Playmaker

PlayMaker 15

Play Maker By RettaMichaels “The Queen of Gay Romance”

Disclaimer:

This is my disclaimer for 2009 folks! As you know, I change them, so please read and smile!

This is a fictional character. I'll say that until I'm blue in the face and yet, someone will write to me and tell me I've got something wrong, or he/she is that character, or they're going to sue me because their client has a family member with that name.

I can put disclaimers on a story all day long and still, I get someone who is just about nuts who will do the above paragraph. It makes no sense to me, but apparently, there are people who take themselves so seriously they want to be a fictional character. Well to those of you who choose to be that way, go read someone else's story and be a fuck-tional character.

By the way, if you're reading this to jack off. I'll smile and you hold it in your hand and read until the end. If you've spilled a load, I bet it wasn't reading a scene here! Everyone else who knows my writing is probably laughing their asses off right about now...I know I'm chuckling!

If you can hold it in your hand and type, then please BY ALL MEANS write me an email and send a photo of it. I want to see the man's appendage which can write, type, and just plain want to know it better!

If your appendage says it's straight, get a clue and get to a different site. If you're that confused, go to your search engine and type in Mental Health Help and seek the one in your area. Your appendage has my permission to cut and paste.

Just to make it an official disclaimer, if you're above the age of 18...great. If you're 118, super great...put a napkin over the keyboard and you won't get any drool on it. If you're under the age of 18, please find the off switch on your computer and press it. It'll make your day and mine a lot brighter. If you come back to this site when it reboots, please repeat until you lose interest. If it takes more than once, get a clue you dumb fuck!

Notes From Retta:

This story is written mostly as a retro piece. I intentionally made sure some prices were lower and I made sure the older stars were used in the piece. You need to realize this was written in the era of Bush I (around 1991). I did it from memory, so sue me if it's not completely accurate.

Chapter Fifteen:

Back at the school, we went into the memorial service. I walked over to the football players and sat down. Chris gave me a look which looked pissed.

“You should've been here asshole!”

“Wait until I tell you what has happened before you judge me.”

“Jared died is what happened. If you can't respect him, we don't need to be friends.”

“If you'd care to hear what's happened, you'd find Jared would have approved.”

“Don't slip that shit into this.”

“Fuck you dude.”

I stood up and walked over to the podium, “May I say a few words before this is over?”

“One moment.”

“Ok”

I looked over at Chris and he glared, I put my hands together making sure the middle finger was exposed to him.

Principal Jackson said, “Jake Martin has been rather busy today. He's just back in and has requested to say a few words.”

He stepped back and motioned to the podium.

I stepped up and said, “Jared Riefsdel was everyone's friend. Already, two have attempted suicide over his death. He'll tell you to live and remember him instead of dying to remember him. All that does is makes others mourn you instead of him.

I'm going to tell you my opinion of Jared's death. It didn't need to happen. Yeah, you can blame his parents for doing it, but each one of you out there who saw the welts, bruises, and heard him speak about the abuse helped to kill him. I'll tell you now as soon as I knew it was happening, I tried to get it stopped while another one of his friends stood around sucking face with a girl. Inaction killed him and action saves each and every one of us.

Today, I saved someone from hanging himself in Jared's garage and yet, I'm accused of not paying respect to Jared because I wasn't here. Go figure that out because Jared wouldn't want his family's property used as ground where more people have died.

If you want to kill yourself, seek help. Speak to someone and YOU take responsibility for YOUR actions. Don't lay YOUR death at Jared's feet. He's not responsible for you being stupid and if you think he'd approve, think again.

Some of you might think I should be more considerate. Well, excuse me, but the last person whom I helped pull down pissed in my face when the thrashing was happening and their hands were clutching at the rope.

Yeah, I'm going to describe suicide to you. It hurts.

It's not going to be painless and if you THINK a bullet to your brain is going to be painless, ask the mortician who's got to put your head back together. Ask your parents who've got to put their lives and family back together? And you ask your friends who feel robbed...who feel like they didn't matter enough to be given a chance...and who feel like they felt enough about you to tell you their deepest secrets only to find out you didn't feel the same.

I paused and took the microphone off the stand. I walked to the edge of the stage and said, “Some of you might've heard we're still having a football game and think it's stupid. What you've probably not been told is Hannibal's coach refused to let us have a postponement of the game.

I'll tell you I'm plenty pissed about it. I can't use the word upset, angry, frustrated, or humiliated for Jared, but I'm pissed. I'm pissed to the point I want it used as a rallying cry to do something about it.

When you go out into the community after school, you're going to see businesses in which I own are shut for business. Their parking lots are blocked and they're still open. It's symbolic of us as a community. Our hearts are saddened by the loss, but we're still open.”

I turned and stared at Grant.

“As respect for Jared, I want you to give us this weekend to mourn since we can't have today. Use it to think about your friendships with each other, and your relationships with your family.

IF you have a family who does these sorts of things to you, you call me. My phone number is JMARTIN. It's easy to remember and because I own a share in this cell phone company, I got to pick the prefix for this town. That's why it starts with 562.

IF you have no friends, or you don't think you have any who are close enough to you, you give me a call also. I'll get there and I'll promise you I'll listen. I've not had but one friend and until today, I thought he'd listen to me. I guess I should've listened better to him at some point because he didn't want to listen to me when it mattered.

Until I got involved with sports and started winning, I was a loner basicly. Now my life is full and I'm in demand. It's hard because I still want everyone to know I'm still me and I've not changed. I guess I'm likable because people call me when they're in trouble.

I'm not saying this up here as an advertisement to me. I'm telling you because I'll come running when your other friends might stand around sucking face while you die. I think you deserve that.

One last thing and then I'll sit down and shut up.

You'll see a few students gone from our school and football team. They were undercover police officers. My life and others were in danger and yet, Jared's was in danger too. One police officer had nerve enough to tell me Jared didn't matter and my life mattered. He got punched in his face.

Another police officer from our team had nerve enough today to drive a phone company truck over my car. He is now in a coma.

I'm saying this because those were supposed to be our protectors. They were supposed to save MY life because Jared's apparently didn't matter.

Until this is over, if you see someone bullying someone else, you step in. You might be saving my life, or theirs and in fact, you might be doing a better job by calling 911 than their officers did for Jared.

Yeah, I'm pissed about that too. You got the truth when I was told to shut up. They'll probably want to put me in jail now, but you know if I'm not at the game, I'm in jail.

Stand up if you want to come to the game.”

Everyone stood up.

“Great. Now, everyone sit down and those of you who don't have a ride to the game please stand up because I want everyone there.”

About twenty kids stood up.

“Those of you who live near these people, please give them a ride. Make friends with them because you never know when the day might come to save each other's lives.

Now, the next thing I want to ask is for you to please do for Jared...When we have our game tonight, I want you guys to laugh when their team's coach yells at his players. The man is an idiot and he yells things like fag, pussy boy, retard, kike, jew, nigger, wop, and wet back at his players. Yeah, if it were here, he'd be out of a job, but apparently Hannibal's school officials will allow that.

<<This portion of the story is true. That's why I keep on it. I didn't change John Bringer's name. He doesn't deserve it. All I've written is true.>>

We're going to do some things tonight which are going to totally demean their team. I want you to know it's not their team we're wanting to embarrass but that coach who couldn't give our player any respect.

During half time, our Coach Oberling is going to challenge their coach to a weight lifting exhibition. As you know, Grant's powerfully built in body...I'd like to say his brain was the same, but as you know...it all went south.”

Everyone laughed

“When Grant gets up, I want that cheering to be incredible. I want the roar of our crowd to be heard in Columbia, but when their coach gets up, I want everyone to laugh. I want him to be embarrassed and I want him to know we'll treat him with about as much respect as he gave Jared.

Lastly, after we whip them...and you know we will...I want you and everyone else to light candles so we can watch the photographs on the jumbotron of Jared's life as it's a symbol of us respecting him and making that team realize we're going to demand they stay after their embarrassment and give Jared respect.”

I walked over to Grant and said, “Say some kind words asshole.”

He took the microphone and I went back over to Chris. “That's a friend asshole. Be thankful I didn't mention your name.”

“You've done all that today?”

“And more...Grant's fucking with my money because we're broke up.”

“Huh?”

“Frozen bank accounts. That's why all his stuff is really blockaded.”

“Oh!”

“I tied it into being respectful for Jared so no one would give Grant's businesses any business this weekend.”

He smiled, “Who drove over your car?”

“Mark Evans aka Sap.”

“Huh!”

“Yeah, he's a cop.”

“He's a shower hawk!”

“Well, he was supposed to have gotten placed on you to guard you. Be thankful he didn't.”

“That asshole!”

“Jimmy was supposed to be guarding Jared, be thankful you didn't have him guarding you either.”

“Where they at?”

“Jimmy's at the hospital with injuries from being beaten up and Mark Evans aka Sap is in the hospital from injuries he received from being knocked sliding down the street and into a curb by a fire hose.”

“Huh?”

“I didn't have a pistol, so we used a fire hose.”

“Sounds cool.”

“I thought you'd like it. That's what I told the fire man.”

“How'd it go?”

“You should have seen it. It's like pissing on a leaf, you'd be amazed at how they slide around and all over the place.”

“Who tried hanging himself?”

“Can't say, and won't say.”

“Why?”

“Because if I did, you'd beat my ass for saving his life.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, now whatever you do tonight, if Grant sends word in through you to tell me to do something, you tell Grant I'm not listening to him and you're not to pass any messages along from him.”

“You're pissed.”

“Yup, he's got an ass beating coming from his dad after this because he's so pissed.”

“Over the money?”

“I've got two buildings to buy today. My name is on the line. Tomorrow, I'm buying a different house to live in and now, I find out my bank account is frozen and Grant's told them not to give me any money.”

“What's going to happen about the buildings you're supposed to buy?”

“They're going to have to wait.”

Soon, everyone was released and Grant came over, “You and I need to have a talk!”

“Sorry, I need to get to the bank with my emancipation papers. That banker will be told you're no longer my guardian and it's a federal charge if he doesn't release my money.”

“You're not going to get by with this.”

“Sorry, but the only person who apparently cares what you think right now is you.”

“What you've done is illegal.”

“Really? I just made it look like you actually respected a player on the team. I guess I made you look better than you really are. By the way, the lawsuits are being filed.”

“You don't have any grounds. I called a lawyer.”

“Did you tell the man you spoke an oral contract in front of most of this town telling them the dealership was mine and I paid for it?”

“You didn't.”

“Well you did. Guess who all I'll call in and who will testify on those statements by you? When I'm done, you'll have fraud charges and as much as I can throw on you.”

“They won't stand.”

“Think about it Grant. If you don't think they'll stand, you need to realize the second I win that trial, you're going to have those charges. You better get a better attorney who will tell you 'no' when the answer is 'no'. Your 'yes man' lawyer is about to cost you some serious money.”

“That Cadillac is mine!”

“That Caddy is mine. I handed the man a check for it. If that check doesn't clear, you best tell that banker he's going to be up on charges over it...as well as you. I'm dropping checks later today for those buildings and tomorrow, I'm dropping a check for that house. IF you think I'm going to stop MY life from going because you're not in it, think again.”

“Don't be this way.”

“I've got to be. IF you think I'm running scared because you tried to put a block in my way, you need to realize you just exposed your banker to federal charges.”

“I'll call him.”

“That first call should've never been made.”

“Call off your people.”

“Monday morning. This weekend is out of respect to Jared. It's what I told everyone and it's what you'll follow. The second you attempt to move one of those vehicles, I'll burn down that business myself.”

“So I'm to pay because of your decision?”

“You're going to pay because of your decision. I want you to know the second you attempt to fuck with me again on my money, or my stocks, you're going to pay by losing those businesses. I'll freeze each one of those bank accounts and I'll slam liens on them. You want to fuck me, I'll fuck back.”

“Can we talk?”

“Monday morning with lawyers present. We'll hash out an agreement on our investments and we'll sign agreements to part amicably and with clauses in which state if you attempt to try anything else like this, then you'll lose those businesses I've got blocked.”

“You'll not get me to agree to that.”

“Well, be prepared for the lawsuits then. I could care less if I embarrass you publicly in this town and make you publicly know to be a liar. When I'm done, you'll probably be known for more. You'll probably have everything laid out including us having sex.”

I started to turn around and he grabbed my arm, “Don't do this.”

“You were told it'd be fourteen years. You've got that long to get your head screwed on right. I'll bend, but before I break, I'll blast you out of the water.”

“Is that what this is about?”

“No, it's about you not trusting me. It's about you calling me a liar when you're being a total dick to me. It's about you supposedly loving when you have no clue what it is. It's about so much and yet, it's about so little. Give me what I want to get away from you and I'll leave you alone.”

“Ok”

“Make that call to the banker because once my checks bounce, you're paying that fee. After all, your name's on the account too.”

“You want my name off the account?”

“I didn't, but I do now! I can't even trust you in that aspect.”

“You're on all mine.”

“And have I done it yet? Because when I do, you're going to be bankrupt. I'll take it that far.”

“Monday morning, I'll sit down.”

“Tonight, don't try playing me to be your bitch. I'll not listen and I certainly won't come off that field if you try to get me off it. IF you do, you better have me in chains and cuffs and under arrest because I'll come at you.”

Chris walked up and said, “He won't because the second he does, I'll order our guys to beat his ass. He's fucked with you enough and now it's time to realize you've got friends who are going to stand up against him if you fall.”

Robbie came over and said, “Grant, I'll be representing him in the future. I'll do what I can to be amendable, but I won't let you run rampant over him.”

Chris turned and looked at Robbie. “What the fuck?”

“Just go with it.”

“You saved his God damned life, didn't you?!”

“Yeah.”

“What a dumb ass! I ought to let Grant do whatever he wants to you for that.”

“Chris, Robbie's got a few things to take care of, but things are going to be a lot better with him.”

“They couldn't be worse. I'm getting the distinct impression you fell into the septic pool and think just because you're doing the backstroke it's a sunny day. Get the hell away from the shit and realize it stinks.”

“Fourteen years Chris. That's how long he and I'll be together. When it's over, Grant will get another chance and if he doesn't have his mind changed, I'm out and away from here.”

“Jeez, we need to see if you've got a brain tumor!”

“Speaking of that, Robbie, would you see if your dad's getting that man to the police station?”

“Yeah, we better get that done.”

He went walking away and Chris said, “Robbie Musselman? How damned dumb can you be!”

“Hey, when he's not doing the dying cockroach quiver and pissing his pants, he's rather cute.”

“You should've sprayed Raid and let him die!”

“Hey, let's agree to disagree about lovers. You're not real brilliant with yours either.”

“What's wrong with her?”

“It's called suction. I thought your dick was where you're brain was, but I guess it's in your mouth because she sure sucked it out of your head.”

“I like her.”

“I like her too but I don't like what you thinking your friends don't matter when she's around.”

“You were around her.”

“And the second you think I don't matter because of her, I'll kick your ass!”

“Well, you need to remember I got along with Grant, but I sure can't tolerate that asshole.”

“Chris, he's gay. He was being an asshole because he wanted everyone to be judged so no one would judge him.”

Grant said, “I'll be going.”

“Your dad is waiting outside. He's got a few things to say to you and then, I hear Mr Owsley has a few things to say.”

“You lined them up on me!”

“Yeah, and while you're down there speaking with Mr Owsley, you tell him someone is going to come speak with him and he's to have the whipped topping ready.”

“Huh?”

“It's code. You get whipped topping if he likes you.”

“I never got any.”

“If he LIKES you Grant, you're not his type.”

“Oh...who do you have for him?”

“Someone who would surprise you.”

“Nothing surprises me anymore.”

“Well, some things should because your little comments get people pissed at you.”

“I'm sorry, but some of that stuff is just unbelievable.”

“If you saw the stuff in my head, and what's in other people's head, you'd not say that.”

“I imagine.”

“I've got to go. What are you doing later?”

“I'm not sure, it doesn't sound like I can get into anything I have.”

“I left the entrance to my house unblocked on purpose. I'll see you then. Bring the pizza.”

“For how many?”

“Two unless you speak to that fireman and want to have a date.”

“Is he nice?”

“His brain is really good. He's a romantic sweetheart and he's someone who will probably willingly let you take advantage of him.”

“Always throwing in your little digs, aren't you?”

“Hey, if the hip waders fit, wear them because that's how much shit you put out. You're a jealous manipulative emotional bastard and that's on your good day, so sue me if you think I'm not going to call you on it. I'll certainly sue you if you think I'll put up with much more.”

“Would you leave your attitude out the door tonight if I come over?”

“Yeah, if you'll leave all your issues. We might be able to hash out some of what we need to agree upon.”

“So it's a business meeting?”

“Some. It's also a friendship meeting because even apart, we're going to need some friendship. If you don't want that, then realize we've got to make some things legal and one of them will be my WILL.”

“Huh?”

“I've been flying without a parachute. That's got to change now that I'm emancipated. If I would happen to die now, the state would get it all.”

“You want it Willed to me?”

“Yeah, but you're going to do the same to me. You've told everyone that already, and now rather than trusting your word, I'm going to demand it in writing. And, we're not walking away from this without my name on that dealership out there. I'll pay for it, but that's a must.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Well call the banker so you don't get an innocent brought up on charges while you're thinking about it.”

“He might want to see those papers.”

“He'll get them.”

Mr Musselman tapped me on the shoulder, “I've got news.”

“Ok, what?”

“I've got you a team owner who's interested.”

I said, “Grant, I'll see you as you just heard, business calls.”

“Who is it!”

Mr Musselman said, “The owner has asked no one know who it is until the agreement's in writing. He's interested in selling, but he's got another interested buyer now.”

“How much does he want?”

“A hundred and twenty million.”

“Damn! How good are they?”

Grant said, “That's expensive, they better be really good.”

“They're good, but they can't afford the new stadium they need, or new talent. If you buy the team Jake, you'll save it because you can donate your talent to it and pull profits from the sales of everything.”

“Ummm, is that good?”

“You'd have your endorsements.”

“That's a double edged sword there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let me talk with the man and see if the deal is one I'll take. I mean, if I can get profits from making deals within the stadium, I'll do it. If not, I'll need to build my own stadium like Ted Turner's doing. It's not him, is it?”

Grant leaned forwards and Mr Musselman laughed, “Grant, I can't say if it is or isn't in front of you.”

I asked, “If it is, can I buy his baseball team too and do I get the stadiums for that?”

He smiled, “Ok, it's not him. The team is north of that, so it's telling you AND Grant a little bit.”

Grant asked, “Jake, would you give me a better hint than that if he tells you?”

“I promise you I'll ask your advice on the team before I buy. Then, I'll hand you a dollar bill to be my advisor on it.”

He smiled and Mr Musselman laughed, “That's the loophole!”

“Yeah, so who is it?”

He leaned forward and said, “The Angels”

“Where they at?”

“Ask Grant. If you don't know, I doubt if you'd want to play there.”

I turned to Grant and said, “Excuse me if I don't pay you the dollar bill since I probably lost a lot of money due to that banker of mine not allowing my share of profits into a frozen account.”

He gave an alarmed look, “Would he do that?”

“FROZEN means nothing in and nothing out. They route payments in back to those who sent them.”

“Oh man, I'm sorry.”

“Just think with your head the next time instead of your heart.”

He nodded. “I do love you.”

“I know you do. Now, tell me where the Angels are located.”

“Akron. They're so-so and in need of a good quarterback. About their line, they're so-so, but what they've got is a damned good coach.”

“Ok, so is it worth that?”

“Depends what the stadium situation is. I've heard teams go for a lot, but that's about double what I'd thought it'd be.”

“If there's someone else interested, what's the worst case scenario here?”

Mr Musselman said, “If there's someone interested, then it could go bad real fast because it could set up an auction situation where you and that other person could be bidding on the team.

If that happens, it could go up a lot. The bad side of that is it'd show the world your hand for what you're willing to spend and a lot of lesser teams could come and offer themselves to you expecting you to pay more than what they are worth.

And if there's not someone else there who's interested, you could be in a situation where you're paying too much for a team now.”

“When does this man want to talk?”

“He said he'd take a phone call whenever you're ready.”

“I need to go home and get into my grandma's address book and get a phone number. After I make this call, I'll know what I should do.”

“You can't be telling everyone who it is.”

“This next call will be the best advice you'd ever see me receive. IF that guy says it's good, then I'll be equipped to know what to do.”

“Who is it?”

“Someone who was a friend of grandma's. He has something to do with a pro team.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I'm not sure what, but I know his daughter and she's been nothing but nice to me.”

“Who's that?”

“Do you remember that girl who has the horses down near Columbia?”

“Yeah.”

“Her.”

“She's a real sweetheart. Her fiance is super nice too. That's a couple who really love each other.”

“Her dad is the guy I need to call.”

I said to Robbie, “You want to ride along?”

“I guess.”

“You don't have to if you don't want. I just thought it'd be cool for you to see things.”

“Yeah, that'd be fine.”

I turned to Grant. “I'll see you later, what time?”

“Be here at about five thirty.”

“Ok”

I turned to Mr Musselman, “Does he want me to call him, or you?”

“You can if you want.”

He gave me the number and I said, “Now, my next question would be how much can I afford?”

“If it's without a stadium, don't go above two hundred. If it's with a stadium, not more than five.”

“Man!”

“Yeah, the payments are going to be terrible.”

“Did you do a net worth on me yet?”

“The difference between the one Grant did on you two months ago and this one is shocking. Let's just say you could pay for that team in a year if your stock kept going that direction.”

“Really?”

“You're rich.”

“Hmmm, that's surprising.”

Robbie and I went out to the Caddy. I got in and said, “I got this car because several people can ride in it at once. With the 'vette, it was a bit tougher.”

“Are you getting another 'vette?”

“Maybe. It depends. I'm thinking about getting some classic cars instead.”

“Why?”

“They hold their value. They've already depreciated and now are holding their value, so that means they're going to be worth more eventually.”

“That's smart.”

“I meant it when I saw us being lovers for fourteen years.”

“Why would we break up then?”

“You decide us being gay is suddenly a disadvantage to you being a Justice. You dump me and then suddenly decide you have to get married to someone who is influential to get you appointed.”

“Did you hit me, or will you hit me?”

“It hurts, but because I know it's going to happen, you can best bet my heart won't be totally involved.”

“So it's sort of a business arrangement for me to get something out of it and you to get something out of it?”

“Yeah, but you get more than a number of people.”

“Why?”

“I don't need an agent. I will need a manager and you can act in that role. Since you're my lawyer, you can negotiate the deals right then, so it's good for us. Normally, I'd have to hand over percentages to a manager, agent, and a lawyer to do all that.

With you, I'll pay you twenty percent and two million a year. The two million is to act on behalf of the stadium as it's lawyer when I'm negotiating endorsements for that.”

“What's that mean?”

“Think about it. All over the place in one of those places is areas where advertising goes. Either we could hand that over to a company who gives us a share of that, or we could do all that ourselves. I'll tell you now before I let someone else do it for half of what I make, I'll have us doing it for whole.”

“That could be a lot of money!”

“Yeah, but if you don't like the two million, you need to realize I can get someone else to do it with me for a lot less. As my lover, you're going to get a lot of stature in your own right and that's fine, but you need to know this...if you ever deny to anyone I'm your lover, I'll dump you out of my life so fast you'd wonder how you made it back to Missouri that fast.”

“I won't.”

“That means anyone and anything. If someone comes up and sticks a microphone in your face and asks you, you tell them 'yes', but if they ask more, you just tell them you gave the answer you're allowed to tell.”

“Why that?”

“I'm not hiding a thing about myself. This career isn't about that to me. IF they don't like the fact I'm gay, then they can walk off the field and I'll gladly trade them. If it's another team's member, our guys can embarrass him by doing interviews about it.”

“They might catch flack.”

“Or, they might actually already have gay guys on those teams who aren't being that open. IF they do, then my honesty is going to make it so they'll know our team will be a place they can be accepted and be themselves.”

“That's cool.”

“A long time ago, they wouldn't let blacks play on the teams. Now look at it. They still won't let a woman play but I bet you they would be good and fast.”

“What about cheerleaders? Are you going to let guys on the squad?”

“Yeah. If there's no guys, they'll be allowed on, but do they have pro cheerleaders?”

“Yeah, think about the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.”

“Oh, I forgot. I guess I don't pay attention to that.”

He smiled, “You're really gay, aren't you.”

“Yeah. You're not?”

“I think girls are pretty, but when I think of being with anyone sexually, it's not with a girl.”

“What was up with you and Jared?”

“Nothing, he didn't know I was alive. I thought he was awesome looking and then, I found out he was gay and he'd said something to you on the football team. Inwardly, it gave me hope, but it also had me judging you and him for being together.”

“What did I ever do to you to get you to judge me like that?”

“Nothing.”

“Well, you don't realize it but I'm going to tell you a few things.

Our dads were super close friends. They watched each other's backs. My dad didn't go to college because he knew he was going to die on x date and had to have me in order to have something to show he was on the face of this earth.

That's why I'm not judging you for running off and getting married. To me, it's justifying you were here and there's purpose to your existence.”

“You think that's why your dad did it?”

“He loved Grant. He loved him more than anyone knew. He knew he could be with Grant and the day he died, it would be over and that would be it. Nothing would be left behind to say he was here and what happened is he got together with my mom and yes, I do believe he actually loved her. They had me and then, he had to fight the preacher because the preacher was trying to kill me. Can you imagine if you sold out our relationship to be a Justice and then had someone come in and judge your job as being worthless?”

“Oh man.”

“Yeah, so that's why he did it. I know that's why you're going to do it, so I'll go back to Grant and see if he's got his head out of his ass. If he does, that's great, if not, then I'll find someone else.”

“What's wrong between you and Grant?”

“A lot of things. I think he wants credit for me being good at football, but that'd be like you claiming credit for me being good at tennis. Nothing has anything to do with the other.”

“Ok, I can understand that.”

“Well, he got jealous. He started sabotaging me and then, he started making me feel inferior and making others think I was inferior. I struck out and was ready to leave because he got your dad involved. Your dad realized he was getting played and did the one thing for me he could and that was to get my emancipation papers. That happened and then the stuff with Grant was still going bad.”

“Ok, so all this stuff today was about all that?”

“No, it's so interwoven on so many levels it can only be described as a clusterfuck.”

“Ok, try explaining it one at a time.'

“My parents got killed by the preacher, Tom Colburn, and Ronnie Brown. You met Ronnie earlier in the field house.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you saw he wasn't a nice guy.”

“Can you really see everything when you do that to someone's head?”

“It's weird, but it's not just me seeing the past, present, and future. It's a whole lot more. It's like a little dna gets passed over and I get to go into other people's heads.”

“Ok, I'm lost.”

“Do you chew gum?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, imagine if all your information about your past, present, and future were chewed up in that chewing gum. Also in that chewing gum is your dna from your saliva and bits and pieces of your interactions with other people.

For example. Take it that your dad had the chewing gum in his mouth and he transferred it to me by french kissing. Now, I've got it in my mouth and I know it's flavor. I know his past, present, and future, but I also know his interactions with you, your sister, your mom, and all his clients and all those cases.

Not only that, but I was able to get in to you and instantly knew you needed help right away and not only that, but what you were doing, where it was happening, and what you were feeling and why it was happening.”

“Man! So you knew everything and you saved me?”

“I was reading your dad and man, let me tell you something...if you're half as good of a lover as your dad is to your mom, I'm going to be lucky as all get out.”

“Gross dude. That just gags me.”

“Hey, do you jack off?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, do you sometimes not let yourself cum until you're just to the point it feels super great?”

“Yeah.”

“Well guess what, that's what your mom feels like every time they make love and not only that, the things he does for her is awesome.”

“Really?”

“Let me tell you something. Imagine yourself jacking off again and about the time you cum, having a soft wet sucking vacuum hose applied around your dick and just driving you up the wall.”

“Man!”

“Yeah, that's your dad making out with your mom.

I can't stomach the though of eating a girl but what your mom feels when he does it to her is incredible.”

“I hear them sometimes.”

“I'd be screaming too. If you're like him, we're going to be all over that bedroom.”

“Do you think I will be?”

“Do I? Or Do I already know? I know and believe me, both of us are going to be happy...I mean REALLY happy.”

“Good, I've not done it except in my fantasies.”

“It's good.”

“I'm afraid of telling my girlfriend.”

“Don't be. She already knows.”

“Really?”

“She told me.”

“Is she going to judge me over it?”

“No, but let me give you a clue, ok?”

“Ok”

“I leave Grant because he's not what I need right now. You leave her because she's not what you need right now. Later on in life, she's going to be there and that's who you will marry.

Now, she's going to have already gotten married. She's going to have some kids and she's going to divorce the guy because he screwed around on her. What's going to happen is she's going to think about you and realize at least you were honest with her enough to not screw around on her.

What ends up happening is you meet up with her sometime in the future while you're back in Moberly, and you two strike up your friendship.

She realizes although you're not her kid's dad, you're more of a dad than the one they have. You're friends with them and actually listen to them. That's what she's going to also see in your friendship is you are there for her and you listen.

That's what builds things between you two. When you need to get that appointment, you and she agree to the deal and you put it together.”

“What about you?”

“I'll tell you now. If that's what happens, you give me the call and let me know. I'll probably come this direction to let her know I understand and you don't need to worry about me being vindictive or spiteful...if you don't take any parting prizes or gifts.”

“You don't think you'd have a broken heart?”

“No, there's a line I've got to draw. If I didn't, it'd hurt something terrible. Because we know it's going to happen, we can keep our feelings in check and know it's something which benefits us until it happens.”

“What happens if it doesn't work out that way?”

“You mean if Grant falls over dead of a heart attack or your girl has a car wreck because a drunk driver comes out of nowhere and creams them all?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Not happening. I see that stuff.”

“Really?”

“I see significant life changing decisions. IF I told you that later today you were really needing to turn right at an intersection and not to turn left, that'd be a significant decision.

What I mean is a place might be getting robbed down the street to the left and a shot might be fired which blows off your head in the car. However, if you go right like I told you, it probably makes it a lot easier to get to be the Justice of the bench.”

“Why am I going to be made a Justice?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“Look around you and you'll see twenty thousand lawyers in Missouri and then look around you and see how many of them are lawyers because they didn't go to law school. You suddenly are a rarity.

What that means is you didn't go to school and learn all the books smarts, but there's a large likelihood you learned a lot of street smarts and ways to use that law which the average guy just doesn't know.”

“Ok, so that's why they pick me?”

“Yeah, because laws change and they see the world changing. You've got some really despicable things which people do, both politicians and lay people.”

“Like what?”

“Ok, down over south of St. Louis is a dam. It's a bit reservoir like Thomas Hill and used in the same way...for cooling a power plant.

It gets too full and rather than asking for a state of emergency, they let it go. It overflows and the water cuts the top out of the dam and erodes the water which ends up flooding a whole valley and ruining homes and lives of a lot of people.”

“Oh man.”

“Yeah, but you've got a man in the Attorney General's office who is supposed to investigate those things for the state.”

“Yeah, that's basicly my dad's job for the county.”

“Right, now what would you say if you found out the Attorney General paid a hundred and fourteen million dollars for that investigation?”

“Huh!”

“Yeah, a bit extreme if you ask me...but when you look into it further, suddenly you see the reason it costs so much is because eleven lawyers who are all his buddies all got that contract to investigate it and be non-partisan.”

“What's non-partisan?”

“It means you're investigating without bias. You're agreeing to give the results to the state no matter who you find at fault.”

“That's cool.”

“Nope, it didn't happen.”

“Huh!”

“Now, get this because here is where it got crooked real fast. That power company has records which shows the Attorney General wrote them a letter requesting twenty thousand dollars in campaign contributions.

Needless to say when they were facing billions of dollars worth of damages, a twenty thousand dollar donation looked like a tip.”

“So he took that and then cleared them?”

“Yup, it was a natural accident.”

“How?”

“You tell me because all eleven of those people came up with the same words on their reports identical and not only that, but the guy accepted it and then made it a matter of public record to let anyone and everyone see it.

Needless to say, he was dumb because he ran for Governor and his opponent used it to broadcast what he did.”

“Serves him right.”

“Yeah, but in the meanwhile, the state paid billions for that disaster and millions to the lawyers. Everyone sat around smiling and licking their paws like fat cats and now, the fraud charges are getting thrown around and you are getting the case in front of you.”

“You just made me biased as to what my decision will be!”

“I'm telling you now if you do nothing while you and I are together, you're going to learn the citizen of this country is worth more to me than one lawyer. If you learn that, you'll learn to tell right from wrong. If you don't and you ever side with wrong, you'll have a reputation real fast of being known as buyable. That means that one lawyer goes out and suddenly he's telling everyone you can be bought and this is what he paid to get it done.”

“Oh man.”

“Yeah, so while you're taking pay offs and bribes in the back room, the citizen is getting fucked in the court room and I'll be there to expose you in the press.

When that happens, I'm going to probably not only have dates, times, and photographs, I'll have video proof, and sound so nothing can be left to doubt.

When that happens, your career is wiped out, your girl dumps your ass, and those kids you love spit on you.”

“What if I don't know what to do?”

“Call me. If your judgement is that clouded, I'll bring you home to where you can think clearly again.”

“How?”

“Robbie, it's like this. We all come from someplace. Yeah, you had a better life than me because your dad dumped bucks on you but that doesn't mean you were richer than me.

While your dad was dumping the money on you, my grandma was putting it into stocks. Think about that because I learned what it's like for the common man who works for a living. I know what it means to have to get up in the morning and decide if I'm going to eat breakfast with my buck fifty or if I'm going to buy lunch. That means I look at the menu and I decide which slop is tastiest.

You on the other hand probably got handed a ten spot and got told to get yourself a snack after school.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, most everyone is like me. They've not got enough money. They have to make decisions.”

“I didn't get money just handed to me. I had to decide too.”

“Excuse me, I'm sorry...I saw in your head and believe me, the choice of whether it's going to be a Mercedes for your sixteenth birthday or a BMW just blew my ass away.

Yeah, I have nice cars now, but you probably still see me as white trash because I got a new Caddy.”

“No.”

“Well, most people don't even get the choice of having a new car. They get to decide if they're going to get that car over there because it's good on gas, or that car over there because it might last a little longer than others.

What I'm trying to say is you think about what that person is saying to you and where they're coming from and realize they're probably being honest. That politician is probably being dishonest and you should give the person the benefit of the doubt.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah I'm sure because as we go along, I'm going to show you things they're getting off now which will be found wrong in the future and I'm doing it so when it comes up in front of you, you can give your judgments based upon actual knowledge.”

“Like what?”

“One is the FBI saying they can tell what bullet is from what metal.”

“And that's not right?”

“No, it's not right. I'll tell you why. If I took you into a metal foundry, you'd see they've got a big furnace. It's like a big huge square bowl like what they serve from in school.”

“Ok”

“Now, you got to imagine how big that thing is. It holds like a hundred thousand gallons of molten metal at once.”

“Ok”

“Now, get this because it's really down to fractional science rather than what they said.”

“I'm listening.”

“In order to fill that pan, you've got to melt a lot of ice cubes. Then, as you're making crystals which is about how small a bullet is in this equation, you've got probably billions and billions of them in that big vat.”

“Ok”

“Now, think about this because here's where it gets screwy.

Let's say I'm making bullets and I've got a big vat over there. I've got seventy machines which work twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. They spit them out and they require metal to be put into them at a certain temperature and the tolerances are real tight.”

“Ok”

“Now, do I let that vat go empty when it'll take another week to melt down a bunch more metal? Or, do I throw in ice cubes of new metal when it gets down a little so it can all easily be brought back up to temperature?”

“Ice cubes.”

“So, the metal is never changing in that vat and some of what you put in fifteen years ago could still be in there as well as what you just added five seconds ago. Right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, the FBI is going off the principal the company empties that vat totally and that metal is special to only a certain number of shells.”

“Ok, that would work, but you're saying they don't do it that way?”

“Right. It's not the way it actually is.

So, what we've got is the FBI going to trials and telling juries the metal that person had in them as a bullet is special. So special it's found down to a certain box of shells.”

“That's not right?”

“Hon, listen. Have you ever been to a potato chip factory?”

“Yeah, down at Columbia.”

“Can you hold up a bag of potato chips and say they all came from the same potato?”

“No.”

“Voila'! You now have your judgment. It's not based upon science which is real, but based upon an ideal science. The only way it could be real is if you actually cooked one potato and made chips. They're saying they made bullets from one vat of metal and everything was clean, perfect, and brand new from the beginning.”

“Oh man, how many people got convicted over it?”

“Thousands and lots of people could've died on death row over that testimony.”

“Why?”

“The FBI is there at the trial saying they're perfect and the science is irrefutable. It's bogus and anyone who wasn't so involved with the trial would have thought about it and said the FBI guy was full of shit.

Now, I'm going to switch gears on you and see if you think clearly in situations.”

“Ok”

“My second grade teacher did this on me and I passed. So you know it's possible to pass. However, only one other person in the class passed and that was Chris. He passed because we played that game a lot together.”

“Ok, I'm ready.”

“My first direction to you is to not do anything. Ok?”

“Ok”

“Now, hang on because I've got to pull over at my house.”

I pulled up at the house and then I said, “Ok, now what we're going to do is we're going to go in and then, I need you to make us a glass of soda because I've got cotton mouth like you wouldn't believe.

I'm going to look up Tootsie's dad's phone number and I'll call him. Then, we'll see what he says and while I'm speaking with him, I want you to listen in just so you know I actually talked with him and what he said. Ok?”

“Yeah.”

I got out of the car and he did too. I stopped and said, “Ok, you flunked.”

“Huh?!”

“You flunked, it was a following directions test. The first thing I told you was to not do anything. After that, I gave you a bunch of stuff meant to side track you.”

He smiled, “I got set up!”

“It's easy. A lot of people do it. Now, what if I had been kidnapped and I told you, “Remember that test we had in the second grade? You'd go, 'Yeah', and I'd say 'Ok, this is what they want us to do.

Now, you just got told I don't want you to do anything. I'm probably going to tell you I can handle it and the guy is a complete idiot.”

“That's dangerous.”

“Yeah, but what if I asked you if you remembered when my 'vette got ran over?”

“Yeah.”

“That would be me telling you it was that guy and for you to get help and tell them who it is.”

“What's his name again?”

“Mark Evans.”

“He played football.”

“Yeah”

“You made out with him?”

“Oh yeah, that guy is awesome. He had parts of me strung out so tight he played me like a fiddle.”

“What'd he do?”

“Some day I'll show you. When I do, you'll probably be on fire like I was.”

“We going in now?”

“Yeah, but there's a reason I'm building this up with you like this. I don't want you to think it's all because I like to do all the talking.”

“Ok”

“There's going to be times you're going to tell me things which I need to know like this. When it happens...damn!”

“What!”

“I need to call Ben and be sure he got my car because the video system is in it!”

“Huh?”

I turned and ran to the house. I unlocked the door and ran to the phone. He came in and I was already dialing Ben. “Hello?”

“Ben?”

“Yeah.”

“This is Jake, did you get my car?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, I forgot to be sure you got it because of the video system. I need to have one installed in this Caddy I'm driving now.”

“Ok, that's a lot easier.”

“Will you do it?”

“Yeah, let me get the old one out of the 'vette and see what I can save from it.”

“Where'd you tow the 'vette?”

“Out here to my shop.”

“Ok, I might want to pull that engine out of it and put it into this Caddy. Either that, or I've got to get a peppier engine into this.”

“Not sporty enough for you?!”

“It's beautiful, but I just get the feeling I'm in a big old slow tank. I need to know if I put my foot into it, it's going to move.”

“You might get a Banks or a Roots system in it. It's got a big enough engine compartment it'd fit without anyone noticing and that'd be able to get you really moving fast.”

“I'll work on that, but you might want to tell them what all to add onto it in order to be a strong car.”

“Ask Roger, he'd know.”

“I'll do that.”

“I'm glad you called because I could tell you were worried.”

“Yeah, I panicked for a second!”

“The video of him hitting you is amazing. It's a wonder no one was hurt or killed.”

“Well, we need to press charges on that, but it'll be good. Thanks now.”

“Any time.”

I hung up and said, “Man, that was a close call.”

“You've got video in your car?”

“Yeah, that way if anyone tampers with it, we know and they get charged with it. He said the video of the truck hitting the car is awesome.”

“Really!”

“Yeah, he said it's a wonder you guys weren't hurt.”

“I know Dad was yelling.” He said giggling.

“I bet!”

“I couldn't get out of the way in time. He came out of nowhere going full throttle at us. By the time I started to put it into gear, he was already up on us and driving over the hood.”

“Well, Ben takes photos of it where it is, so your dad will have plenty of evidence to prosecute.”

“I'll tell him.”

“Make us a glass of something to drink and I'll get Tootsie's dad called.”

I went in and looked up grandma's address book. I found his number and dialed it. It was answered but a real mousy voiced female answered, “Hello?”

“This is Jake Martin, I'm Rona Sherpa's grandson. I'm looking for Mr Benson.”

“He's out on the field right now, may I take a message?”

“Yeah, tell him I need advice as I've got a chance of buying a ball team. I need to know what to look for and what not to look for.”

“Hang on a minute, I'll get him up here.”

“Thanks.”

“Tom! Yo' Tom! Get up here Tom!”

“Be right with you Aunt Polly!'

[I swear I had to do it, ya'll. Being from Hannibal and all, it just had to be done when I had a character named Tom. If you don't get it, type Tom and Hannibal into your search engine and see what comes up. Then look at the first lines of the book.]

Tom came to the phone, “Hello?”

“Tom?”

“Yeah.”

“This is Jake Martin, my grandma was Rona Sherpa.”

“Oh! How are you?”

“Fine, I need some advice.”

“OK, I'll do what I can.”

“That's all I can expect, now what do you know about the Angels?”

“Is this professional or personal?”

“I've got a chance of buying the team.”

“How much does he want?”

“A hundred and twenty.”

“Tell him you'd pay ninety and then tell him you'd pay more if you got the stadium contracts, but if not, tell him to get screwed.”

“Ok, now what am I going to get with that?”

“If they don't have the stadium, that means you pay rent just like anyone else. Yeah, it's a sweetheart deal, but you pay rent. They get the concessions and you get a percentage of them. You don't get anything else and you own the name of the team and that's about it.”

“Ok, so ninety million and I get it without a stadium and a hundred and twenty for the team and stadium contracts.”

“Yeah, but I'll tell you now they won't do it. They'll tell you it's for the team alone and if you want exclusives on a stadium for you to build your own.”

“Ok, so if you were building a stadium, who would you have design it?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“Go with someone who designs the biggest and best. You get yourself luxury boxes and you get seating for eighty thousand. Get yourself concessions and bathroom facilities for a hundred and forty thousand and you'll have just enough to keep everyone happy. Whatever you do, don't sell out your tickets to that ticket place and don't sell out your advertising. What you do do is you let someone else put their name on it because it's like free money for a five year contract on it.”

“Would you be a consultant with me on it?”

“You're how old?”

“Seventeen.”

“And buying a pro team?!”

“Yeah, I wanna play ball. Rather than jacking around, I'll buy a team to do it.”

“That's expensive as hell, but if you're any good, it'd help if you were a quarterback.”

“I am.”

“Where are you at now?”

“Moberly, up north of Tootsie.”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she's a sweetheart. I rode horses with her just last Saturday.”

“She doing ok?”

“Yeah, she's fine.”

“Do me a favor and get her talked out of that bum she's with.”

“I can't. He's a nice guy and they love each other.”

“Love...she doesn't know what the word means!”

“Sir, let's get back onto the ball team, would you consult me on it?”

“Yeah, but I can't officially do it. Let me give you a cell phone number which isn't registered to me.”

“Ok”

He gave me the number and said, “What you do is you put them on speaker phone and you tell them you've got a conference call in with your consultant and have me on speaker too. That way, he thinks I'm there and we're all having a conference call.”

“Good, I appreciate it.”

“He's going to fuck you on that team. I'll tell you that now. What I need to know is how much you're willing to spend?”

“I got told I can afford up to two hundred without a stadium and five with one.”

“That's a helluva chunk of change for a kid.”

“My grandma invested well. When she died, I got a lot of stocks and a lot of insurance.”

“She sure loved you. I spoke with her about once a month and the last time was right before she died when she knew you were going to play ball.”

“I didn't know that.”

“Yeah, now if you're any good, I could send a scout?”

“Send a scout because if this falls through, I'll still want to play pro.”

“How much a year you interested in?”

“It's not what I want a year, but what I want for a contract and for everything else.”

“What's that?”

“A fifteen year contract minimum. No trades and fifteen million a year. You get me standard bonuses and percentages and I stay there my entire career.”

“I'll scout you. If you're good, I'll see. That's par for a good player, but you're doing right by wanting the no trade long term commitment. It gets an owner interested if you're good.”

“What if I'm great?”

“Then you've sold yourself short and that's not good for you at all.”

“Would you be honest with me and tell me either way?”

“Yeah.”

“Good because I've got the Redskins scouting me tonight and I'd really like to know if that guys blowing sweat off my balls or just trying to get a look at 'em.”

He laughed, “IF you've got the Redskins already scouting you, you're good to great. They don't scout high school kids at all...Well, I don't either, but I knew your grandma. I'll send someone up. Has Tootsie seen you play?”

“Yeah, she cusses like a sailor and I can hear her yell clear out on the field, but when it's all done, she says I'm the best fucking quarterback she's ever seen and she'd hire me on herself if she could.”

“Well, that tells me you're damned good and probably great. Now, tell me what you can do that makes you special?”

“Let's see, I'm told I'm better than most any quarterback because I can run faster backwards than anyone forwards. I can do that and aim forward at the same time. I've got missile like speed and accuracy and I can throw over three hundred yards with no problem. When I run the ball, I'm way faster than anyone else and I've got my fifty down to four point two, but I've been down to three point nine during games.”

“Son of a bitch!”

“I can't kick, and I can't punt, but what they say is bad about me is I'm short. I'll tell you I'll grow and I'll tell you when my legs get longer, I'll be faster, but everyone says they doubt that.”

“I don't doubt you at all. You're right. You are stretching out your legs now to their full advantage and you're picking them up and putting them down to move that fast. The taller you are and the longer your legs, the faster you'll be. It's that way.”

“Well, that's the thing of it is I throw a ton of yards and I run a bunch, but I really look forward to the pros.”

“Why?”

“In high school, the line isn't big enough. I don't feel protected and I need to count on them running up the field quicker than the other guys can get to me. That's how we make it work.”

“You're playing tonight?”

“Yeah, seven o'clock, but it's going to be an emotional game.”

“Why?”

“One of my best friends on the team got killed last night. His parents hacked him and his sister up. The other coach wouldn't postpone, so we're going to tromp them and publicly embarrass them in all the ways I can think.”

“Like what?”

“My first score is going to be me running backwards ahead of their guys trying to tackle me. It's going to show them I can beat them backwards and they'll be blown out of the water.”

“I'm catching a flight up there. Don't let the Redskin guy know because I want to take his oars out of the water. If he thinks he's getting you as a scoop for nothing, he'll see I'm an owner who showed up there.”

“You're an owner?”

“Yeah, I own this team, she didn't tell you?”

“No, I thought you were like a coach or something.”

He laughed, “No, this is my team.”

“Do you do ok making money from your investment?”

“Some years it's good and some years it's great. It depends upon the season and how many are watching.

A great year will fill the stands which will sell more concessions and more souvenirs. I'll tell you I made my money back several times over through the years.”

“Ok, now is it a good investment for the money?”

“Yeah, let me tell you why. When you buy a team, you bought it. There's only so many of them and it makes you money. Now, it'll get you money, but your team is going to go up in value. Consider the fact I bought my team for twenty six million and you're looking at one for a hundred. That's making mine worth that same amount. Now, think about it because in twenty years, someone will probably buy one for a lot more and ours will be worth that purchase price.”

“Ok, I think I get it. It's like houses on an exclusive street. What one sells at all the others are worth.”

“Yeah, but some are worth a lot more because they're consistently great. If you can get management and coaching, you'll have a team management structure which can lead so-so players to doing something pretty good, but great players to doing some really great things.”

“What's your management and coaching looking like?”

“Same as about any.”

“Oh, so you're so-so as far as teams go.”

“We're all looking for that one really break out player. Usually, when they come along, we can't afford them.”

“If I'm that player, is my package deal making me worth the investment?”

“Yeah”

“Good, I need to know these things.”

“I'll be up tonight. I'll do some calling and see what I can find about the Angels which will help you. I think I know what it is already, but if it is, I'll tell you what I can do to help you make it better.”

“Good, I'll see you then. Do you want a press box?”

“No, I like being cold every now and then.”

“Bring candles. We're having a candlelight vigil afterward for Jared.”

“That's your friend who got killed?”

“Yeah, we figure if they wouldn't let us take the time to mourn, we're going to make them mourn with us before they get to leave the field.”

“Good thinking.”

“You'll see some pranks and a lot of oneryness. The key to it is if you hear the other coach yelling at his team, you're to start laughing at him.”

“Why?”

“He's a real idiot. He calls people names and really cusses at his team. We're going to do what we can to embarrass him.”

“I don't blame you.”

“So just be prepared for a lot of goofiness. It's our way of getting into their head.”

“I'm looking forward to it.”

I hung up and said, “That's two teams coming to scout me tonight. It's a shame I'm buying the Angels.”

“You talked him into scouting you just so you could tell him you're buying another team?”

“I want to know what I'm actually worth a year. If he says I'm worth twenty million a year and I buy the team for a hundred and twenty, then I got it for six years of playing ball. After that, I can start paying myself what I'm worth for the next nine years.”

“That price doesn't count the stadium?”

“No. He said to offer ninety million without the stadium but to offer more for stadium contracts which means all the contracts inside the stadium.”

“Is that what they do?”

“Yeah, it's like building a stadium without building it. I get all those benefits and the city maintains the stadium.”

“That's pretty smart.”

“Now, I need to know if I can find a way of getting my nickname on the team there and start doing promo work to announce I'm coming to play.”

“What if they've got a quarterback?”

“They don't. He said they had a lousy one.”

“That's good, then you're filling that spot and you'd do good.”

“Let's hope. He told me he'd tell me the truth about my abilities. Now, we gotta hope we have a spectacular chance for me to showcase my abilities.”

“What do you want to do now?”

“What time is it?”

“Three twenty.”

“We gotta go downtown and buy a couple of buildings. Be sure to make me check and see Mr Owsley got his refrigeration unit repaired.”

“Ok, but why?”

“It's bad. If it's not repaired, he'll shock to death on it and burn down the block.”

“Oh man!”

“So, we gotta get that unit repaired.”

“It's been a long time since I've been in there.”

“By the time I'm done, I'll own the whole block of them. Today's deal is for Mr Owsley's and the one next door.”

“How much are you paying for those?”

“A hundred and twenty for Mr Owsley's and sixty five for the one next door.”

“That's not bad.”

“Not bad considering I'll get the other two from Grant and then, I can open what I want there.”

“What's that?”

“It's a whole lot of little things, but it's going to all be themed in the 40's and early fifties.”

“That'd be neat.”

“One thing I'll probably have you do to help me, is I want to advertise using our popularity to get people in there.”

He gave me a look and I nearly busted out laughing. I said, “Contrary to your judgmental opinion, I'm popular in a lot of ways. I'm quarterback and a lot of people look up to me....not that I'm tall or anything, but just the same, I'm good on the tennis courts, so I know people dig me because I beat the hell out of some of the ones who not many like...like you.”

“People like me!”

“Yeah, you're everyone's favorite asshole.”

“You think that!”

“Hey, you judge people. I know why you do it, but you got the reputation yourself and now it's up to us to change it. I'll help you, but you can't judge anyone and I mean that...ANY ONE.”

“I don't judge many people.”

“Many who do, are in your little click. All the rest get judged fairly and evenly.”

“I'm not going to argue about it.”

“I wouldn't either if I was that badly thought of...”

I smiled as he was really mad. He came over and his eyes were blazing. “You're messing with me!”

“I'm messing with you, but people DO think it.”

“I was mad!”

“You should be mad at yourself. Now you know why your dad was so disappointed.”

“He was disappointed?”

“Wouldn't you be?”

“I didn't know.”

I went over and hugged him. “He made a life so you'd have it easier than him. He didn't realize when he was making it easier that you were turning into one of the ones he hated when he was going to school.”

“Why didn't he tell me?”

“No one had told him until I did and then, everyone was telling him the same thing. It's like they were afraid to tell him because of him being the Prosecuting Attorney.”

“That's dumb.”

“People are that way. That's why I want people around me who are going to tell me the truth. And that's why when I found out Grant was using me to further his own agenda, I got rid of him.”

“And you still love him?”

“I always will. I understand why he did it just like I understand why you did it. It doesn't make the reason right, it just helps me to understand him better as a person and you too.”

“I like being held by you.”

“Good, I like it too. You're really a good looking guy.”

“You are too.”

“Thanks.”

“You don't think I'm too thick?”

“No, I think you're just right. When you fill up and fill out, you're going to be built like your dad and you're going to be way hot.”

“You think he's hot?”

“Let me tell you something. A man can look like a man and I'll tell you he looks like a man. When I see in his head or his partner's head and I see what he's capable of doing to satisfy his partner like he does your mom, it's like way more of a turn on because that woman is lucky.”

“If we get that far, will you show me what you like?”

“Oh yeah, and I'll show you what you like...and whatever else you like, I'll perfect until you're screaming like that.”

“Can I stay over tonight?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“First of all, here's my schedule. After a game, I'm sore and it's such a thing there's no one who can touch me without putting me into a super bitchy mood. Just think of having the hell beaten out of you non-stop for three hours and you'll know what I feel like.”

“You're going to talk with Grant?”

“Grant and I are going to talk here. I'll probably sit in the tub and he'll probably have to sit on the floor to carry on that conversation.”

“You won't do anything sexual?”

“No, it's not about that. It's about us getting some things settled.

The second reason Friday nights are out with me is because Saturday mornings are spent with Grant's mom and dad. No matter what, I'll be doing that because I really like them and they're cool people.”

“What are they like?”

“Grant's dad is a real joke player. He still gets me bad and I've been known to get him. His mom, though, is like the perfect grandmother. She tells him to shape up and me to put up with him and Grant's dad to settle down.”

“Will I meet them?”

“Yeah, the day I think you can meet them without judging them.”

“That's real fair!”

“That's the truth. I'm more protective of them than Grant. He doesn't treat them like me because I had my grandma and lost her and he doesn't know what he's got. You, the way I think you'd see them is they're old and they don't have a fancy house, therefore they're easy to judge. That'd be a big mistake with me because I love them.”

“I won't go around them.”

“That's fine. It's your loss, but some day you'll be able to meet without judgement and I'll sneak you in on them.”

“You don't give me much credit.”

“You've not earned much credit with me. I'm not a part of the Muffy & Buffy judgmental revue and Thadeous and Bartholomew just aren't likely going to be my old chaps at the clawb.”

“You think that's what I am?”

“You play the part damned good if you're not.”

“The way I see it, you're real judgmental yourself.”

“I've got to be! You're up here and I'm down here. The rest of the world is down here with me and the second I let you lob a bomb is the second you think you get to do that for always.”

“Why don't you see if I do it instead of thinking it's going to be when I do it?”

“Ok, I'll do that and when it happens, I'm coming in with full arsenal blazing.”

“Can I do it back?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, I bet I do it before you do it.”

“You probably will. I'm more in a defensive position than you right now.”

“Ok, if it's one of you pre-existing conditions, you raise a finger or tell me in some silent way and I'll let it be.”

“Those are about to be gone. However, let me give you a clue. If those guys get off by some technicality, your dad and I have promised each other we're going to take matters into our own hands.”

“Really!”

“Yeah, they've killed a lot of people and it's all bad. He even removed himself from the case so it wouldn't look personal.”

“He told me he's done more on this case than any of them.”

“Let me give you a clue. My dad was sexual. If he taught your dad any of what he knows, or if your dad taught my dad any of what he knows, they were damned good together.”

“My dad's not gay!”

“You don't have to be gay to do shit together when you're young. You can jack with a guy and one might be gay and the other isn't. You might even find out they'll give each other head and it's not considered gay.”

“You mean?”

“Your dad wasn't gay. I think mine would've been if he didn't have a time limit on this planet.”

“What's your time limit?”

“I don't know and I prefer not to know. When it happens, it happens, but I'm living each day thinking it's my last. That way, I know it's been a full long ride when it happens.”

I looked over and saw Jared. “Robbie, hang on a moment, Jared's here.”

“Where?!”

“Over there by the door.”

He turned around and Jared smiled, “If he saw me, he'd pass out.”

“Move or something and maybe he'd see something.”

He started doing jumping jacks and then, he put his thumbs in his ears and did a moose with his tongue waggling in and out.

I chuckled, “You're a nut.”

“I'm here to request you say something tonight.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Tell everyone if they disrespect my family's home on Halloween, I'll see it turns into a real fright fest.”

“They're planning that?!”

“Ask shit for brains over there. He was already planning on being a part of it.”

“You mean a mass suicide?”

“They want to come over and do a séance and a bunch of crazy stuff.”

“Hang on, let me ask him.”

I turned to Robbie, “Are you guys planning on having a séance and doing a lot of stuff on Halloween at Jared's house?”

“Some were.”

“You tell them if they think about it happening, it'll happen in terrible ways. He's promising it'll be a fright fest alright.”

“They want to see if he'll come.”

“Tell the dumb son of a bitch's it's disrespecting his home! Tell them his feelings will be hurt and he's promising they'll die.”

“They probably won't do anything.”

“Guess what, I'm going to see it doesn't happen. I'll have cops and rent a cops over there by the brigade so it doesn't happen.”

“You're a helluva lot of fun.” he said sarcasticly.

Jared came over and had Robbie lifted by his shirt collar in no time. I said, “Robbie, you get his feelings on the issue. IF you think disrespecting someone's home is your idea of a good time, I'll have to ask you to have it at your house.”

Jared turned to me, “Tell him if he wanted to die at my house, he should've died in the manner I died.”

“Jared said to tell you if you want to die at his house, you've got to die in the manner he died.”

“His throat was slit. Not deep enough to kill him but deep enough to cut his voice box. His fingers were cut off and he was stabbed, sliced, and poked with knives for fun. They sliced his side open so much you could see his kidney and liver.”

Robbie started gagging.

“His dick was cut off and his feet had long slices down the middles of them so he couldn't run. They cut up under his toes, but didn't cut them off. I'm not sure why they did that.

His eyeballs were gouged out and yet, he lived long enough to dial 911 on the wall telephone, so you tell me how he stood on those feet and dialed without fingers.”

“I didn't know!”

“You tell them they'll all die in the same exact way. It'll be a blood bath and yet, when they find the bodies, there'll be enough they'll all be lain out to spell out JARED in the drive way. He wants them to know he did it and to not come back.”

Jared lowered him and said, “Jake, he peed again.”

“I'll mop it up.”

“You sure you want him?”

“I need him.”

“What's up with Grant?”

“He turned into an idiot.”

“Tell him to be here tonight. I'll make it so he sees me.”

“Ok, but if you wanted to have Robbie believe you, you should've done it now. He's already peed.”

Jared stood back and said, “Tell him to look up.”

“Robbie, look up.”

He looked up and stared at Jared.

“I can see him!”

Jared switched and suddenly he was showing how he looked when he died. Robbie screamed and passed out.

“Jared, that wasn't cool.”

“Hey, it was good enough for my parents.”

“Do it at your trial. It ought to definitely get the death penalty.”

“Let me see if I can. That'd be cool.”

“I need to wake him up. It's a friggin' shame you can't clean up the mess.”

He laughed, “He made it, make him clean it up.”

“As it is, he doesn't have any clothes here. I've gotta get down there to buy those buildings.”

“You're being sweet by being everyone's matchmaker.”

“When I get to playing ball, I'll be everyone's play maker, so you count on seeing it.”

“I'll be there.”

“Don't scare everyone.”

He laughed, “Not many are going to see me.”

“The ones who can. Let them see the hot guy who is there being a cheerleader for me instead of seeing what you showed him.”

“They're going to see it on Halloween if they show up there.”

“Jared, please, I'll do what I can.”

He came over and asked, “Can I have a kiss?”

“Always for you.”

I kissed him and licked his bottom lip. “Oh man.”

He smiled, “We would've been great together.”

“Yeah.” I said breathlessly.

“Wake him up so you can get out of here. You might as well leave him so he can get his clothes washed.”

“I'll call and see if I can get some clothes from his parents.”

“He pees a lot.”

“Were you there?”

“Yeah, you found your Evel Knievel where I put it?”

“You put it there?”

“I wanted you to know I had it. I found it out in the sand box after they made you move. I cried and cried.”

“I'm sorry they did that to us.”

“Me too.”

He came forward again and kissed me. “Why does this feel so right when I can't have you?”

“It was meant to be. They took it away.”

“Now I get to live alone without you.”

“You've got pee boy over there.”

“I think he's going to be fine if I can get him off that judgmental shit.”

“He'll be fine. I'm just joking with you.”

“Well, help me wake him up.”

“Leave him. I'll get him up and get him dried.”

“I've got to buy that building.”

“Tell my mom I forgive her.”

“Huh?”

“I miss my mom. She supported us.”

“How in the hell did you come up with that great bit of wisdom?”

“She did!”

“She was in that house as he was killing her kids. She had to have helped with all the parts cut off of you and why in the hell did you let him do it?”

“I wasn't going to let him see me cry. I was stupid. He got more brutal in his actions because I didn't.”

“Did he intend on killing you?”

“I don't know.”

“Well, she's going to get the death penalty too. You should know that.”

“Don't let them do it.”

“Then you've got to see her and you've got to convince her to testify against him. That's the only way she can save herself.”

“You gotta talk with her.”

“I can't. I'm a victim. They're not going to let me anywhere near them.”

“Can you ask Mike if he'd set it up?”

“What good is it going to do for me to see her?”

“She'd know you loved me and it was worth me dying.”

“I loved you. I still love you! I will always love you!”

He came over and said, “On my birthday each year, you make our time alone wherever you are so we can be together. I know they're going to make me stop seeing you sometime, but I'll get it so I can see you then.”

“When's that?”

“April 12th, the same as yours.”

“Huh?”

“We were born at the same time. Didn't you know that?”

“No.”

“A split soul. We were halves who make a whole. That's why they didn't want us together.”

“Why?”

“What you couldn't do, I could.”

“Can you merge into me?”

“I don't know, that'd be pretty kinky.”

“Ok, I guess I watched too much something on tv.”

He smiled, “Go buy your buildings. He'll be ready when you get back.”

I went out to the car and left. While driving, I called Jack.

“Hello?”

“Jack, has he called you?”

“No.”

“OK, well fuck him. He was supposed to call you and now, I'm pissed. What I want is this car ran through and either having a Banks twin turbo system stuffed into it or a Roots blower put in it. It's got to get some move to it.”

“When do you want it brought in?”

“How about you getting another one and getting it done to it so I don't have to be without a vehicle while it's being done.”

“You won't be without.”

“Nah, you're not getting it. I'm not going to drive a Metro and hope someone doesn't want to run a street race and kill me.”

“You'd get better gas milage.”

“Jack, I'm not looking for better gas milage. Gas is eighty nine cents a gallon. I think I can afford it.”

“Ok, I'll get you a hopped up Caddy done.”

“Make sure it moves like a striped ape.”

“You left out a word.”

“If I want ass, I'll ask Grant what he is the next time I get screwed by him. Just to be safe, let me tell you I'm probably going to chuck the football into Grant's nuts at the game tonight, so it might be cool to come and watch.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me right. I'll get off here now.”

I hung up and pulled in front of Owsley's.”

When I went in, Dolly was sitting at the counter. “Hi!”

“Hi, Mr Musselman here yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“Where's Mr Owsley?”

“In the back.”

“He ok?”

“Ummm, yeah.”

“I need to go back there.”

“No, don't do that!”

“Why not?”

“He's going through a fire inspection.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I think he's wearing out that fireman. He keeps singing 'Up the Ladder to the Roof' over and over.”

“Oh man, well, I'm glad he's happy.”

“You doing fine?”

“I'll make do. It's tough.”

“What's tough hon?”

“Dolly, Jared died last night. I keep seeing him and earlier, he kissed me. Until then, I was fine with my life and now I want a dead guy. I keep saying I'm not nuts, but that's creepy.”

“When's his funeral?”

“I don't know. I've not heard.”

“When you bury him, it'll be better. It's hard saying goodbye but you get better with it when you see them in their casket.”

“It's going to be closed casket.”

“You sure?”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Sure hon.”

“My new boyfriend was at the house and he saw Jared.”

“That's nice.”

“It was and then Jared showed himself as he was when he died. It's rather gory. Needless to say, my new boyfriend peed his pants and passed out.”

“Where's he at now?”

“I left him there. Jared said he'd take care of him.”

“Jeez, you don't leave your boyfriend laying on the floor. It doesn't bode well for the relationship.”

“How do you know?”

“That's how I met my husband. He passed out in the barn. I left him there and the next morning, he had cow pie all over his head. My mother threw a fit and made him go outside.”

“Did you all date soon after that?”

“That night, but that was after he was made to clean out the stalls.”

“It sounds like he did most of that with his head.”

“No, he traded the cows. He puked all over the place and took the meadow muffin.”

“I guess you could say he went from one to another.”

“Huh?”

“From meadow muffins to yours.”

“Why is it women always have baked goods and men have the butcher shop?”

“I don't know, you get fish.”

“You just didn't go there!”

“Well, how else can you say it? Snapper and tuna are yours. We get trouser trout, but I guess a gay guy gets grouper.”

She laughed, “You're terrible!”

Mr Musselman came in, “Where's Robbie?”

“I left him at the house. He sort of needed to take a break.”

“Ok, how's it going?”

“Wonderfully, he saw Jared, peed his pants, and passed out.”

“What!”

“That's twice today he's peed his pants. Have you noticed if he does that a lot, or not?”

“He's never done that before.”

“Ok, I'll watch his intake. Maybe he needs to go out on the hour or something. I'll make sure I get him up and take him for a walk around the house.” Dolly chuckled and Mike smiled, I said, “What's so funny! I'm trying to get him used to me. Maybe it's his nerves!”

Mike laughed, “What's he think of everything so far?”

“We sort of got into it. I think he's judgmental and he said I am. So, we're going to give each other a lot of grief when it happens.”

Dolly chuckled, “Day one and they're all ready to argue. I didn't do that until after the honeymoon.”

Mike said, “It was after we found out she was pregnant with Robbie for us.”

“You probably didn't come up for air until then!”

He laughed and Dolly snorted her fizz out. Mike turned to me and said, “Get him laid, he'll argue less.”

Dolly laughed, “I do too. It must run in the family.”

Mike looked around and asked, “Where's Mr Owsley?”

“In the back. The fireman is inspecting things.”

“The one supposed to be with Grant?!”

“No, his partner...well, ex partner. They still share the truck. His partner kept the hose and Grant will get that.”

Dolly laughed and Mike chuckled. “I was hoping for a crème fizz.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, with two nuts.”

Dolly smiled and I said, “Let me get that for you.”

I went behind the counter and asked, “Who turned you onto them?”

“Your dad. He said it was the salt from the peanuts which made them clear and blue.”

“Did he serve them to you with whipped topping or not?”

“I never liked mine with it so I requested mine without it. Your dad always got his served with.”

“That sly old dog. Well, here's yours.”

Mike said, “I'm beginning to worry about him back there.”

“They're ok. Dolly's here, so you could go ahead and give her check.”

Mike pulled it out and said, “Sixty five thousand, right?”

“Yes sir.”

She took it and said, “Here's the deed. We have to notarize it but we can do that when we process it with the county.”

Mike said, “My office has a notary.”

I yelled, “Mr Owsley! You might check to see if the back trap back there is clogged. We don't want any build up of sewage gas.”

Dolly chuckled and said, “Kid, you're terrible!”

Mr Owsley came through the back doorway smiling, “Young Jeff, you're a wickedly delightful little creature.”

“Thank you sir, but I never got Jeff as my middle name. They gave me Allen. Altogether, my initials spell Jam. Speaking of jam, did you say you had some in the back?”

Mr Owsley smiled, “You wanted me to sell this place to you?”

“Sure, he's got the check.”

“Good”

“Did you get the refrigeration unit repaired?”

“They took out the Buss fuse and said not to operate it until they get back with a replacement compressor. He said it could've killed me the way it was operating.”

“Good, tell them to bill it to me.”

He nodded and said, “Here's the deed.”

“Where's the drawing my dad made of the place?”

“It's right here.”

I took a look at it and saw everything I had thought about having. I pushed it to Dolly and said, “There you are, that's what I was saying.”

She looked at it and said, “It's beautiful!”

“I've got to call Ted to get it going, but what I need to do is get Grant on getting me some classic cars.”

Mike said, “I don't do those. You need to get a magazine out at Grant's and look through those. They sell them in it.”

“Ok, now are you ready for what I found out about the football team?”

“Sure” he said suddenly leaning forward.

“My contact is coming up here tonight to scout me. He said for me to offer ninety and not to go much above a hundred unless they're offering stadium contracts.”

Mike asked, “Can I use your phone?”

“Sure.”

He used my phone and dialed. When it was answered, he said, “I spoke with my client and he said to offer you ninety for the team and not to go above one twenty for the team unless it has a stadium contract.”

He looked at me and said, “You don't say! Let me ask him.”

He pulled the phone back and said, “Full contracts, royalties, and this years receipts for one eighty. If they go to Superbowl, he splits.”

I rolled my eyes. Is that with or without ownership stakes in a stadium?”

He put his ear to the phone and asked, when he pulled it away, he said, “Three twenty five for the stadium, all contracts, the team, and full royalties.”

“Tell him we'll have to get out there to sign everything. Now, tell him to start running promotions he has a new quarterback and let the media know I'm good enough the Redskins and New Orleans has scouted me.”

Mike nodded and told him. He pulled back and said, “He said there's no money for you to get paid.”

“I know, after six years, I start getting paid. Until then, I'm legal to play both high school and college if I wanted because I'm not taking a check.”

Mike's eyes lit up, “Man!”

“Yeah, so I can play high school football on Friday and then play theirs on Sunday. You tell him if he wants me this Sunday, he's got to pay for the jet to get me there and to call Grant to get my sizes.”

He told the guy and then said, “He'll be here tonight to sign papers. I told him we didn't have the money yet, but he said he'd take a promissory note due thirty days from now.”

I nodded and said, “Tell him to get a move on it. We'll be at the stadium until about 11pm. If it's a small jet, he can land at the airport here and I'll have someone pick him up. If he's staying the night, I've got to arrange a room.”

He told the guy and then said, “He's not staying. He'll be here as fast as the bird can fly. He said once he returns home with the signed contracts, he'll begin advertising he sold the team and will apply to get the football league to approve you.”

“How many voters do I need? I'll start glad handing the owners to get that approval.”

“He said they need seven to approve. Since you're obviously without any contracts or influence in the business, they'll approve you.”

“Ok, I appreciate it.”

He hung up and I was jumping for joy. “YAHOO!”

Mike said, “I need to get you incorporated damned fast. If you don't, taxes are going to really rip you a new one.”

I took my phone and called Dan. “Hello?”

“Dan?”

“Yeah.”

“I need you to do me some new promotional pieces. I'll be Player 16 on the Angels. You can do the Angel head but underneath, I want you to put “the Hawk” in quotation marks.”

“You got signed?”

“Not exactly. I signed, but it's without pay for the first six years.”

“You got screwed.”

“Nah, it's gonna work out.”

“When are you signing?”

“When they get here.”

“Can I have your permission to make some money off this?”

“Where at?”

“Vegas. We can plant that information and have a fortune made before the news hits.”

“Dan, I can't. I'm an owner.”

“Huh!”

“I bought the team. It'd fuck up my approval of the league.”

“I can though, right?”

“Do it, but I never did anything except ask you for merchandising. You got me?”

“Sure, I'll even make up the invoice for right now.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Oh man, now I gotta become an Angel's fan. This is going to suck.”

“Hey, just for that, I'll make sure you don't get the graphics for the new team buses.”

“You're getting buses?”

“Yeah, I want us to be comfortable on them. I figure we'll need at least three maybe four buses if we're to have recliners which will hold up their big asses.”

“How do you want it?”

“The graphics with the Angel, just work on until you get something really cool. You should probably work with the same color scheme since they don't like them to mess with colors unless the league approves.”

“See if you can change the Angel. My reasoning is if you come up with a new Angel, everyone's got to buy the new one to be up to date. If not, your old merchandise gets to sell out.”

“Ok, plan on the new merchandise to roll through for next year. This year's has to sell out. What we need is some t-shirts with me on it and some kerchiefs with me on it to sell immediately. If you can get me a hat with me on it, that'd be great.”

“I'll get to work on it. How many and how soon?”

“They're checking to see if I can play at this Sunday's game, so you really need to get to moving on it.”

“Good quality?”

“The best quality. I don't want guys tearing these off when they win and I sure don't want girls to go transparent when it gets wet.”

“Ok, let me get on this and I'll get you a lot of somethings.”

“I appreciate it.”

“No, thank you!”

“No problem guy.”

I hung up and said, “I gotta tell Grant and I gotta tell Robbie.”

I felt a tap on my shoulder and there stood Robbie. He smiled and I saw a different glint in his eyes. He had Jared's eyes.

“Hey guy, I'm so happy for you!” He hugged me and I hugged back extra tight.

Dolly cleared her throat and said, “His dad is right here guys!”

Robbie smiled and said, “Dad, it's ok, right?”

“Yeah, are you happy?”

“I'm great. I've got to break up, but I'll do that tonight.”

I said, “Good, I've got to speak with Grant, but all is good now.”

Mr Musselman said, “Robbie, are you riding with Jake?”

“Do you think you and mom are going to have much of a problem if I move some clothes over to Jake's? I know it's sudden, but I've already had a problem and needed clothes there.”

“He told me, are you ok?”

“It was a shock, but I'm ok.”

Dolly giggled, “You certainly came out of it better than my hubby did.”

Robbie looked perplexed and I said, “She left her hubby face down in the barn. He came out with cow patties as part of his hair do and facial.”

Mike said, “Yuck!”

I laughed, “Well, Rob had a close call. At least he didn't lose all functions.”

Mike turned to me and asked, “Is it ok if he brings a few thing over to your house?”

“Sure, but not many since I'm looking at the new house tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I forgot. I'm supposed to ask you if you'd be interested in purchasing her house with or without furniture?”

“Have you seen it?”

“No, but the price difference isn't much. It might be beneficial if you buy it with the furniture.”

“Ok, if it's not much, I'll buy it with. It'll get me moved in quicker, right?”

“Yeah.”

I asked, “Mike, do you think I should go ahead and get his name put on my house?”

“Do you want that?”

“I'd be fine with it. I know it'll work out. I just worry about him with this break up.”

Mike said, “Jake, come this way. We need to talk for a moment.”

“Sure.”

I said, “Dolly, we're going next door. Is that ok?”

“Sure hon. I'll go ahead and leave. I'll see you at the game.”

“Remember the family section. I want you there. Ok?”

“Sure babe.”

Mike and I went out and into the dress shop. When we went in, he said, “Jake, did you do anything to Robbie?”

“No, why?”

“He seems different. His voice is lower and he seems to have more of a glow about him and a twinkle in his eye.”

“I swear, all we did was kissed!” I said with wide eyes and three fingers in the air.

Mike laughed, “No! It just feels like he's growing up.”

“Well, he's afraid people are going to make fun of him and what people are going to think of us getting together and then me quitting school.”

“You can play now while staying in school. Why don't you stay?”

“Let me think on it. It confuses me because I really don't see a need. The only reason I can think to stay in school would be Rob and not for the schooling or the football. Besides, what if there's a lot of business which needs to be transacted for the team?”

“Let's cross one bridge at a time. My first thought is you need to speak to that man more. What if you take that plane ride back with him and then bring the plane back home. It's going to stay here, so you can go out with him and see what you can learn from him.”

“Why's he selling?”

“I don't know.”

“Tom Benson is coming up tonight and he was supposed to have that info for me as well as the rock bottom offer I should make. Really, I think we made a helluva deal.”

“You made a great deal.”

“You did too considering you've got to take a ten percent fee for it.”

“I'm not taking your money.”

“You gotta! If I don't look like I'm legit, they'll approve the deal!”

He smiled, “Son, you finally have something which is going to make you more responsible. Until just now, you've been with the “I don't give a shit” attitude and now, you're starting to realize why everyone else is so afraid of their shadows.”

“Mike, I've got to ask you a question. Ok?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Tom Benson said we've got to have strong management and good coaches. Do you think Grant would coach for me out there?”

“Would you want him to coach for you?”

“You're not understanding why I want him out there, so I'll explain it. Until now, Grant's lost his chance at the pros. He never got to finish the college level satisfactorily and he's in a jealous rut.

If I show him someone loved him enough to help his dream of the pros was possible, he'd be out of the rut. Yeah, I'd own the team and I'd be the star player, but I'm about to spring something else on you, so please give me your opinion.”

“That's up to you. As bad as you two get along, I don't know. I can see you firing him real fast. However, it's your call.”

“Ok, I'll think on it, but my next deal is to ask you to put Rob's name on everything including ownership of the team.”

“What!”

“Face it, I know this is working for good. You don't know it, but I feel there's a level of connection with him which is just all over my heart. Yeah, I loved Grant, but this is a different love. This is a connection of my soul or something.”

“You think that?”

“We've not even made love yet and we've done nothing but kiss and already, I know it's just the one relationship for me. Does that make sense?”

“I know, I felt it with his mom.”

“That's why I have to restrain myself. He's feeling it too. He wanted to move in tonight! I had to stop him and slow it down, but really, I didn't want to. It hurts and I don't want to upset him and make him think I don't want it, but I just want us to not build it in that house and us having our own place to build it in.”

He smiled and nodded, “You are so much like your dad. You're fretting over the little things and it's great, but love doesn't stop because of little things. It envelopes them and grows bigger and better.”

“You don't mind?”

“I've got to speak with his mom, but I think she's going to be great with it. One thing I'll tell you is he's going to go home and she'll probably swear you and he have already made love. If I can tell the difference, I sure know she's going to tell.”

“I didn't, but that doesn't mean I don't want to. It's just I've got to do a lot to end things with Grant and I'll tell you now, things with me and Grant are changing beyond what they were before I went home with him and we had our talk.”

“I can tell.”

“I need to go to the field house and speak with Grant. I'm setting him free and it's with everything he had. If anything, I'd love to have the dealership, but that doesn't even matter anymore really.”

“Go and speak with him. Do you want Robbie with you, or him to go home and get some things with me?”

“It doesn't matter. Now, what I've got to ask you is why did you spoil him so bad?”

“He's my oldest. First of all, he's my only son. Those two things means I dumped a lot into him. Yeah, he's gay, but that's not a disappointment to me, it means I get you as a son in law and I'm seeing you as happy and settled as I was when I found my wife.”

“It is settling. I'm feeling at peace and it's just amazing to me.”

“It's right. I can tell and it's really making me happy to see it with you. You're not in a state of turmoil. It's like all the pieces mesh together great now and it's not sounding like a bunch of gears stripping against each other.”

“Thanks. I've got to go tell Chris. He's not going to like it much, but I think if he gets to know him, they'll get along great.”

“What was their problem?”

“Rob was a really hateful person to everyone. He judged people and Chris sure didn't like him because of it.”

“Do you think they'll get along?”

“He's making an effort. I think he's at peace with himself too and it's wonderful.”

“Ok, let me take him with me and go get him some clothes. He can drive his car and go tell his girlfriend. I'm thinking she probably will know.”

“She does.”

“I thought so. I think she had a talk with my wife.”

“She's a great girl. I do like her. In fact, I thought about she and Chris being together, but he's got that other girl.”

“Well, don't worry. He'll be there later.”

“Thanks.”

I went downstairs and shut off those lights. Then, we left the dress shop went outside. We went into the pharmacy and Rob was standing behind the counter. He had a t-towel over his shoulder and said, “Dad, this is a fun job.”

I laughed, “You look at home there. Somehow, I sort of expected to see you with your little visor on like Mr Owsley and asking me what I wanted!”

Mike said with a laugh. “You going home with me to get your car and your clothes?”

“Yeah, I need to sit with mom and tell her. I think it'd be fair.”

Mike nodded and said, “She'll be fine with it.”

He came around the counter and walked up to me. He kissed me and said, “Don't start the game without me!”

Chills ran through me, “Huh? Don't start the game without you?”

“You'd not start without your number one fan, would you?”

“Oh, no. No, I wouldn't.”

He smiled and hugged me. “I'll be there.”

He and Mike left and I pulled out my phone. “Hello?”

“Grant?”

“Yeah babe.”

“You at the field house?”

“Yeah.”

“I'm coming out. We need to talk.”

“I'll be here, but I'll be busy.”

“Give me five minutes, please?”

“Sure”

“Did he get that janitor's closet emptied?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Good, I didn't want us caught up in that mess.”

“You sound strange.”

“Uh, we're going to have another scout at the game tonight. We need to have someone go to the airport to get him when he comes in.”

“Who?”

“Tom Benson of the New Orleans team.”

“What!”

“Yeah, that's who I called for my advice.”

“Was it good?”

“Yeah, but ....well, I'll tell you when I get there.”

“Tell me what!”

“I want to tell you in person.”

“Ok, hurry on out.”

“I need to stop and get something to eat.”

“Stop by Zipp's and get food. Get me two half pounders with cheese, fries, and get yours. I'll buy.”

“Nah, I'll buy. It's my treat.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, we can talk over supper.”

“Great.”

I hung up and gave Dolly a hug. I hugged Mr Owsley and gathered my deeds, my photo of my dad and the drawing. I went out and drove to get the food and go to the field house.

I hung up, “Mike, we need to go to the bank with my emancipation papers and get his name off my accounts.”

“Ok, I should've thought of that.”

“No problem, you've got more going on than you should. That's why I need Robbie to be my lawyer.”

“You got a second?”

“Sure.”

“He likes you. I can tell. He's not said anything yet, but I can tell.”

“I'd like to get to know him. I'm sure when he's not been treating me bad, I'll find something about him to like besides looks.”

“I'll have you know he looks exactly like me at that age!” he said with a smirk.

“Yup, I imagine he does. I've never said you weren't attractive.”

“Really?”

“I just know you're married and that is a huge blocking point in my brain for messing with anyone.”

“Good move.”

The Cadillac came around the corner and pulled over next to me. “Guys, come on, let's get that man back to the dealer and get you back to your car.”

Robbie said, “I'm riding shotgun!”

I nodded, “That's your spot while I'm driving.”

He smiled a small smile.

Play Maker

o0o

Notes From Retta:

This story wouldn't be possible without a good person by the name of Wes. Fortunately, he downloaded it while it was still able to be gotten on the Google Groups site.

For those of you who know, my Google Groups site is shit. Please don't get that confused with “the shit”, but just plain shit.

It seems you can upload a chapter to the site and it will promptly lose the thing. When you go to click on it, you will get an error message which states the page you've navigated to is no longer available. Needless to say, I'm not please because their customer service sucks.

I'd lost the first twenty five chapters of the story, so without Wes having them, I'd be fucked. Thankfully, he had them, so he gets a great BIG HUGE Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To those who have been patient and have waited for the chapters to be posted, I would like to Thank you. If you'd like to see the upcoming chapters, please email me and I'll send them to you. I've already given a lot of people the chapters and have no qualms about sending them if you'd like to read them sooner.

Thanks for your interest in the story.

From My Keyboard To Your Heart,

RettaMichaels

RettaMichaels@Gmail.com

Copyright Notice - Copyright © 2008 by RettaMichaels

The author, RettaMichaels copyrights this story and retains all rights. This work may not be edited, changed, or duplicated in any form, media [ known or unknown ], without the author's expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply. RettaMichaels does NOT give editorial consent in order for this to be published. If it is deemed unpublishable in it's context, permission much be granted before publication or changes occur.

Trademark Notice – 2008 by RettaMichaels

“From My Keyboard To Your Heart”,”'Retta”,“RettaMichaels”.“Retta”,“Rhett”, and “Rhette” are all Trademark of RettaVonnMichaels L.L.C. None of these trademarks may be used, or authorized without consent.

Disclaimer: All individuals depicted are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, locations, or incidents is purely coincidental.