Wolf had let Yuri, Roc, and Phil run his lawn care business while he was in Chicago. I’d gotten him his first job taking care of our yard, and he had taken the idea and run with it. He now had a trailer and all the equipment he needed.
“Coach Mason told me that we aren’t starting against Washington,” I shared.
“I was afraid of that. What do you want to do?” Tim asked.
I told them what Bud Mason had told me.
“I can’t figure out why Coach Hope would go against his word to you,” Wolf said. “And why we’re somehow mixed up in this.”
“I came to you guys to help me decide. What do you think?” I asked.
“What he said about them earning it makes sense. None of us were around this summer. I know that Trent was a leader, and I can see that he probably earned himself the start,” Tim said.
“Just so long as we don’t end up losing a game for his ‘reward.’ Trent isn’t David,” Wolf said.
I had a good time bonding with the guys. Mrs. Tams invited Tim, Chuck, and me over for dinner when she got home from work. Wolf’s dad joined us as Tim put all Wolf’s yard equipment back together. He told us jokes that made me wonder why his wife put up with him.
◊◊◊
Chapter 7 – Fulfilling Wishes Friday September 9
At lunch, I shared that I’d been assigned to do a video for my photography class and was looking for ideas.
“Porn,” Phil, my idiot half brother, suggested.
His girlfriend, Jill, slugged him. I gave a warning glare to Wolf and Tim before they added their two cents.
Speaking of Jill, Tracy had pointed out that she’d neatly used my little brother to get herself a seat at the senior table. Quite the little coup for a freshman cheerleader. I think the old Tracy was impressed with how she’d finagled that.
“I’ve been after you to blog. Why don’t you use streaming video on game days? We can point them to it via your social media accounts. That way, fans will get a taste of the behind-the-scenes action,” Lily suggested.
“I’ll film him,” Cassidy said, getting excited.
“You really are a ‘Bad Girl.’ You’re not catching the football team in the shower,” Brook said.
Poor Don just gaped at what Brook said about his new girlfriend. He had no idea.
“Let me think about that one,” I said. “What else?”
“You like food. You could do a video on local restaurants,” Pam suggested.
“I’ll film him,” Cassidy repeated.
“She wants to be there so you feed her,” Wolf said sagely. “I would volunteer for that.”
I saw Tracy’s wheels turning.
“What do you think?” I asked her.
“I was wondering if I could do it with you. For a while now, I’ve had this idea about doing a short video piece that might be picked up as a segment on the news. My working title for it is Dessert First,” Tracy suggested.
“I like dessert.”
“You could have David and a girl taste-test them,” Gina suggested.
“It sounds like you plan to get a date with my boyfriend,” Brook said.
“You have him on lockdown. We have to be creative to get him to spend time with us,” Gina said.
Fortunately, Brook was just teasing. On the other hand, Gina wasn’t.
“Do you know anyone who would let us practice on them?” I asked.
“I can’t believe I have to say this, but you do own two restaurants that would probably like the publicity,” Tracy reminded me.
◊◊◊ Saturday September 10
Chuck drove my mom, Caryn, and me to Washington High. We planned to be there early so we could meet Wyatt and his family. When Mom found out what I was doing, she insisted on coming with me. She’d been a tremendous help in teaching me how to deal with cancer patients. I was sure that Wyatt just wanted to forget about his problems and enjoy a day of football.
Chad Lutz, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was waiting for us along with Jeff Delahey and his cameraman. Caryn took charge to make sure everyone knew each other.
“Wyatt and his family are inside. Shall we go meet them?” Chad asked the camera in his face.
Jeff got behind his cameraman and grabbed his belt. That way, he wouldn’t trip or walk into anything as he walked backward to film us entering the building and then going to the Washington coaches’ offices. I got my first look at Wyatt and his family and put on my best smile. The boy was small for his age.
“You must be Wyatt. I’m David, and this is my mom, Carol,” I said as I shook his hand.
My mom handed Wyatt a duffle bag, which he ripped open.
“Dad, look at this,” he said, getting excited.
He’d pulled out a football helmet. Coach Diamond walked in and shook his head.
“You’re stealing our biggest fan,” he said with a big smile. “It’s good to see you, David.”
I was surprised when he hugged me. That was when I found out that Wyatt’s dad was one of their coaches. I’m not too sure how I would feel if Little David and Coby decided they were Washington fans.
“I thought we could go change into shorts and t-shirts for now. Later, you can dress for the game in your football gear and join us on the sideline,” I said. “You can tell me what plays Coach Diamond is calling.”
Mom decided that she should change the topic, so she handed Wyatt’s sisters their own duffle bags. They had Lincoln High cheerleader uniforms. Pam Lowden, our cheerleading coach, had signed off on them joining the team. Brook said they would teach the girls some cheers before the game. From the squeals, Mom had made the right call in contacting Sandy Range and getting Range Sports to donate the gear for the kids.
“What? Nothing for the parents?” Wyatt’s mom asked.
Caryn handed them each a football jersey with my name and number on it.
“I dare you to wear that during the game,” I said to Wyatt’s dad.
“I think he should, for Wyatt,” Coach Diamond said.
“Come on, Wyatt, let’s go change,” I suggested.
I soon found out that Wyatt wasn’t shy. Between him and his two sisters, it was a wonder their parents were sane. Jeff and Chad hadn’t stopped smiling. I was sure this was video gold for both the charity and documentary.
After we got dressed, I decided to put Wyatt in charge of my streaming video broadcast. He was eager to do it when I explained it to him. Lily had put out messages on my social media to promote it. I handed him my phone.
“My parents said I couldn’t have a phone,” Wyatt said.
“And you’re not getting this one.”
He batted his eyes at me, but I was immune. Pam was an expert at explaining that our son needed something, like a new purse, and Wyatt’s gambit didn’t even make me flinch.
We walked through the Washington facilities as Coach Diamond told us what was planned. We ran into Gabe Verity, the starting quarterback for Washington, and he knew Wyatt.
“Hey, you little traitor. Does your dad know you’re wearing Lincoln gear?”
“He put on a jersey David gave him.”
“Well, it’s okay if it’s for David,” Gabe conceded.
“Hey, good luck today,” I told Gabe as we shook hands.
“Take it easy on us. I think we might actually beat you today.” Gabe said and then left to get taped.
After the tour, our buses arrived, and I left to get taped. Jill was a sport and taped Wyatt’s ankles.
We had some time, so Jeff suggested that Wyatt interview me. Jeff offered to hold the phone so the feed would go out live to the world. I shook my head when he handed Wyatt a list of questions, just in case. I think Jeff figured I would be more open with Wyatt than I would be with the press.
The remarkable thing was, Wyatt knew a lot about football because his dad was a coach. I think he’d listened in more than even his dad realized. I hoped Washington’s coaching staff wasn’t watching because Wyatt got me to explain what I planned to do today. Though I wasn’t too worried because they only had an hour before the game started. There wasn’t much they could change game-plan-wise at this point.