Destiny
Page 23
Chapter 25
Should I Stay?
When all the media events were over, it was already past three. We were starving, but I was with three borderline celebrities. It wasn’t like we could go to a regular restaurant without running the risk of them getting mobbed for autographs. Thankfully, one of the staff members at the newspaper that Marcus was doing his interview at offered us access to a back room and something to eat. We were told it would only take a second for it to get there. After we took a seat in the break room, I asked them how they thought the day went.
“It couldn’t have gone better. I shined. Derrick did his bad guy routine, and I did my guy a huge favor,” Emmitt said while wrapping one arm around Marcus.
“I’ll take it as payment for all the times I blocked for your slow ass,” Marcus joked.
“Hey, what’s with the aggression? Oh, I get it. I could kind of tell when we were going through all this,” Emmitt said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re camera shy. You’ve been a nervous wreck since we started this, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, you’re right, Emmitt. I think I noticed it, too. The self-proclaimed top five player of this draft class is scared to even talk to a small blonde woman in an interview,” Derrick said.
“I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”
“Well, we know exactly what we’re saying. Speaking of that blonde, though,” Emmitt said before I cut him off.
“Enough about the reporter. I’m asking you where you expect to go in the draft?”
They all paused for a second. It was almost as if they thought that saying what they felt would jinx the whole thing. Finally, Emmitt spoke up.
“Number one. I worked for three years to get there. I was ready for professional football when I was eighteen, but with the new tricks I’ve picked up over that time, I think I’m ready to be a star,” he said.
“Top three,” Derrick said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Marcus said.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” I asked.
“We get a short rookie contract out of this deal. I know that the sooner you’re picked the better, but that’s not what I’m worried about. I want a future in this league. What I really care about is performing well in my first few years, so I can get a contract that beats all you guys’ second one,” he joked.
“Yeah, no way that’s happening. I love you, Marc, but I’m going to heights that most only dream of,” Emmitt said arrogantly.
About that time, our food came. It was nice just to be able to eat. The day had gone by so quickly. It was almost over. I couldn’t believe just how close we were to the finish line.
“Hey, earth to Eric,” I heard Derrick say.
“What’s up?”
“You were really out of it there. Emmitt’s been trying to get your attention for the last thirty seconds.”
“Sorry. I’m just thinking about how far we’ve come.”
“That’s nice, but can you guess what I’m thinking about?” Emmitt asked.
“The club tonight.”
“You really do know me. So what have you got planned out?”
“While you guys were on television, I found out where the hottest club in the city is. All the celebrities hang out there. After a few phone calls, it wasn’t hard to get your names on the list. If you show up with identification, they’ll let you right in.”
“All right, but you’re still coming, right?”
“I think I need to get back to the woman I brought here. It’s already bad enough that I’ve left her alone all day.”
“See! I knew she was going to get in the way of our time. This is important, you know.”
“I get it, and I’m almost hesitant to let you go anywhere by yourself, but I think you can handle it now. You’re a big boy.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you get into trouble every time he doesn’t tower over you like he’s your parent or something,” Derrick said.
“Be quiet. You’re not any better,” Emmitt said with a smile.
“I’ll watch the kids for tonight. You just enjoy yourself. Tomorrow the real work is going to start for you,” Marcus said.
Emmitt eventually agreed that I probably shouldn’t abandon Chastity. I was worried about him, though. He was still like a big kid. Was he really ready for the professional world? People often think that playing professional sports means you never have to grow up, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Emmitt was about to be in for a crash course on adulthood, and I didn’t see it going well.
The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. I sent the guys off to the club in a limousine and caught a cab back to the hotel. Just before I went inside, I received a phone call. It was Olivia. I froze right where I stood. Out of all the things that could happen today, this was the last one I expected. Why would she be calling, and what if it was for romantic reasons? Wouldn’t that be so wonderful, but at the same time, confusing and completely at odds with what I was doing with Chastity? On the fourth ring, I finally answered it.
“Hello,” I said.
“It’s me. You need to know that your uncle is in the hospital,” Olivia said.
“What happened to him? Is he okay?”
“He had a heart attack. I think he’s all right now, but it was a pretty substantial one. Your aunt and friends didn’t want to call you. They knew you had the draft tomorrow, and they didn’t want you to feel like you needed to come back when you’ve got something so important going on there.”
“Do I need to come home?”
“I can’t answer that for you. That has to be your decision. I think he’s going to be okay, but I don’t want to tell you that and something happen to him. I know he would want you to stay there. I just thought that you deserved to know what was going on and make this decision for yourself.”
“How can I make that decision? I would be throwing away millions of dollars to come there, but if something happened to him and I didn’t get to say goodbye, it would crush me. No amount of money could make up for that. Tell me what I need to do.”
“I can’t, Eric.”
“Try. There’s no one I’ve ever trusted more than you. If you say I need to be there, I’ll get on a plane without hesitation.”
“Stay for now. I’ll call if I hear anything indicating that he’s getting worse. They’re trying to see the extent of the damage. Once we know that, I’ll be able to tell you more. Do me a favor, though. I told your aunt that we needed to call you, and she insisted that I didn’t. Don’t call her right now. It’s just going to upset her and make her angry with me.”
“I won’t. Thank you so much for letting me know what was going on. Call if anything changes, no matter what time it is. I’ll be up.”
“I will, but, Eric, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you? Are things going well for you in Wisconsin?”
“It’s going all right. I’m taking night classes now. I’m not going to be a doctor anymore, but I’ll at least get to be a surgical tech before it’s all over. Things are really starting to fall into place for me, or at least it’s getting better.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I always wanted you to find happiness. I’ve got to get off here for now, but call me whenever something changes or anytime you want. It would be nice to hear from you more than once a year.”
“I’ll definitely do that.”
As we said goodbye, I had a lot of thoughts rolling through my head. My uncle might be dying. What was I doing in New York? Shouldn’t I get on the first plane going to Green Bay? Then there was the last thing I said. I had just blurted out that question about Olivia. Did I still care about her so much that I even thought of her in a moment of crisis? I didn’t want to answer that question. I pushed it far out of my mind and walked up to the room. When I opened the door, Chastity walked over and wrapped her arms around me. She met me with a gentle kiss.
In that moment, I didn’t even notice how much she had bought or how expensive it all was. That would come as a nice big surprise on my credit card bill. Right then, I was still concentrating on the news about my uncle.
“What’s wrong? I figured you would have some snappy comeback,” Chastity said.
“I’m sorry. I just found out that my uncle is in the hospital. He had a heart attack. I’m trying to figure out if I should fly to Wisconsin right now or not.”
“Come here,” she said and wrapped her arms around me. Then she gave me her opinion.
“I’m sorry that this happened. You can’t leave, though. You have a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you go, they might find someone else. A heart attack doesn’t mean death anymore. Medicine has come a long way. Plus, it’s not like he’s one of your parents. If this were your mom or dad, I would be on a plane with you in a second. It’s not, though.”
“You don’t understand. My uncle was the first person who actually acted like a parent to me. My mom and dad are my parents, and I love them, but I learned most things from him. If I’m not there and he dies, it’s going to be like I’m choosing money over a parent. I don’t know if I can live with that.”
“What would he want you to do?”
“Uncle Gary would want me to stay here, and that’s what most people would tell me to do, but I don’t know what the right thing is. I got the call when I was in the hotel lobby. I’m supposed to hang tight for now. If things get worse, they’re going to call. If not, I’m just supposed to stay here.”
“Then do that. If it gets worse, I’ll go with you.”
“Okay. I’m going right after the draft, though. I can negotiate deals and fax whatever papers I need to after I get there. I can’t stick around here past the draft, though.”
“I understand. Can I come with you?”
“Why would you want to do that? Even if he’s all right, it’s not exactly going to be a party. We haven’t been back together for long, and I don’t expect you to go through that with me.”
“I want to be there for you, so don’t even question that. Right now, I think you need to relax, though. Worrying about this isn’t going to make anything change,” she said while moving the bags off the couch. Then she pulled me down to it and massaged my back.
“I think you missed your calling,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re really good at that. Masseuse might have been a better career than waitress.”
“Hey, I think I’m a good waitress.”
“Well, you never did serve us. I can only go by my experience,” I joked.
I was trying to bury what was going on at the back of my mind. It wasn’t working, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t act. There was no reason to ruin this trip for Chastity. We talked throughout the evening and tried to have a good night. It was all still there nagging at me under the surface, though. At ten, my phone finally rang. I grabbed it and stepped out of the room.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked.
“He’s going to be all right. They said there was extensive damage to his heart but not so much that they won’t be able to keep it under control. He’s going to live, but he’ll have to change a lot of things about his lifestyle,” Olivia said.
“That’s great news. Thank you. There’s still one thing I don’t get. Why are you at the hospital? I didn’t think you and my uncle were even close.”
“We weren’t while you were here. After you left for college and he called me about everything you were mixed up in, I kept in touch with him. He was like a lifeline straight to you. I could hear about everything that was going on in your life without actually having to talk to you. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t stopped doing that even now. Old habits die hard I suppose. We got close during the last few years, or at least close enough for me to be here.”
I smiled. I didn’t mean to, but the news that she still cared about me was enough to make me feel hopeful. Then again, what was I so hopeful for? I had to check myself. Was I really going down this road again?
“I shouldn’t have said that. It was wrong. I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, it wasn’t. I ask him if he’s heard anything about you all the time. A part of me is still waiting on things to fall apart between you and Richard. I guess that ship has sailed, though.”
“I think so . . . I don’t know what else to say, Eric. I should probably get off here. I’ll call you if I hear anything else. Try to have a good trip.”
“I will. I’ll probably see you at some point soon. I’m heading that way right after the draft. Even if he’s going to be fine, I still want to see him. There’s something about thinking that a person you love is gone forever that makes you realize what’s important.”
“Tell me about it. I’ll see you soon then,” Olivia said and told me goodbye.
When I walked back in, I noticed that Chastity was looking at me strangely. I didn’t know what was going on, but I had seen that look before. I remembered her catching me looking at another girl in high school. This was that look, and what followed that look hadn’t been good.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“It’s nothing. That was her, though, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Is that weird?”
“A little. She’s the whole reason you didn’t talk to me for three years after you got home. Why was she the one to call you?”
“My aunt didn’t want anyone to tell me what was happening. She knew that it would ruin my time in New York. Olivia thought I would want to know, though, so she called. We don’t normally talk. As a matter of fact, today is the first time I’ve talked to her since the summer.”
“I’m acting ridiculous. We’re not even serious yet. I definitely shouldn’t be feeling jealous.”
“Hey, I consider us serious. I don’t take just any woman to New York on the trip of my lifetime, and not just anyone would go home with me to visit my sick uncle. We’re something special. I know that much, so don’t doubt that or get freaked out over someone from my past. She’s married, and I’m with you. That’s the end of the story. Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of guys from your past that I could be jealous of right now. I don’t have to, though. They didn’t get you.”
“I don’t know about plenty, but I guess you’re right. It’s been a hard day for you, and I know tomorrow is going to be even more stressful. Why don’t we go to bed a little early?”
“That’s a good idea. I need to be rested for tomorrow.”
“I didn’t say anything about rest,” Chastity joked.
“Oh, really? Well, I think I can be tired. Let’s . . .” I managed to say before the phone rang again.
This time it wasn’t Olivia. It was Marcus. I knew this couldn’t be good. Marcus wouldn’t be calling unless there was trouble.
“Hey, what’s happened?” I asked.
“You know those guys who do something stupid that costs them a chance at being the first pick in the draft?”
“What did that idiot do?”
“You just need to get down here. I tried to stop things, but it escalated.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“Mr. Football himself was here tonight - the Heisman trophy winner, Jerry Grissom. You know that Emmitt was sore when he finished second to someone who never actually won anything but that. Emmitt got really drunk tonight. He partied like he normally does, and that did the thing that it also does to him on most nights. It made him lose his sensor. I tried to stop him from talking to the guy, but he did it anyway. Emmitt tried to make a fool out of him and made a fool out of himself instead. They traded a couple of blows, and then the police were
called. Derrick and I would have stepped in, but we have a lot to lose, too. The cops are here now. I think they’re going to be arrested.”
“That’s just great! I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t move, and whatever you do, don’t drink anything or get into a disagreement with anybody. I don’t think I can take more than one of my clients being an idiot tonight.”
“You’ve got it, boss,” he joked, and we got off the phone.
I explained everything to Chastity and caught a cab to the club. They had both of them in cuffs, but they hadn’t taken them to jail yet, so that was a good sign. I immediately found the first police officer I could and asked what was going to be done about them.
“There was damage done in the fight. The owner doesn’t want to press charges, though, and neither of them wants to press charges against each other either. We’re trying to decide what to do with them now. It might just be easier to let this one go,” he said.
I convinced him to let me take custody of Emmitt and to let Jerry go as soon as we were gone. Thankfully, the NYPD were having a busy night, and they didn’t feel like doing the paperwork on two people who weren’t going to press charges against each other. As long as they had someone to drive them home, the police were going to let them go.
When they finally released Emmitt, he tried to explain himself to me, but I told him to shut up. We were going to talk about all of this, but it was going to be in private. After Marcus and Derrick had gone to their rooms, I walked into Emmitt’s room with him.
“Man, I can explain,” he said as I shut the door.
“I don’t care what he said to you or how much you hate that guy. I would have when you were in college, but you’re blowing it right now! Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be you? You’re about to make more money than I could ever dream of, and I’m managing three people! Then there’s the fact that you could have any woman you want, but you’re too much of an idiot to settle for one person. You’ve got the money, people love you, and God gave you an amazing talent. All you’ve got to do is cash in on it. Why is that so hard for you?”