Crossing the Barrier

by Martine Lewis

  The crowd on the other side of the stadium exploded in cheers, and the game was over.

  And it was lost.

  Malakai sat on the bench, his head low, tears freely flowing from his eyes.

  They had lost.

  They had worked so hard for this, sacrificing so much, even the Thanksgiving holiday, but now it was all over. They were going home.

  “It’s a miracle we came this far,” Luis said, trying to cheer Malakai up again. “This was last year’s number one team in the state. We did really, really good.”

  Malakai was half-conscious of the people moving around him, getting ready for something, going somewhere.

  “Come, Malakai,” David said gently, putting his hand on his shoulder. “They’re waiting for us for the school song.”

  Malakai stood up slowly and followed David to the row of players facing the band. His left arm was throbbing painfully, and when David tried to grab his little finger as they did after every game, he cried in pain.

  “Dude! When we’re done here, we’re finding the medics,” he said.

  “No,” Malakai said softly. “I…I’ll be fine.”

  David glared at him for a long moment before turning to the band. The director had tried for the last minute to get them organized enough to play, but for one reason or another, it was taking longer than usual.

  “I think my sister and Lily are crying.”

  Lily.

  With all his disappointment, Malakai had forgotten about his beautiful girlfriend.

  He searched the crowd and found her in an instant. Her eyes were red, like half of the band members for that matter. Some of them were hugging each other, crying openly. It warmed Malakai’s heart to know he wasn’t the only one to feel the pain, the pain that was his failure…

  Finally, the director got them organized enough to play, and the school song sounded sadder than usual.

  When it was over, the players walked away but Malakai just stayed there, staring at Lily. She was looking back at him as she wiped the tears from her eyes with her gloves. Finally, she waved at him and blew him a kiss with her hand, a small smile on her face. He blew her a kiss back and left for the locker room.

  How could she still love him after seeing him fail so miserably?

  When Malakai entered the locker room, it was unusually subdued and quiet. Most players had tears in their eyes.

  “Okay there, Thomas?” one of the players asked, putting his hand on his shoulder.

  Malakai nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

  “Listen up, guys! You did good. You gave it your all, and I’m proud of you,” Coach said.

  Malakai hadn’t realized Coach had joined them.

  “I want you all to walk out of here tonight with your heads held high. You should be celebrating because while you may not see it that way, you made quite a few people very proud tonight.”

  Malakai didn’t hear the rest of what was said. He walked to the bench and sat. He put his helmet on the ground, then tried to remove his shirt and shoulder pads, but the pain in his arm was making it near impossible. Someone helped him, he didn’t know who, and finally, the bulky pads were off, and he began to shiver. He was freezing cold in his wet underclothes. Again, someone put a towel around his shoulders, and he had no clue who. Finally, all was quiet, and he looked around. Only a few players remained, and Malakai remembered he had to take the bus back to school.

  Someone put a hand on his shoulder, and Malakai looked up.

  David.

  The lips of his friend were moving, but Malakai couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  “Malakai, you okay?” he finally heard.

  “I’ve been better,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, me too. Listen, dude, we’ve got to go.”

  Malakai nodded and took his school jacket from the hook in the locker. He put it over his shoulders, then grabbed his bag and his shirt and pads. But he couldn’t hold the latter. His arm was seriously starting to hurt, and he could barely move his fingers.

  “Give me the bag,” David said, grabbing Malakai’s bag and helmet.

  Malakai took his shirt and pads, and followed David out of the locker room. Quite a few parents were still there, and as David and he walked out, they applauded. Tears came to Malakai’s eyes again. Then a man wearing one of his jerseys appeared in front of him. It was all so fuzzy he couldn’t recognize the face.

  “Dad?” he mumbled.

  It couldn’t be him. His father was supposed to be out of town.

  “I’m proud of you, son,” the man said and hugged Malakai.

  Malakai smelled the aftershave.

  It was his dad.

  His dad was here.

  His dad was hugging him.

  Malakai let his shirt and pads fall to the ground and hugged his father back, a sob choking him. “I didn’t catch the bloody ball.”

  “Malakai, from where I was standing, you would have, if those three guys hadn’t been coming at you. It wasn’t your fault. Those guys had no business tackling you.”

  “But I still didn’t catch it,” he said with another sob. “I should have. I was at the right place, at the right time.”

  “I know. But it wasn’t your fault, son. The mistake wasn’t yours. The other team made the foul play. They tackled you and interfered with the pass. They knew what they were doing. Besides, there was another guy down the field who was wide open and could have scored.

  “Listen, son, this team has done better than they ever have, and it’s in large part because of you. Don’t ever forget that.” The sergeant let go of Malakai and held him at arm’s length, squeezing his shoulders tightly. “You’re still one of the best wide receivers this team has ever seen,” he said. “Be proud, Malakai. Not a lot of kids have gone as far as you have. And you know there’s still college next year.”

  Malakai nodded.

  “Malakai, the bus,” David called.

  “Now go. I’ll see you at home when you get there,” his father said with one of his rare smiles.

  “You’re not leaving?”

  “No. I’ll be in town until noon tomorrow.”

  Malakai nodded, grabbed his shirt and pads, and slowly walked to the waiting bus. He got in and made his way to his usual seat toward the back. He sat down and held his painful arm against his chest. Something was definitely wrong, but the blood still pounding in his ears made it difficult for him to concentrate long enough to figure out what. All he knew was his arm was hurting like hell and he wanted to go home to sleep.

  Malakai put his head on the headrest, grateful they had comfortable charter buses today and not their regular yellow ones, and closed his eyes.

  “Malakai, dude, you’ve got to have that checked,” David said.

  He must have dozed off somehow because he didn’t hear his friend join him.

  “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  David picked up his phone and stood up. He walked away, and Malakai found himself alone again.

  “Malakai, you okay?” Tristan asked.

  “Why is everybody asking me that?” he said, not even opening his eyes.

  Malakai didn’t know how long he was left to his own devices, and he must have passed out again because the next thing he knew, the trainer was in front of him.

  “Malakai! Malakai!” he called. “Open your eyes, Thomas!”

  Malakai slowly opened his eyes. The pain was now unbearable, and he had a hard time breathing.

  “Stupid, stupid boy,” the trainer said, shaking his head and taking the seat next to him. “I should have known you weren’t all right. Your arm’s the size of a watermelon. You shouldn’t be on this bus. You should be in an ambulance on your way to the hospital.”

  “No…” Malakai meant to say it strongly, but he just didn’t have the strength anymore, and it came out as a croak.

  “Coach is trying to reach your dad,” the trainer said.

  He put a bag of ice on Malakai’s arm, and Malakai cried
in pain.

  “It’s okay, Thomas, we’ll take care of you. You’re coming with me now. The ambulance’s still here and will take you to the hospital.”

  “I want to go home,” Malakai said, but it came out as a whisper.

  “I bet you do,” the trainer said, shaking his head firmly. “But you’re going to the hospital now. You have a college career to think of.

  “David, please help me get him out of here.”

  Someone helped Malakai to his feet and down the aisle to the front of the bus. Malakai must have passed out again because the next thing he remembered, he was in an ambulance, and someone was saying he had to be taken to Methodist Hospital.

  “Methodist?” Malakai asked.

  “Yes,” the trainer said, leaning over him. “That’s where your father wants you to be taken, and he’s right; they have the best doctors in the nation who treat athletes just like you. We want to make sure you’re in good hands. We absolutely don’t want to jeopardize your college career. I also have a friend there, an orthopedic surgeon who deals with athletes. He’s a graduate from school actually, and I called him. He owes me big, and he agreed to meet us at the hospital.”

  Malakai was tired and in too much pain to ask any more questions. He just closed his eyes and waited to arrive at the hospital. He had no idea how long it took, but eventually the ambulance turned and stopped, and the trainer roused him.

  “My father?” Malakai asked.

  “He was called away on business at the last minute. He was on his way to the airport when we caught up with him.”

  “He shouldn’t have gone,” Malakai said, feeling more alone than ever.

  His dad, gone again, even though he had said he would be home when Malakai got there. And now Malakai needed him, and he just wasn’t there.

  "I know,” the trainer said with a frown. “It sounds strange to me. My father was in the military, and he wouldn’t have been called away like this. He would certainly not have gone, not if my siblings or I had been injured…” The trainer remained quiet for a moment. “In any case, he said to tell you he’s very sorry he can’t be here and will try to call when he lands. The coach has a delegation of authority in his office. He’s on his way to school right now. He’ll be joining us in a while.”

  The paramedics got the stretcher out of the ambulance, and as soon as he was rolled into the hospital, a black man Malakai had never seen before walked over to them. He shook hands with the trainer.

  “Terrance, I’m glad you could meet us,” the trainer said. “Malakai here could really use your help. South Texas wants him for next year. Think you can patch him up?”

  “Well, I think I can manage that,” the man said with a grin. “So, this is Sergeant Major Thomas’s son,” the man said, turning to Malakai. “Hi, Malakai, I’m Dr. Terrance Alvin. I know your father very well.”

  Malakai frowned. He hadn’t known his dad knew anyone in town; he was so often away.

  “He actually called me just before he boarded his plane to make sure I would be here to see you. Let’s get you into an exam room, and I’ll take a look at that arm of yours before I send you for X-rays.”

  The doctor had Malakai remove his undershirt and gave him a hospital gown to wear. The fabric was rough against Malakai’s skin, but he was too exhausted and in pain to complain. Once he was changed, the doctor took a cursory look at his arm and sent him for X-rays.

  After the X-rays, painkillers, and examinations by two other doctors, Malakai lost track of time. He was lying on a bed, a blanket over him, his arm elevated with ice all around it. His head ached, and he wanted to call Lily to let her know where he was, but he didn’t have his phone. It was in his gym bag, and he had no idea where it was.

  He was still thinking of Lily when someone new walked into the room, followed by the trainer and Coach.

  “I have bad news and good news,” the man began without introducing himself. “The bad news is your arm is broken, in two places, and you need surgery. It will be done at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. A team will come and prep you starting at eight.

  “Now the good news is you have a 98 percent chance to make a full recovery, and should be ready to play football again before the winter’s over…well, after a few months of physical therapy, of course.

  “Any questions?” the newcomer asked.

  “Who are you?”

  “Oh! Yes, I should have begun by that now, shouldn’t I? I’m Dr. Trenton,” he said. “Dr. Alvin went home for the night as he will be part of your surgery team. So did Dr. Lawrence, for the same reason.”

  Malakai didn’t remember which one Dr. Lawrence was, but he didn’t care at this point. He was tired, and he wanted to go home, but the last part wasn’t possible, at least not for tonight.

  “Anything else?”

  Malakai shook his head.

  “I’ll leave you to it then.”

  A moment later, the trainer, Coach, and the doctor walked out of the room, and Malakai closed his eyes, trying to sleep as best as he could despite the throbbing in his arm.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  LILY

  By the time Lily was on the bus on her way to the school, she was frantic. She had seen how swollen Malakai’s arm was, and she had felt his pain after the game, as much the pain in his arm as the pain in his heart. She had tried to call him numerous times.

  But he hadn’t picked up.

  Neither had David.

  “Stop worrying, Lily,” Sandra said gently. “He’s going to be fine.”

  Everybody on the bus was subdued. Few spoke, and Lily heard a lot of sniffles. This year, the band had bonded with the players more than in previous years, especially since some of the players had been at their band competition to cheer them on.

  Every once in a while, someone would glance her way, and she felt pity pouring from them. Everybody had noticed Malakai’s arm. Everybody knew he was injured. And she wasn’t able to get through to anyone.

  By the time the bus pulled into the school parking lot, Lily was all but ready to have a full-blown panic attack.

  “His jeep’s still here,” someone from the front said.

  “There’s someone next to it!”

  As Lily struggled to get to the window, someone else announced it was David.

  “David?” she asked.

  Then, with her mind already full of worries, she assumed the worst and brought her hands to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

  “Oh no! Oh no!”

  “Lily! Stop! He’ll be all right,” Sandra said, grabbing her hands and shaking them. “It’s only his arm. He’ll be fine. They won’t cut it off.”

  “What if he can’t play anymore? What if he loses his scholarship?”

  “Stop it! He’s not the first one to have a broken arm and play in college. He’ll be fine.”

  Tears were falling from Lily’s eyes. She didn’t want anything to happen to Malakai. She was so, so tired. With her home situation, she just wanted to be with him, at peace for a little while.

  But now he was injured.

  “Let’s go talk to David, okay?”

  Lily hadn’t even realized the bus had stopped until it was time to get off.

  “Grab your things,” Sandra said.

  At this point, she was so panicked she couldn’t think straight. She was glad Sandra was taking over, telling her what to do. She picked up her bag and clarinet and followed Sandra off the bus. They immediately made their way to the jeep, and when David saw them, he came to meet them.

  “What happened?” Sandra asked when they were close enough.

  And they were not alone. At least twenty band members had followed them.

  “They sent him to Methodist with the ambulance. The trainer made some calls, and they were supposed to be met by a surgeon who specializes in his type of injuries. I don’t have more news, but I’m about to go back there right now.

  “Sandra, would you take Malakai’s jeep back to the house?” he said, giving his sister t
he keys.

  She took them and nodded.

  “I want to go with you,” Lily said.

  “Lily,” David said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “You’re tired. You should go home.”

  David wasn’t overly concerned, and Lily relaxed her shoulders some.

  “Don’t worry your pretty head, okay? He’ll be fine.”

  “He…he’s not picking up his phone.”

  “He can’t. It’s right here with me. Don’t worry, okay? He’s in good hands.”

  “What if he can’t play anymore?” she asked in a small voice.

  “Don’t worry about that,” David said with a grin. “He’ll play again, next year, in college. He’ll be ready on time to start spring training, you’ll see.”

  “Okay,” she said, looking at the ground between them.

  “Hey, don’t worry, okay?” David repeated again, putting a finger under her chin and raising her head so he could look into her eyes. “He’ll be fine.”

  Lily nodded.

  “Now go home. The minute I have news, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay.”

  David let her go and looked behind her. “Guys, he’ll be all right. The minute I know anything, I’ll post it on the football team social media accounts.”

  Lily drove home on autopilot. She was glad she didn’t have a long drive because she didn’t think she would have made it. She was numb and tired, and all she wanted was a shower, her bed, Malakai, and some peace and quiet.

  The minute Lily got out of her car, she began to shiver uncontrollably. She retrieved her bag and clarinet from the backseat, closed the door, and made her way toward the house. The lights were off, and she could barely see. With shaking hands, she retrieved her key and put it in the lock.

  It wouldn’t fit in.

  Lily looked at her keys. Yes, it was the right one. She tried to put it in the lock again, but it simply wouldn’t fit. Then she heard footsteps running toward her, and felt anger and frustration.

  “Lily!” Nicole called as she ran up the driveway.

  At the same moment, the light beside the door was turned on, blinding Lily. The door flew open, and Beatrice looked down at her, her arms crossed over her chest, a feeling of victory exuding from her.