“I hope Mike isn’t down wit’ O.P.P. anymore,” I said as I gave Tami my gang signs.
‘O.P.P.’ was a reference to the song the football team had played for him. She must not have thought much of my gangsta rep because she laughed at me.
We talked about a few other topics, and then she needed to get to bed. I would have to think more about how our dynamic had seemed to change. Maybe there was hope for us being best friends again. Certainly, I felt better about it.
◊◊◊
I don’t know why I did it, but something told me I should: I called Jeremy Pike. He was the psychic whom I’d met doing the press tour for Star Academy.
“I was just thinking about you,” Jeremy said when he answered. “You’ve had something suddenly come up.
I smiled. Was he just bullshitting me? He laughed at my silence.
“I get it. That sounded pretty cheesy, even for me.”
“Yeah, it made me think you were putting me on,” I admitted.
“It’s good to be skeptical. How do you prove the unprovable? I could just be a guy who’s luckier than most at guessing. In a lot of ways, it’s like believing in God. Not that I compare myself to God, but I see his hand in what I do,” Jeremy said.
“I may have made a mistake calling. You know I don’t really believe in this stuff,” I said.
“Yes, I understand that, but something made you call. Why don’t you tell me what’s up and I’ll see if I can shed some of my unique light on it?”
“In other words, what do I have to lose?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
I spent thirty minutes explaining what was going on and what my options were as I saw them.
“Remember when I told you that the obvious path might not be the best?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I never saw this as a real possibility. Sometimes in life, an opportunity will come up that’s unexpected. I feel like this is one of those. I see that this could be a life-changing decision. What you must be cautious about is that if you take this path, it will close off other options down the road. Things that you may have done, you won’t be given a chance to do if you do this movie.
“Like I said, I don’t think this is a bad choice, but you need to figure out what you’re giving up if you take it. I do see this as a much easier path for you. The other paths will have more struggles, and you will experience heartbreak. Then again, you’re young, so I think heartbreak is a given,” Jeremy said.
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
“This is going to sound weird. Whatever you decide, you must begin to focus on the people you want to have around you. You need to find out what their desires are and help them achieve those goals. It is only through them that you will truly achieve your destiny,” Jeremy said.
“Should I do the movie, or should I pass?” I asked.
“Look at it this way,” he suggested. “Are you ready to step into adult life, or do you want to wait? You’re capable, and this opportunity will lead to more, much more. Waiting will be more of a struggle, but it will have its own set of rewards.”
“What about my love life?” I asked.
“That’s a whole different discussion. You’ve already met someone who could make you very happy. But there are several someones now and in your future. When the time comes, you’ll know. I’ll just say it’s no time soon, even though you might disagree at some point. You wouldn’t be a teenager if you didn’t think you knew what’s best,” Jeremy said.
“Now you sound like my uncle,” I quipped.
“If that’s the case, you should probably listen to him.”
“Whatev,” I said, playfully dismissing that idea.
“One last thing, and I want you to listen to this if nothing else: have your mom go in for checkups regularly. If, and I stress this, if she has a recurrence, it has to be caught early. If not, you might lose her.”
That sobered me up. Mom would be in for a checkup tomorrow if I had anything to say about it. I knew she saw her doctor periodically to make sure the cancer was gone, but I wasn’t aware of how often. Now I had something else to worry about.
◊◊◊
Chapter 25 – Personal Responsibility and Commitment Monday March 21
How do you tell your mom that a psychic told you she needed to get her cancer checked out? “I called 1-900-Clair[voyant], and she said …” Nope, not happening. I’d get Dad to do it. Armed with my plan, I walked into the kitchen with my bouncy hound.
Mom and Dad both looked tired as they drank their first cups of coffee.
“Dad, Mom has looked a little tired lately. When was the last time she had a checkup? You know … for …” I left it to hang.
Mom slowly turned on me and gave me the ‘death stare.’
“When was the last time you were checked?” Dad asked.
“I’m perfectly fine. You two can just back off,” Mom announced.
“She should get checked before we go on vacation. Who knows what kind of doctors they’ll have down there?” I suggested helpfully.
“David Allen Dawson!” Mom barked.
“He’s right. I couldn’t go and worry about you the whole trip,” Dad said.
“Looks like it’s time for us to go run,” I said as Peggy came down with Little David.
The argument started as I ran out. I felt bad, but I also loved my mom too much to leave something like this to chance.
◊◊◊
When we got outside, I told Peggy I needed to think. She agreed to take Duke with her and Little David. She had been around me enough to know I’d put my earbuds in and zone out. Peggy knew better than to try to run with me when I did that because I would set too brisk a pace and might run forever.
It felt good to run this morning. The weather had started to warm up, and you could smell the beginning of spring. The grass was greening up, and the crocuses and tulips were pushing up and would soon be blooming. I felt like it was time to make a decision and tie up loose ends. In particular, I was sick of the NCAA dragging their feet about my amateur status.
Then it struck me. Why would I have to worry about the NCAA if I accepted the Star Wars role?
You know how your mind seems to be constantly active? Uncle John once told me of a saying that the mind is a drunken monkey that’s been stung by a scorpion. Well, mine decided to do a Dawson and go silent. Even when I was in the zone and completely focused, I was at least ruminating on the task at hand.
That’s when the torrent began, and the ‘what ifs’ began to flood my brain space. I mean, I wanted to take this role, but what if … I kept going ’round and ’round and ’round in my mind, until I found myself just standing in the middle of the street, staring at the sky. It was lucky for me there was no traffic. I looked around and was surprised to see Coach Haskins sitting on his porch, drinking coffee.
“Hey, Coach,” I said, waving.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?”
I shrugged as I joined him on the porch and sat down next to him. I looked at his view from the front porch and could see he lived in a nice neighborhood. It was all older homes with big trees. Everyone seemed to be keeping them up. Coach Haskins finished his coffee.
“You want one?” he asked.
“No, thanks,” I said, and he stepped inside to get a refill.
When he came back out, he gave me a tight smile.
“Something bothering you?”
“I have to make a decision that could change my life,” I said.
“Really, one of those?”
“Yeah. I just can’t figure out what to do. Either way I go, I’ll be disappointing people in some way.”
“Sounds like a hard one,” he said as he blew on his coffee and then took a sip.