Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

Playlist: “New Rush,” Gin Wigmore
I DIDN’T ALWAYS KNOW I WANTED TO WORK IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS, BUT I’VE
always loved watching them. Some of my most treasured memories of my dad
are sitting on his lap, watching the Mets on our tiny TV. We’d snuggle on the
sofa in our Queens apartment that we shared with Nonna, and squint to try to
spot the ball when Carlos Delgado sent it soaring across the field.
Gabby and Ma would watch from the cutout in the cabinetry over the sink as
they cooked dinner, and we’d all yell at the screen. Nonna would say bad words
in Italian that made Daddy clap his hands over my ears, and Ma would hoot in
laughter.
Sports were integral to our family. Gabby and I played softball and
basketball. We went to baseball games when we could afford it. But it wasn’t
until high school that I fell in love with hockey. Gabby’s then boyfriend, now
husband, Tony, was friends with one of the players’ brothers and got us tickets
to the Islanders. From that game on, I was obsessed. The game was grace and
power, it was a dance of agility and grueling physical discipline.
That’s when I knew that in some way, I always wanted hockey to be a part of
my life. I went to school, got a degree in digital communication and media
relations, went through the school’s intern program and got placed with none
other than the Islanders—yeah, I freaked out, too—then moved on to an entrylevel
PR assistant position with them after graduation.
But as I adjusted to the realities of life with arthritis, frigid northeastern
weather became painful to contend with. When my dream job located in balmy
SoCal fell at my feet, I snatched it up and moved cross-country. And even
though saying goodbye to Gabby and Tony, Ma and Nonna hurt like hell, I felt
relief. I was no longer a burden or worry. I was a weekly phone call. A bi-annual
visit to ensure we didn’t feel totally estranged and to pester me about getting