It Emptied Us Page 6

  “You got this. You’ve worked hard.”

  Zeke swatted Tim’s helmet and broke the huddle and took his place at one of the corners. Tim moved deep to his free safety position. Dracut set up their offense. One of their running backs went in motion and created an overload on one side of the field. This left Bill one on one with Dracut’s best receiver. One mistake and the Dracut kid would be wide open.

  The center snapped the ball and the Dracut quarterback turned to hand it off to his running back. This sucked in all the linebackers. Bobby and Steve crashed into the Dracut running back and drove him deep into the turf before they realized they were faked out. The was no linebacker to help Bill. The Dracut receiver bolted off the line and headed in an arc toward the sideline. He hit the brakes and cut back over the middle of the field. The quarterback set his feet and made the pass just before he was buried by Quick Lou.

  The Dracut kid had an easy score if he could just make the catch.

  Donna sat in the stands with the rest of the sophomore girls. She saw Daniel get hurt and Tim take his place at safety.

  Tim darted forward when he saw the ball leave the quarterback’s hand. He zeroed in on the spot where the ball would meet the Dracut receiver. Just before the Dracut kid made the catch, Tim raced in front and plucked the ball out of the air and tucked it into his armpit and the crowd roared and Tim sprinted for the sideline. Steve and Bobby screamed, “Red! Red!” the signal that the pass was intercepted. Blue and gold uniforms turned and hunted down Dracut players.

  Donna saw the interception about to take place. She felt the thrill before the rest of her friends. The entire Dover side of the stadium leapt while the Dracut fans groaned. Tim raced down the field with an escort of blue and gold uniforms. A lone Dracut player stood between Tim and a certain touchdown. She screamed, “Cut it back, Tim. Now!”

  Two Dover players galloped ahead of Tim as the Dracut player made his move to make the tackle. Tim settled into third gear and let his teammates set up a block and Tim saw his chance. He cut hard to his right and broke into open field and his buddies plowed the Dracut kid into the ground. Tim shifted the football from one armpit to the other. He juked another Dracut player and raced for the end zone. He held the ball high above his head and the Beaumont fans went nuts.

  Donna was swarmed by her friends. She never told them about how she felt about Tim, but they could see it. They noticed Donna’s eyes linger just a bit too long on Tim when he left the lunchroom table or when he always seemed to be the last guy to leave practice, usually the same time Donna just finished hers. If she wanted to keep that secret, it was fine with them. Secrets in a girl’s heart are often hard to conceal. Donna saw Tim toss the ball to the official as his teammates mauled him in celebration. This time it was Donna who felt the lightning bolt.

  Chapter 16

  Mary Jones and Gwen Wilson

  The game ended and both teams filed out. The Beaumont band marched out of the stadium and played their victory song.

  Gwen Wilson walked out with Mary Jones.

  “Would you like to have a drink with me?” Mary put her arm around Gwen. “Let’s get some pizza too.”

  “That would be lovely. Thank you, Mary.”

  Gwen and Mary walked out together and the crowd cheered and the band played and their sons showered and scrubbed off the grime from the game.

  Mary and Gwen parked downtown at a place called “Mel’s”. They sat in an empty booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant. The waitress brought them beers and took their pizza order.

  “Tell me about your husband, Mary.”

  Gwen put her beer down and looked at some of the other families in the restaurant. Mary picked up her beer and took a small sip. It took her some time before she replied.

  “Gwen, it’s been four years, and I swear to God I can still smell him on my pillow. We have an easy chair he used to sit in when he watched football games on TV with the boys. It still sags. I never got the chair fixed. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

  The two sat in silence for a bit.

  “I remember when he was in the hospital. The doctors said he needed a heart transplant. But we were pretty low on the list. A couple days later, he had another heart attack. This one was too big. I had the boys there to visit when the attack happened. They saw him turn blue. Having the boys see their father die almost killed me.”

  Gwen took Mary’s hand.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  She rubbed Mary’s hand gently. Mary wept quietly in the dark. She took out a tissue and blew her nose and rolled it into a ball and pushed it aside. Slowly, her crying ebbed. She dabbed the remaining tears off her face and sat up straight.

  “No, I’m sorry. I don’t talk about him much, but when I think of him and the boys, it breaks my heart. They miss him. They don’t talk to me about it, but I can see. They get really quiet sometimes. I give them space, and after a while, whatever pain they are feeling seems to pass.”

  “But what about you, Mary?” Gwen leaned closer. “What do you do when it hurts?

  “I work. And watch the boys when they play football. I don’t have anything else. I don’t want anything else.”

  “I’m here for you, Mary.”

  Gwen got up and came around and sat down. She pulled Mary close. Mary started to cry again. The pizza arrived and the waiter put it on the table and gave them napkins and then left. Mary looked at her friend.

  “What about you, Gwen? Why haven’t you told me about your husband?”

  Gwen left her arm around Mary’s shoulder and sat a little while.

  “It’s a part of my life that I wish was over. I’m better now and so is Donna. She’s doing great, actually. She’s strong, Mary. So strong. She holds me together.”

  “What about Bobby?“

  Mary took a sip of her beer and cut a small piece of pizza. She moved it to her mouth and ate it carefully. She wanted to make sure her mouth didn’t get burned.

  “Bobby hasn’t let it go. He can’t. It’s eating him up, Mary. You see the way he plays. It scares me what he might do to someone on the field. I don’t know if he’ll ever heal.”

  Gwen looked at a family eating dinner at a table across the restaurant. The father cut spaghetti for his son and wiped off some sauce from his daughter’s face. The mom smiled warmly and ate lasagna.

  “What happened? Tell me.”

  Mary handed a slice of pizza to Gwen and looked at Gwen’s arm. Old bruises were still there.

  “Your husband. He hurt you, didn’t he?”

  Gwen looked away and spoke quietly.

  “He hurt all of us.”

  “My God. I’m sorry, Gwen.”

  Gwen cried hard and they sat there for a while and didn’t talk and drank some of their beers and moms and dads and kids came in and ate their dinners and left and got in their station wagons and drove away.

  The game was over and the stands sat empty. Coach Joe turned the keys to lock up. A lone figure waited in the parking lot.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  Tim slung his backpack over his shoulders. His hair dripped from the shower. A bit of eye black smudged his face.

  “Good game, Tim.”

  Coach Joe shook his son’s hand.

  “Thanks, Coach.”

  They opened the car doors and buckled themselves in and Coach Joe turned the keys and put the car into drive. They drove home without speaking. Not every silence is awkward.

  Chapter 17

  In Your Face

  Quick Lou Zarro had people over after the Dracut game. Steve Staber brought his girlfriend. They sat off in a dark part of the basement. Bill Bradner mingled with friends. He let out a full-throated laugh when one of his buddies cracked a joke. Daniel Russell stood with a couple girls. He was on crutches, again, and he was sick of it. Still, a part of him enjoyed the attention.

  Jeff Tony saw no action during the game. He and Tim came to the party together and sat at a picnic table and ate hot dogs.

  “I hop
ed I would get in to the game today.”

  Jeff stood up glumly from the wood bench.

  “You keep practicing your ass off. You’ll get in.”

  Tim chomped on his hot dog and grinned at his friend.

  “Everyone keeps talking about hustle plays, hustle plays. When does that pay off?”

  This was delicate for Tim. Playing time was a Coach Joe decision. Tim was getting in games. One of his best friends wasn’t.

  “You’re good. We’ve all seen it. I got in on defense. The game ended right after that. Maybe you would have gotten in if we got the ball back.”

  “Well, I didn’t. I just want my chance.”

  Jeff picked up a water bottle and wandered off. Tim let him be.

  The Jones boys arrived. The music seemed louder anytime the brothers were around. The entire school found themselves drawn to the Jones boys. The two seniors were surrounded by their friends while Andy made a beeline toward Tim.

  “I told you we were going to be champions. What a freakin’ awesome run, Tim. Awesome!!” This time it was Andy who lifted Tim up in the air. “The crowd went nuts. Your dad even cracked a smile. He tried not to, but I saw it. Coach Joe and his son!”

  “Alright. Yeah, yeah, I got some good blocks. But thanks.”

  Tim playfully pushed Andy away.

  “What, modest again? You know you love the attention!”

  Donna appeared out of the dark like some spectral presence. Andy grinned from ear to ear as Donna moved up behind Tim and gave him a playful shove.

  “Tim the football star!”

  “Come on. Easy, will you?”

  It was a darkened room in Quick Lou’s house, but everyone nearby saw Tim’s blushing face. Andy certainly did.

  “I’m off. Where’s that dink Ike? Ike!”

  And Andy moved away. Jeff stood nearby, but took the cue from Andy and walked out of the room. The guys in school saw the Donna/Tim thing develop. Even if Tim was too stupid to see it for himself.

  “You really did play great. That interception, my goodness!” Donna grabbed two sodas from an ice bucket and a bag of chips. She nudged Tim toward an open couch. It was more like a love seat. The two plopped down. Only then did Tim feel exhausted from the game. His calves ached and he had a welt on his shin.

  “You look like crap, you know that? At least you showered. That would be too much, even for me.”

  “I am not an animal.” He grinned and then found himself staring into Donna’s eyes. “Damn. Give me some chips.” She held his stare and handed him the chip bag. Tim felt himself dissolve.

  “Heard you guys won your soccer game. What, like three goals for you? Again?”

  Now it was Donna’s turn to melt.

  “You are something, Tim.”

  She nudged just a bit closer and took her closest leg and swung it over Tim’s knee.

  “Shut up or people might think I actually like you.”

  Donna fed him a chip. The kids at the party sensed Donna and Tim wanted to be alone so they moved off. Kids know stuff.

  “I knew you were going to pick off that pass. Didn’t think you had it in you to take it all the way for a touchdown, though.”

  She pressed her shoulder close to Tim. His damp hair dripped and some of it dropped onto her tank top.

  “Dry off after a shower, maybe?” She moved close and her lips brushed Tim’s. “Give me some of those chips.”

  He felt the lightning bolt again. He was getting used to it. He leaned closer and this time the two kissed and held it, and were alone in space and they could hardly breathe.

  Tim’s collar was yanked and he was hauled off the couch. He lost his balance and crashed into the snack table.

  “Keep away from my sister.”

  Bobby’s chest heaved and he stepped between the couch and the sprawled Tim. His eyes were wild.

  “Step off, Thor!”

  Donna spun her brother and slid next to Tim who righted himself, ready to charge.

  “This has nothing to do with you. Step off!”

  Donna stood nose to nose with her brother. Bobby’s breathing relaxed, but his eyes remained locked on Tim in a death stare.

  “So now you know. You can’t protect me forever. And there is no need for you to protect me from him.”

  She moved her arm through Tim’s and with her other hand punched her brother in the chest.

  “You can’t keep fighting battles that don’t exist. Especially not here. You ass, you’re safe. Bobby, don’t you see that?”

  “Fine. Pick who you want.” His stare never left Tim. “I find out you hurt her, I will kill you. I don’t care if Coach Joe is your dad.” Bobby stormed off and grabbed a cup of beer and chugged it down and grabbed some friends and hauled them out of the basement. Donna pulled Tim back onto the couch. She picked some chips off the upholstery. She bit down on one of the chips and spit out a piece of dirt.

  “You ok?”

  Tim held Donna.

  “I might be incorrect in my assessment, but I don’t think your brother thinks highly of me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you.”

  “So what is it? What did you mean, you’re safe here?”

  “Just that.” Donna ate the rest of the chips without looking at Tim. “He can be a dick sometimes.”

  She put the bag of chips down and took Tim’s hand in hers. Slowly the two of them began to hear the music again. She leaned her head against Tim’s shoulder. They sat quietly. Once again, they became invisible to everyone but each other as the rock music thumped and the party room shrank.

  Chapter 18

  Hard Stuff

  After Bobby left Donna and Tim, he strode through the basement of Quick Lou’s house. He saw Andy and grabbed him and pushed him outside. Bobby pulled a bottle of vodka from the back pocket of his jeans. “We won. Drink!” He pushed the bottle at Andy. Andy drank beers at parties, not hard liquor, so he tried to hand it back.

  “Don’t be a pussy.”

  Bobby shoved the bottle back.

  “I’m no pussy.” Andy took a long pull from the bottle. His eyes bugged as he finished the swallow. He convulsed and coughed and let out a howl. “Jesus!” He felt a deep, hot burning down his throat as he tried to regain composure. “Damn!”

  Bobby burst out in laughter and whacked his friend on the back.

  “That’s being a man. Give it back to me!”

  Bobby ripped the bottle out of Andy’s hands. Some of the booze splashed on them. Bobby reared back and finished the bottle.

  “You’re damn right. Another Warrior win!” And he raised the bottle high into the night. He drank non-stop since he arrived at the party three hours earlier. He rocked forward and Andy caught him just before Bobby slammed into the side of Quick Lou’s house. He held onto Andy and the backyard swirled. Andy saw tears slide down Bobby’s face.

  “What the hell? You crying? Jesus.” Andy grabbed onto his friend and pulled him close. “What is it?”

  “Screw football. Screw winning. And to hell with my old man.” Bobby tried to pull away from Andy’s grasp. “To hell with him.” Andy held on to Bobby who flailed his arms and kicked at the darkness.

  “Screw who? Coach Joe?”

  “No, no, no. Not him. Screw my old man.”

  “What about your old man?”

  Andy tried to keep his senses as the three beers and hard swallow of vodka coursed through him. Bobby broke away from Andy and stumbled over to an old swing and sat down and pumped his legs. The swing creaked and Bobby swung in the darkness of the backyard. Finally, he jumped off and landed in saw dust. His momentum rocked him forward and he crashed hard on his face.

  “Damn it.”

  Bobby sat up and tried one more time to suck any remaining vodka from the now empty bottle. He looked at it for a while and then threw the bottle deep into the nearby woods. It crashed against some unseen rock. The force of the throw knocked Bobby off balance again and he sprawled back on the ground. Sawdust stuck to his gold hair. Andy s
aw Bobby was about to pass out.

  “Let’s get you home. Sleep it off.”

  Andy put his arm around Bobby and picked him up and walked him to the front of the house where some kids passed around beers and joints.

  “We need a ride!” Andy shouted.

  Zeke and Alex were still there and helped both Andy and Bobby into their old, beaten truck. They started it up and drove off. Bobby’s limp body pressed against Andy as the truck rolled through town. Andy ran his fingers through Bobby’s hair. Bobby moaned a bit and quietly mumbled, “Stinking old man.”

  When they got to Bobby’s house, Andy helped his drunk friend from the car. Bobby slurred, “Thang you, bud.”

  “Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”

  Zeke and Alex watched Andy shuffle Bobby through the front door. When Andy and Bobby were inside, Bobby’s mom waited in the living room. She sat up from the couch and moved toward her son.

  “Thank you for taking care of Bobby, Andy.”

  She took her son in her arms and helped him toward the stairs. She looked old in her brown work uniform.

  As the two of them reached the top of the stairs, Andy saw Bobby’s shoulders heave and he held on to his mother and cried and staggered.

  “Screw dad.”

  Andy stepped away from the stairs and walked to the front door and opened it and walked out to his brother’s truck.

  “He looks hammered, Andy. He going to be ok?”

  Zeke looked into Andy’s eyes through the rear-view mirror. The way Andy looked reminded Zeke of the months after their father passed away.

  “Let’s get out of here.”

  Andy slumped in the back seat as the car moved down the driveway. He looked deep into the woods around Bobby’s house and the darkness of the trees went on forever.

  Chapter 19

  Missing Mom

  Steve drove Tim home from the party. He was thrilled that Tim played so well.