Today was a shitty day. After the argument, or whatever that was Joie and I had this morning, it all kind of went downhill.
First, there was a major accident on the highway into Flinton, so I was late for a meeting with a potential recruit. The kid is a huge linebacker prospect from Alabama. We really want him, and I gave him the impression we have a lackadaisical program by not showing up on time. Not good.
Then we got a tip that one of our running backs may be juicing. A few mandatory pee tests later and not only did we find steroids, it looks like he’s been snorting coke, too. We could have canned his ass, but instead we benched him and spent the rest of the day looking for a rehab that’ll work with his parents’ insurance. That’s after I got tasked with calling the kids mama to tell her he’s a druggie who might lose a full ride over this. The decision on his future as a Viking is still up in the air, but agreeing to treatment was a show of good faith on his part.
And to top it all off, because of the positive drug test, we had to call in everyone else for mandatory testing. The whole team. Fortunately, no one else popped positive, but the flip side is we may have a campus-wide problem and the athletic director now gets to take over. It’s likely that I’ll be doing my own pee test tomorrow and having drug dogs sniffing around my office. The kid got the drugs somewhere and the university doesn’t take this shit lightly. They’ll investigate everyone: players, coaches, and anyone in between.
At the same time, we spent all day making sure no unnecessary personnel found out about the whole mess. Last thing we need is it leaking to the press. Nothing pisses off the people who write checks more than bad PR about their team. Being on lockdown meant no cell phone usage until everyone had been tested and was gone. That meant no texting Joie. Under already strained circumstances, it didn’t sit well with me. But what was I supposed to do?
I was finally able to text her at about seven when we got out of there. She didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect her to. Her biology study group was tonight. Yes, there was a test today, but she refuses to fall behind and the class is kicking her ass.
The house is quiet when I walk in. I toss my keys onto the side table and stretch my arms over my head after the long drive. The only thing on my mind is food; I’m starving. We still have some leftovers from that Filipino place we found in San Antonio. I’m pretty sure it gave me gas last time I ate it, but I’m the only one here. I’ll use some air freshener before Joie gets home.
Dishing all the noodles and veggies onto a plate and popping it in the microwave, I lean against the counter and look around. I’m happy living here. Even with my chair shoved back in the spare room she pretends is a man cave, it already feels like home.
The dryer runs for a few seconds and then buzzes. I wonder how long it’s been doing that. Joie and I left around the same time so it must have been all day. Making myself useful as I wait on the microwave, I pull the load of clean clothes out of the dryer and walk down to our bedroom, dumping all the clothes on the bed. I’d fold them now, but as soon as I hear the microwave ding, my stomach starts growling again. I need sustenance before anything else.
The food is steaming hot and smells delicious. The preliminary bite I take over the kitchen sink is amazing, too. So good that I almost grab and eat the wayward noodle that fell into the sink. Almost. I’m still a gentleman. Pulling a beer out of the fridge, I toe my shoes off and I carry my dinner to the man cave so I can settle in my chair and watch Sports Center.
Five big bites and a few swigs of beer later, my dinner is gone, the empty plate sitting on the table next to me as I relax and enjoy today’s highlights.
A baseball game that went into eleven innings.
A basketball player arrested for what seems like a fist fight at a bar.
Another basketball player in a car accident in LA stopped to do CPR until paramedics got there.
So far, it doesn’t seem like anyone has caught wind of our juicing scandal . . .
A noise startles me awake. Weird. I didn’t realize I’d been sleeping. I must have been more tired than I thought. Rubbing my hand down my face, I look at the clock.
11:47 p.m. Joie must be home.
Sure enough, she walks by grumbling as she carries my shoes.
“Hey!” I call out. It takes several minutes for her to finally return.
When she does, she doesn’t come in the room. Instead, she leans against the door jamb. “Hey.” She’s polite, but not her normal, happy self. “I see you left a noodle for me in the sink.”
This doesn’t sit well with me. I knew I should have left some for her, and now I look like a total prick.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was hungry. Do you want me to make you something? I think we have a frozen pizza.”
“No thanks. I’m actually not really hungry. Maybe just cranky.”
“Come here,” I say, holding my hand out to her.
She hesitates momentarily, but finally makes her way toward me. She looks exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes and that messy bun thing on her head looks messier than normal. Grabbing her hand when she gets close enough, I pull her onto my lap. She snuggles into me, which I take as a good sign.
“How was your day?” I ask as I nuzzle her neck.
She clings to my shirt like she’s trying to pull me closer. “Not good.”
“How did your test go?”
She sighs a deep, tired sigh before answering. “I don’t know. I either aced it or I flunked. I honestly don’t know which one.”
“How come?”
She unwinds herself from my grasp and leans her head on my shoulder, absentmindedly watching some beer commercial. “I couldn’t concentrate. I kept thinking about Charlie and Isaac and what it all means and what I need to do.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything you can do. I think this is one time you have to let Isaac decide what he thinks is best for him.”
She scoffs quietly. “That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t spent the last eighteen years watching Charlie make promise after promise, only to deliver nothing but disappointments.”
Shifting, I run my hand down her thigh. As much as I hate that this situation is bothering her so much, I love sitting here like this in my favorite chair talking about our day. I could do it for hours.
“You’re right. I wasn’t here. But I don’t think you’re giving Isaac enough credit. When he came to me the other day, he seemed calm. Like he wasn’t making an emotional decision. He wanted information so he could make a really good choice. Give him some time, but Joie”—I turn her to face me—“you have to be prepared. He may want Charlie in his life and that’s not something you can stop.”
“I know.” She says she knows, but I can see the disappointment on her face. “I’ve always said if his father came back around, and Isaac wanted a relationship with him, I would learn to be okay with it. I guess it’s just harder than I thought it would be.” She sighs again and I can tell thinking about it is part of why she’s so tired. “Anyway, how was your day?”
I drop my head against the back of the chair as I remember the fucking nightmare caused by one entitled little brat. “Shitty.”
She crinkles her cute little brow at me. “How come?”
“Off the record?”
“Uh . . . yeah, since I’m not a journalist.”
“I mean from telling anyone. Especially Weaver.”
Her face drops, and I can tell she already understands the gravity of the situation. She nods and shifts her body toward me.
“One of our guys got caught using drugs. More than one kind.”
Joie gasps as I tell her about the drug tests, the athletic director, and the looming PR nightmare if it leaks. It feels good being able to vent to her. To trust that it’ll stay between us and she’s supportive of me after a really hard day. It’s different than when we would talk on the phone at night. Being able to touch her and feel her and watch her reactions takes that bond to a whole different level.
“So anyway, I’m expecting to have to do my own pee test tomorrow and will probably have my office searched. All because of one little punk.”
“I’m glad you guys are getting him into rehab, though.” My eyes drift shut as she runs her fingers through my hair. “You could have just kicked him off the team. I hope he learns a lesson from it.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
“When did being an adult get so hard?”
Opening my eyes, I smile at her. “Remember when we were kids and we wanted so bad to be grown up? Were you like that, too?”
“Oh yeah,” she says, her head nodding furiously. “I was going to have a fancy apartment in New York City and live the glamorous life of a super model because obviously my parents had no idea what living a good life actually meant. Clearly, my tiny stature was meant for a runway.”
I chuckle. “You were quite the little shit, weren’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
Pulling her to me, I kiss her quickly. “I think we need a break from adulthood. What do you say we go out this weekend?”
The smile that lights up her whole face is back at those words. “Really? Where are we gonna go?”
I shrug. “I don’t know yet. How about I call Hank and see if we can double date with him and Renee? You like her, right?”
“I do. She’s great. And I think Hank’s funny.”
This time my laugh is more of a disbelieving snort. “Don’t let him hear you say that. He’ll try too hard.”
“Noted.”
Rubbing my hands up and down her back as she snuggles back into me, I can already feel some of the tension leave the room. All we need is some fun. A night out with our friends will be just perfect.