“Okay, let me get a nondisclosure document put together and you and I can review the terms of the agreement. Are you okay with that, David?”
“I’m okay if you are. My concern is eligibility in college. Secondary is high school eligibility.”
With that said, Tom and Bo went to Tom’s office.
“Mom, can David and I have a moment?” Tracy asked. “We need to talk about a few things.”
Her mom just smiled and went to the kitchen. I turned to Tracy.
“I had some time to think this morning while running. Let me say a few things and get them out, and then you can let me know what you think.”
“Okay, I was hoping you’d go first.”
“I bet you were.” I kissed her. “First off, this non-relationship status is causing me some problems. After thinking about them, they’re my problems and I’ve come to grips with them. Relationships fail because of expectations. If my expectation is that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, and yours is that we’re just friends with benefits, we won’t make it.”
Tracy nodded.
“Okay, so what should we do about that?” she asked.
“Simple, either I accept your expectations or we end the relationship.”
Her eyes got big and I kissed her before she got upset.
“Tracy, I’ve decided to accept your definition of our relationship. I know that if I pressure you it’ll not end well. You’ll feel trapped and resent me. My mom is right, one of us would do something stupid.”
“David, I’m so relieved!”
“Hang on, we still have one major issue to work through, and that’s me and other women. Are you okay with me having other friends with benefits, specifically Tami, Suzanne and possibly Cindy?”
I was worried because I wasn’t willing to give her the same freedoms about this one. I couldn’t handle the thought of her with another guy. Call me a hypocrite, but I wasn’t wired to be able to think of her with another guy.
“Before I say yes or no, tell me about Suzanne.”
“Suzanne and I are friends. She doesn’t want a relationship. She does become sexually frustrated at times, and I help her out.”
“Okay,” Tracy said. “What about Cindy?”
“There’s nothing right now. But I don’t think it would take much for something to happen.”
“I’m fine with that. I am also fine with Tami, even though I’m scared that I’ll lose you to her. But I want you to tell me beforehand if you find anyone else. What about me, are you willing to allow me the same freedoms?”
“Tell you what: if either of us decides to sleep with someone else, we talk beforehand. If we do sleep with someone else, we also agree to use a condom. If either of us slips, we agree to full disclosure. The only way this is going to work is if we communicate.”
“I can live with that. Are you okay with the non-relationship status?”
“Actually, I’m getting there. I think what I figured out was the uncertainty of where our relationship was going was causing us both to pull away. Tracy, I care about you. You’re worth waiting for, and I hope you feel the same way,” I told her with utmost sincerity.
“Let’s put it this way: if my mom wasn’t in the other room listening to our conversation, I’d be ripping your clothes off and showing you how much I care about you.”
Her mom looked around the corner with a sheepish grin.
“I know I’m a terrible person. I just care about you both, and I want you to be happy.”
Tracy got up and gave her mom a hug.
“I want to thank you for calling Bo’s references. I’m assuming they were good,” I said.
“Every one of them praised him and felt he helped them become better players. The only negative I heard was that he expected your focus to be 100% on football. It sounds like you’re going to have to set some boundaries so you get your schoolwork done and have time for a social life.”
We heard Tom and Bo laughing as they came out of the office.
“I pulled up the High School Association rulebook on the Internet and there are no rules against a paid consultant. The way the contract reads it’s for the team, and not you. That being the case, I don’t see any eligibility issues,” Tom said.
“Tom, are there any issues I should worry about?” I asked.
“I read the contract and it doesn’t pertain to you, so I think you’re covered.”
“Coach, what’s next?”
“What’s your schedule?”
“Sunday through Thursday I get up and run at six. On Sunday, I go to church. I have Pilates on Saturday at eleven. PE is weight lifting and conditioning.”
“Starting tomorrow I want you at the high school at six. We need to start working on making you a quarterback. I’ll also pull you out of PE and we’ll work after practice. On Saturdays, we’ll work out before Pilates. You’ll have Saturday afternoon off unless you want to work on something. Sunday afternoon is film day. We’ll watch game film and then also watch portions of your practice sessions.”
I looked at everyone. It was sinking in that I was going to be buried in football for the next several weeks. I turned to Tracy.
“Are you going to be okay with this?”
She looked shocked that I would ask her.
“David, this is for you and your future. I don’t have any right to comment on this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Tracy. You’re important to me, and if I’m going to do this I need your support and for you to be a part of this. I can’t do this alone.”
Her smile was like the sun coming out after a thunderstorm.
“Of course I’ll support you. We’ll figure this out together.”
“Sounds like we need to celebrate. I baked an apple pie,” Mary said.
I looked at Bo.
“Mary’s the best cook. It’d be a mistake not to try her pie.”
We spent another hour at the Doles’. I wasn’t a big coffee drinker, but with apple pie and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I loved everything. I think by the end of our dessert Tom was worried I’d run off with Mary.
Tracy gave me a ride home and we talked for hours. I sent a text to Peggy to let her know that our running plans were on hold. Tami sent me a text, and Tracy and I jumped onto video chat and gave Tami an update. She let us know what her class schedule was and about her roommates. She loved the campus, and I could tell she was excited. Our lives had chosen to pull us apart for now, but good things were happening.
Tuesday October 1
TRACY’S PERIOD HAD started earlier today, so we just cuddled and fell asleep in each other’s arms. At 5:30, we got up, and she dropped me off at the school before she went home. I was on the field by six.
I was met by Coach Harrington and a video crew. They had three cameras set up. One camera was on a ladder behind me, one at my side, and the last was pointed at my feet in front of me.
“We’re going to have you drop back and pass the ball 20 times. I’m filming it so you can see what you’re doing. We’ll then start making some adjustments.”
Bo pointed to garbage cans he’d put at different points on the field. They had numbers lying in front of them. They were placed in each spot the down-and-out play would have receivers.
“I’ll toss you a ball as if it’s snapped to you, and then you’ll listen for the number I call out. Your job is to make the throw to the appropriate garbage can.”
We quickly ran the drill. By the end, I was feeling good because I had hit the target on the last eight balls. It was harder than it looked to throw a football 25 yards and put it into a garbage can. Some of the cans were tilted up so you had to drop them gently or they bounced out. The video was downloaded to Bo’s laptop and we went through it pass-by-pass. I have to say, the next hour and a half was very informative. To his credit, Coach Harrington didn’t point out everything that was wrong. He just pointed out a couple of flaws that we could work on this week.