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Welcome to the Church of The Reverend Cotton Mather.  This story is
the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded 
for the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to 
download or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as 
there is no intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of 
acquiring this material.

   (Copyright 2005, revisions c. 2007, R.C. Mather)

E-Mail all comments to RevCottonMather at hotmail dot com
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THE COMPETITIVE EDGE:
PLAYING THE GAME III

A Novel

by R.C. Mather



- 33 -

TRYING



Kayla knew something was up.

I never said anything to her. Hell, I could easily convince myself
it wasn't her in that car in the parking lot. I had no direct
evidence, after all. Everything was, in the parlance of the lawyer
shows on television, circumstantial.

Even so, I couldn't help but be depressed.

'Maybe she doesn't love me anymore. Perhaps I should take Eric's
advice, just let it go. Go back to Florida, forget about Kayla, have
fun with Alex. Have fun with Erin.'

But there really wasn't a future in my relationship with either Alex
or Erin. Shit, they would be the first to leap up and declare it
along with me.

'But is there a future anymore here at home?'

I just didn't know.

I was depressed, but I tried not to let it show. I put on a smile
for my campers and my instructors, but there were some changes in my
routine. I stopped going in to see Kayla so often. I stopped just
showing up over at their house on the pretense of looking for Jake.

Kayla knew something was up.

She noticed my absence right away. She gave it a couple of weeks,
just to make sure. When I didn't call her, when I didn't ask her when
we could go out next, she took matters into her own hands.

As usual, I was scheduled to go out of town Thursday and Friday to
visit my camps. We only had two weeks left and I had two coaches'
clinics after that. My focus was on the presentations I would make at
the last day of camp. I wanted to sit down with each of my
instructors individually to get their assessment of each camper. I
would meld their opinions with my own observations, and that would
help me to make constructive comments about each camper for the
parents. After all, I knew the parents were going to be astonished at
the progress their child would show them when they began their
competitive play in the fall, and I wanted the parents to know how
hard their kids worked to improve at something they loved to do.

That particular week, I hadn't seen Kayla at all. My heart ached at
the loss, but I was trying to adjust to the possibility of life
without Luscious. Instead, I had called Molly O'Toole and cried on
her shoulder. Molly was having separation issues of her own. Since
her boyfriend had stayed in California for the summer, we were able
to provide sympathy to each other. In fact, we got rip-roaring drunk
one night on a bottle of ouzo she and Tessa had snuck out of Tessa's
house. It was vile stuff, but after the first few glasses it went
down easier. The next morning, I felt like some licorice demon had
spent the night in my mouth. It took me most of a sweaty day on my
own, just me and my soccer ball, to finally get that shit out of my
system.

Late Wednesday afternoon, I was packing my bag for my trip. The
telephone rang and Stephen answered it.

"Yeah?" Pause, and then: "Yeah, he's here." Another pause. "Yeah. Do
something, will ya?"

I deduced either the call was for me or it was about me. I tapped
him on the shoulder. "Who is it?"

He handed the receiver to me without a word. I took it from him.
"Hello."

There was a slight pause, and then Kayla said, "So, "Purple Rain" is
playing in town on Saturday. Do you want to go see it?"

Oh, God, did I ever want to go see it with her. I would go and watch
hours of a blank screen with her. The Bad Sean was the one who
replied, though. "I'm busy Saturday." 'There,' whispered the Bad Sean
triumphantly. 'A little taste of your own medicine.'

I heard her voice hitch. "Okay, maybe I deserved that," she said
quietly. "You don't want to go out with me, but we need to talk,
Sean."

The Reasonable Sean took over just in time. "Oh, God, I'm sorry,
Kayla. You're right. No, I mean you're wrong. I do want to go out
with you. But we have to clear the air. Things are just way too
messed up right now between us."

"Can we meet sometime on Saturday, then?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll call you Saturday morning. We'll figure
something out."

"Are you going to Jesse's tomorrow?"

It seemed like she didn't want to hang up just yet. I liked that.
"Yes," I replied. "Just like usual. I'm spending the night at his
place, and then going to Indiana on Friday."

"Are you coming home Friday night, then?"

"Yeah. It'll be late, though. I usually sleep in on Saturday. Can I
call you around noon?"

"That'll be perfect. I'll be able to sleep in, too. I switched with
Louisa at work. She's working Saturday for me, and I'm working Friday
for her."

"Okay, then. I'll call you when I get up Saturday."

"See you then," she said. She sounded almost happy by the time we
hung up. 'How about that.'



* * * * * * * * * *



I had done a little homework on Thomas Jorgenson. Jake didn't want
to say too much about him, though I got the impression he didn't like
him very much. He seemed to be torn between being loyal to his little
sister and being overprotective. He opted for neutrality and didn't
give me what I was looking for. I had other sources, though. I called
Tiny Harrison and asked him what he knew about the guy.

"Why you want to know?" Tiny's voice didn't fit his body. It wasn't
deep like you'd expect from somebody his size, but rather soft and a
little high. I was willing to bet it deepened into a growl when he
was lined up across from some defensive linebacker from Michigan,
though.

"He's dating... somebody I know," I said. I didn't really want to
air my dirty laundry. I thought a little white lie would be
acceptable.

He knew, of course. "Sure," he said skeptically. "Somebody you know.
Shit, dude, even I heard about it. Son of a bitch is going around the
locker room bragging about his conquest."

That stabbed me. His conquest? I was beginning to think of this guy
as a dirtbag on a level with my old roommate Westy. Kayla falling for
somebody like that? It just didn't make any sense at all to me.

"Tell me about him," I said roughly.

"Ah, he's just a kid running at the mouth, Sean. Actually, I thought
he was a pretty good guy when I knew him last year. He got moved from
defensive end to wide receiver this year, but they ain't got an arm
on their quarterback, so he's spending a lot of time running up and
down the field for no damn reason. Does a little blocking, but
doesn't like it. A bit of a wuss. Hits pretty hard, but doesn't like
to be hit himself. Tends to back away. Smart kid, straight A's I
think, and from the right side of the tracks. Old man's a big shot
lawyer or something, so Tommy's always got some cash to spend. Maybe
that's why Kayla's hanging around him."

"Not likely," I grumbled. 'I could be wrong, though,' I said to
myself. 'The list of things I don't know grows longer every day.'

"Stranger things have happened," said Tiny.

"I'll say," I agreed. "Thanks, man. I owe you."

"No problem, my friend. You going after him?"

"Nah. I'm going after her. I just want to know what I'm up against."

"If Kayla's got the goods I think she's got, she'll get bored with
pretty boy before long."

"I don't want to test it that far," I said. "I'll either get her
loose from him before that happens, or I will have lost in the
effort."

"You need a hand, you know where to find me," he said.

"I appreciate it, Tiny. Catch you later."

"Later, Sean."

The guy sounded a little shallow to me. So why was Kayla going out
with him? Just because he was handsome, athletic, smart, and rich?

I gulped. When I thought of it that way, why wouldn't she go out
with him? Especially when compared with flawed, skinny, not-too-
bright and none-too-wealthy Sean Porter?

I had my work cut out for me.



* * * * * * * * * *



I got back in town late again on Friday. Jake and I were making a
habit of meeting at Mike's, and I pulled into the parking lot at my
usual time. I was anxious to get out from behind the steering wheel.
I was feeling like I was spending half my life on the road, and I was
getting tired of it. Only a couple more weeks to go, I reminded
myself as I unfolded myself from the car and stood on my toes to
stretch out. I glanced around, half expecting to see the yellow
Mustang in the corner, but it wasn't there.

'Maybe T.J. and Kayla found a new lover's lane,' I thought sourly.

I walked into the restaurant. Jake was there, along with Eric and
Keisha. They had been there for a little while, it seemed, as there
was one empty pitcher of Coke to the side and another icy one in the
middle of the table.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" I said as I slid into the chair across from
Jake.

"Just chillin'," said Eric. "How were the camps?"

"Good," I said. "Kids are progressing. Not as fast as the ones here,
but they're a lot better than when they started."

"Yeah, well, you've got the best instructors in the world right
here," said Keisha, her eyes on her boyfriend affectionately.

"Don't I know it," I said. "There are a couple in Merrillville who
would be better off as participants instead of instructors. I'm going
to have to find replacements for them for next summer."

"You're already thinking about next year?" Jake sounded a little
surprised. It wasn't typical behavior for kids our age, and
especially for me. I thought about it for a moment, and was startled
to realize I had actually become a businessman. 'I have to switch
majors,' I said to myself.

"Yeah," I said, a little chagrined. "I guess I am."

"And so Sean Porter Enterprises expands once again," said Eric with
a chuckle. "Dude, you going to be a millionaire by the time you're
thirty."

"It's not that lucrative a business," I said. 'I'm just having fun
teaching what I know best."

"Isn't that the definition of being successful in business?" asked
Keisha. She had a knowing look on her face. "Having fun and doing
what you know best?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said.

"You know what the definition of a successful farmer is, don't you?"
asked Jake, an entirely too-innocent look on his face.

"No, what?" asked Eric.

"A man out standing in his field," Jake replied.

There were groans all around.

We ordered our pizzas and settled in. I was gratified to have my
friends with me after my long road trip, but I was beginning to feel
anxious about my meeting with Kayla the next day. 

As offhandedly as I could, during a break in the conversation I
asked Jake, "Is Kayla out with T.J. tonight?"

He gave me a look I couldn't interpret. "No, dude. She and Jaimie
are watching Kyle so Stephen and Tara could have some... alone time."

I almost spit out my mouthful of Coke. "Is that what they're calling
it now? Alone time? And what the hell do they think they're doing?
Didn't they learn anything?"

"Take it easy, buddy, it's all okay," soothed Jake. "Don't get your
panties in a knot. Tara's been on the pill for over a year, and she
and your brother practically consider themselves married, anyway.
It's not a big deal."

"They're fifteen and sixteen," I grouched. "It is a big deal."

"Well, let it be a big deal to them, Sean. It shouldn't be a big
deal to you."

"Well... maybe not," I conceded. "But it still doesn't feel quite
right."

"Come on, Porter," said Eric. "You remember fifteen, don't you? Tell
me you wasn't chasin' it down whenever you could."

"Shit, I was just fooling around in a basement when I was fifteen,"
I said. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing."

"Seems to me it was my basement, too," rumbled Jake.

I glanced over to see if he was mad or not, but he was smiling.
"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" I admitted. "I seem to recall another
couple down there, too."

Jake picked up the pitcher. "How about some more soda, Sean?" he
asked with far too much enthusiasm. 'Go ahead, change the subject,' I
thought to myself. 'You know secrets about me, but I know just as many
about you, pal of mine.'



* * * * * * * * * *



I called Kayla's house the next morning. It was a beautiful, sunny
day, much too nice to be spent in recriminations and accusations. I
wanted to be in a good mood, and I wanted to exude confidence. The
sunshine helped, but I was still uneasy about pulling it all off.

Kayla sounded like she had been up for hours. She had already made
sandwiches and packed a picnic lunch for us.

"How about if we go to the park and have lunch?" she suggested.

"Your wish is my command, m'lady," I said. "What time?"

"About an hour?"

"Okay, I'll pick you up in an hour."

I showered and shaved, and did what I could to bring some order to
my rather unruly head of hair. 'Face it, Porter,' I said to my
reflection. 'You will never be the face man you would like to be.' I
tried not to obsess, since Kayla knew me about as well as anybody,
both my strengths and my weaknesses. The time for trying to impress
her with my good looks was long past.

I shoveled out the garbage from the inside of my car. Two days on
the road, eating fast food and living pretty much out of my car, left
a lot of detritus. I didn't have time to wash and wax the car, but I
wiped down the interior, giving it a quick cleaning.

Right on time I pulled into Kayla's driveway. She was sitting on the
front steps waiting for me, a vision of loveliness in shorts and one
of Jake's old football practice jerseys. It was huge on her, tending
to fall off her shoulder. If she was trying for irresistibly
alluring, she achieved it. I needed to make this whole thing right if
I possibly could.

I jumped out of the car and ran up the sidewalk to take the basket
on the stoop. Kayla reached for it at the same time, and we carried
it together to the car. I put it in the back seat while Kayla got
into the front. I hopped back in, fired it up, and drove to the park.

We found an empty picnic table on the grass near the beach. It was
on uneven ground, so I moved it a little so it didn't wobble quite so
much. Kayla took a tablecloth out of the basket and spread it out
onto the tabletop, and then she began setting out paper plates, cups,
a thermos of lemonade, a bag of chips, and the carefully wrapped
sandwiches. We sat across from each other, and I was able to watch
her as she pulled stuff out and handed it to me. I thought I might be
too nervous to eat, but just the routine of getting everything set
out on the table seemed to calm me down.

Kay, on the other hand, didn't look nervous at all. 'How could that
be? This was to be The Conversation. How could she not be anxious?
Unless she already knew the outcome.' That thought frightened me a
little, but I did my best to keep the feeling of panic quelled. I
concentrated on the little stuff, such as opening the bag of chips,
pouring drinks for us both, and folding her paper napkin and setting
it beside her plate.

She opened the cellophane of her sandwich and put a handful of chips
on her plate. I opened mine and looked at it. Roast beef with mayo,
one of my favorites. I took a bite, and discovered I was really
hungry. My anxiety slipped away as I relaxed, and Kayla and I had a
good time as we sat in the sunshine, eating the repast she had
prepared for us.

We cleaned up after our meal, packing everything except the lemonade
away. We left the basket sitting on the picnic table and grabbed a
blanket. We spread it out on the edge of the sand, and we sat down
next to each other, looking out at the water.

Kayla slipped her sunglasses on. The jersey she was wearing slipped
off her shoulder, and the sight of her skin was enticingly off-
limits. I concentrated hard on looking at her face.

"Where would you like to start?" she asked quietly. She looked
straight ahead, instead of at me.

'Here we go,' I said to myself. I sent up a small prayer. "How about
with an apology?" I replied. I twisted around to face her more fully.
"Kayla..."

"You've already apologized, Sean. We don't need to recite old news.
What I mean is, how do you want to start? As in how do we go from
here?"

"Where do you want us to go from here, Kay?"

She turned to me. I could see the seriousness in her face, even with
her oversized sunglasses hiding her eyes. "You're one of my very best
friends, Sean. You have been for almost as long as I can remember. I
don't want to lose that."

I sighed. 'Time to play the cards you're dealt.' "I don't want to just
be your friend, Kay. I don't think I could just be your friend."

She gave me a small, sad smile. "All or nothing? Is that what you're
saying?"

"No," I replied hastily. I had the uncomfortable feeling I knew what
her answer would be if I had been rash enough to propose an ultimatum
like that. "That's not what I mean at all. I'm just stating a fact,
Kay. I don't want to be just your friend. We've gone beyond that
already. I want to say... I want to be..."

I want to be perfect for you, I want to be the one you think about
every night and every morning. I want you to be obsessed with me,
just as I want to be obsessed with you. Tell me you love me, tell me
you will always be mine.

Those were not the words that were coming out of my mouth, though.
All the wrong words seemed to be spewing forth, disjointed and nearly
incoherent, and yet I couldn't stop. I stumbled, halted, started
again, all the while vainly hoping I was making at least a little
sense to Kayla. She, in turn, was content to let me run on, trying
without success to explain what was in my heart. To her credit, she
didn't try to finish my sentences for me, nor did she attempt to
polish my halting delivery. She sat beside me and listened to my
ramblings, without judgment.

Finally, I began to run out of words to say to her. I could feel
myself wanting to babble on and on in an effort to make her
understand what I was feeling, but I had the uncomfortable sense that
it was all falling apart on me. I took a deep breath as I tried to
slow down my racing heart.

"Here's the thing," I tried again. "I fucked up, royally fucked up.
I know it, and I have apologized for it. I'll apologize again and
again if I need to, because I was an idiot, and I freely admit it.
I'm trying really hard, Kay, not to be so damned stupid, but it's
hard for me."

That brought another smile, this time one tinged with amusement. A
good sign? I hoped it was.

"I know I blew it with you, and I know you have other...
priorities... than me. I just don't want to be shut out, that's all.
Give me a chance to earn your trust back. That's all I want."

"Other... priorities." She rolled the word around in her mouth,
tasting it and evaluating it. "Do you remember what you told me last
year, Sean? About how you wanted me to go out and have fun while I
was finishing high school?"

"Yes," I answered. "I remember. You said you couldn't."

"At the time I couldn't," she said. "But after... after I got
back... from seeing you, I realized we both needed... some time...
away from each other. To grow up a little."

"I still need to grow up a little."

"See? That's just my point, Sean. I do, too. I'm seventeen, and I'm
still in high school."

Her words were eerily familiar. Hearing my own words echoing back to
me after a year, hearing them coming from her, sent chills down my
spine. I tried to brush away the tendrils of fear brushing against my
soul. I reached to her and picked up her hand. She passively let me
take it as I said, "I love you, Kay. I don't know what else I can
tell you."

She gently slid her hand from mine and let it rest in her lap once
again. She turned back to look out over the lake. "I love you, too,
Sean. I just don't know anymore if we can be together."

I reached over and took her hand back, making her turn to me again.
"Give it time, Kay. The answer will come. But don't give up on it. I
know it was my own immaturity that put us in this, Kay. But I'm
trying. I really am."

She squeezed my hand, the first hopeful sign she had given me. 'Maybe
there would be life after today,' I told myself.

"You are trying," she agreed with a smile. I accepted the double-
entendre, because she was absolutely correct.

"So... are we okay for the moment?" I asked warily.

She smiled. "We're okay," she replied.

"So I can ask you out? And you won't get all defensive on me?"

She laughed. "Yes," she said. "And maybe I'll ask you out sometime."

"This is good," I said. "This is progress." I looked sideways at
her. "So are you going to tell me about T.J.?"

Just like that, the defenses went back up. 'Shit,' I said to myself. 
'I overstepped. When will I learn?'

"Maybe some day we will get to a place where we can tell each other
everything," she said seriously. "We aren't there yet. Maybe we'll
never get there, I don't know right now. I do know that I don't want
to know about what you have been doing at school, and I don't want to
talk about what's going on with my friends." She smiled, and I could
see she was having a little bit of fun agonizing me. "Maybe for now
having secrets between us is a good thing, Sean."

"If you say so," I said. I wasn't convinced, though. I was just
relieved I hadn't completely blown my shot by bringing up the subject
of her other suitor. 'Brain on, mouth shut,' I reminded myself. 'Brain
on, mouth shut.'



* * * * * * * * * *



We spent the rest of the afternoon conscientiously not talking about
us. We skirted around the subject, shying away when we got too close
to actually rehashing the old recriminations and accountabilities. It
was peculiarly dissatisfying, even though I was delighted to be able
to spend almost an entire day with Luscious.

In the end, we walked all the way around the lake, holding hands.
There were no promises in our grasp, but there were no goodbyes,
either. I took what I could from it, and didn't ask for more.

Maybe I was growing up after all. Stranger things have happened.

By the time the sun went down, we were getting hungry again. We
loaded up the car and drove over to Al Fresco's, an Italian place
over by the mall. We ordered spaghetti and meatballs with garlic
bread. We ate in near silence, happy enough in each other's company
not to feel the need to fill the quiet with unnecessary words.

In the car on the way home, we were comfortably silent. I pulled
into her driveway and shut the car off. I could hear the engine
pinging as the metals cooled. We sat there together in the dark,
listening to our own thoughts.

Kayla turned to me. I put my arm on the back of her seat, and it was
enough of an invitation. She leaned over the center console and put
her head on my chest. I put my arms around her. Her jersey had
slipped off her right shoulder again, and I was touching her skin. My
hand felt hot against her.

"Sean?"

"Mmmm?"

"I... I feel I should tell you some things..."

"Shhhh," I said. "You said it before. We're not there yet. It's okay."

And, to my surprise, I discovered it really was okay. I smiled to
myself.

She lifted up her face to me, and I bent down and I kissed her.
Softly, easily, our lips rediscovered each other, tactically
remembered the taste and the feel of each other. When the lips were
satisfactorily reconnected, we both opened our mouths slightly and
let our tongues have their turn. It was wonderful, awesome, majestic.
And it ended as it begun, softly, easily, our lips parting
reluctantly.

"Call me tomorrow?" she asked softly.

"I will," I said.

Reluctantly she slid from my arms and straightened her top. She
scrubbed at her face before opening the car door. I scrambled out to
walk her to her door. She seemed a little surprised, but took my arm
and walked slowly with me. I put my arms around her waist at the door
and pulled her to me. She lifted up and gave me one last soft kiss.

"Thank you, Sean," she said.

"I'm the one giving thanks right now," I said.

She smiled at that, and I rejoiced in being able to do that. Making
Luscious smile was a good mission to have in life right then. She
opened her front door and, with a wave, said goodnight.

I walked back to my car without touching the ground once.



* * * * * * * * * *



Despite the seeming success of that Saturday afternoon, we still had
some lingering discomfort. We were both trying to overcome it, which
was a step in the right direction. I returned to visiting her during
her shifts at her dad's store, and she seemed happy to go to lunch or
dinner with me when she could.

Eric, Trent, and Danielle covered for me a lot. My Good Karma bank
was deep in debt to all three of them, and I was happy to acknowledge
it. Their attention to my business allowed me the freedom to see
Kayla pretty much when I wanted.

Still, we had issues. The biggest one, from my perspective, was that
she was still going out with that T.J. character.

It was a surprise then, when I got a call the following weekend from
Kayla. I was going through my closet, getting rid of clothes I didn't
wear anymore. It had been a boring weekend, because Kayla had not
been home on Saturday. I didn't feel like calling her and asking her
how her date was with a guy I hadn't met but for whom I felt a deep
and abiding dislike.

We played verbal ping-pong on the telephone. I was content to let
her swing the conversation around to the subject she really wanted to
talk about, and she finally broached it.

"I've got an idea," she said finally.

"Okay," I said. I didn't want to try to second-guess her. She would
say what she would say, and I was slowly learning, through painful
experience, that silence where no words were necessary was a valuable
resource.

"Do you think..." She paused. I could tell she was having second
thoughts about whatever she was going to say. Time to break the
silence.

"What?" I prompted.

There was a hesitation, and then she said softly, "It was nothing.
Sorry."

"No, you were going to say something. Do I think what?"

She took a deep breath. 'I understand that,' I said to myself.
'Anxiety, unsure of the ground we are standing upon. I understand.' 
"Do you think I could go with you the last week?" she said. She was
nervous about asking, and she seemed like she would be nervous about
what my answer would be. "We could talk some more," she added as an
incentive.

Like I needed an incentive. Two days together, just the two of us.
Well, just the two of us, and Jesse, and a bunch of instructors, and
about a zillion soccer players of all levels. But still, just the two
of us.

"I think that's a great idea," I said. "I'll call Jesse and make
sure he's got room at his house on that Thursday night."

I could hear the eagerness in her voice. "I already talked to him,"
she said. "Well, actually, I talked to Anna. I'll stay with her when
we're there." Kayla giggled. "She still thinks you're very cute," she
said.

I could feel my face flushing. "She's got a boyfriend," I said by
way of protest.

"That doesn't mean she can't think you're cute," said Kayla. "Girls
like to look at boys, just like boys like to look at girls, you know."

"So I've heard," I grumbled, but I couldn't be in a sour mood. Not
with the prospect of Kayla spending two days with me.

"I'll switch with Louisa or Dina for Thursday and Friday off," she
said. 

"Okay," I said.

And so, early that Thursday morning, I picked up Kayla and we headed
off. We stopped for orange juice and sweet rolls at a bakery on the
way to the expressway, purchasing enough sustenance to keep several
people alive for days. We played cassette tapes, and I sang bad
harmony to the Eurythmics and Roxy Music all the way to Jesse's house.

The year-end awards for Jesse's camp were scheduled for that
afternoon. I had my notes from the summer organized, and I mentioned
each participant and talked about their improvements over the summer.
Jesse handed out the certificates to the girls, and Kayla gave out
the awards to the boys. Some of the older ones, thirteen, fourteen,
and fifteen, were falling all over themselves trying to impress
Kayla. Jesse and I just had to laugh. Were we ever really that young?
And not all that long ago?

During the scrimmage at the end, Jesse and I both stayed on the
sidelines. We wanted to let the kids shine and show their parents how
much they had grown in their games, so we stayed out of the way and
let the campers play. The moms and dads watched from the sidelines,
and some of them couldn't refrain from yelling out instructions to
the kids on the field. I encouraged the players to continue while
Jesse spoke to the parents about responsible support in recreational
and competitive sports. He asked all the parents to be encouraging,
but to refrain from trying to get their child to perform to their
instructions while on the field. Most of the parents were
understanding, and tried to restrain themselves. There will always be
a few, though, who just can't seem to help themselves. Jesse and two
of his top instructors stood right beside the biggest loudmouth
father and guilted him into being quiet. 'Whatever it takes,' I said 
to myself.

When all was said and done, Jesse and his instructors stood under
the canopy he had set up as each of the campers came by and thanked
them. The younger ones were accompanied by a parent, who also
profusely thanked Jesse and me, and they gladly pressed folded bills
into Jesse's hand in gratitude.

After everybody had loaded up and departed, Jesse and I thanked each
of the instructors, and Jesse distributed the tips he had collected
from the parents. It was a good finale to the first Sean Porter
Clinic away from my home.

We drove back to Jesse's house. Anna was home by then, and she and
Kayla disappeared into her room for some girl talk. Jesse and I each
took showers, and then we waited for the girls to reappear.

After about ninety minutes, they finally emerged, freshly showered
and dressed to kill.

"Food," said Anna. "We require food."

"Well, I guess it's our responsibility as the hunters to take you to
where the food is," said Jesse.

"And quickly," said Kayla. "I think poor Sean will pass out from
starvation if he doesn't eat every half-hour or so."

I held up the nearly empty package of Oreos that Jesse and I had
been working on. "No problem," I said. "We hunted down some cookies
to tide us over."

"I'm glad to see you didn't expire," said Anna with a laugh. "See,
Kayla? They can survive without us waiting on them hand and foot."

"Yes, but not well," said Kayla. "If we left them to their own
devices, they would try to live on cookies, chips, and Mountain Dew."

"And that's wrong?" asked Jesse, a wry grin on his face.

"Food," reiterated Anna.

"Okay, okay," said Jesse. "Let's go hunt down some burgers, shall we?"

And we did.



* * * * * * * * * *



The next morning, we all got up very early. Jesse's dad was already
gone, but his mother was home, in the kitchen busily cooking up
scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, bacon, and hot biscuits for us.
As I always did when I was staying there, I spent the night in the
basement, on a foldaway bed with a broken spring. I had learned weeks
before how to sleep avoiding it, and I didn't even think about it
anymore. Kayla had slept in Anna's room with her, sharing her double
bed.

Jesse wanted to come with us to Indiana, but the drive there and
back didn't appeal to him.

"I'd love to come along, Sean," he said as we sat down at breakfast.
We had already talked about this the night before while we were
feasting on slain cow, but he was still thinking about it.

"It's not worth it," I insisted. "It's just the closing stuff, and
you don't know those guys. It would be boring."

"Are you going to be bored?" he asked Kayla.

"No," she said, "but then I don't get bored driving through the
countryside, either."

"Even here, in Flatland?" asked Jesse.

"Oh, it's flat, but the farms are interesting, and I love driving
through the small towns and looking at the buildings and the people."

"You're easily amused, aren't you?" said Jesse with a grin.

Kayla shrugged. "I'm spending two days in the car with Sean," she
said. "I guess you could say I'm easily amused."

"Hey!" I said. "I think I might resent that remark."

"It's more like you resemble that remark, Porter," retorted Jesse.

Anna and Kayla had to have one last girlie conference before we left
while Jesse and I put our bags in the car. We stood in the driveway
several yards away, unable to hear what they were whispering about,
until they finally hugged each other.

"Goodbye, Anna! Thanks for everything!" Kayla waved out the car
window as we backed out of the driveway.

"Call me and let me know how it's going!" Anna replied. She and
Jesse were standing side by side, watching us as we pulled away.

"How what's going?" I asked as we started down the street.

"Hmmm?" Kayla asked sweetly as she pretended to be distracted
picking out a new cassette to pop into the dashboard player.

I knew that was the closest I would get to an answer on that
question, so I let it drop.

We had left early so we could be in Merrillville by the start of the
day. We went through the same ceremony again for the campers and
those parents able to attend. I knew these kids a little better than
I knew Jesse's, because I didn't have an instructor in charge who was
familiar with me at the start. I spent more time on the field with
the students, and more time on the sidelines talking extensively with
every instructor about the kids, so I felt I knew them and their
skills well. Once again, I talked about each kid, and tried to
showcase the progress each student had achieved. We put the kids into
scrimmages, as was the custom on the final day, and let them put
their new and improved talents to the test. Everybody had a great
time, and most of the parents personally thanked me.

By noon, Kayla and I were back on the road, headed for South Bend,
where we would do it all again. Three closing ceremonies in two days
was an ambitious schedule. I made a note to talk to Danielle about
spreading out the end of camps if we continued to expand. I still had
one more road trip to make, with Jesse, Eric, and Jorge for the
coaches' clinics, but I was looking forward to the end of the summer.
In less than two weeks, I would be heading back to Florida to begin
training for our fall season, and I was tired. I really wanted to
spend the last week catching up on rest before I drove all the way
down to Gainesville.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we wrapped up the South
Bend camp. I thanked each of the instructors for their dedication,
and told them I was looking forward to having them back again the
next year. I knew a couple of them wouldn't be invited back, but this
wasn't the time to be bringing that up. I just thanked them for their
efforts. Next spring would work itself out.

By the time Kayla and I crawled back into my car, I knew we would
hit rush-hour traffic in the city on the way home. "Rush Hour" seemed
to be a misnomer, anyway. It lasted much longer than an hour, and
nobody had any room to be rushing. It was more like "Three Hour
Standstill."

Even so, we headed out. The air conditioning spilling out of the
vents in the dashboard felt good after spending the day outside, and
we replenished our stock of sodas and snacks for the drive home. Over
the course of the two days, we had fallen into a very comfortable
existence with each other, having seemingly gotten back to at least
being very good friends. Even if we weren't lovers, it was a huge
improvement, to my way of thinking. I knew Kayla felt it, too, but we
were content not to comment about it, but rather to let it be the way
it was.

When we were about an hour away from home, I asked Kayla if she
wanted to stop at Mike's Pizza.

"Sure," she said.

"Okay, I've got to stop for gas. We'll call Jake and he'll meet us
there."

"I'll call him while you're filling up," she suggested.

When we were back on the road, she said, "Jake said he'd meet us
there. Jaimie's coming, too."

"Great," I said. "I really haven't seen much of her this summer."

"She's really been busy helping out Tara as much as she can," said
Kayla. "Once school starts, it'll all be on Tara again, and Jaimie
figured this summer would be a good time to give her as much of a
break as she could."

"Kyle's got a really great auntie," I said.

"Yes, he does," she agreed. "Considering the circumstances, he's
doing okay on the family front."

"Attentive parents, doting grandparents, an aunt that lives with
him. Things could be worse for him, with such a young mother."

"And a young dad."

"Yeah, you're right," I said. "Even if Stephen isn't Kyle's father,
he sure is Kyle's daddy, isn't he."

It was after dark by the time we got back into town. I was beat from
the drive and from the closing of three camps, and I was looking
forward to lounging with my friends over pizza. Even Kayla was
looking tired. 'It's funny how you can be sitting in a car all day,
and still feel like you've been wrung out,' I thought.

I pulled into the parking lot and swung into a spot by the wall.
Jake's car was there, so I knew they were holding down a table for
us. We got out, and I walked around to the back of the car and
stretched out my calf muscles and my hamstrings against the trunk.
Kayla arched her back beside me, her hands on her hips, glad to be
out of the car. I saw her stop her movements and stare across the
parking lot. I stood up and turned, just as she walked hesitantly
over to the darkest corner of the lot. She bent over a little,
peering into the dimness, and I could see the outline of a light car
in the furthest spot. I walked up to Kayla, and instinctively put my
arm around her waist. Whether as support or restraint, I wasn't sure,
because we were looking at a car that was gently rocking on its
springs, evidence of activity within its fogged interior.

It was a familiar yellow Mustang, with plates that read "TEE JAY 85."





(Continued in Chapter 34)


  
CE33