◊◊◊
I finally caught up with Tami at lunchtime, and we video chatted.
“How’s Missy?” I asked.
“She’s still shook-up, but she’s fine. You showed up in time before anything really happened. She wants to thank Tony, Cassidy, and you for coming to her rescue.”
“I want to ask you a favor: can you stop coming with me on my recruiting trips?” I asked.
Tami snorted and gave me a weak smile. I held my breath. I would play nice to get my way on this. Having her along had been a nightmare.
“I figured that was coming. You’re having a hard time with what happened on the last two trips. You find Alan and me in bed, and then you have to rescue Missy. Both were alcohol-related with girls you care about.”
I wasn’t surprised Tami was spot on. She knew me better than almost anyone else besides my mom.
“That, and I need to treat these trips like they’re business trips. If I fall in love with a college, I’ll let you know. So far, I’ve taken Northwestern off my list, but I would consider Michigan State. Over the summer I liked Ohio State and Alabama. If I find one that I think you’d like, I’ll let you know that, too.”
“I’d like that.”
“Thanks for understanding,” I said, and then hung up.
Now if I could get rid of the parents, we could have some fun on these trips. A guy can dream, can’t he?
◊◊◊
The film session from the game with Washington was brutal. We’d made mistakes that we hadn’t made since the first of the summer. One of the issues was the two new linemen we had added, Johan and Neil. Johan had replaced Tim at center. While he had a lower center of gravity and was a rock in the middle of the line, Johan wasn’t nearly as mobile as Tim had been. Washington had played a four-man front, which left Johan uncovered. On run plays, he was responsible for getting off the ball and blocking a linebacker if we weren’t double-teaming one of the tackles. Johan was also responsible for helping out anyone that needed it on a pass play. He was the tip of the spear that formed my pocket. What he seemed to be doing was lunging to make blocks instead of moving his feet. When you lunge, you’ve lost your base and leverage. Coach Stevens, our offensive line coach, felt he could fix Johan’s technique.
The other lineman that had problems was Neil Presley, our right tackle. Neil’s issue was one of consistency. He was the only sophomore who was starting, and his inexperience was apparent. Neil showed enough good plays that the coaching staff felt he could do the job.
Then there were a lot of mental errors made by the skill players. Mike and Bert hadn’t really done what was needed as the fullback lined up next to me. On the option, they were the main players to handle the load for inside runs. When they were given the ball, they seemed to run into the pile instead of finding the creases and exploding into the hole. I was disappointed that they weren’t willing to stick their noses in there and pound out yardage. They also weren’t following through and making the defense think they had the football on fakes. Their job was to fake and then find someone to block. I thought Coach Diamond was going to bust a blood vessel in his head when Bert actually fell down instead of making contact with a blitzing linebacker.
Ty had had a good game, and after watching what he could do, Coach Hope moved him to fullback. I was surprised when my half brother Phil was promoted to varsity to back up Ty. Mike and Bert were sent to the defensive side of the football. Mike wasn’t happy. Personally, I wouldn’t miss him. Another change was our JV quarterback, Trent Buchannan, was designated my backup. That almost made Mike’s head explode. Coach Zoon had to take him out of the film session, and there was shouting in the hall.
On defense, Coach Zoon only showed a couple of plays. He wanted to keep it positive and showed them what they did right. Coach Zoon singled out Milo, the only freshman starter, and the first-rate job he did alongside his brother at defensive tackle. He also showed a couple of plays Yuri had made at linebacker. Finally, he showed me tracking down the reverse. He showed Tim falling on his butt several times, as he kept running the video back and forth. That had lightened the mood.
We all groaned when we saw Cassidy show up because it was time for sixty minutes of hell.
◊◊◊
After the football session, Cassidy and I drove straight to the dojo to work out.
“Show me how to use the baton you and your dad used at the party,” I said.
Shiggy had bamboo weapons in the back, and Cassidy brought out a couple to use as demonstration props.
“Before we get started, why didn’t you have the collapsible ones?” I asked.
There are batons that you snap open with a flick of your wrist. They can be stored on your belt and not get in the way. What Cassidy had used seemed bulkier to carry around.
“I’m impressed. You’re starting to ask better questions,” Cassidy said. “The main reason we use a solid baton is that the collapsible ones have been known to close up if the tip’s hit hard enough. That leaves you with just the grip in your hand. The second reason is that a solid baton is heavier and can do a lot more damage. If we’re in a fight, what’s our goal?”
“To end the threat as soon as possible,” I said from rote.
“The difference is I can break someone’s arm instead of just bruising him. I could also potentially kill my opponent. That was why Daddy wouldn’t let you have one. If you haven’t trained, you could really hurt someone and not mean to. Our goal was to subdue the fraternity boys, not kill them.
“Now let’s begin,” she ordered.
Giving Cassidy an additional two-foot reach was totally unfair. I quickly also found out that the practice baton hurt. Then the tables were turned. I got in one good whack, and Cassidy decided to demonstrate how to counter everything she’d taught me. My little ninja warrior kicked my butt. Shiggy threw us out again for being too rough.
After nearly a year of training, I’d observed that Cassidy would give me a butt-kicking every so often. I admit to being competitive. I would work hard to get to the point where I could hold my own with Cassidy. Frankly, most guys wouldn’t put up with a girl ten inches shorter and weighing ninety pounds less than they did getting the better of them in what amounted to a fight, especially if they thought they were a top athlete. For some reason, I never felt any humiliation. I considered Cassidy to be my teacher. So, when I would finally catch up, she’d kick my butt to show me how much more there was to learn. Her teaching technique worked for me, and even I could tell I was much better than I’d been just a few months ago.
On the way home, she broached the topic I had anticipated and dreaded ever since we lost Jeff. They’d been dating when he had his accident, and I thought they might have been one of the few high school couples that might have made it for the long haul.
“Do you like me?” she asked.
“Cassidy Hope, you know I love you.”
“I love you too, but do you love me enough to go out with me?”
I had to pull the car over because I felt Jeff on my shoulder, listening in. There were moments when the emotion of the loss still overwhelmed me. I would catch myself thinking I needed to tell him something or he would really like that, whatever that was. I was used to sharing everything with my lost friend, and I missed that.
There were three girls in this world that if I ever got serious with, it would be all over. Tami was a given. The second was Beth Anderson. Cassidy was the third. A case might be made for a few others. Kara came to mind, as did Suzanne. Hell, what did I know? I most likely hadn’t met ‘the one’ yet.