“Mr. Brady was able to overcome the issue of three kids with two different women because he made a point to show he was a family man. If you scroll through all the photos on the internet of him off the field, it’s him with his wife, kids, friends, and family. You need to start doing the same.
“They’re young now, but as they get older, you won’t be able to hide the fact that you have children. You need to embrace that if you ever want to have a shot at politics someday.
“Mr. Brady has diligently worked to create the image he has, and even you said it wasn’t a big deal that he had children with different women. You have a larger hurdle to clear, but lucky for you, it happened when you were young. By the time you’re old enough to run for office, if that’s what you decide to do, you’ll have had time to set the narrative,” Grace predicted.
“I figured when Scarlet and Ashley showed up with their three, I was done,” I admitted.
“That possibility comes with a caveat. You need to hide your wild side,” she said seriously.
“Me? Wild?” I asked, acting shocked.
“I’m smart enough to realize that you’re not innocent. Your people did a good job hiding your exploits after the Oscars. I hate to imagine what really happened that night. My point is you need to keep that sort of thing out of the news, and if you haven’t already learned, get an education on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies.”
“Damn. Here I thought you were a nice little old lady,” I teased.
She gave me the ‘mom’ look and continued.
“If you plan it, I would suggest that when you get married, you have one child and then get yourself snipped.”
“My mom told me she was taking me to the vet for that very procedure when she learned of the last ones,” I shared.
“Smart woman. Which reminds me of something. You’re not always as funny as you think you are.”
“Oh, please. I can be funny as hell,” I said, acting wounded.
I was really starting to like Grace. She didn’t hold back, and her advice was spot on.
“You can be. You did a good job when you talked to everybody the night before their game against the Texas team in St. Louis,” she shared.
I must have looked surprised, and she smiled. “Yes, I know all about it, and I didn’t hear it from Brook.”
Grace warmed to her subject.
“When you give that kind of talk, you’re successful. When you make off-the-cuff remarks, some miss the mark. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be talking in front of groups where you might be recorded. Just be aware.”
I gave her the ‘whatever’ look, which made her smile.
“Brook messed up when she let you go,” Grace said to make my day.
“No. Brook did what she had to do.”
Grace nodded her agreement and shifted gears.
“David, if you’re willing, there’s something I’d like you to do, but it’s not for me, it’s for yourself.”
Now, she had me intrigued.
“What’s that?”
She looked into the fireplace, smiling bemusedly.
“My mentor asked me to do this when I was your age. I’d like for you to research four articles on the differences between leadership and management. When you’ve found four you like, write down at least seven things a leader does differently from a manager. When you’ve done that to your satisfaction, give me a call, and I’ll tell you what I’d like you to do with the list.”
I looked at her and nodded mutely. She gazed at me briefly and then nodded back, seemingly satisfied.
“One last thing. I want to talk to you and Brook together tomorrow before you leave.”
“About?”
“College.”
I figured, why not? Grace had proven to be a smart woman. I would welcome her input at this point.
◊◊◊
After our talk, I walked up to my bedroom and grabbed my school books, intending to get ahead on my reading. I thought the room we’d just been in was an excellent place to kick back and knock out a few chapters before going to bed. I wasn’t surprised when Dr. Rossetti joined me.
“Darius has asked me to let him go to college next year. I wanted to ask you about your thoughts on the subject. Do you think he’s ready?”
“Has he said where he plans to go?” I asked.
“Princeton.”
I groaned.
“Why? What’s wrong with Princeton?” Dr. Rossetti asked.
“That’s where Brook is going to school. I suspect she wouldn’t want him following her around 24/7. If you hadn’t guessed, he has a crush on her.”
She looked like I’d just told her that her little boy smoked crack. The concept of Dare chasing after a girl was not in the realm of possibility in her world.
It was bad enough that he was dating Chrissy, who was as sweet a first girlfriend as a mother could want. Brook Davis was a whole different story.
Not that she would lead Dare astray. It was that she had been the head cheerleader and dated the captain of the football team. That was not what the mother of a shy nerd would ever picture as someone her son had a crush on.
“Can I make a suggestion?” I asked.
“That was why I asked you.”
