It Emptied Us Read online

  “Son, lay still. Let me have a look, please.” The doctor’s calmness stood in contrast to the utter horror of the crowd. It didn’t matter now who won the game. One of their own was down.

  “All right, this boy is going to need an ambulance. Coach Lippmann, can you signal the stretcher to be brought over. We’re going to have to be careful to keep the ankle immobilized.” Coach Lippmann gestured to the nearby ambulance attendants and they hurriedly moved over the field with a mobile stretcher in tow. With the help of the doctor, they put a splint on Andy. He moaned in pain and slammed his right fist against the stretcher. Andy’s two brothers, Zeke and Alex, came out of the stands and walked beside their brother as he was wheeled toward the ambulance. Each held one of Andy’s hands. Coach Joe met Andy and his brothers at the ambulance. He looked deep into Andy’s eyes.

  “Sorry, Coach.” Andy tried not to cry.

  “Breathe, son. You’ll be fine.” Andy’s labored breathing relaxed. “Take care of this one, Doc. He’s a special young man.” The doctor and ambulance attendants made sure they did not jar Andy’s ankle as they lifted him into the ambulance.

  The East and West huddles were subdued. They watched their star and friend carted off and driven away in the ambulance. Both teams huddled for the next play.

  “I got that sonofabitch!”

  The West players were stunned to see Bobby sway back and forth like a wild creature. “I got him!” Bobby punched the air like he was hitting a prize fighter. Tim stared at Bobby and then lost it. He shoved Jeff Tony aside and jumped at Bobby and grabbed him under the armpits.

  “Don’t you ever, ever, celebrate after a kid gets hurt! Ever! Do you hear me?” He pulled down hard and jammed Bobby’s face mask directly into his own.

  “He’ll be one of us next year!”

  Tim held on to Bobby’s armpits and Bobby tried to pull away. They would have thrown punches if there wasn’t a game to finish. Tim shoved Bobby and he stumbled backwards but regained his balance and looked like he was about to take a swing at the West captain. Jeff stepped in and pulled Tim away and the crowd watched in silence.

  Coach Joe moved along the sideline. He saw the commotion in the West huddle. He saw Tim and Bobby mask to mask and he saw his son shove Bobby. Coach Joe chalked it up to the emotion of the game.

  Donna and her mom watched from the West stands. Gwen Wilson didn’t think her son would get into the game. Donna knew he would. Bobby wouldn’t stand being left out of a game, never mind being on the team for less than a week without playing.

  Donna remembered one football practice last year when they still lived in California. Bobby was an eighth grader playing on the freshman team. There was this time when during blocking drills, Bobby took a cheap shot at one of the older, bigger players. The kid challenged Bobby on the spot. Bobby told the kid to screw.

  After practice, when her brother was by himself in the locker room, the same older kid from practice and two of his buddies walked in and cornered Bobby.

  “That’s the last time I’m taking cheap shots from you.” The older kid shoved Bobby against the metal lockers. His friends moved in. They reined blows against Bobby’s face, shoulders, and back. Bobby managed to land a punch, but the freshmen were too big and too many. They left him bloody and bruised and curled up on the floor. Bobby lie there for a few minutes. When he felt like he could move, he picked himself up and crawled onto the bench in front of his locker. He tried to finish changing. He put one arm through his t-shirt and tried to pull the shirt down over his head but it hurt too much so he took a deep breath and tried again and this time it popped through. He felt bile form in his throat and he swallowed and held it down and put his other arm through his shirt He finished changing and limped out of the locker room.

  Donna was there when Bobby came out of the locker room. She just finished her soccer practice. Two of the three players that beat Bobby waited for rides. Donna saw Bobby limp towards her. She hurried toward him and saw bruises and scratches on his face.

  “Another fight? My God, Bobby.” She carefully lifted his t-shirt to see deep bruises beginning to form on Bobby’s ribs and side. “Who did this?”

  “I’m fine. Leave it alone.” Bobby pulled away from his sister. “Stay out of it.” Donna looked at her brother and then looked around and saw two football players standing nearby. The grins on their faces turned to sneers.

  “You did this.” Donna walked over to the first one. He laughed at her.

  “Brother can’t take care of himself,” he said just before Donna kicked him in the nuts.

  He collapsed in a heap and groaned and rolled up like a ball. Donna stood over him and glared down. The other guy stepped forward.

  “Hey!” He put a hand on Donna’s shoulder and tried to turn her around. Instead, he was met with a full elbow to his face. He dropped to the ground with his buddy. Donna stood back and rubbed her elbow. She sneered and hissed while the two boys rolled on the ground.

  “Why’d you do that? I can take care of myself.” Bobby stepped up to his sister and shoved her and she shoved him back. He stepped back and grunted and grabbed his backpack and threw over his shoulder. She stood next to him and grunted back and looked out at the street. Their mom pulled up in their rusted red station wagon. The twins got in the back seat. Gwen Wilson drove away and Bobby and Donna sat as far away as possible and said nothing to each other. Gwen didn’t notice that two boys tried to pick themselves up off the ground. The car drove off and the tailpipe belched smoke and the two boys coughed. One boy held his crotch while the other tried to stop the blood that oozed from his busted nose.

  The Classic went on and Gwen watched her son shove back at one of his teammates in the West huddle. She took Donna’s hand and squeezed it for the rest of the game. She saw Andy make one tackle where another East kid could not get up. The kid writhed on the ground while Bobby stood over him, feet planted defiantly on each side of the East player’s waist. Gwen thought her son might reach down and pick the kid up and body-slam him again, but the East coaches ran over and Bobby finally stepped aside. An official pressed up against Bobby, nose to nose, and threatened him with a penalty, but Bobby stepped away and laughed at the official and jogged back to get ready for his next assault.

  “My God. Donna, he’s going to hurt someone. Look at him. “He plays so angry.”

  “He is angry.” Donna put her arm around her mother’s shoulders. “It’s been hard for him since Ohio.”

  “I know it has. It’s been hard on all of us.” Gwen and Donna kept their arms around each other. The day was cold and small pellets of sleet fell from the darkened sky.

  West went on to beat East by two touchdowns. Jeff Tony ran a bootleg play and scored from 40 yards out, and Tim ended another East drive with a diving interception along the sideline, right at the feet of Coach Joe. The game ended and the West kids mobbed each other at the middle of the field. The East kids huddled on their own sideline and tried not to look defeated. Bobby stood off by himself. His helmet was still buckled and his fists remained clenched.

  Chapter 11

  Quick Lou Zarro

  That evening, Beaumont was set to play Chelmsford in a key league matchup. Early in the game, the connection between Zeke and Alex Jones seemed off. Zeke found Alex wide open on a number of plays, but either overthrew his brother or bounced balls at his feet. The few passes Zeke completed to Alex were quickly smothered by the Lions. It ended up taking monumental efforts from the rest of the team to pull off the win. The team was led by Daniel Russell, now playing split end opposite Alex, and the backfield trio of Steve Staber, Lou Zarro, and Bill Bradner. All three made key runs late in the game. Russell made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone. He cradled the ball in a magnificent one-handed catch.

  The game ended with Beaumont on top, 26-22. Coach Joe breathed a sigh of relief and he left the field. The team changed in the locker room and left to meet friends and parents and the band and the cheerleaders. Steve , Bill, and Lou spoke
to the press. Lou had been spectacular in the game. Bill and Steve taunted their friend.

  “Quick, Lou! Let’s go. We’re hungry!” Steve beckoned to Lou.

  “Quick Lou? Is that what the team calls you? Quick Lou Zarro?” A reporter made a note on his yellow pad.

  “Quick Lou!” I like the sound of that!” He jumped about and cackled the name, “Quick Lou!” His friends grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away and the three ran off and hollered, “Quick Lou Zarro!”

  Coach Joe came out last. He wore dress clothes as he walked to the parking lot. His son waited for his dad at the car.

  “The backfield played great. They really picked the team up with Zeke and Alex a bit off their game.”

  “Thank you, son. I’m heading to the hospital. Care to join me?”

  “Yes. I want to make sure Andy’s Ok, that he didn’t think I tried to hurt him.”

  “Those things happen in games. It was just bad luck.” Tim buckled up in the car beside his dad. He kept the huddle incident with Bobby to himself.

  “Coach! Thanks for coming. I think I’m all right.” Andy sat up in the hospital bed. Zeke and Alex sat on the far side of the room and wolfed down pizza and Gatorade. Their mom stood at the foot of Andy’s bed. She had been to the hospital with her sons before. One time on the day her husband died.

  “Coach Joe! You must be worn out after the game. You didn’t need to come over.” She took his hand and shook it and smiled kindly at him.

  “It’s all right, Mary.”

  The Jones brothers stood when Coach Joe entered the room. Tim was tucked behind his dad.

  “You ok, son? I saw the tackle.” Coach Joe moved to Andy’s side.

  “Yes, thank you, Coach. Doctor’s said it is just a high ankle sprain. They’re letting me out tonight. They wanted to get the swelling down first.” Andy’s ankle was propped up on pillows. It was bound by ice packs and athletic tape. His brothers showed no mercy.

  “You wuss! People across town could hear that yelp. You’re fine!” Zeke tousled his little brother’s hair.

  “Didn’t feel like coming to our game tonight? Took the night off, did ya?” Alex let out a Gatorade and pepperoni belch.

  “Oh, sorry Coach.” Alex apologized to Coach Joe. A gentle smile formed on his face.

  “Why don’t you gentleman get this young man and his mom home.” Tim moved around from behind his dad.

  “Andy, I’m sorry about the ankle. You were having a great game.” Andy smiled when he saw his friend.

  “You didn’t mean it. It’s just part of the game. Who was the other guy? The guy with the hair.”

  “Bobby Wilson. He just joined the team this week. From California.”

  “Tell him that was a hell of a hit. Good, clean football.”

  “Sure.”

  Tim looked down at the hospital floor. Coach Joe extended his hand and Andy shook it.

  “Son, you get better. Let’s go, Tim?”

  The two left Andy with his brothers and mother. Tim and Coach Joe walked out into the dark parking lot and they got in the car and drove off.

  Chapter 12

  Thunderbolt

  That Saturday night after the East/West classic and Beaumont’s tough win over Chelmsford, Jeff Tony had a bunch of friends over his house. It wasn’t exactly a party. Jeff’s friends, including Tim and the rest of the West Beaumont football team, remained innocent when it came to parties and drinking. Jeff and Tim made a pledge to stay clean through high school. Other members of the team took the same oath, including their friend, Ike Nesbit. Still, there were the normal freshman activities. An occasional couple necked on the couch or kissed awkwardly in the game room. Tim watched in amusement.

  “There goes Ike with Tammy, again.”

  Tim tapped Jeff on the shoulder.

  “I thought they broke up!” Jeff laughed.

  “Yeah, I think they did. Last party.”

  Tim grinned with Jeff.

  And then the air in the room was sucked out. Donna Wilson walked down the stairs. The basement was dark and the glow from upstairs framed her in a golden hue. Tim looked up. He felt shaky. Something like nausea. More like getting hit by lightning.

  “Is that you, Tim?” Donna glided down the darkened stairwell. “Is this what you call a party? It’s not like this in California.”

  Tim met her at the very last stair.

  “It’s kind of boring really, I guess.”

  “No, I didn’t mean those parties were my scene. I just meant, literally, that parties here are not like parties in California. I hated the drinking and the drugs back there. This is kind of cool. Sober freshman. Who knew? Maybe you can get me a bottle of water or something.”

  Tim stared at her for way too long and then backed away and moved off like a puppy. He quickly returned with bottled water for Donna and a Coke for himself.

  “Let’s sit down. I stand around and someone might ask me to dance.”

  Donna pushed Tim toward an empty old sofa and the two of them dropped down. Tim made sure to keep plenty of distance. He was a bit of a coward when it came to girls. But this Donna. Jesus.

  “Nice game the other day. You played well for a kid from Massachusetts. Not like California players, but not bad.”

  “Yeah. Thanks,” was all Tim could mumble.

  “You can’t read me very well, can you? I’m just busting on you. You played well. No need to be so modest.”

  Donna elbowed Tim in the ribs.

  “It was a good game. I’m not sure we would have won if Andy Jones hadn’t wrecked his ankle.”

  “Oh, yes. That was the tackle my brother and you made. Thor made quite an entrance with that play.”

  “Thor?”

  “My mom and I call him that. He thinks he’s a Norse god. Acts like that at home. We put him in his place.”

  “He was a wild man.”

  Tim thought of himself yanking Bobby’s facemask in the huddle.

  “He’s played angry like that since we moved to California from Ohio a few years ago.”

  “Why did you move?” Tim turned his body to face Donna.

  “We just moved. My mom found a job here. That’s it.”

  Tim sank deeper into the couch.

  “What about your dad?” Tim asked.

  She sat for a moment on the couch and looked at him for a while and then jammed her elbow in his ribs again. This time Tim yelped. She put her hand on Tim’s shoulder.

  “Hey, I didn’t think I wanted to dance. Come on. I do now.”

  She grabbed Tim by the hands and yanked him up. She was way stronger than Tim expected. He stumbled and Donna had to catch him to keep him from falling. She put her arms around his shoulders and began to do this twist dance thing. He looked at her and tried to imitate her moves, but he didn’t know how to dance so she took his hands and led him. It was a fast song, so no worries. A slow song and Tim knew he would be way, way over his head. Maybe he already was.

  Chapter 13

  Easties and Westies

  Ike Nesbit planned to have a party for both the Eastie and Westie freshman at the end of the school year. They were going to join together as one class when they entered their sophomore year at Beaumont High. Ike thought it would be a good idea.

  While the Westies were a bit naive about the rites of passage in Dover, the Easties were well versed. Tim heard about the Eastie parties, especially when he talked with Andy. There was plenty of drinking and smoking done by pretty much everyone from East, at least the way Andy told it. He drank a few beers here and there, but never to the point of getting wasted. But football, making the Beaumont Warrior Varsity team, and playing for Coach Joe, was everything to Tim and Andy. Both of them made a pact that they would skip right over the JV’s that year and go straight to varsity. Beaumont made it to the state finals last year, only to come up short in an overtime loss to Catholic Memorial from Boston. But this year, both the Jones boys were back for their final season. They both accepted scholarships; Zeke
From Rhode Island and Alex from UConn. They returned along with a massive offensive and defensive line. Bill Bradner, Steve Staber, and Lou Zarro were junior stars. Steve was being looked at by BC and Syracuse, while Bill already committed to play for Boston University. And Lou? All the New England schools were after him as well as a few of the bigger east coast schools like Clemson and Miami.

  Beaumont was loaded once again. Making the varsity team was a long shot for Andy and Tim. Bobby, on the other hand, was talked about as the next great middle linebacker to play for Coach Joe. He was a feared man. Everyone gave him space, even the older Jones brothers. Bobby was a shoe in, and he knew it.

  The starters would be Zeke Jones at quarterback, with Daniel Russell at free safety and also as Zeke’s backup at quarterback. Alex Jones had a lock on one split end position as well as cornerback. He was named All State the previous year by the Boston Globe. So that was that. The other split end position was up for grabs, with many juniors and seniors in competition. Daniel Russell had the best shot. Jeff Tony had an outside chance. Steve would play one running back spot and outside linebacker and Bill at the other running back and also play corner. Quick Lou would play fullback and anchor the defense as its nose guard. Even with the Jones boys, Zarro was probably the best player on the field. This left Andy as a possible backup to Lou Zarro at fullback, if Andy could make varsity. Tim hoped to make it as a sub for Staber and Bradner. He was just as fast as them, maybe even faster. But they were bigger and had varsity experience. It was a leap to play varsity as a sophomore. Tim knew it. He also knew that his dream of playing for his dad might be a bit of an issue. If he made the varsity, there might be whispers that he made the team because of his old man. All these thoughts crept into his mind of late, but tonight? Tonight was Ike’s party, the first night where the Westies and Easties came together.