Samantha Miller has a one in a million talent. Incredibly gifted in the art form of ice hockey and a highly decorated goalie. Her whole life she had one thing in mind and that's being great. To break whatever record and barriers that sat in front of...
I arrive in Sochi a little after Sammy meets up with her family and makes herself at home. My parents join me as we get settled into our staying quarters and set up for the games. Although Sam and I will be staying in the Olympic village and our families a little outside of it I still want to make sure they're set up and good to go. Opening ceremonies weren't until tomorrow so for tonight we were all free. I decide to meet up with Sammy and her family for a dinner before shit gets real around here. The woman's hockey tournament started before the men's so I would be able to see most of her games and she will be able to see most of mine. I already bought my Miller 23 team USA jersey and was ready to show it off with pride. My parents weren't quite sold on wearing USA stuff but once they meet her I'm sure that will change.
So we meet them at a really nice restaurant her brother suggested. I see Sam standing there waiting for me and I just smile. It's been a few days since I last saw her, and seeing her in that dress made the wait so worth it.
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She sees me walking over and lights up like a night club. She meet me half way and I happily pull her into a long kiss. I feel her tangle her fingers in my jacket and I felt like I already won the gold.
"Look at you" I whisper and she smiles big.
"Get a good look because I'm in sweats the rest of the games" she teases and I laugh. Of course.
I introduce my family and she introduces hers. We find a table to sit at and she sits down next to me and her brother on the other side of her. Her mom sits across from her brother and my parents across from Sam and I. We look over the menu and when we realized that no one knew what to get we order a pizza to share.
"So how long have you played hockey" my dad asks Sam as she just smiles.
"For as long as I could remember really. Most all of my memories revolve around the game of hockey. Even after my dad passed away and I swore off the game that we shared a love for I still found myself on the ice" she laughs.
"I'm sorry to hear about your father" my mom insists.
Sam's smile turns into a sad one as a soft sigh passes her lips. "It's been hard, I'm not going to lie. For 22 years he was the driving force in my life. He was my coach and best friend and teammate, but most importantly he was my dad. And being here playing in the Olympics, this was our dream. I didn't want to come here because he wasn't going to be here with me. But being able to do this with my brother and mom, with Corey, well that's just what my dad would have wanted" she explains.
I reach over and grab her hand under the table. The amount of strength she has, it's undeniable. It's incredible. And the thing is she always has to be strong, for if she shows weakness it's hard for her to build the strength back up. And while her strength waivers sometimes, it's never gone. It's always here helping her figure out what she is meant to be.
"Well I for one am excited to watch you play" my mom starts. "We we watched the Hawks games you played in and I cheered so loud when you took off your mask. That was such a cool moment as a woman watching from home. And it seems like they had just the girl to break the barriers" she claims making me smile.
"Thank you Mrs. Crawford. That was by far the craziest moments of my life. I can't even tell you what all happened, it was like some kind of crazy dream. I'm just happy that I got to meet Corey and have all the opportunities coming from that day to become who I was supposed to be even though for a while I didn't think it was possible" Sam says.
"Well I'm happy for you guys. Corey talks about you more than he talks about hockey now" my mom says and my eyes get big.
"Alright mom" I warn and she laughs at me.
"I got it I got it" she laughs.
My parents end up loving Samantha like I knew they would. She was one of those kids of people who just wants to make the world happy. And if you take away what happened with her dad she would be the happiest and one of the most famous people in the whole world because of what she can do and that fact that she looks like that and be able to still be such a good person at the same time.
We sit at that table for hours after we finished eating just talking and laughing. Eventually the place was about to shut down so we had to leave. So I give Samantha a kiss and make her brother promise she gets back to where she was housed safely. I walk my parents back to where they were staying and make sure they get in no problems too.
"So your girlfriend just might be the coolest person I've ever met" my dad admits and I smile.
"She is" I assure him.
"How did you get her to go out with you" he asks.
I let out a playful gasp as I place my hand over my heart. My mom starts cracking up because it was pretty funny.
"I didn't mean it like that" he whines and I crack a smile.
"Don't worry. I ask myself that question all the time. But we have a lot in common that goes past being goal tenders. She's almost like one of the guys in the way I'm so comfortable around her. She works out with me and loves to train like I do. We love the same foods and movies and places around Chicago. She's like a pocket friend who I just so happen to love a lot" I shrug.
"You serious about her" my mom asks.
"She met you, what do you think" I tease.
"I think you would be stupid to ever let a woman like that walk away" she admits.
"I would be. But I'm doing everything I can to make sure that won't happen. I even bought her a promise ring. I know that by the time these Olympics are done everyone in this entire world is going to love her. No matter who you root for she's a story and a personality that you want to spread across this entire planet. I know she's going to blow up but she just wants to be with me so I want to be there for her. And I will" I promise.
"Good" my mom smiles.
"So where do we get a team USA jersey" my dad asks and I smile big.
