Stay With You (Anthony Rizzo)

54

Maliyah

"It's here! It's here it's here it's here" I yell as I run around the apartment.

"What's here" Anthony asks.

"My degree" I say as I rip into the box. I see a three chords along with a purple cap and my degree sitting in there and I smile big.

Even though I wasn't going to walk the stage I still want the things like I did. So they mailed my degree along with all my other stuff to me and it made my heart happy. To be able to hold my accomplishments meant the world to me, especially after all that I've been through.

"Come on, it's time for some pictures" Anthony claims.

"What's with you and pictures" I ask.

"It gives me something to look back on and smile at" he claims and I couldn't help but smile. He was so stinking adorable.

So I put the hat on and let my curly hair sit on my shoulders. It was finally long enough for me to pull back into a ponytail now and that made me really happy. I pull on the chords and hold up the degree as Anthony takes a bunch of picture. I pick out the ones I want before sending them to myself before putting the stuff back in the box.

"So where are you putting your stuff up at" he wonders.

"Oh, I'm not" I say.

"What? You worked your ass off for that, why wouldn't you want to put them up" he asks.

"I never put any my stuff up. My parents hated it but I wouldn't let them hang up my achievements When I was growing up. That's why my room is filled with my stuff now, because I'm not there to stop them" I explain.

"You should be proud of what you've done, it's nothing short of amazing" he insists.

"I am proud. But I'm not done yet. I don't want to be satisfied with where I am because I can always be better. I don't want to hang my stuff up because that's not what I'm looking forward to. It's just another stepping block to my next adventure and I can't step on it if it's hanging up" I tell him.

"So this is what they teach you in college" he asks.

"Nope. I got that from living with seven competitive older brothers" I admit.

"Well regardless of what you do with that stuff, I am so proud of you" he says as he pulls me into a hug. He kisses the top of my head and I smile big.

"As much as I would love to stay like this forever, I have to be at Wrigley in a hour for my interview and I'm not even dressed" I say.

"Can't I just tell them to hire you and we can stay in and cuddle" he asks and I laugh.

"No way. I didn't get this degree for my boyfriend to get me the job. I want to do this on my own" I insist.

"But they already know who you are and that you're with me" he says.

"Yes. But I want them to hear from me what I can bring to this team and I want them to know who I am and what they're getting should they hire me" I explain.

"They would be stupid not to" he says.

"Well I appreciate the positive vibes" I admit.

I go over to Wrigley and park where Anthony usually parks. I'm sure he wouldn't mind it any, at least what he doesn't know doesn't hurt him. After I get out the car I find my way into the offices, finally I find just who I was looking for.

Laura Ricketts is the unsung hero of the Chicago Cubs. She owns the team with her brother Tom and she is the forefront of powerful women in professional sports. She has many scholarly achievements and was even a lawyer for some time. She is huge in the Chicago community and loves the volunteering and making sure the Cubs are more than just a sports team. And to top it all off, she is the first openly gay owner of any major league sports team, and she's doing a kick ass job of paving the way for anyone else who has dreams like hers. I look up to woman such as herself. I don't think I would ever be able to own a team, but I would love for people to look at me as a inspiration as they do to her.

"Can I just say, it is a pleasure to finally meet you" she says as she shakes my hand.

"Really" I ask and she laughs.

"Really really. I've been a fan of yours since Anthony first started seeing you. Anthony is the pride and joy around here, what he does in that children's hospital is my favorite story to tell. And he never talked about anyone as much as he talked about you. He always told me about how strong and smart and powerful you were. Even before you applied for this job I wanted you to be a part of this team. This organization thrives off of people like you. We want you just as much as you want us" she claims.

"Wow... that means the world to me. Especially coming from someone like you. I think you're such an amazing individual and I'm so happy that you're a part of the Cubs and Anthony's life. He loves playing here because he gets to play for people like you" I insist.

"I can honestly tell you that we would be going nowhere without Anthony. And that doesn't seem like much right now, but we're starting to get where we need to be. We can build around him and know he won't let us down. There's a huge free agency period starting up here and we're going to try our best to have the team we can be most proud of. And it wouldn't be complete without you in it" she claims and I smile.

"You mean... I got the job" I ask.

"We would like you to handle marketing and charities in the Cubs organization. So you would be at all the games and do promotions and help us raise money. You can travel with the team and help out in any way you see fit. And whenever you have ideas come to me and we can get things planned out" she explains.

"Oh my... wow. Thank you so much for this. I'm going to do my best to be what you guys need me to be" I insist.

"I have the upmost faith in you Ms. Collins" she claims and I smile.

"Thank you so much. When did you want me to start" I wonder.

"I know you just finished school so take a few weeks off. Spend some time with Anthony and figure out how you want to get started. Then when you're ready come find me and we'll get you all set up" she explains.

"Awesome. Thank you again. This means everything to me" I insist and she smiles.

"It was a pleasure meeting you. See you around Maliyah."

I hop in my car and drive back to Anthony's place. I barley get out of my car before running up to the door and letting myself in. I find Anthony in his room getting ready for the game and I jump on his back. He laughs as I hang on for my dear life.

"Woah, who replaced my girlfriend with a kangaroo" he teases.

"You mean a kangaroo who now works for the Chicago Cubs" I say.

"I never had a doubt" he claims as I climb down. "But I am still every bit as proud of you. Congrats baby" she says a she pulls me into a long kiss.

And to think I thought this day couldn't get any better.