Usually, she pulled it back in a high ponytail, but she wanted a more polished look for today’s job interview with the Hawthorne High School principal and athletic director.
Once she drank a protein shake, Paisley brushed her teeth and applied a coat of lipstick, the only makeup she ever wore. She went to her car and headed north on I-35. She would go through Ft. Worth and then angle toward Hawthorne.
As she drove up the interstate in light traffic, Paisley couldn’t help but think where she was supposed to be in ten days.
In Osaka, getting ready to play in the Olympics.
She cursed aloud and then began utilizing one of the breathing techniques which she had learned from Dr. Langston to calm herself. The therapist had shared several of these exercises, as well as teaching Paisley about meditation, which she practiced regularly.
It didn’t matter that she had three gold medals to her name. National championships in college and in the pros. What was important was the here and now, the new life she hoped to build for herself.
Possibly in Hawthorne, Texas.
Though she’d never held an official title, she’d been coaching others her entire life.
She was good at critiquing other players and had shared her insights with her teammates from the first day she’d stepped onto the basketball court.
She had taken countless younger players under her wing, mentoring them at various levels.
Paisley believed she was a born coach. Perhaps Hawthorne High School would be the first stop of many in this second chapter in her life coaching players for pay.
The head women’s basketball coach at Baylor had been the one to approach her about this job opening.
Paisley had held many conversations with Maggie as she had rehabbed at her former alma mater these past few months.
Maggie was from Hawthorne and still in touch with many friends in her hometown.
The high school’s basketball coach had recently taken a job in Austin, leaving the position Paisley was interviewing for today vacant.
Maggie’s personal recommendation had helped Paisley land this interview.
Admittedly, she was a little scared to start a new career, but it was time to move on from being a player and officially join the coaching ranks.
Paisley had majored in secondary education at Baylor and had been encouraged to keep her teaching certificate current, even while she played in the WNBA.
Now, she was glad that she had listened to that advice.
If she did land this job, it would mean fewer hoops she would need to jump through before she started her new job.
When she reached Ft. Worth around eight, the morning traffic was heavier than she had expected, making her slightly anxious.
Once she passed through the city, the way to Hawthorne was smooth sailing.
Since she arrived well before her interview time, she drove around the small town for a few minutes, familiarizing herself with its layout.
She finally made her way to the high school and turned into the parking lot.
Though it was only the third week of July and school wouldn’t start for another month, the parking lot had several cars in it.
What she assumed was the student parking lot on the side of the school also had numerous cars in it.
Getting out of her vehicle, Paisley heard the strains of a band playing in the distance and figured that summer band practice was going on at the football stadium, which sat next to the high school.
She knew band members worked just as hard in their own way as did basketball players, spending hours in the summer before marching season even started, perfecting their moves on the field.
The same was true of drill team members and the cheerleading squads, as well as the football team participating in their preseason workouts.
Excitement began to fill her as she entered the building.
If she could be a part of something again, she believed it would help her mentally.
It had been hard for her to leave her Aces teammates behind since they were all the family she had, even though she had never really allowed any of them to become too close to her.
Maybe she would find a new family in the halls of Hawthorne High School.
She went to the office and gave her name to a clerk, who asked her to take a seat, offering Paisley coffee or water.
She said yes to the water and asked where the closest restroom was since it had been almost four hours from Waco to Hawthorne.
The clerk directed her to a faculty restroom within the office area.
When she came out, the woman handed her a bottle of water and said, “Follow me, Ms. Roberts. Mrs. Biggerstaff and Coach Sutherland are ready for you.”
Paisley had always been one to do her homework, and she had thoroughly scoured the Hawthorne High School website, as well as conducting internet searches of Blanche Biggerstaff and West Sutherland.
The principal was entering her twenty-fifth year of education, having taught in two other districts before joining Hawthorne ISD as an administrator.
West Sutherland, on the other hand, was even more famous than Paisley herself.
He was a homegrown product of Hawthorne, having won a wide receiver scholarship to Texas A&M.
West had been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and played with the NFL team for a decade before retiring and returning to his hometown to coach the Hawks football team.
He was also the district’s athletic director, the reason he would be sitting in on her interview today.
It would come down more to whether West wanted to hire her. At least that’s what Maggie had said.
Paisley tried to tamp down the sudden flutter of nerves, telling herself if she didn’t land the job in Hawthorne, she was bound to find another coaching position.
She entered the conference room, and both its occupants rose to greet her.
“Paisley, it is a real pleasure to meet you,” Blanche Biggerstaff said, offering her hand. “I’m a big fan of yours. I played volleyball and basketball myself in high school. I’ve followed your career over the years. It was a pleasure to watch you compete, especially for Team USA.”
“Thank you,” she said graciously, having heard the same thing hundreds of times before.
West gave her a lopsided grin and held out his hand.
“Same here, Paisley. I’m another fan. You really made your mark on the Olympic landscape, not to mention helping Baylor to bring home another national championship.
And it’s thanks to athletes such as yourself that the WNBA is finally getting the recognition it deserves. ”
“I appreciate that, West,” she said, feeling more at home. “And I’ll admit I’m a little sad not to be playing on this year’s Olympic team.”
Dr. Langston had taught Paisley that it was all right to experience sorrow in being left off the team and not being about to compete for her country. This was the first time she had vocalized it, though.
He looked her in the eyes. “There’s always a time to step away from playing the sport you love.
I did it. You’ve done it, as well. I can tell you from my own personal experience that coaching has turned out to be even more rewarding than being on the playing field myself.
I hope that will prove true for you, as well. ”
“Why don’t we take a seat and get to know each other?” Blanche suggested.
For the next half-hour, Blanche and West told Paisley about the town of Hawthorne and the high school itself.
They spoke of the district’s educational philosophy, emphasizing how each student can learn, and that they wanted to open opportunities for students to participate in learning experiences beyond the classroom, mentioning everything from mentoring programs to intramural sports.
“We have an excellent academic reputation, as well as a terrific sports program in the district,” West told her.
“We coordinate closely with our middle school coaches so that they’re teaching a watered-down version of our offenses and defenses in various sports.
By the time athletes arrive at the high school as freshmen, they’ve already been exposed to and have played in our various systems, from football to basketball and beyond. ”