“My thing is I want the prize at the end, not the consolation prize now. The more we’re open about what we want, the fewer problems we’ll have,” Tami said.
We got quiet, and then Tami broke the silence.
“Come on. You need to talk to your mom after your little fit.”
“Really, a little fit?” I complained.
“You do remember being naked, right?”
“I think I have a new ‘L’ word for you: Lick my sack.”
“David!”
“Don’t get all prissy with me. You used to hang out with the guys. You’ve heard worse.”
She grabbed my hand and we went down to the house. We found Mom and Angie in the kitchen. Angie had Nate in her lap. Kyle and Mac must have been with Greg.
“Tell her,” I said.
Tami looked confused, and then it dawned on her.
“Angie, you’re on my ‘no go’ list for David.”
“Whatever. If I ever decide to go for him, this ‘stupid boy’ won’t stand a chance,” Angie predicted.
Mom wanted the scoop.
“Are you two ...?” Mom asked.
I shook my head. Mom looked a little deflated. I think she wanted us together even more than we did. The only person who would make her happier would be if I ended up with Beth. She and Mrs. A would hound us until we had grandkids they could fuss over.
Chapter 10 – Birthday and Uncle John’s Wedding
Thursday July 2
Today was the last day I’d be working out with Bo before I went to my uncle’s for his wedding. They were getting married on my birthday, on Saturday. The plan was to leave right after the nuptials to fly to Oregon for the Elite 11 camp. I was surprised my parents and my brother were flying out on Sunday to join me. Tami was going with me. She would be my travel buddy again.
It was amazing how my parents’ attitude had changed since I started playing football. It wasn’t until recruiters had started talking to them in my freshman year that my mom discovered I might be serious about the game. Last year my dad had gone to Kentucky with me and the team as our chaperone. Them both taking the week off to watch me at the Elite 11 camp was a big deal for me.
Bo was getting on me today. We were running reaction drills, and he wasn’t happy with me.
“They have a God-damned read progression for a reason! I know you don’t think it makes sense, but they’re doing it so they can see if you can fit into their scheme. Now do it again, but this time do it like the play’s written!”
“Yes, sir,” I said.
He was right. The read progression on this play blew. No one would want you to bounce from one side of the field to the other and then back. We ran it again. This time his clipboard went flying past me.
“Get your head out of your ass! If you’re just going to half-ass it, I’m done! What are you supposed to do when you switch receivers?” he asked.
I looked at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
“Move your feet!” Tami yelled.
My teammates seemed to enjoy watching Tami coach me. Hearing a girl yell at you at a football practice took some getting used to. What made my teammates laugh was that she was right most of the time. This time she was absolutely right. When my eyes moved, my front foot needed to be pointing where I was intending to throw. That was why you see a quarterback doing little choppy steps when he’s looking downfield. He’s preparing to get his feet in the right position to throw or run.
They, meaning Bo, Alan and Tami, had been riding me all morning. They were nitpicking every little thing. I took a deep breath and refocused.
“Run it again!” Bo yelled.
This time Bo sent Tim to rush me. I skipped my progression and tossed the ball to my outlet.
“Much better! Much, much better! Let’s end this on a positive note! Gather ’round!” Bo called.
Everyone hurried to get to where Bo wanted them. He’d already made several of them run laps for not hustling. I could hardly wait to see Alan try to make them run next week without Bo there to back him up. I would need to talk to Tim and Jim to make sure they supported him. I didn’t need the team dumping him into a garbage can, especially after all the help he’d given us. The problem was he was still irritating at times.
“Okay, we pulled a trick on David today. Part of what he’ll experience at Elite 11 is them trying to get into his head. That was why I had your coaches get on him so hard. Elite 11 coaches have designed some of these plays to force him to do things he wouldn’t want to do because it feels wrong. What he will find as he moves up in competition is that some plays are designed that way on purpose. By him moving to his second read on the other side of the field, it allows his third read time to come open. He’s used to a one, two, three progression,” he said, moving his hand steadily from left to right. “In high school, they do this to keep it simple. Most schools run the same offense from middle school to varsity. It has to be able to be run by the lowest denominator,” Bo said.
Wolf raised his hand.
“What’s a denominator?” he asked with a straight face.
Bo looked at him for a moment and then everyone started laughing.
“Get the hell out of my sight!” Bo yelled.
Everyone took off except Alan, Tami and me.
“Thanks, Bo. Them teasing you means you fit in now,” I said.
“I know. They’re a great bunch of kids. Every one of them worked hard this week so you’d be ready. If the Elite 11 can’t see how good you are, they can. Anyway, you’ll do fine.”
He shook Alan and Tami’s hands and thanked them for their help. I then helped him pack up and load his rental car. He assured me he’d be there Monday morning when the football portion of camp would begin.
I GOT HOME AND WAS happy to see my sister-in-law had packed for me. Being a little older and wiser, I pulled everything out to make sure I had what I needed. I pulled out the inappropriate underwear and switched my dress pants for tonight to something more Midwestern and less Hollywood. I also decided my Dakora suit was a little much.
I added work jeans and long-sleeve shirts for the farm. Uncle John had asked Greg and me to look after the cattle Friday and Saturday. I also packed some Range Sports cowboy gear for Friday night. We were going to the Moose Club for the rehearsal dinner, and then there was a band afterwards.
I loaded up the Jeep and went and picked up Tami. Something I liked about her was she didn’t need twelve suitcases for a week’s trip. Her bags were heavy, but there weren’t a lot of them. I then came back to the house to help everyone else load up. Duke was staying home. Britanie Callahan had volunteered to take care of him. She and Precious were moving into my apartment while I was gone. Angie would take over when she got back on Sunday.
We caravanned to my uncle’s farm. Greg and Angie were staying with Uncle John with Kyle, Mack and Nate. Mom and Dad, Tami and I were staying at the Hass farm. Their farm was next to Uncle John’s. I had been free labor at their place many times. When we got there, I helped Greg and Angie set up everything for them and the kids. Then Uncle John got into the car with Mom and Dad, and Tami and I followed them to the Hass farm.
Mrs. Hass came out the back door as we parked near one of the metal barns.
“You get bigger every time I see you,” she said as she hugged me.
“I’d like you to meet my parents and my best friend Tami,” I said.
Mr. Hass came out of one of the barns, wiping his hands on a well-used towel.
“John, David,” he said as he shook our hands.
“Sir, I would like you to meet my parents and my best friend Tami,” I said.
Everyone got settled and Mrs. Hass offered us sun tea. She would put a big jug of water with a tea bag out in it and put it out in the sun to brew. She then would pour it over ice. Somehow, it seemed like the best iced tea I’d ever had. It might have been that I usually had it after working on the farm and was parched.