“Do you want to be my trainer and security?” I asked to get clarity.
She smiled. I took that as a ‘yes.’
“Or someone like you,” she teased.
“Where are you going to find someone like me?” I fired back.
She bit her lower lip.
“I guess I’ll have to settle for you.”
I was glad that Uncle John was with us today. What Cassidy wanted to do would involve specialized training, especially the physical trainer part. He called Cassidy’s dad and had a long talk with him about what her goals were.
While Uncle John was on his call with Coach Hope, I called Fritz and talked to him. I told him I wanted Cassidy to start learning what was involved in doing personal security. He was aware that she could handle herself and was proficient with weapons, including guns. Personally, I could vouch that she was a better shot than I was with a paintball gun. I still woke up in a cold sweat when I thought about her shooting me in the balls. He had an idea that hadn’t occurred to me: with her being my age, she could act as my traveling companion without messing up his security staff assignments. He suggested that she might go with me when I traveled to Cuba, Japan, and Mexico this summer.
I’d been on speakerphone so Cassidy could listen in. In retrospect, it was probably a mistake to do that because her dad was toast. I hadn’t gotten his permission before she found out she might get to go on these trips. If he told her no, I might just stumble upon his dead body. I shook my head as I learned another lesson the hard way.
When I realized that Brook wasn’t going to be happy about not being able to go to Cuba, I cringed. I also wondered if we would have enough time to get Cassidy approved. The State Department had agreed to allow additional people to go if they had legitimate business reasons for accompanying me to Cuba.
Personally, I was happy that Cassidy might be with me. I had a feeling the movie would be stressful since the director didn’t want me. I’d need someone to talk to about other topics besides the film, or I’d focus on the wrong things. Cassidy could also help me continue my Japanese lessons while I was in Cuba.
◊◊◊ Friday April 22
Today, Pam was going back to school. I was told to pick her up, along with Tracy. When Fritz dropped us off, we found Lisa Felton waiting for us. She wasn’t alone; Jan and Piper stood next to Lisa. It made sense they were together since boys had abused each of them in one way or another. I just hoped this didn’t turn into a man-hater club.
It made me happy to see that Lisa was finally accepted. It also helped that she wasn’t wearing her short skirts anymore.
Today was test day. I think our teachers got together and decided they would torture us all on the same day. I was glad we’d put together the study-group system because with all the school I’d been missing, it had really helped me get back up to speed.
At lunch, everyone who helped with the picnic tables was asked to go to the shop so they could take a picture for the yearbook. I was glad they included all the kids in shop class who’d helped Wolf build them. We made sure he was front and center because he’d taken the lead. His shop teacher and Ms. Jaroslav bracketed him in front. They took the picture from atop a ladder so they could show the designs.
◊◊◊
When I finished school and was dressing for some batting practice before baseball, I was summoned to Moose’s office.
I found a man who wore an Alabama polo shirt talking to Moose.
“David, this is Coach Gat. He wanted to get some film on you. What a coincidence that you two would ‘bump’ into each other,” Moose said.
Moose must have liked this guy because he had recruiters stop by regularly and never asked me to meet them.
“Did Bo call you?” I asked.
“He and Coach Wilson both did. I was instructed to see if you would be a fit for Alabama baseball. I understand you’re a fair quarterback,” Coach Gat said.
“Frankly, I think I’m better on defense,” I said to plant the seed.
“Don’t listen to him,” Moose said, not taking the bait.
Coach Haskins walked in.
“Long time no see,” Coach Haskins said.
“You two know each other?” I asked.
“We attended a few coaching clinics over the years,” Coach Haskins offered.
“As I remember, you taught a few of those,” Coach Gat said.
“Maybe. You here to check out our boy?”
“Our football coaches told me I should probably take a serious look,” he admitted.
“He’s everything you want as far as talent and leadership goes. I think he would fit in on your team,” Coach Haskins said.
“Dear Gawd! You know how big his head is going to swell?” Moose complained.
“I have talent, and I’m a leader,” I said with a big grin.
“Get out of here and go lead the team in warm-ups,” Moose ordered.
“You sure he’d fit in?” Coach Gat shot my way as I left.
During practice, Coach Haskins clued me in about Coach Gat. He’d been the head coach at Alabama for 12 years. With him at the helm, they’d had six 40-plus win seasons, four of which were in the last five years. If you compared that to Ohio State, the most they’d won recently was 35. He’d also been named Coach of the Year for the South Central Region last year. It sounded like they had a solid baseball team.
◊◊◊
I don’t know how Zoe pulled it off, but she was able to go on a date with me without her brother tagging along. I’d planned to take her to the Italian place Jim and Suzanne had introduced me to. They had fantastic eggplant parmesan that was calling my name.
“Could we go to your apartment instead?” Zoe asked.
I looked at her funny, but my mind caught up.
“Of course we can. Let’s pick up something to eat, I’m starved.”
On the way home, I called the Italian place and ordered carry-out. I only had Oreo cookies in my apartment and needed more than that. Zoe ordered their meatball lasagna. Everything came with salad and bread.
We sat down and ate. Something I liked about Zoe was she wasn’t one of those girls who pretended she couldn’t eat much. She worked on a farm, which used up plenty of energy, plus her mom was a good cook. We were halfway through our meal when she asked the question on her mind.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Not that I know of. Why do you ask?”
“I get the feeling that you don’t want to spend time with me other than with your niece. Not that I mind spending time with the two of you; I think she’s a cute little girl. What we don’t seem to do is spend time as just the two of us.”
“If I remember correctly, your mom and dad decided that we had to go out with another couple. I also remember that we tried to get together at school, but you decided not to. And I remember you telling me you had doubts that we should be together.”
“David, I’ve told you I’d worked through my concerns, so you’re not taking advantage of me. I also explained that I wasn’t comfortable having sex at school. The double-dating bit was your own fault. You got caught with Halle, and her mom called mine. So, I ask again if you’re mad at me or something? Because if you wanted to, we would have found a way to get together,” Zoe pointed out.
She was right. Cal had punched me over the summer, and Pam and I’d still managed to get together. Why was I treating Zoe any differently? I had no problem balancing my religious beliefs with having premarital sex. I’d also left it up to Zoe to decide if she was okay with it, and she’d told me she was. What it came down to was similar to the situation with Cassidy, where her dad had asked me not to date her. I respected him enough to give him my word that I wouldn’t get into a relationship with his daughter. In the same way, I liked Zoe’s parents enough to respect their beliefs.
“I guess I’m worried what your parents will think of me,” I admitted.
“Who are you on this date with?”
“You.”