by Brown,Dick
Two hours later, Rod couldn’t focus as he squinted around the room under the glaring lights. The stadium lights never seemed that bright before, he thought. And there was stone silence except for a little beeping sound. He reached up to pull his helmet off and grabbed what he thought was his face guard. It didn’t move when he tried to lift it off. Still unable to focus very well at the blur of body shapes around him, Rod asked, “What’s going on? Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital,” Coach Haskins said. “You took a hell of a hit after you threw that pass. Do you remember anything after that?”
“No.” His vision slowly cleared. “Cass, is that you? Mom? Jessica? Mark? Jack? What’s everybody doing here?”
A tall, gray-haired gentleman in a long, white coat parted the crowd gathered around his bed. “Hello, Rod, I’m Dr. Clark, a neurosurgeon. I have some good news and bad news for you. The good news is you aren’t going to be paralyzed, just very sore, and you must do physical therapy for a couple of months. The bad news is you suffered a concussion and a hairline cervical fracture. Your third vertebrae took most of the impact. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage to the spinal cord, but your neck ligaments and that fracture need time to heal,” Dr. Clark said with emphasis.
“Your neck will have to be immobilized in that halo brace until the swelling goes down and the injury is completely healed. That could take as long as ten to twelve weeks, depending on how your therapy progresses. But I’m afraid your football-playing days are over. Another hit like that could paralyze you permanently from the neck down. It’s just too risky. I’m sorry, son. We will keep you here a few days for observation. You can go home by the end of the week. Limit your physical activity, no driving or heavy lifting when you get home. Don’t worry, I’ll give you full instructions and set up your physical therapy schedule when you’re discharged.”
Rod lay helpless in traction with a halo brace attached to his head with screws drilled into his skull, and strapped to his body in a harness restricting any movement of his head in any direction.
“Physical therapy, what’s the point? I can’t play football anymore. Might as well compete in the wheelchair races at the nursing home.” Rod tried to turn his head aside but couldn’t because of is halo brace. He fought back tears, refusing to be embarrassed in front of his coach, friends, and family.
“Look at the bright side,” Coach Haskins said, trying to cheer Rod up. “Junior caught your pass and took it in to score dragging the Buffaloes’ defensive back with him. We won state for the first time in the history of Bois D’Arc High School on that last touchdown throw. You carried us on your back all season, son. You can take your pick of . . .” Coach caught himself before he finished his sentence.
“I’ll help you with your therapy,” Cass chimed in quickly to fill the silent void. “Be your chauffeur and have you out of that halo brace in time for the prom.”
“You mean you’d still want to go to the prom with a cripple?” Rod said, overwhelmed with self-pity.
“I think he has had enough company for now,” Dr. Clark said. “You folks can come back tomorrow, but for now he needs rest.”
Everyone except Cass started for the door. She leaned over and carefully gave Rod a soft kiss on the lips and whispered, “Don’t worry, you’ll be out of that brace by spring and back on the number nine green with me.” She winked as she stepped away. “See you tomorrow. I love you.”
Chapter 16
End of therapy
A sporty car like Cass’s red Thunderbird was an unusual sight in the Flats and got stares from those in Rod’s neighborhood.
“Today’s the big day, no more halo brace and harness,” Cass said in her usual upbeat mood. The weather was mild enough to have the top down so Rod wouldn’t have to stoop over to slide into the seat with his awkward halo brace for the last time. “I’ll take good care of him, Mrs. Miller.” Cass waved goodbye to Rod’s mother who stood on the front porch of their small, neat house and manicured yard. Mrs. Miller loved working in the yard and had it looking like it came out of Better Homes and Gardens even after the winter had turned everything brown.
An hour later, Rod came out of Dr. McCombs’s exam room and into the waiting room with an ear-to-ear smile. He was wearing a soft collar brace around his neck for support until his neck muscles recovered from the months of inactivity.
“How do you like me without my crown?” Rod asked as he twirled like a ballet dancer. “No more having to turn my entire body to see anything not directly in front of me. I can finally get a full night of restful sleep. And best of all, no more acrobatics getting into the T-Bird.”
Cass jumped up and gingerly gave him a hug, still mindful of his injury. “Wow, you look great. That was quite a move. Can’t wait to get you out on the dance floor at prom.”
“Yeah, it will be fun to be able to move around again without worrying about breaking something,” Rod responded. “I can’t wait to get back to normal.” Then he scowled. “If you can call life without football normal.”
“Rod, you can still go to college. There really is life after football,” Cass said as they walked hand in hand out of the doctor’s office.
“But without a football scholarship, I can’t afford college and that’s the only kind of scholarship I qualify for,” Rod said dejectedly.
“Come on, let’s go to the Sizzle Burger and get a hot fudge sundae, my treat.”
Rod moped out to the T-Bird and helped Cass put the top up. At the Sizzle Burger, they settled into their usual booth in the back corner and while they waited for their order. Rod broke his silence.
“I’ve been thinking about us a lot lately,” Rod said slowly. “You’ve been really great about the injury and everything. Making me keep going when I wanted to rip that halo brace off. Fixing all those ice packs for the pain and swelling in my neck.”
“I had my reasons,” Cass interrupted. “Having to wear that brace for so long, you got out of shape.” She reached across the table and grasped his hands tightly in hers. “I know some good exercises we can do together to fix that,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Come on, Cass, I’m serious. What’s going to happen now that I can’t play football? Do you believe your granddad is still going to let you date me since I’m no use to him and his big bet with his SMU cronies? We graduate a week after prom and you’ll probably be gone to England or someplace, and I won’t see you again,” Rod said, avoiding her eyes.
“Where did that come from?” Cass asked. “And who says I’m going anywhere this summer? Listen, my grandfather contributes a lot of money to the Scholastic Assistance Fund for kids who need help paying for college, not just football scholarships. If I ask Gramps, he can make a phone call and you will have a scholarship tomorrow.” Cass glared at Rod. “So I don’t want to hear any more ‘poor me’ about college, okay? We will be together in SMU this fall, count on it.”
Chapter 17
A week before the prom
Jack was just finishing his steak and baked potato at the country club when Rod entered the dining room. Hesitant at first, Rod took a deep breath and headed straight for his friend.
“Hey, stranger,” Jack said. “I hardly recognized you without your rig on. How’re you doing? Have a seat. Want some supper? Mr. Jefferson’s still in the kitchen and can whip you up something, on my tab.”
“No thanks, I’ve already eaten,” Rod answered.
“Well, have a seat anyway. We have some catching up to do. That government inspection really kept me going, but it went pretty well, only had a couple of details that weren’t hard to fix. Already have an IRAN contract with the Air Force. That stands for Inspect-and-Repair-As-Needed. It’s small, but it will at least get my foot in the door,” Jack said.
Rod broke the silence after a long pause. “I’m sorry, Jack.”
“Sorry, what about?”
“For not being around more and for letting you down. I avoided you because Cass’s granddad let me date her as long as I let him believe I was going to play football for SMU. I never really planned on going there, and I just strung him along because of Cass. I always intended to go to A&M like you wanted. I felt uncomfortable with you thinking I was going to go to SMU. It was wrong to play that game. I want to apologize. You have been too good to me to be treated like that. I’m sorry,” Rod said again dejectedly. “Doesn’t look like I’ll be going anywhere now.”
“No apology needed. I knew what you were doing. I would have done the same thing in your place. Don’t worry, I can still get you a scholarship at A&M if you want it. You can be a team trainer or something, still be close to the game.”
“I appreciate that. It’s a generous offer, but that would be too hard. I wouldn’t be very good at being on the sidelines. I never watched a game from there before and don’t think I want to start now. Cass’s granddad said he would get me a scholarship so we could be together at SMU. He really surprised me. He isn’t quite the crusty old coot I thought he was. I couldn’t believe he was still okay with me dating Cass as long as I go to SMU. And in my circumstances, he knew I didn’t have any other choice.”
“It’s up to you, son. Wherever you want to go is fine with me. You know I wouldn’t have held you to my offer, even if you hadn’t gotten hurt. Now you can concentrate on an engineering degree so you can come to work for me. In four years I expect to have an engineering and electronics department and to expand my company to handle larger Air Force contracts for intelligence reconnaissance. That little war in Vietnam is really heating up and the Pentagon is handing out contracts right and left. I’ll need somebody with more brains than me to make it work and grow. What do you say?”
“I don’t know, Jack,” Rod said. “I don’t know what I want to do. I don’t have a clue about my future. I want to be with Cass, but SMU doesn’t feel right to me. She has her life all planned out and thinks I’m going to be a part of it. Even if we’re still together after SMU, I can’t see her coming back here. She’ll probably meet some rich guy who can give her the life she’s accustomed to, even if I do go to SMU. I don’t want to hold her back. She deserves better than me.”
“I think you’re selling yourself short, son. You’re a fine young man with good character and instincts. You’ll do well at anything you put your mind to. And that includes marrying into the richest family in the county. You won’t have any trouble blending in with those society folks in Dallas either. You have a lot you could teach them about life and show them what you’re made of.”
“Thanks for the pep talk, Jack . . . I’m not sure I could stomach pretending to be somebody I’m not around old money in Dallas or Bois D’Arc. I just don’t think I can fit into her future lifestyle. Not sure I even want to.” Rod shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I really care for Cass. High school was great. We had good times.”
“Mind if I change the subject?” Jack interrupted. “Your prom is coming up this weekend, right? What kind of wheels you got for the big occasion?”
“Freddy Joe’s going to lend me his pickup. His dad’s letting him take the family car.”
“A pickup is no carriage for a princess like Cass. Take my car, now that you have your driver’s license. I’d be honored.” Jack tipped his Stetson.
“Are you sure? There’s going to be a dinner party at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas after the prom. You sure you trust me for that?”
“I know you’re responsible enough not to get behind the wheel if you’ve had too much to drink. I’m not worried. Go on, take the keys now. I have a company truck to get around in this weekend. These are some of the best days of your life. Take it and have a good time. Bring it back whenever you’re ready,” Jack said as he stood up. “It’s been a really tough day. Run me home so I can get some sack time and you keep the car.”
Rod took the wheel and delivered Jack to his ranch east of town, bordering his company’s runway. The long driveway led to a graveled parking space in front of his house. It was not a fancy house, very unpretentious for a man of his wealth. Jack lived a simple life with several head of cattle and ten acres of grazing pasture. The pole barn in back sheltered his tractor with its mowing attachment on one side and bales of hay stored in the other side in case there wasn’t enough grass because of the hot, dry Texas summer.
“Thanks so much, Jack,” Rod said before the car had even stopped. “You’re the best friend anybody could have. Someday I’ll repay you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Don’t worry about it, son,” Jack said and gave Rod a pat on the back. “You’ll have your chance to repay me when you come and work for me after college.”
“Uh . . . something else I didn’t tell you. I’ve been talking to the Air Force recruiter.”
“Thinking of signing up?”
“Don’t know, just wanted you to know, that’s all.”
“So, now I know. It doesn’t change my job offer. You can get some good training in my kind of business in the Air Force. Might even be better than college. Now go on, get outta here. Have a good time and take good care of Cass. She’s quite a catch.” Jack slid out of the car and waved to Rod with a smile of satisfaction.
Chapter 18
Prom night
A line of white limos crept toward the gymnasium entrance to deposit their cargo of young couples looking beautiful in their formal attire. The girls were all decked out in their colorful, strapless evening gowns with wrist corsages and bouffant hairstyles. Their dates looked spiffy with their red carnations on the lapels of their white dinner jackets.
A rock band could be heard from the parking lot, sending out their version of The Beatles’ hit, I Want to Hold Your Hand, as Rod and Cass stepped out of Jack’s Lincoln Continental.
“Do you hear that?” Cass asked. “They’re really great. They’ve even played at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas.”
Rod heard the music, but his attention was completely absorbed with Cass. He was speechless, awed at her radiant beauty. He took her hands in his and stood there, beaming with pride at his date. She made him feel a foot taller.
“Oh, I can tell this is going to be an amazing night to remember,” Cass said, squeezing Rod’s hands. “Come on, let’s hurry. I don’t want to miss one minute of it. It’s going to be special for us.” She sparkled, her beautiful complexion needing only a minimum of makeup and touch of eye shadow to accent her glistening blue eyes. She truly looked like a princess. Her long blonde hair, swept up into a huge beehive on top of her head, was held there with her grandmother’s gold hairpin and tons of hair spray.
“You look beautiful, Cass,” Rod finally said, adoring her white floor-length, low-cut strapless dress that hugged her hips and was the perfect backdrop for her red rose wrist corsage.
“Thank you. You look really dashing yourself. Come on, my white knight, let’s go in there and show them how it’s done.”
When they entered, Rod scanned the gym and located Junior and Lawanda with their friends. They were clustered around the District IV Championship trophy next to the much larger Texas State Championship trophy on a raised pedestal in the middle of the gym floor. A single beam of light from overhead bathed the trophies in a white, ghostly circle that could be seen from anywhere in the building.
“Congratulations, man. I hear you’re headed to Southern Cal,” Rod said, slapping Junior’s back. “What made you decide on the Trojans instead of the Longhorns, Aggies, or Mustangs?” Rod asked as they did their ritual handshake that almost looked like arm wrestling.
“I just decided I needed a change, since you weren’t going to be playing for A&M. Texas runs the Wishbone that only throws a couple of passes a game. SMU won only two games this year, and Southern Cal beat them by thirty points. I wanted
to go with a winner.” Junior paused. “Look, man, I’m really sorry about your bad luck. I was looking forward to us hooking up in college. Now you gonna have to study instead of the free ride we football players get,” Junior said in a lighter tone.
“Yeah, right. Are you and Lawanda going to the party in Dallas after this is over?” he asked, shouting over the music that had cranked up to full volume.
“Don’t know nuthin’ about a party,” Junior shouted back.
Rod snapped around to face Cass. “You didn’t invite Junior and Lawanda to the dinner party?”
“I didn’t make up the list, mother did,” she said with a shrug. “I’m sorry.”
“None of the team got invited?” Rod asked.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t have any control over the invitations. It’s just a small dinner party,” Cass said as she shook her head and lowered her eyes.
Rod was furious over the insult to his best friend. Word spread about the party and he got the cold shoulder from Junior and his friends on the team the rest of the night. By the time the dance ended, Rod and Cass were hardly speaking. As they sat in the parking lot on a warm spring night that was supposed to be the highlight of their year, the air in the Continental was frigid.