“Funny you should mention that. You wouldn’t be the first person to punch me today.”
“Oh, do tell,” she prodded.
“First I want to talk about us. SHIT!” I exclaimed as she punched me in the chest.
“Shut up, you big baby. If you say it’s you and not me, I’ll call Cassidy and have her beat the crap out of you,” Tami warned me.
“Well, SHIT!” I exclaimed as she punched me again.
I had forgotten how hard she could punch. Being a tomboy, she had picked up some bad habits as a kid.
“Spill it,” she said.
She acted as if she would punch me again when I hesitated. She laughed when I flinched. When we were kids, she always got away with this shit because she knew I wouldn’t hit a girl. What absolutely floored her was when little Alan punched her back.
“You keep it up and I’ll put you over my knee,” I warned her.
She knew I was serious about that. I might not punch her back, but I would paddle her ass. She raised her eyebrows like she was daring me to do it.
“You’re not ten years old anymore, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it,” I said.
She tousled my hair.
“Tell me why you’re breaking up with me.”
“I’m not breaking up with you. I hope we’re friends for the rest of our lives. I just wanted you to know I’m not going to put any conditions on our friendship. You can date whomever you want. So, if you decide to go after Mike, I wish you the best.”
She looked at me hard, trying to figure out what I was telling her.
“But,” she prodded.
“There is no ‘but.’ I just realized I was trying to tell you what you could or couldn’t do. If I really loved you, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“But,” she tried again.
“There is no ‘but’!” I said, and then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I admit, when I saw you flirting with those football players, I felt a pang of jealousy. It got me thinking. Did I want to be the guy who couldn’t stand to see his friend happy? I decided it was best to stop dancing around ‘us’ and fully commit. I want you to be my friend. I can’t be your friend and say I will only be your friend if you don’t date x, y, or z. I also can’t be your friend if I say you have to commit to me at some point down the road,” I said.
“Don’t you love me?” she asked.
“Sometimes I can’t understand you, nor do I understand why you even have to ask that question. Have I ever stopped loving you?”
“No.”
“I’m giving you everything you’ve ever wanted. For me to be your friend, your best friend, and your freedom from any romantic entanglements I might cause by placing a claim on you. If in five, ten, fifteen years if we find ourselves free, we can explore becoming more. Until that time, I want only the best for you, and your happiness.”
“So, what exactly are you saying?”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking,” I said.
“Are you saying you have no interest in me beyond friendship?”
“I never said that. What I said was I want to be your friend first. I offered you more, but we agreed we’re not ready for more than friendship. I’d rather be your friend than a part-time lover and we mess everything up. I’m saying I agree with you.”
“I guess that’ll work,” she conceded.
I got up and Tami stood too. I guided her towards the stairs. When we got the bottom, I touched her arm to stop her.
“I have two questions. Why did you need my car this week?”
“I’m driving up to pick up your grandma. They’re signing the papers for the farm.”
“That reminds me, we have to get the oil changed on the Charger. I need your help because I want to take the Jeep in at the same time.”
“Sure,” Tami said.
“The second one really isn’t a question, but more of a suggestion. When you’re ready, I’m willing to hear about your other guy in the UK.”
Her reaction was enough to confirm my suspicions. I just closed the door and went back to my room. I still had laundry to do.
Monday July 13
I CALLED TIM LAST NIGHT so he was there when I came down to run this morning. He was talking to my dad and Wolf. Wolf would do our yard work. I was right, my parents had a list of tasks they wanted done. This was one of the benefits of having money that I embraced. I didn’t miss having to take care of the yard.
I also talked to my mom and Angie about getting someone to come in once a week to clean and do laundry. I made them both so happy I think I could have gotten my car back, if I’d asked. Angie said she had a couple of girls who she was working with at her nonprofit who could use the work. I told them I wanted to make sure everything was done correctly. That meant hiring them through my company and getting a background check. I was worried they might be dog haters was what I told them. I was really worried they might like little kids too much. You just never knew.
When Tim and I got back, we went to school to lift. Word of my being named Co-MVP at Elite 11 had beaten me back. I told the guys we would go to Monical’s tomorrow for lunch, my treat, as a ‘thank you.’
Everything was cool until we went out to practice plays with Alan. We had scouts and recruiters on the sidelines. I grabbed one of the freshmen.
“Go get Coach Hope,” I told him.
I was glad to see Tami show up. I pulled her and Alan together for a quick talk.
“I’m not sure what the rules are. I think we need to talk to Coach before we run any practices,” I said.
I saw Jeff Delahey, the local sports reporter, coming over.
“Elite 11 MVP, top quarterback in the nation, what’s next?” Jeff asked.
“Another State Championship would be nice,” Tami said.
“I like how she thinks,” I said with a smile.
“Have time for an interview?”
“What were you thinking?”
“I’d like to do a full-length piece. It would take about an hour.”
Coach Hope walked up.
“Hey, Jeff, did you get lost?”
“No, I was going to see if I could get David to do his ‘aw shucks, I owe it all to clean living and I’m just lucky to be here’ routine.”
“Why do you need to interview me? Sounds like it writes itself,” I teased him.
“He’s just setting you up. He’s going to pull out his hard-hitting investigative abilities and get you to cry,” Alan said.
Yeah, right. Jeff was a good reporter, but I never felt like he ambushed anybody.
“What are the NCAA rules about the college coaches being here?” Coach Hope asked.
There was a calendar which told you when certain recruiting activities could occur. It was a little confusing because they give things goofy names like ‘Quiet Period.’ You’d assume by the name that it meant no talking. But during the ‘Quiet Period,’ recruits were allowed on-campus visits, and during portions of it, the coaches could make one in-person off-campus visit, so it wasn’t what you’d think. June through July was considered a ‘Quiet Period.’
Of course, there was a ‘Dead Period’ sandwiched in there somewhere. I needed to get my NCAA Handbook out and actually read it.
“I’ll bet if you went over and asked them, they would know,” I suggested.
Tami and Alan had to look away or they would have laughed. Coach Hope gave me a look that promised bodily harm. He didn’t say a word, but went over and talked to the gathered recruiters. He came back with the information he needed.
“Great! They all want to talk to me and get game film. Alan, did you load the video from David’s camps yet?”
Bo had shot video over the summer, and Coach was asking if it was available yet.
“I’ll have it up by the end of the day,” Alan assured him.
We went ahead and practiced on our own. Alan accused me of goofing off and sent me to run a lap. He was lucky we weren’t alone. I couldn’t undermine his authority or none of the guys would listen to him. I assumed he did it to prove he was in charge.