When Kyle was little, I watched him while his parents were on their honeymoon. There was always an adult around to back me up.
“Maybe Dad would do it,” Greg suggested.
We both laughed at that. Dad was from the old school where an eye-for-an-eye would hold sway. There would be payback when Phil destroyed the house or lost one of them. Dad also didn’t appreciate my dark humor when I suggested that it would just be thinning the herd. There were days, though, that any child would test your patience.
Coby, our escape artist, had somehow ended up on the second floor, where Mom and Dad’s room was. He’d gotten past a baby gate on the third floor and scooted his butt down a flight of stairs. Peggy was in a panic when he’d disappeared. We later saw it all unfold on one of the security cameras. The little monster had wiggled under the gate. Peggy had raised it because if he the top was within reach, he could pull himself over.
Duke ended up being the hero. When Coby began to wiggle under, he’d jumped the gate and put his body between Coby and the bottom. That prevented him from tumbling down the stairs. The two of them worked as a team to get my son to the bottom. I guess it tuckered them out because they were found at the foot of my parents’ bed, taking a nap.
Mom took it in stride and told Peggy I’d done similar things when I was Coby’s age.
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I finally got a chance to watch this week’s segment of the documentary. Most of it was focused on recruiting. Ty, Wolf, and Tim were interviewed, and they explained the methods employed and how they planned to decide. Jeff talked to our coaches as they shared how they helped facilitate the process. They had our websites, shared game film, allowed access to watch practices and the like, and finally, made sure our grades were released.
Coach Hope talked about the various approaches that different colleges took in their recruiting. On the one hand, there were schools like Alabama that investigated everything about each prospective recruit. And on the other hand, there were those schools that just wanted to confirm our eligibility, and nothing more.
It then switched to talk to some college recruiters. Of course, they couldn’t talk about any individual players. It was against NCAA rules to comment about an athlete until they were signed.
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Chapter 49 – Season Ends Friday November 25
Today, I had my finals to take. This year they’d gotten smart, and Coach Stevens was the only one who had to come in to proctor them. I was supposed to be given an hour for each test, but I convinced him that when I finished one test, I could start the next.
The only teacher who wanted to be present for their test was my photography teacher, Ms. Saunders. I had to turn in my macro photography project, and her test turned out to be verbal and hands-on. She had me demonstrate different photography and video skills and then use the software.
“I like your pictures of navels. It’s not something I would ever have thought of,” Ms. Saunders admitted.
“The football team did help me some,” I confessed.
I didn’t share what they wanted me to take pictures of.
“Good job. You get an ‘A.’ Do you plan to take more art classes next semester?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I’d hoped to take it easy for my last semester, so I’m hoping so.”
“Are you saying I’m easy?” Ms. Saunders teased and then blushed when she realized the double meaning.
“No, I just enjoy your classes. My worry is my mom will get hold of my schedule and make sure I enroll in the classes she thinks I should be taking. She would rather my schedule be all AP-level classes to get me ready for college,” I explained.
“If you decide not to take any more art classes, don’t be a stranger. You have an eye for photography, and I’d be willing to give you little projects to help you learn more.”
“I just might do that,” I said, and Ms. Saunders left me to finish up.
When I was finally done, Coach Stevens graded my tests. I’d gotten a solid ‘A’ on every one of them. That would give me straight ‘A’s again.
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I’d sent a text to Brook to let her know I was done early and asked if she wanted to go to lunch. She called me a ‘stupid boy’ and reminded me that it was Black Friday. She had shopping to do. Brook might also have mentioned she could use a pack mule to carry stuff. I somehow deleted that message.
I was more the ‘have Caryn buy stuff or buy it online’ kind of guy. The upside to Caryn doing it was that the presents came wrapped.
I received a text from my mom telling me to come to her real estate office when I was done. That sounded like a great idea since Granny’s West was right next door. I called in a to-go order and told them to ask my mom if anyone in her office wanted anything for lunch. I would just pick it up with mine.
