David thought his old high school team could use one piece of equipment that looked like a rectangular trampoline on stilts. It was mounted on wheels so it could be moved easily. Its purpose was to teach them to not stand straight up. The coaches had them get into their two-point stance, then step under the contraption and run the drill. David bumped his head a few times, but he quickly figured it out. The trampoline, as he was calling it, helped him keep his body correctly positioned.
As practice wrapped up, David spotted his former high school teammate, Bill Callaway. Bill was two years older and had been David’s go-to receiver when they’d played together.
“I wondered where you were. What are you doing with the defense?” Bill asked.
“Coach Clayton would only offer me a scholarship if I agreed to play defense,” David shared.
David didn’t add that the coach hadn’t even delivered on that. Not that the fact wasn’t starting to irritate him.
“I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I feel bad I haven’t looked you up, though,” David admitted.
“Ridge and Penny told me you were on campus. I haven’t called you either,” Bill said to let him off the hook. “What are you doing after practice? We should catch up.”
“Sorry, I can’t. I have baseball practice.”
“Yeah, I was surprised when I heard you’d gone out for baseball. I have no idea how you have time to do both.”
“Talk to me in a week, and I’ll let you know how it’s going,” David said.
“We need to make time. It’s crazy that we’re on the same campus and haven’t even grabbed a beer or lunch or something.”
David remembered people warning him that he would begin to forget about all his friends once he left high school. At the time, he hadn’t wanted to believe it. When David left Lincoln to make his movies, he’d had every intention of keeping in contact with everyone. Standing there, looking at Bill, was a stark reminder that he hadn’t really thought about others he’d left behind.
It made him realize that the ones he was still in contact with were even more important to him. There was a handful that he planned to reconnect with, Bill being the easiest. When he could actually do that, he wasn’t sure. He would just have to make time.
“Let’s not talk about it; let’s do it. How about lunch tomorrow?” David asked.
Bill smiled when he saw David was making an effort. They compared schedules and decided which restaurant would be the easiest for them to meet at, and it was agreed. David had to run, but he felt better after reestablishing contact with Bill.
After a quick shower, David tried to make a speedy exit when he heard his name called. When he turned back, he wished he’d kept going and pretended not to hear. It was Crystal.
“You finally decided to join the football team,” was her smart comment as she caught up with him.
“I need to get to baseball,” he said as he turned to leave.
David didn’t need to listen to her if she was going to be spouting off.
“Stop,” she said as she grabbed his arm. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“What do you want?” he asked to cut the encounter short.
“USC’s Panhellenic Council is the largest women’s organization on campus. Part of what they ask each sorority to do is philanthropy projects. Most houses do something independently. Like Gamma Phi Beta supports ‘Girls on the Run’ through ‘Moonball,’ a basketball fundraiser that they do every fall. We support the American Red Cross,” Crystal explained.
“Did you need some money?” David asked, ready to tell her to call Lexi and leave.
“The Panhellenic president wanted to do something more this year. She wants to establish a scholarship fund for deserving women who excel in the classroom and have a financial need.”
“And...” he said, knowing there was more.
“We’re doing a carnival of sorts in the quad Friday, and I said I would organize a silent dance party.”
“A what?” he asked.
“We rent people an app for their phones. They use their earbuds to hear the music. We rent the equipment so that the dancers can hear the music and what the DJ is saying, but no one else can. Every thirty minutes, the app either quits or the dancers can buy more time,” Crystal explained.
David could see that being great for parties where you had picky neighbors nearby. You could blast your music, and only the people with the app would hear it. Suddenly, you no longer had a noise complaint. He wondered what the tech folks would come up with next.
“Great!” he said, faking excitement. “I’ll be sure to swing by and make a donation. I appreciate you sharing with me, but I have to go.”
“Yeah, to baseball. But that’s not what I want.”
He looked at his watch to let Crystal know he was running late. He let out a long breath when Matt and his sidekick, John Johnson, walked up.
“Hey, Babe. Why are you talking to him?” Matt asked.
“Honestly, I’m as confused as you are,” David said, holding up his hands.
“I’m asking David if he’ll be one of our DJs since some people won’t help their girlfriends out,” Crystal said to Matt.
Until she’d added the last part, David was prepared to say ‘no.’
“I signed up for the nine-to-ten shift,” John said.
“I thought it was only Friday afternoon,” Matt said, obviously confused.
David bit his lip when he saw the look Crystal gave Matt. If David were a betting man, he would put money on Crystal tricking John into helping her and her sorority, Alpha Mu, set up.
“I’m out of Communication Strategy in Business by noon. We have a baseball game that night, so I would have to leave no later than four,” David said.
“You’ll do it?!” Crystal asked, getting a little overexcited. “Could you come straight from class?”
“Before I say ‘yes,’ I wouldn’t have to have a playlist ready, would I? I mean, if I had to, I could probably come up with one,” David said and then gave Crystal a thoughtful look. “I do have one from when I broke up with my girlfriend. It’s a real mood-setter.”
“No, no worries. We’ll take care of the songs,” Crystal assured him.
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
Crystal all but took David to the ground; she was so excited. He caught Matt’s look and flinched. David was preparing for the two of them to finally throw down when John unwittingly saved the day.
“What comes in quarts and is brown?”
It was such a non sequitur that everyone turned and stared at him.
“A cow,” John announced.
John had made a fist with his left arm and pointed it at Crystal as he stroked it like he was masturbating. The sound effects sold the joke.
David didn’t want to ruin his joke by pointing out that cows were female. John might have to change it to a bull. David decided it was funnier the way John had told it.
Matt and Crystal looked at the big offensive tackle with blank stares.
David’s second thought was that his grandfather told him: ‘It is easier to get older than to get wiser.’ Poor John was never getting wiser. David decided to help him with his joke by jumping back from Crystal and making a ‘euuuwah’ sound.
“That’s so gross,” Crystal whined.
“Says the girl with cow jizz all over her face,” John said.
Obviously proud of himself, his chest puffed out.
“John!” Matt warned.
“That was funny,” David announced. “Come on, John. Let’s leave these two lovebirds so they can clean up.”
David couldn’t help himself as he giggled like he was ten again. John was a happy boy to find someone he could share his terrible humor with. David could just imagine if John were to get together with Wolf.
David made his way to the batting cages and found Andres waiting for him.
“I heard you were coming in after football practice.”