I gave it a couple of weeks before asking the coach if I could be a part of the team again. I wanted to give it time before I left Ethan alone with Mom. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t trust her. I didn’t believe she was actually better. She’d promised to get better before, failing every time, so I didn’t think this time would be any different.

Every day, I waited for the other shoe to drop, but it never did.

It’s been months now, and she’s still waking up early every morning and having breakfast ready before Ethan and I even wake up. She’s been taking him to school every morning and picking him up afterwards.

She hasn’t missed a single school pick up. She hasn’t so much as been late in picking him up either. Even Ethan is doing better in class.

Last night, I got home after practice and found the two of them asleep on the couch, Toy Story playing in the background.

I’d felt a pang in my chest, pushing it away almost immediately. I knew it was a flash of jealousy because I missed having that mom. So, yeah, after realizing she was on the wagon for the long term, I decided to pick up football again.

George taps me on the shoulder as we get ready to play my first game back, a grin splitting his face in two. “Dude! I’m so happy to have you back on the team!”

“Yeah, well, it seems I missed you guys too much to stay away,” I tell him with a smile of my own. It feels damn good to be back.

“Dude, we sucked without you. The Backup should never see the field again,” Tyler echoes and I laugh. They aren’t wrong. The replacement quarterback sucked so much the guys refused to call him by his actual name.

“We’ll turn it around,” I assure them. I may have missed a couple of games, but nothing could ever be so bad that it can’t be fixed. I mean, look at my mom. I never thought she’d reroute her life and be in a good place again, but she is.

“We’d better!” George shouts and one of the other guys high-fives him in response.

“Are we ready for tonight?” I yell, loud enough for all the guys to hear.

They all look at me. “Yes!”

“What are we gonna do?” I shout once again, engaging in the ritual I usually leave for before our game. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until this very moment.

“We’re gonna win!” they all chant in unison.

“We’re gonna what?”

Hitting the lockers, they scream, “WIN! WIN! WIN!”

As soon as the clock runs out, I run straight over to where Ethan and Mom are sitting. I’m experiencing a high unlike ever before. The other team didn’t know what had hit them as even our special teams scored. The guys went out there and commanded the field.

Winning this game and doing what I love again isn’t the only reason I can’t wipe the smile from my face. The high comes from seeing Ethan and my mom in the stands cheering for me. Seeing them motivated me to play the best game of my life. I never thought I wanted someone in my corner. I didn’t think I’d appreciate having a parent to hug at the end of the game, but today made me realize I’ve always wanted all these things—I just never thought they’d be possible.

As I near them, I find them both wearing the school’s colors, laughing together, both incredibly happy.

“Hey,” I say with a smile.

I feel my mother’s delicate hands go around my body as she embraces me. I return her hug like I haven’t done in years. “You were so good out there, Aron,” she says, holding me at arm’s length, pride shining in her eyes. I see a glimpse of the mother I loved so much when I was younger.

“Thanks, Mom!” I reply.

“Way to go, Linc!” Ethan shouts, and I crouch down to hug him too.

I ruffle his hair. “Thanks, buddy!”

Someone pats me on the back, and when I turn around, I see George standing there. “Bro, we’re going to have a little celebration at my house!”

Shaking my head, I say, “Nah, I’m good. I’m just gonna go home.”

A small celebration for George is code for a huge party.

“You should go celebrate!” my mother says, and I glance back at her.

Shaking my head, I say, “I’m going to hang with Ethan tonight.”

“Come on, dude! The whole team’s going to be there and you’re the quarterback… again. We gotta celebrate and we can’t do that without you!” George presses.

Mom looks at Ethan and then at me. Her eyes light up. “How about you go to the party and then tomorrow, you, Ethan and I can have our own celebration.”

“Are you sure, Mom?” I ask.

“Of course!”

“Is that okay with you buddy?” I ask Ethan.

He nods. “Yes!” he answers then turns to Mom. “Mom, can we watch Toy Story 2 tonight?”

“Of course we can!”

“Okay, it’s settled then,” George says and I shake my head.

I give Ethan and Mom a final hug each. “Thanks for coming to watch me play. I’ll see you guys later.”