by Stratton, M.
“Oh, now you’re only trying to be funny. I’m not that bad. I know it’s only a game.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“Anyway.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “We should do a half-time show. I think we’d be able to come up with something fun. We have the Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games where we wouldn’t have to worry about interfering with the other games which are going on at the same time. Maybe doing three a week would be a lot. We should pick one night and do that game. Whichever one is going to be most anticipated. That way, as the season goes on and teams are fighting for playoff spots, it will be more intense.”
“See, just a little scary there.”
“Shut it. And we can come up with something for the people who want to play, but don’t know much about the sport. We can give them lessons, you know, make it fun for them. Or maybe give them some other role in the festivities. Yeah, let me think on that. I don’t want anyone to feel left out.”
“Are you always like this? Or is it just because it’s football?”
“Like what?”
“So excited, and your mind’s weaving around, finding other ways to make the whole experience better.”
“Oh, that. Well, I am excited about football, but basically, I’d be like this with any new idea. That’s why we have so many different activities here because I can’t only do the basics.” She shrugged and looked sheepish. “I tend to go overboard. But look, everyone is having a great time.”
“Yes, they are. Now, it’s almost half time. We should make sure the hot dogs and hamburgers will be ready on time for the next round of eating.”
“Now you’re talking! Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m already beating Kris. I need to go talk some smack.”
Ethan shook his head. “You’re never going to change my mind. You are out for blood when it comes to this game.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, honey, just wait until playoffs.” She pointed to the screen. “You remember the last time the Bears went to the Superbowl, they played against the Saints, and we know who won that game. I should hate that team, but I want my fantasy team to win so badly, I picked their quarterback as mine. I tend to be a little competitive.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘little.’” Ethan shook his head at her.
Sam laughed. “Me either. Let’s get cooking, I’ve got more points to score in the second half.”
Letting her pull him along, they walked outside to where the grills were set up. The smell of dogs and burgers filling the night air reminded him he hadn’t had a chance to eat yet. There had been too much to do to make sure everything was ready for tonight.
“Look.” She pointed up to the sky and the stars shining brightly. “Isn’t it beautiful? Some people feel small when they look up at them all blinking up there. Me, it makes me feel special. There’s never going to be another moment like this, ever. And that light we’re seeing from those other stars? Their moment has already gone, but this.” She looked into his eyes. “This moment here, with you, is right now. This moment is special. They all are.”
He pulled her into his arms and his whole being felt complete when he held her. She was right. The moment was special. All of them with her were. He felt all of the pieces of his life click into place, and for the first time in a very long time, he was happy. They were spending more and more time together. Both of them not wanting to be away from the other. He’d never spent this much time with a woman before, and knew even if he had, none of them were Sam, so it wouldn’t have been the same. In that moment, he belonged with her.
Day 45
Ethan–
You know what I miss? Football. Well, there’s a lot of things, but today I was remembering when Sam took us up to Seattle. And it brought back the sound of the helmets and pads crashing together, the air turning chilly the further we got into the season, the food, the beer, good friends getting together to cheer on their teams, yeah, I miss that. Promise me the next time the Seahawks make it to the Superbowl, you’ll go. I always wanted to go, but missed out on the last two times they went. I should have gone, I should have made you come with me.
Evan
The next couple of weeks were spent getting the cabins ready for the winter months, and Ethan and Sam were getting into a rhythm, living together in her home. They weren’t going to waste a minute apart, both of them knowing how quickly things could change. They worked alongside each other by day, and by night, they spent time sharing their past, and tentatively talking about their future together.
Football season was really heating up, along with their fantasy football league, and that day was football Sunday. But not any Sunday. This was the Sunday the Packers played the 49ers. Ethan did his normal check of the van before they left. There were five of them going to the game. Kris of course, and Sam wouldn’t miss it for anything. There were two other football fans who didn’t care who was playing; they only wanted to go see a professional game played in person.
Ethan had pulled some strings and they were going to be able to go down onto the field before kickoff and would be in the owner’s box for the game. He thought it would be best to keep the guests out of the elements since they never knew what the weather would be like that time of year. Hot, cold, rain, or any combination of the three. What Sam didn’t realize was they were also going to be able to meet some of the players. He figured both Sam and Kris would be ecstatic. Kris more so since one of the teams was his favorite.
When Sam came out of the main building, Ethan had to do a double-take. She was wearing a Packers shirt.
“Not one word,” she threatened as she walked by him and put a bag in the van.
“But–”
“I said, not one word.” She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m serious.”
Bruce and Dolores walked over and took their seats in the van without saying a word to Sam. Either they had already seen her and met with the same threats as Ethan, or they knew better. Kris came around the corner of the building slowly. It didn’t take an expert to know he was fading. The tumor in his brain was growing too fast and he was starting to lose some motor skills.
Ethan came over and helped Kris into the van and waited for Sam to climb in next to him in the front seat before he headed down the hill. They were silent as they all listened to the pregame show on the radio and the updates from the other games going on around the league.
“I see you’ve finally got your head on straight there, Sam,” Kris said from the second row of seats.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She didn’t turn around.
His laugh was loud. “Of course you do. I knew I could make a Cheesehead out of you.”
Sam raised an eyebrow and looked at him over her shoulder. “I’m pretty sure I could make a judge see it is only temporary insanity.”
“You break out in hives yet?” he asked.
“No. Although I do feel dirty.” She smiled at him.
“There we go.” His smiled faded. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”
“Yes, yes, I did.” She leaned over the seat and closer to him. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. While I loathe the Packers, the 49ers are even worse. There are a few teams I’ll root for, whoever is playing against them. This is one of those occasions where it’s better to wear a Packers shirt than have the 49ers win.”
“Are you telling me you already had that shirt before I got here?”
“Oh, yeah, I have all thirty-two team shirts, depending on who’s playing when we make it to a game.” She shrugged. “I like to be prepared.”
“Now that is impressive. And by the way, you look good in green and gold.”
“I look better in blue and orange. Now those shirts, I have a lot of.”
The traffic became worse the closer they were to the stadium. Ethan had a special parking pass and they were able to park with the rest of the VIPs. He loved to see the wide-eyed shocked look on Sam’s face. He didn’t
think people took her by surprise very often.
“What are we doing? What did you do?” She looked at Ethan.
“Just made a couple of phone calls. This is going to be a great game. Come on.” He hopped out of the van and met one of the stadium employees, knowing they’d be following him. “This way.” He walked a few feet over to a large golf cart and everyone took their seats.
Josie was their tour guide and made sure everything was pointed out to them. When they came through the tunnel and were out on the field, the air pulsated with everyone’s excitement. Josie made sure they were on the visitor sidelines.
When Ethan heard Kris gasp, he whirled around and started walking toward him, afraid something was wrong, but everything was fine.
“No way,” Kris whispered.
Ethan put his arm around the man’s shoulders. “Way. We pull out all the stops at Last Resort.”
Members of the Packers team came out of the tunnel and headed straight for Kris. Ethan stepped back and took pictures as the team talked with one of their biggest fans. Kris’s smile never left his face.
Too soon they were leaving, having to warm up. The group then made their way up to the owner’s suite and Sam pulled him aside.
“What did you do?” she asked.
He couldn’t stop the smile. “It’s great, isn’t it?”
“It is, but Ethan, the money . . .”
“Don’t mention it.” He placed a finger over her lips. “I wanted to do this. Come on, did you see the look on his face? This is a dream come true, and exactly what Last Resort is all about.”
“It is. Thank you.” She smiled at him. “But you know, when the Bears come to town, I expect the same treatment.”
“Oh, well, I think I can make that happen.”
“Perfect. Now I want to see this suite we’re going to.” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked. “You know what would be perfect? If the Packers kicked some major ass here. Seems like we have something else in common. We hope the 49ers lose.”
Sam stopped walking. “Wait. What are we going to do when the Cowboys play the 49ers? . . . Don’t laugh at me. This is a serious question.”
“Maybe we could boycott that game.”
“Yes.” She slowly nodded. “Yes, I think that could work. We should do that.”
“Come on.” He pulled her along. “Let’s go root for the Packers.”
“Yeah . . .” she said without enthusiasm. “Go, Pack, Go!” She raised her fist in the air.
The Packers effectively kicked some 49er ass. The ride back to the resort was upbeat as they all talked about the game and who had the best chance to make it to the Superbowl. Sam could see Kris in the backseat clutching a football, which had been used during the game, to his chest. All of the Packers had signed it for him and given it to him after the game. She had to admit, it was pretty cool they did that for him. Ethan said he didn’t have any idea they were going to give him one of the game balls.
“You know, Sam,” Kris began, “I think you might be the Packer’s good luck charm.”
“No.”
Kris laughed. “I think you should wear that shirt every time they play. Come on, do it for me. Doesn’t your website say something about making sure the guest’s every wish is carried out?”
She turned in her seat and looked at him as the passing street lights lit up his grinning face. “There are some things in life that are just impossible. That’s one of them.”
“Come on, you’ve got to be a closet Packer fan. I was there. I saw you. You were excited and yelling for joy when the Packers scored.”
“Of course I was. They were sticking it to the 49ers.”
“Keep telling yourself that, keep telling yourself that.” Kris nodded toward her.
Sam didn’t let the smile reach her lips. The day had been perfect. Giving Kris a hard time was an extra bonus to the day, and she had already learned that about him. He loved to give it as much as he got it. There was no denying the fact that Kris wasn’t going to be with them much longer and it brought her heart so much happiness knowing this one dream went beautifully for him.
Day 48
Ethan
You know what sucks? A summer cold. Yeah, I’ve come down with something. It takes me longer to get over things than it used to. There are so many things I want to do right now, but I don’t want to get the other guests sick. Sam’s helped a lot, figuring out things I can do with the staff or alone. So here I am, resting in bed as the sun is shining and it’s the perfect temperature out, not too hot, not to cold. Maybe I should move to the hammock. Hey, remember the one Dad bought for Mom? She never sat down long enough to enjoy it, but we did, until we were playing on it and you flipped it over and landed on that rock busting your head open. Ahhh . . . memories . . .
Evan
Ethan rolled over and fumbled for his phone when the alarm went off. He laid there for a moment trying to remember where he was and what day it was. He then realized what was bothering him. Usually Sam woke him up with a cup of coffee a few minutes before his alarm went off. They’d fallen into a rhythm and were spending more and more time together, including nights. Reaching his hand out, he knew she wasn’t in bed with him. His heart began to race, wondering where she could be. It wasn’t like her. If one of the guests had taken a turn for the worse, she would have woken him up.
Once he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, Ethan saw the bathroom light coming through the door, which was ajar. “Sam, honey, are you okay?” He walked over to the door and slowly pushed it open. His heart went out to her as she looked up at him with huge tearful eyes. Crouching down next to her, he rubbed her back. “Is there anything I can get you? Crackers?”
He’d heard the saying about watching someone turn green before throwing up, but he’d never seen it, until that moment. He mumbled to her that everything was going to be okay as he helped to hold her hair back. Looking around, he found a wash cloth and left her briefly to soak it under some cold water. Placing it on the back of her neck, she shuddered, and goosebumps broke out along her arms before she sighed and seemed to relax.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because it all happened so fast. One minute I was getting out of bed, all normal, and the next I knew, I was going to be sick. I didn’t think. I just ran.”
Ethan pulled another wash rag out of the cabinet and ran it under the water again. This time he gently washed her face off. “How are you feeling now?”
“I think better. Tired, drained, but that’s to be expected, but overall better.”
“Good, let’s get you in bed.”
“But I have so much to do today. We were going to work on the rec hall today, get it ready for Halloween. Plus, I was going to look at next week, and see if there was anything different we wanted to do.”
“And you know I’m perfectly capable of doing all of that on my own. Besides, you of all people know you shouldn’t be around the guests when you’re sick. We need to make sure you’re well before letting you back out into public.” He easily picked her up and walked over to the bed, gently laying her down. “Now you get some rest.” When she tried to sit up, he pushed her back down. “Samantha, listen to me. You work very hard around here, you never take a day off. The last thing this place needs is for you to get sick. So take the damn day off and rest for a change. That includes working on your laptop.”
“But you don’t know what we do for Halloween, we go out. We’ve got–”
“I think I can figure it out. And if you haven’t noticed, you go all out for every holiday. This isn’t a news flash to me.”
“But Halloween is different. You haven’t been here for what we call the holiday season. It starts with Halloween and ends with New Year’s Day. Each one over-the-top big. This is the hardest time of the year for the guests. They’re missing their families and they know they, most likely, aren’t going to be seeing another one. They want to remember the good times, the times from their childhood, when everyt
hing was simpler, magical. That’s what we make sure we give them.”
Ethan sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair back from her forehead. “You are truly amazing. I don’t think there’s another person like you out there. Your compassion blows me away, every single day.”
She shook her head. “I’m nothing special. I’m only doing what’s right. Being kind to people, trying to help them. That’s it.”
“Even if it means putting on a Packers’ shirt.”
“Even then, and don’t remind me. I haven’t thrown up in ten minutes. I’d like to make it another five.”
“I think you should take the rest of the day off. I’m serious here. Humor me.”
Her eyebrows pulled together and she frowned at him. “I’m going to be bored. You have to at least let me have my laptop to do some work.”
“I think it might do you good to be bored for once because I don’t know if you can be trusted with your laptop. I think you’ll end up working and not resting.”
“No, not me.”
“Samantha Rose Truman.”
“Fine. How about if I promise.” She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes at him. “For every hour I nap, I get an hour of laptop time.”
“No, for every two hours you nap, you get forty-five minutes on the laptop.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she sighed. “Fine.”
He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t make me regret this.” He went over to the table in the corner of the room near the French doors leading out to the balcony, grabbed her laptop and held it out to her. “Here.” He pulled it back toward him. “I’ll be checking up on you. So don’t think you can pull one over on me.” He held it back out to her.
Tugging it quickly out of his hands, Sam said, “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m going to check my email and then take a nap.” She yawned. “See, I’ll be asleep in no time.”