Lion Eyes

by Casey Peeler

  Rilla

  Looking at the field, I can see that something is terribly wrong. I look at Daddy and he tells me to go, but not before Tyke’s father stands. I have a feeling this is about to get ugly. I wait about two seconds before I stand to follow. Tyke’s father turns around and gives me a look that makes me want to punch him. I look at Daddy and he grabs my arm.

  “Give them a second,” he says. I wait one second and then I’m down the aluminum bleachers and trying my best to figure out where in the hell to go. I close my eyes and remember this place as a little girl. Picturing it in my head, I remember what it was like to come visit my daddy in the Charlotte Lions stadium. I remember what the locker room looked like and the long hallway that took you there. I’m startled when an aisle attendant asks me if I’m okay.

  “Yes, ma’am. Can you tell me the way to the home team’s locker room? My husband is one of the players and just got taken there,” I say, calm as can be.

  “Sure. Follow this around to the elevator and when you get there, take the private one. Tell Mark that Sandy sent you. He can radio me if he needs to. You’ll find him from there.”

  “Thank you,” I say as I hurry to Tyke. Something is very wrong.

  I find the elevator and see that Mr. Jamison is nowhere to be found. Maybe he’s still trying to figure out how to get there. As the elevator door opens, I witness the most horrible sight I’ve ever seen. No one should speak to any human being like that, especially their own child.

  “What the hell was wrong with you out there? This is it, Tyke. You’ve finally ruined what we’ve worked for all these years. If the accident wasn’t bad enough, you just blew the game for your team. How’s that feel?” he screams at Tyke. My husband just stands there, terrified to speak. Where’s the strong man I know?

  Walking quietly toward him, I’ve had enough. “Leave him alone,” I say loudly.

  “Oh go on, little football Barbie,” he says and that’s when Tyke starts to come to life, but I don’t give him the chance. I can handle this myself. Tyke is my husband and no one will speak to him like that.

  “Excuse me? You’ll not talk to my husband like that. You need to take your ass back to where you came from. This man right here is better than you will ever be. Did you even ask what the hell is going on? That wasn’t Tyke out there. Something is clearly wrong, you asshole,” I say before turning to Tyke.

  “Husband?” I hear his father question and I ignore him.

  “What’s really wrong?” I say as I take his face in my hands and look him in the eye.

  “I’m going back to jail,” he whispers.

  “You’re what?” his father demands rather than questions.

  “I’m so sorry, Rilla. I didn’t do it, I promise. I swear on us. I didn’t do it.”

  Tears fill my eyes as I look at the man in front of me. He’s scared for his life and our future. I can hear his father behind me but I ignore him.

  “Tell me. I believe you. No matter what. I’m here, no matter what.”

  “That girl at the bar that I told you about on the phone.” I nod. “She’s accusing me of getting her that drunk. Like it was deliberate. I swear I didn’t do it.”

  “I believe you, Tyke. We’ll figure this out,” I say as tears stream down my face and my heart hurts for him. I pull him in and while he sobs on my shoulder, I don’t let him go.

  Looking over my shoulder I see his father, who is pacing the floor. The steam begins to boil in my veins at his petty behavior and as Tyke pulls himself together, I turn to face him.

  “You listen and you listen good. You will not talk to my husband that way ever again and if this ruins his shot at the pros, then so be it. It just means that wasn’t the path chosen for him, but never speak to him like that again or I will make sure you wish you hadn’t.”

  He begins to laugh and that’s when I lose it. I start to lunge toward him when the most perfect strong arms wrap around my body and hold me tightly. “He’s not worth it,” Tyke says as he waits for me to calm down.

  “I see you have to have your girl handle your fights. That’s real tough, Tyke. Oh, and if you’ve settled for her, that’s a waste.”

  Chapter 32

  Tyke

  I see red. When he degrades Rilla like that, I lose my shit and go after him. That’s when I hear a calming voice in my head to stop and walk away. I pause, look at him, turn to Rilla and make my decision. I chose love. I chose her and whatever happens when we get back is what I have to deal with.

  I enter the locker room and she follows me. Taking a seat, I put my head in my hands and let silent tears fall. I feel like such a pussy. She comes around and I feel her in front of me.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay. I promise,” she says and I don’t know how she can be so sure.

  “It’s over. My dream is over. There’s always been something in the way of my dreams. I was this close. I’ve fucked up again and there’s nothing else I can do. My hopes of showing scouts I’m ready for the draft are done. Hell, it doesn’t matter cause I’m destined for a date with a judge.”

  “It’s not over. You did nothing wrong and we’re going to prove that. You hear me?”

  Looking at her, I see the fire in her eyes. She’s right. This isn’t over. I didn’t do anything wrong and I’ve just gotten my freedom back. I’ll be damned if someone is going to ruin it. I’ve got to get back out there.

  Standing, I take her in my arms. “Thank you. I’ve got a game to play. We’ll worry about this when it’s over.”

  “Now there’s my Tyke,” she says, taking a step closer to me. “And Tyke, remember you’ve still got your biggest fan right here no matter what happens with this game. Football is nothing without fans. It’s the reason you play the game.” A grin escapes her lips as my hand grazes the back of her neck and she leans in for a kiss.

  Pulling back, I know I’ve got to get back out there. I kiss her once more, grab my helmet and hustle to the field.

  As I enter the stadium, I glance at the scoreboard and wince. Coach Porter catches sight of me and calls a time-out. “You good?” I give him a ‘yes, sir’ as he brings the huddle in and substitutes me back in the game. “Listen up, there’s still time on the clock. TD, it’s your time to shine. I know you’ve got it in you and you’ve got this… all of this.” I know exactly what he means as we break. I give the call as the line is ready to go with the start of the clock. Looking left, I see my line is doing their job. I look downfield and see that my receiver is covered. I fake left then right and sprint toward the end zone. I don’t slow down or look back. I’ve got the goal in my sight and I’m not going to give up until I get there.

  Crossing the zero-yard line, I hear the crowd erupt. Rilla was right. We play the sport because we love it, but the fans are what draw us back each and every game. They give you the faith when you don’t have it, and the reason to keep pushing when you want to stop.

  The field goal is good and the defense takes the field. The fourth quarter is ours and I know that we’ve got this. With one more touchdown pass to the wide receiver, it’s a done deal. We are the champions of this bowl as the clock reads zero. I remove my helmet and congratulate the other team on a good game. I look around for the only person that matters in this world.

  As my eyes meet hers, I smile as she runs to me. Dropping my helmet, I don’t worry about what’s waiting for me outside this stadium. I focus on the only person that matters right now - my wife - as she leaps into my arms and kisses my lips for everyone to see.

  Hearing Booker and John tell us to get a room, I pay them no attention as we continue to make out on the field. As she pulls away, she looks down at me. “You were amazing,” she says.

  “You’re right. Fans are the reason we keep coming back, but as long as I’ve got my number one fan by my side, I can conquer the world.”

  “Damn right you can,” she says as I kiss her once more before following the team into the locker room.

  Rilla

  Looking int
o those eyes, I see a man that’s going to make something of his life. We celebrate on the field with the team, his mom, and my daddy. When he kisses me goodbye, I can’t wait to get home to meet him. I know that life might not go as we plan, but we’re in this together. When he walks away with the team into the locker room, I know that our future will be alright, even if we have to deal with what lies ahead.

  Daddy and I say goodbye to Tyke’s mom. His dad is nowhere to be found and I secretly hope that he’s done with his temper tantrums. Daddy and I walk to the parking lot and as we drive down the interstate, it’s quiet.

  “Want to tell me exactly what’s going on?” he asks.

  “A little bump in the road, that’s all.”

  “Um hum,” he says as he checks over his shoulder before changing lanes.

  “Fine, a picture has surfaced and a girl is claiming that Tyke got her really drunk, like to the point she had to be hospitalized. Daddy, he told me about what happened that night with the guys. He didn’t do anything but try and help. He wouldn’t hurt someone intentionally.”

  “No, I don’t think he would. He’s worried what’s next isn’t he?” Daddy asks.

  “Yeah, Porter made him think there will be consequences when we return. I’m not sure why all of this had to happen during the game. Why couldn’t it have waited?”

  “I have no idea, but whatever happens, he’ll get through it. Has he talked any more about the declaration?”

  “Yeah, he was planning on declaring as soon as this game was over. I’m sure Porter knows already and the team assumes. I hope he still will, ya know?” I sit there quietly as doubt begins to seep into my mind. I try my best to push it away. I know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “You don’t think he would have known about that or tried to cover it up, do you?” I question and wish that that doubt never escaped my lips.

  “Don’t do that, Rilla Dee. Don’t doubt him. I’m sure he’s telling the truth.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because that boy has lost everything already. He’s not going to lose again or lose sight of the end goal. It’s not in his blood.”

  “What in the world do you mean?”

  Daddy turns right off the exit and continues to speak. “That boy lost it all in the accident. He had to find himself to get it back together. I know he hates this hick town, but that boy loves football and that’s why he’s here. But now there’s something he loves more than football.” I stare at him and process what he’s saying. Daddy doesn’t say a word, he lets silence do the talking. “I know him because I used to be him. I didn’t mess up like he did, but there was a time in my life where a girl trumped football and I know I’d never do anything to screw that up.”

  “Daddy…” I start to say as I push back the tears. I know he’s right, and can’t believe that I let the devil creep his way into my head. Tyke would never do anything to hurt me and I’m going to make sure that this girl tells the truth. Someway, somehow.

  “You know I’ve always told you that life is more than the game. What you need to understand is that everything is a game. It’s about winning some and losing some, but it’s also about the fans. You were my biggest fan and I knew that I had to lose the game of football to win the game of life. I won because of you. Tyke realized that with you too.”

  I pause and let that sink in. I’ve never thought about the game like that. I’ve always seen football as the enemy, but Daddy is right. I’ve always been Daddy’s biggest fan and the moment I let my heart lead, it steered me to Tyke. Football was an added bonus.

  Arriving back in town, we go home. I get the car and head to campus to wait for Tyke. When the bus arrives, I step out of the car and wait for him to walk off of the bus.

  He steps off and as he walks toward me, the campus police intervene. I walk to his side and stand by my man. He’s not going through this alone.

  “TD, we need you to come with us,” the officer says as he leads Tyke through the athletic facility and into a conference room. I stand outside the door and pray that everything is okay.

  Chapter 33

  Tyke

  Walking into that conference room, I know that I have done nothing wrong. There is literally no proof except some stupid picture. I am, however, unsure of how this will affect the league accepting my declaration.

  As I take a seat, they begin to question me about that night. I lay everything out on the table and hold nothing back. After about thirty minutes, they have enough and can see that I can’t give them any more information. I give them the names of everyone that was with me and I describe the guy that bothered her and her group of friends. They dismiss me when they have no more questions to ask.

  “TD, thank you for being so cooperative. I believe we have enough information to report back to the chief and good luck with the draft.”

  “Thanks, sir,” I say as I stand and walk out of the room.

  Rilla is waiting for me in the hallway.

  “What happened?” she questions.

  “They asked me about that night. I didn’t hold a thing back and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be a problem. If so, I would have been locked up by now,” I say jokingly.

  She exhales as she loops her arm through mine. “That’s not funny,” she states as she looks up at me.

  “Sorry. I wish that it hadn’t happened tonight. It kinda ruined the second half of the game and our New Year’s Eve plans.” Pulling out my phone, I see that it’s almost midnight. “We’ve still got ten minutes until the clock strikes midnight. What do you wanna do?”

  “Go home. That’s all I want to do tonight. We’ll start a brand new day together as we should.” She steps up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. I walk her to her car and follow her to the cabin.

  As we pull up to the cabin, I see that there are less than two minutes until midnight. I hurry out of the truck and rush to meet Rilla.

  I open her car door and she takes my hand as she stands and smiles. I lead her to the riverbank and glance at the time. 11:59 p.m. Taking her hand in mine, we gaze into the night sky and listen to the sound of the water below. My phone notifies me of the change in the hour. I turn to her, graze my hand down her cheek, and rest it behind her neck. Then I lean in for the best New Year’s kiss of a lifetime. It’s a first and a last all in the same moment. I’ll never spend this moment with anyone else and I never want to be apart from her for as long as I live.

  As her lips continue to find mine, I pull her close and her arms reach around my neck as she whispers. “Happy New Year’s, Mr. Jamison.”

  I smirk as I reply. “Same to you, Mrs. Jamison.”

  Rilla

  As the words leave my lips, I feel whole and complete. He looks into my eyes and I feel his love through them as his lips touch mine again.

  Kissing him with all of my soul, he swoops down and lifts me to his waist. As my legs straddle his hips, he leads us to the house.

  The following morning we wake to notification after notification on our phones.

  “Make it shut up,” I grumble as a little kiss tickles my shoulder. I roll over to meet his lips as he grabs the phone and passes it to me.

  I hit the button, but when I see the screen, I do a double take. I’ve got texts a mile long from Laney and my social media has blown up. I look at Tyke and we both sit up in the bed. We scroll through my notifications together. Oh dear Lord. It’s everywhere. That picture is everywhere and on all the news feeds. It’s just a photo with no caption or anything. What is she trying to do?

  Looking at him, I have no words.

  “Great day for a declaration?” he questions.

  “How did this happen?” I ask. “Last night it was just questioning and now it’s like this picture of you kissing her is everywhere. What are we going to do?” I ask him, and he pulls me onto his lap.

  “Absolutely nothing. It’s just a picture,” he says as he kisses me and I pu
ll back. He’s not getting out of this that easily.

  “None of that until we get this worked out. What’s going to happen if she comes forward with that bogus story? Right now, it’s just a photo. What happens if she starts claiming you’re her new boyfriend or accuses you of getting her drunk?”

  “She’s not going to. I didn’t do anything and I’d love to see a cat fight between you two.”

  “How can you joke about this? Today is one of the biggest days of your career, and some hussy is trying to ruin it.”

  His face says more than his mouth. As I slide from his lap, he stands beside the bed and looks out the window. I grab a t-shirt, come up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tight.

  “What if I don’t want to declare? What if this is the way the Big Man is telling me it’s over?”

  I take a moment and remember what Daddy said to me. “Tyke, life is a game. It’s all a game from our first breath to the last. You make first downs, have to go back and punt, lose yardage, and even have to take a time-out every now and then. You’re going to win some and lose some, but it’s what’s in your heart that matters most. If you don’t want to declare, I’ll be right here, but I know what you want. You want football. I want you to have your two loves – me and football. I was bred for this kind of life. Regardless of what you decide, at the end of the day I’m going to be your biggest fan even when we’re old and wrinkled and sitting on the front porch,” I say with a little laugh. “It’s okay to change your mind, but I don’t want you to regret it.”

  “Rilla, you’re my biggest fan and knowing you’re behind me makes the decision so much easier. But seeing how one person can attempt to destroy my life is something I don’t want you to be exposed to. I don’t want you to ever have to deal with that.”

  “I appreciate it, but this isn’t my first rodeo with the pros. I might have been a kid, but I get it. I know that when you walk out the door for an away game there’s always someone trying to catch you in something, but it’s that way in everything you do. It doesn’t matter if you’re a pro athlete or the average Joe making an honest living. There’s always someone that is envious of what you have, but I’ve got faith that we’ll survive the test of time. I know that your heart belongs to me. I know that when you walk back in the door, I’ll be there waiting. It’s okay. I can handle it.”