I’d nicknamed them that because they bickered back and forth. I’d heard my grandmother use the term before about an arguing couple. When I asked her about it, she said she wasn’t sure exactly where it came from, but her parents had used it. I looked it up, and it was from an old-time radio show before they had TV.
“I hate to ask,” Tim started to change the subject, “but would you be okay if I asked Pam out?”
“You’re asking me that one week after you cheated on Tami, and she kicked you to the curb?” I asked, doing the one-eyebrow-raised look.
“Forget I asked.”
“No, no. Pam is her own person, and I don’t control who she dates. Just be aware that if you go two-for-two hurting girls I care about, I will string you up.”
“I promise not to do anything that’ll make you mad,” Tim assured me.
I knew that though Tim had made a mistake, deep down, he really was a good guy. If he weren’t, I would never have allowed him to date Tami. Of all the guys I knew at Lincoln High, Tim was the one I would trust with Pam.
I also expected that Pam would see it for what it was: two friends dating until school ended. She was headed back to California for college, and Tim planned to go to Michigan if we could get the Mike situation figured out. So, this relationship had a limited shelf life.
I got out of the shower and dried off.
I had to take care of talking to the Michigan coaches today. Ty had spoken to them on Friday, so they’d had enough time to think about it. I wanted to find out if we had to restart the recruiting process or were finally done with it.
◊◊◊
I called Coach Haber’s direct line, and when he didn’t answer right away, it transferred me to the receptionist.
“University of Michigan Football Offices, how may I direct your call?” a pleasant female voice asked.
“Coach Haber, please.”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“David Dawson.”
“Oh, hey, David. He’s having a coaches meeting. Let me see if he’s done,” she said and put me on hold.
I listened to the University of Michigan fight song as I waited.
“David, Coach Title. Coach Haber asked me to straighten you out.”
‘
“Maybe I should talk to Coach Haber,” I said before I got mad.
“David, you need to get used to something. Coach Haber is a busy man, and you’ll have to work with me frequently. So, if you have an issue with something, it’s me you have to talk to,” he said to explain the chain of command.
Coach Title was the offensive coordinator for Michigan. I realized I would have to work with him on an ongoing basis once I got to Michigan. If that were the case, I would suck it up and talk to him about my issue with Mike.
“I wanted to discuss the problem I’m having with Mike Herndon,” I started.
“David, let me give you a piece of advice. Ty Wilson called and said you weren’t happy with Mike. First of all, in the future, man-up and don’t have others do your complaining. Secondly, college ball is not like high school. There will be some players that you don’t necessarily like at first. What you’ll find is that once you start working with them daily, with the goal of winning, you will soon forget your differences.
“We have a culture at the University of Michigan of working as a team. We’ll help you get your head on straight if you expect you’re going to come in and hold a grudge against a teammate. It simply won’t be tolerated for team chemistry’s sake. Am I clear?” Coach Title asked.
“So, you’re not interested in knowing exactly what the problem is that we have with each other?” I asked.
“When I talked to Mike, he told me you were just upset that he was interested in a girl he met at a party. I don’t really give a shit about some girl. I give a shit about the University of Michigan and what it takes to win football games. Some girl should be the least of your worries. There are plenty to go around,” Coach Title said.
“Sir, I think you’ve been misled. There is quite a bit more going on between Mike Herndon and me than just some girl.”
“Let me stop you right there. I don’t care,” he said, shocking me. “High school bullshit doesn’t matter to me. You’ll play with him on the team and like it.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Son, I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a choice in the matter. The sooner you figure out that you’re not running the football team, the better. Everyone on the team was the big man on campus when they were in high school. They might even think they’re entitled to make suggestions. When you get to campus, you’ll be just one of 85 scholarship players, all equal. You’re nothing special,” Coach Title explained.
He should have shared this during the recruiting process. I’m sure everyone would rush to sign up when told they weren’t ‘anything special.’
“Actually, Coach Title, I do have a choice. I can choose to play ball somewhere else.”
He laughed, which surprised me.
“If you do, you’ll lose a year of eligibility. Plus, you’ll be labeled a troublemaker,” Coach Title threatened.
