“I told your mom that I was impressed when you and Greg wanted to step up and help out. We thought you might get a job at a grocery store as a stock boy or something similar. I’m glad I never shared our expectations with you, or it might have derailed your success. Your uncle had a long talk with us about that, using the ‘crabs in a bucket’ story. He reminded us that you don’t have to put a lid on a crab bucket because if one tries to climb out, the others will pull them back down. He warned us not to try to hold you back,” Dad said.
“Did you not want me to model?” I asked.
Dad shook his head.
“Your mom and I thought you might be wasting your time. It’s a parent’s job to protect their children. We had to agree to allow you to do it since you were a minor and couldn’t sign contracts. John basically said that you’d surprise us if we gave you a chance. He pointed out that we never thought you’d be much of a football player and that you’d proven us wrong with that,” Dad revealed.
“So, you didn’t believe I could do it?” I asked.
“David, you have to understand that we’d seen you all your life. While you were a smart, funny kid with the gift for gab, focus and ambition weren’t two qualities I would have associated with you. We weren’t there when your uncle worked with you that summer. We didn’t fully understand the changes you’d made.
“Yes, John told us that he’d given you life goals and the tools to succeed. We even had eyes enough to tell that you’d transformed your body. What we saw, though, was the kid that had gone away for the summer. We saw what we expected,” Dad explained.
“What changed your mind?” I asked.
“I think it started when Bo Harrington began to coach you. Everyone was saying how much potential you had, but sadly, we only heard that you had potential. The part about how hard you were working didn’t register. Then you got the modeling jobs, and finally, you got straight ‘A’s your first semester. That was when we had to look harder at you and quit thinking of you as the boy we’d always known.
“I want you to know that your mom and I couldn’t be happier with how you’ve turned out. We can see the man you’ll be someday, and we feel lucky that we helped shape you. Every parent dreams of raising a child who will do better than they did. I think that both you and Greg will do just that,” Dad said.
He almost brought me to tears. It’s a powerful thing when your parents believe in and support you. I was lucky to have them.
“What about Phil?” I asked to lighten the mood.
“There’s no hope for him.”
“He’s growing up,” I assured Dad.
He rolled his eyes.
“If you say so.”
Mom came downstairs with Coby. He reached for me, so she handed him off. Peggy had Little David.
“You ready?” she asked us.
We got up and walked out to the car where we found Fritz waiting for us. It was good to see him. The plan was that he would review our security procedures here and fly to LA with me. He’d been setting up security for when I got there.
◊◊◊
Granny’s West was nuts. Everyone was there eating breakfast, from Adrienne and Little Tony from New York, to Rita, Frank, Saul, and all our LA employees. Halle couldn’t make it because of the compressed shoot schedule she was under. Rita said the dailies were looking very good and was sure that they would have what they needed to finish her movie.
There were two families there I hadn’t expected to come and wish me luck. The first was John Phillips’ parents and his sister, Alice. And then there was the whole Wesleyan clan. Teddy admitted he would sit on the other side of the field, but wanted to wish me well.
Dad had to make me sit down and eat so he could take me to the school to catch the bus. He wished me luck. I was the last one to get on. Wolf had saved me a seat, and they pulled out as I found it.
“Trent was starting to get worried,” Wolf said, referring to my backup.
“Like I would miss this.”
Wolf had all-new comedy material to try out on us, most of it gleaned from his extended family coming to his house for Thanksgiving. I think it was geared towards ten-year-olds. His best two were: “Why do golfers bring two pairs of pants? In case they get a hole in one” (add snare drum). “Everyone knows that Wesleyan is supposed to be a place of higher learning. During the last game, one of their players was hit hard and went down and wasn’t moving. The coach rushed over and grabbed his hand. He said, ‘Son, if you can hear me, squeeze once. If you can’t, squeeze twice.’”
They may not have been funny, but just groaning at them got our minds off the game on the ride there.
◊◊◊
Doc Grog checked me out and declared me fit. I agreed; this was the best I’d felt since the accident. Becky taped me up and sent me to get dressed.
Once I was ready, Coach Hope came and found me. He took me aside, and we found Coach Mason. The grumpy old man didn’t appreciate the hug I pulled him into.
“Give me your quick take on how to beat Wesleyan,” Coach Mason said.
“Score more points than they do,” I said with a straight face.
