“I have you on speakerphone with Scarlet,” I warned her.
“Yes!” Scarlet exclaimed when she read the letter. “David just got the DNA results back, and he is the father of all our children.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” Ashley asked.
“I was pretty sure,” Scarlet answered.
“Slut,” Ashley called her friend.
“Okay, before this gets interesting, let’s talk about it. Now that we know for sure the kids are mine, we can move forward with confidence,” I said.
I told them what I planned to do as far as child support.
“Now I wish I’d told you sooner. I could have moved out,” Ashley shared.
“I hope you realize this is only temporary. Once I get my trust, I won’t need this,” Scarlet told me.
“For now, I can afford it. Once I’m a poor college kid, we can renegotiate the payments,” I said half-seriously.
“All I know is, I appreciate the help. I’m tired of going hat in hand to beg money from my dad just so I can buy diapers,” Ashley said.
“Do you want me to wire you funds?” I asked, worried her parents weren’t supporting her.
“No. My dad just likes lording it over me. If it weren’t for the boys, I would have moved out long ago.”
“You need to get your butt up here. I miss you,” Scarlet said.
“I’ll be up in a month.”
“Do you want to be roommates? There’s a four-bedroom unit in the building I’m in. David’s mom said that she can get my lease switched to that unit since I haven’t moved in yet.”
“It would be like old times in the sorority,” Ashley said.
“Should I switch units?”
“Yeah, let’s do it. I’d be more at ease, knowing you were there for me.”
I told them both I looked forward to them being near so I could get to know them and the kids. With that settled, I left them to plan how they wanted to decorate the condo, now that they had money.
◊◊◊
“We have to make this short,” I told Hana. “I recorded the Cubs game. They moved it up because of weather concerns, and I want to watch it before someone tells me who won.”
Last night, they’d lost to the Cleveland Indians 6–0, so they wanted to win tonight. That way, when they came back to Chicago for the next three games, the Cubs would have a chance to win the series at home if they swept.
Hana had broken my script down into sections and had written my lines phonetically to help me learn them. I surprised her when I recited them almost correctly on the first try. The lure of watching the Beloved Cubs play ball provided ample motivation for me.
“I think I’ll give you a pass and let you watch the game,” Hana suggested, becoming my best tutor ever.
I didn’t wait to hear the final verdict as I grabbed the remote and turned the game on. It seemed I had some issue recording because the Cubs already had a 1–0 lead with their ace, Jake Arrieta, on the mound. We settled in and enjoyed the game. I was happy when the Cubbies won 5–1 and tied the series.
I’d approached both the governor and Bill Carl about getting a block of tickets for Sunday’s game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Mr. Carl was one of the Cubs owners whom I had previously met at a political fundraiser. Both Tami and Greg had been harassing me about a status update. Even Uncle John had caught wind of a possible guys’ outing.
◊◊◊
Chapter 35 – Vitamin T Friday October 28
I’d recorded the latest episode of the documentary and gotten a chance to watch it before going to bed last night. This one focused on how we handled academics. Ms. Jaroslav talked about how the school made tutors available for football players and how we’d organized study groups for classes that both athletes and ordinary students alike participated in. I’d heard that last semester, it had been reported the athletes’ grades had improved on average. What I didn’t know was that all the participants’ grades were better.
She’d also disclosed that the standardized test scores had improved as well. Most people considered that an important indicator, one that reflected well on the school as a whole, not solely on athletes. My mom had mentioned that she used stats like that to help people decide to move here.
The documentary also showed that Ms. Jaroslav checked each athlete’s progress to make sure that if they wanted to, they would qualify for college. With the new NCAA rules, it was harder to get in than it had been in the past. My friend Damion had needed something like this earlier in his high school career. If a student began to fall behind, their parents were brought in, and a plan was worked out. Involving the parents was usually sufficient to get most of the faltering students straightened out.
Another segment highlighted the work that Ms. Jaroslav had put into finding scholarships and grants to help pay for college or trade schools. There was a lot of money available that went unused each year. I can only imagine Ms. Jaroslav thought she would receive a commission, given how hard she worked to identify and then match up the funds with worthy students.
◊◊◊
I was waiting in the car to pick up Brook for school when my phone rang. It was Caryn.
