Destiny

by Mitchel Grace

  “I don’t know. I guess I don’t really feel like I belong here,” he said and sat down on the couch.

  “Emmitt, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t belong. I love you, man. You know that, and I’m not saying this to be mean, but you have to get it together. I’m not saying that you can’t party or be yourself, but you’ve got to give me something here. Don’t you realize that normal people don’t get blitzed every weekend and attack people just because they might have been better than them at something?”

  “That guy wasn’t better than me!”

  “That’s your problem, and if you’re not careful, it’s going to be your downfall.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You think you’re better than everyone. You don’t even believe you can get better because you think you’ve reached your maximum potential. I see so much more in you, though. I just hope you see it before it’s too late. Now, listen well. This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to get some rest, and tomorrow we’re going to do damage control. After that, we’ll just hope for the best. Maybe this can be a learning experience for both of us,” I said and walked out.

  I didn’t know how right I was. It was going to be a learning experience, and for once, Emmitt was going to change, or at least give the appearance of changing. If nothing else, my talk had made him realize that he had to be more responsible in public. Looking back, I think I missed the mark. That’s a story for later on, though. The next day would be a much happier one.

  Chapter 26

  The Draft

  The following day, I let Emmitt sleep in. He needed to sleep off the hangover, and I figured the other guys wanted to relax for a while before the big night came. Plus, I was a lot happier in the room with Chastity than I would have been out trying to set up some interview or sponsorship. All the work was done until that night. Now I could finally spend some time with her. There was one problem with that. I had been so busy that I hadn’t actually had time to spend with Chastity alone talking. That morning, we encountered our first issue. We had absolutely nothing to talk about. Sure, things had been electric with her two nights before, but that was physical. Did we have a connection outside of that? I didn’t think so.

  “Well, this is a little awkward, isn’t it?” Chastity asked as we watched television in silence.

  “We moved really fast. We skipped through the boring days and talks. I didn’t realize this would be so hard. What do you want to do today?” I asked as I clicked the television off.

  “I don’t know. You’re right, though. It’s weird. We haven’t just spent a day talking since high school. It was so natural back then. I just thought it would be now.”

  “Why don’t we talk about that then?”

  “What?”

  “You know . . . what we’ve been doing since then. I want to know everything about you. Start at the beginning. I already know about your dad cutting you off and why you’re not at some fancy university, but what happened before that?”

  “After you left, I went into a deep depression. I missed you more than I thought I would. Eventually, I tried to put myself back out there. I started dating Jack, but . . .”

  “Wait a minute. Creepy Jack?”

  “I wouldn’t call him creepy.”

  “No, you definitely used to. I still remember how he always stared at you anytime we were around. I can’t believe you actually dated him.”

  “I was really depressed, and he was interested. I wanted to pick up where we left off, but you weren’t around, so I tried to do it with someone else.”

  “How long did he last? Two dates maybe?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Almost a year.”

  “Really? How close were you with him?”

  “I treated him like he was you. I was lonely, and I just wanted someone who loved me. I practically threw myself at the guy. We became as close as two people could be, but it wasn’t real. I was always picturing you when I was with him. It wasn’t fair, so I broke it off. Now, let me tell you the rest of the story . . .” I heard her say before completely zoning out.

  Was I doing the same thing to her that she did to Jack? Olivia was constantly in the back of my mind. It was obvious that Chastity had always cared about me, and here I was giving her hope where there might not be any. Then again, it wasn’t like there was any hope of me being with Olivia, so what did it matter?

  “Hey! Are you listening to me?” Chastity asked after noticing that I had zoned out.

  “Yeah, of course I am.”

  “What was the last thing I said?”

  “It was uh . . . about your life. You know, before we ran into each other again.”

  “No duh, genius! If you’re not going to listen, then I’m going to make you do the talking. Tell me about what happened when you were in Wisconsin,” she said with a smile.

  I told her everything except for a few details. I left out the heavy stuff with Olivia. There was no need for me to tell her the major details of our relationship or about the abortion she had in high school. I also left out the detail of Emmitt and me taking money under the table from a booster. It took over an hour for me to tell her everything that had happened, even with those details left out. When I was done, Chastity looked satisfied.

  “Well, I certainly got you talking. It sounds like you were very busy without me. I still can’t believe you beat up that guy in Wisconsin. I never knew of you to raise a hand to anyone when we were kids. I liked you a lot, but I never viewed you as the protective type. I wonder if you would beat up an athlete twice your size for me,” she said.

  “I’ll beat up Emmitt right now if you want me to. I swear that guy is a handful,” I joked.

  We talked and watched television for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. It was nice to just sit in a room with a woman who cared about me and do nothing but order takeout and enjoy life. That’s what I had been missing. I had spent so long being depressed, but I was happy in this situation. I decided on that day not to question anyone who ever made me happy. She wasn’t Olivia, but that didn’t mean Chastity wasn’t special and worth loving. That was the start of me allowing myself to love her. I hadn’t fell in love back when we were teenagers, but that was only because I made a choice not to. I wouldn’t make that decision again.

  The time passed faster than I would have liked it to, and it was eventually time for us to head off to the draft. We had only reserved four seats, so Chastity couldn’t come. I felt bad about that, but it couldn’t be helped, and she understood.

  Once we arrived at the draft, reporters swarmed Emmitt and asked him about the brawl from the night before. His bruised eye also attracted a lot of attention from photographers. I simply said no comment to the questions. It was too late to undo his mistake now. Teams were going to look past his obvious character flaws, or they weren’t. I couldn’t change that with any answer, though.

  When we were inside and the draft began, I noticed that Emmitt looked nervous. He had reason to be. He was projected as the first pick, and being any less than that would be an embarrassment for him. It would mean that his conduct the night before had cost him millions.

  “It’s going to be all right, Emmitt. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get picked first, but I’m going to make sure you find a good home and a fat check before this is over. Trust me,” I said.

  He nodded and stared on as the commissioner of football came out. As fans did on most years, they booed him when he walked to the podium. The commissioner was probably the most unpopular man in sports. I didn’t hate the guy, but then again, I didn’t even follow sports. I was just there for the cash. I had figured out long ago what players were worth. So many touchdowns equaled so many dollars, and so many sacks equaled a bigger paycheck. I looked at players like I would a stock, and as far as I could tell, business was good.

  “With the first pick in this year’s draft, Houston selects Derrick Wild - defensive end out of Miami,” he said.

  I was in shock.
I expected Derrick to go high, but this was incredible for him. I didn’t know how to feel. This was the best thing for one of my clients, but it also signaled a deep problem for Emmitt. I hugged him as we stood, and then I watched as he walked up and took a picture with the commissioner in his new jersey. No sooner than he stepped off the stage did I pull out my phone. I had the general manager from Houston on speed dial. I had anticipated Emmitt going there, so I had talked numbers with the guy a few times.

  “Eric, congratulations,” he said upon answering.

  “Thank you. I know it’s early on and you’re probably going over what to do tomorrow in the second round, but I was hoping to talk numbers. I’ve got to be out of town soon. I’m working on some endorsement deals for Derrick, so if this can get done in principle over the phone, then I would be really happy.”

  I lied about where I was going because I wanted to be in a position of power. Acting like I was working on making my client even more money sounded better than saying that I was going to see my uncle in the hospital. If I hadn’t lied, he might have smelled weakness and waited to negotiate with Derrick alone. I couldn’t have that.

  “That depends on what he wants. Let’s talk cash.”

  “I think he’s good for twelve to fourteen sacks this year. He might be a rookie, but he’s a freak of an athlete. We both know that. Twelve to fourteen sacks are normally worth about eight million a year. Doesn’t that sound right?”

  “If he were a veteran. He’s not, though. Derrick has to prove that he can perform at that level before we invest that much. I know he’s the first pick in the draft, though, so we’re willing to offer a substantial amount. I’ll offer you a four year sixteen million dollar deal right now.”

  “I’ll meet you half way. We want a four-year twenty-four million deal. Fourteen of it guaranteed. He’ll work on incentives for the rest because I know he won’t fail.”

  “That sounds reasonable. Let’s talk about what the incentives will be,” he said and we continued to talk money.

  I wrote everything down that he said. After a few minutes, I was off the phone, and I turned toward Derrick. I handed him the paper.

  “How does that deal look to you?” I asked with a smile.

  “Like a dream come true. I can’t believe this,” he said with tears in his eyes.

  I had never seen Derrick cry. He always seemed like a hard man, but there’s something about a person seeing the fruits of their labor that makes them soften. This was what he had worked for. For the first time, I felt pride in what I was doing. It wasn’t just about the money. We were changing lives there. Derrick would be set for life.

  While I was attending to Derrick, I had completely forgotten about another client who was absolutely crushed. We were already on the tenth pick, and Emmitt’s name still hadn’t been called.

  “Are you all right?” I asked him.

  “Do I look all right? My future just went down the drain, so what do you think?”

  “I think you’re overreacting. We knew last night would have repercussions. Just wait. It’s not like you’re going to slip out of the top twenty.”

  He did, though. Pick twenty was Marcus. He went to Green Bay, of all places. There was no need for a phone call to their general manager because I would be in town to negotiate the deal soon enough. At that point, I told the guys all about my uncle and that I wouldn’t be around after that night. Emmitt and Derrick understood, and Marcus seemed happy that he wouldn’t be flying to Wisconsin alone. One thing needed to be worked out before I could even go to Wisconsin, though. If Emmitt wasn’t drafted in the first round, then that would mean I had to stay until the following night when they did the second and third round picks. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to be back at home, and Emmitt deserved a good future. I called the place I knew he wanted to go. I was on a first name basis with the owner of New York’s team. He was a man who had more involvement with decisions about his team’s roster than his coaches would have liked. He had a GM to assemble the roster, but most thought that the GM was just a puppet. If I was going to get Emmitt where he wanted to be, then that was the man I needed to talk to.

  “Mr. Wyatt, it’s nice to talk to you again. This is Eric Wilson, and I was hoping I could talk to you about taking Emmitt Brown with the twenty-fourth pick,” I said.

  “We already have a quarterback, and he doesn’t come with baggage.”

  “Let’s be honest. You have a mediocre quarterback who takes too many sacks because he can’t get through his reads fast enough. Emmitt has the potential to be one of the premier players in this league. After what happened last night, I’m not even going to try to convince you to take him based on his character. I’m just going to tell you there’s a chance that he’s the next Aaron Rodgers. A lot of people passed on him, too. Do you want to be that owner? If you pick him and he works out, then you have a franchise quarterback for the next fifteen years. If it doesn’t, then you have the same guy you have now. Just give him a shot. New York is where he’s wanted to be from the start.”

  “That’s strange. Everyone who slips in the draft says New York is always where they wanted to be.”

  “In this case, it’s true. I care about this guy, and I’ve seen for three years just how talented he is. Take your pick of big names. He can play with the Mannings and Bradys of this league. I know that for a fact.”

  “If I pick him, you’re not going to expect top five money, are you?”

  “No. We’ll take a four year twelve million dollar deal.”

  “That’s still a bit pricey for someone who probably won’t be in this league for over two or three years.”

  “You’re wrong. I know he’s going to be the best thing New York has seen in a long time over the next four years. After that, he’s going to cash in with a contract five times that size. As a matter of fact, I’m so confident that I’ll be willing to put my money where my mouth is. I take ten percent of his money as his agent. That would come out to 1.2 million dollars over the next four years. Emmitt’s cut would be 10.8. He’ll make that much, but I’ll cut my commission in half on this one contract to get him in the uniform he wants to be in and save you enough money to make you feel more comfortable with picking him.”

  “You really do believe in him, don’t you?”

  “I do. I know he’s going to cash in even more after this contract, so I’m rich anyway. If I have to wait a little longer for that, then so be it, as long as it means he gets to play here.”

  “You’ll be hearing from us soon.”

  When I got off the phone, I noticed that Emmitt was looking at me strangely. He had heard the whole conversation. I thought he disapproved of me practically begging for someone to pick him. Emmitt always had a lot of pride.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “For what? I just did what any agent would.”

  “No, I made the right decision by sticking with you. You’re crazy if you think that William would have given up one dime in this deal. Thanks for getting me to where I wanted to be in the first place.”

  “No problem. Maybe that fight last night was actually a good thing. At least you get to be in New York now.”

  “My bank account might disagree.”

  “You’ll make more money in the long run. It’s better to start with a good team than a lousy one. You’ll get to showcase your talents now and work for the second contract that’s going to make me rich,” I joked.

  “I promise to make that happen,” he said and hugged me.

  After a few minutes, New York announced their pick, and we were done. I gave Derrick and Emmitt specific instructions on what to sign and what not to if their deals weren’t exactly as I agreed to them in principle. Then I made my way outside with Marcus. I made a quick call to Green Bay’s GM to set up a meeting for us to work things out on Marcus’s contract. We went back to our rooms and packed. I booked three tickets to Green Bay while Chastity was getting the last of her things together.

  Just as we were
finishing up with everything, I got a phone call from Aunt Kristen.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Hey, we saw you on television. Your uncle and I are so proud of you,” she said.

  “Thank you. I was actually going to head that way to celebrate with you guys. I have to be there to get Marcus’s contract done, and I figured it would be nice to see you again,” I said while acting as if I knew nothing about Uncle Gary’s heart attack.

  “It might be a good thing that you’re coming. Eric, your uncle had a heart attack.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. They’re suggesting surgery to fix a valve in his heart, but for now, he’s his usual cheerful self.”

  “When did it happen?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I went through this act for a while. Olivia had asked me to pretend like she told me nothing, so that’s exactly what I was going to do. Besides, it was better than saying I’ve known all along, and I chose not to come until now. When our conversation was over, I said a phrase that I didn’t say enough to my aunt and uncle.

  “I love you, Aunt Kristen. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  When I got off the phone, Chastity asked me why I pretended not to know everything. I quickly explained that I promised Olivia I wouldn’t say anything, and we got our things. Once we had made it to the airport and got our tickets, all that was left to do was wait. We left the hotel a little early, and we still had almost an hour before the plane boarded. As we sat there waiting, something occurred to me.

  “Marcus, you probably want your fiancée here for this, don’t you?” I asked.