“What about spring ball?” I asked.
“Baseball would take priority,” Coach Haber assured me.
That was better than the deal Alabama had offered me. They wanted football to be the priority year-round. If I decided they were a finalist for where I would go to school, I would have to consider that. The benefits of playing there might make me decide I could live with that condition.
“Our goal is to get you to the NFL. We’ve had two quarterbacks drafted in the last eight years. The talent level at Michigan has increased dramatically over the several years since our coaching staff was put into place. This year as many as twelve players could be drafted. We have two defenders I think could be first-rounders, including Jabrill Peppers.
“I could see you contributing in many of the same ways he has. Does that appeal to you?” Coach Haber asked.
“What do you think?” I asked Coach Title.
“You’re too valuable to play anywhere other than quarterback.”
“At least you’re honest about it,” I said and then turned to the head coach. “I would love to play every down. I would trust you to use me where I would be most effective.”
“That, I can promise you.”
“Did you make any offers today?” I asked.
“Here’s the list,” Coach Title said, as he handed it to me.
David Dawson / Quarterback / Lincoln High
Larry Dell / Quarterback / Macon High
Mike Herndon / Quarterback/Athlete / Wesleyan – preferred walk-on
Ty Wilson / Tailback / Lincoln High
Damion Roth / Wide Receiver / Wesleyan
Wolf Tams / Tight End / Lincoln High
Tim Foresee / Linebacker / Lincoln High
“I also wanted to let you know that we talked to Alan Douglas about possibly being a student volunteer. Coach Hope told us what a help he is,” Coach Haber said.
I had to bite my tongue, but I wouldn’t ruin this opportunity for Alan if he wanted it.
“Why did you offer Mike?” I asked.
“We talked to him about possibly playing defense or running back. For now, we’ve offered him a preferred walk-on spot. If he proves himself, he will get a scholarship,” Coach Haber answered.
“We’re also keeping an eye on Roc Pearson and Yuri Antakov,” Coach Title said.
If what they said was true, I would have to seriously consider Michigan. No one, to this point, had said they would make offers to that many of my teammates. This was the dream scenario where I would go to a school that had their eye on national championships and where I could play with my friends. I’d learned, though, not to jump before I had to. A lot could change between now and signing day.
“I admit I’m intrigued. You should know that I’m seriously considering Michigan. I believe we could be a good fit for each other,” I said.
“Is there anything I could do to get you to accept our offer today?” Coach Haber asked.
“No. We have a process we plan to go through. I won’t make a decision until spring.”
“I understand. We’d love for you to come visit us with your family. We’ll be in touch to work that out. I’d also like to schedule an in-home visit.”
“You’ll need to talk to my manager to get it on my schedule,” I said.
“Manager?” Coach Title asked.
“Caryn Buckley manages all my businesses and is the keeper of my schedule. Here’s the office number,” I said, handing them both my business card with the recruiting phone number on it.
I’d rather have Caryn talk to them than Kent, who was just getting his legs under him. He could practice on the schools I wasn’t interested in.
“You were right. He’s going to be unique,” Coach Title said.
◊◊◊
For the official grand opening, I was at Our House to greet people as they came in. The place was packed. I expect one of the reasons was you had to drive twenty minutes to find anywhere else that regularly had live music. The closest places were near State’s campus. Dad’s country club only had music for special events like weddings and our prom.
The crowd tonight was older than the usual clientele at the clubs at State. Most people were in their late twenties or early thirties and had come for dinner and dancing. Jan told me that the downstairs restaurant was packed with people who didn’t want to wait to get in upstairs.
Eve and her band were a big hit. She was local, and her group was better than you would typically see in a venue like this. I appreciated her playing for our opening.
She and I only got to talk for a short while. We both realized our friendship had suffered over the past year, and we were essentially no more than acquaintances now.
◊◊◊
I didn’t get home until almost two in the morning. As I ascended my stairs, I found a light on and soft music playing. When I stepped into my living room, there were Tami and Tim, sitting on my couch. Just what I didn’t need.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked.
“Using your apartment as a love shack,” Tami said.
I suddenly had a headache.
“Did you at least change the sheets?” I asked.
Tim didn’t look comfortable. I expect he picked up on the fact I wasn’t a happy camper.
“Dude, sorry. Tami made it sound like you were okay with this. It’s just that we don’t get any alone time in Chicago since it’s against house rules. Then when we get home, there isn’t anywhere for us to get together,” he rambled.
“Please. Even I could figure out where to go if I couldn’t use my apartment,” I said, giving them a hard look. “You also didn’t answer my question. Did you change the sheets?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Tim said and left Tami to deal with me.
“I don’t think this was a great idea,” she admitted.
It was too late at night to have to deal with this. I stepped over to the refrigerator to get some iced tea. Inside there was a slice of pizza that looked suspiciously like the kind in my freezer, and there was only enough iced tea for about a third of a glass. Their glasses and plates were in the sink.
“Did you use all my condoms too?” I asked.
Tami’s sheepish expression told me they had.
“I think you’d better leave,” I said, not wanting to say what was on my mind at that very instant.
“But …” Tami began.
“Now!” I said with some heat in my voice.
She hurried into the bedroom.
“Don’t say anything to him … just leave it … we have to go now,” Tami said.
Tim looked dazed as she hustled him out of my space. I stepped into the bedroom and found my bed half-made. I had to use my bathroom and found towels on the floor, and it was clear they had used my things to brush their hair and the like.
That was it; enough was enough. I stomped downstairs and into the kitchen. Duke came tearing down the stairs, then followed me back up to my parents’ bedroom. I woke them up.
“What’s wrong?” Dad asked.
“I need you both to come with me,” I said.
“What happened?” Mom asked.
“It’ll be easier to show you,” I said.
I took them up to my apartment and let them see the mess Tami and Tim had left me. Dad looked confused, but I could tell Mom knew about them using my apartment.
“I don’t care what it takes, I want my apartment secure. If we have to go back to a key system instead of the code, then I’ll go out tomorrow and buy it,” I said.
I had an evil idea: I should make Tim install it for me.
“What happened?” Dad asked.
“Tami and Tim used my place as a love shack while I was at the restaurant tonight. They acted as if it was their private hoteclass="underline" ate my food, left their dirty dishes, used my condoms, and trashed my bathroom. They left it all for me to clean up after them.”