“The movie offer has made me realize that I need to grow up and consider what I’m going to do in the future. Most kids don’t really start worrying about that until they’re sophomores or juniors in college.”
“What are you going to do? Have your uncle help us create goals?” Tracy asked.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” I admitted.
Wolf did not appear happy. I realized what this looked like to him. His family had struggled financially, and I’d given him jobs to do so he could have some spending money. This seemed like charity to him. I reached across the table to touch his arm, which caused him to look at me.
“Wolf, I consider you family. Family looks out for each other. If your uncle hit the lottery, don’t you think he’d give your dad some money?” I asked.
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
“I’m not looking to just give you money. I admit, there may be some of that, but what I want to do is help you achieve your goals. Tracy had a good suggestion about you all talking to my uncle. With the goals he helped me create, I have something to refer to whenever I’m unsure of where I’m going.
“I admit I’m not sure what I’ll be when I finally grow up, but I’m working towards something,” I explained.
“What about us all going to the same college?” Tami asked.
“I’d like that,” I said.
“Wouldn’t college depend on whether you take this role?” Tracy asked.
I smiled and nodded. I suddenly decided. If the
“I just decided: I’m not going to take it.”
“Seriously?” Tami asked, concerned.
“Yeah, seriously. It might be career suicide as an actor, but I don’t want to miss going to college and spending time with you guys,” I said.
“David, we would understand,” Tracy said.
“I’m sure you would, but I’m not ready for this and everything that it entails.”
“You’ll still miss the first semester of college. How will that work for football?” Tim asked.
“I’ll gray-shirt,” I said and saw that they didn’t know what that was. “In college athletics, you have five years to complete four. From what I’ve heard, it looks like most of the big-time programs would want me to redshirt anyway. That’s to give me time to get comfortable with both school and with their system. Gray-shirting means I wouldn’t enroll in college until the spring semester which in effect gives me an extra year of eligibility.”
“What if you get hurt?” Wolf asked.
“You can go to the NCAA and petition for a sixth year. It would depend on whether they would grant it. There have been some athletes who have done that.”
The sixth year was for injuries, typically. God forbid you blow your knee out twice and miss two seasons for medical reasons. In cases like that, they would consider it. I wasn’t sure they would grant me an extra year because I’d voluntarily skipped a semester. I remembered that John Phillips, my quarterback friend at Kentucky, didn’t think they would grant him a sixth season. He’d taken a redshirt his freshman year and then gotten hurt stepping off a curb, of all things. The good news was it wouldn’t affect baseball. They played in the spring.
“How do you see this help working?” Tami asked.
“I’d sit down with each of you, and we’d talk about what you want to be when you grow up. We’d figure out what it would take to get you there and whether I could help in some way,” I said.
“So, if I needed to go back to the UK to gain additional training …” Tami ventured.
“No. I mean, ‘Hell No!’” I said.
That got them all laughing. I wasn’t paying for her to go hook up with some British guys.
“I need a Mustang,” Tracy said.
“No, you have a car,” I said and then smiled. “This is what I mean about moochers,” I said as I tilted my head towards Tracy and Tami’s end of the table.
“But if I needed book money?” Alan asked.
“I would pay for it,” I admitted. “I would also help you with my contacts.”
“That’s a much bigger deal than you guys probably realize. David and his family know people. His contacts can help you,” Tami said.
“What if I plan to join the Marines right out of high school? How can you help me with that?” Cassidy asked.
“First of all, you’re not doing that,” I said and raised my hands to stop her protests. “Your dad explained to me that if you want to be an officer, you need a college degree. I want you to be the best Marine you can be, and that means you need to be a leader.”
Cassidy blinked a few times, and she started to tear up.
“You think I could be a leader?” she asked.
“Of course I do. Look at what you’ve done with
“David’s right, I would never have stuck it out if you hadn’t gotten me to join and helped me realize how much it would benefit me. It took a leader to get me to do all that,” Alan said.
