The Phenomenal Event
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 9
Grif and Dad just made it to the airport on time. They had overslept and were lucky to make their flight. More people arrived than left, so the security line wasn’t long. Two hours later, they landed at DFW. The place was a zoo, and they were thankful their trip was ending. On the way home, Dad got a call from Amber and said all hell had broken loose there. Her dad returned to DC, and her Mom discovered he had a girlfriend again. She forgave him the first time, but not this time.
Then she discovered $50,000 was missing from their savings account. She found out Dad hired a PI to do a background check on you and Grif. Grif said he’d walk her down the aisle if she set him up with a bridesmaid and everyone laughed. Amber said her mom promised it wouldn’t affect the wedding. Her dad would be there, or his balls would be on the mantle. Everyone laughed again and said goodbye.
Dad said he was glad they left when they did, and Grif agreed. They stopped at the market for food, as most food places would be closed on Christmas. Then they went to the Whataburger drive-thru and headed home. When they arrived, they ate lunch, unpacked, and started the laundry. They watched football while doing laundry, and Grif asked Dad if he thought Grandmother would move here to be close to Amber.
Dad said it was a good possibility, and Grif told him to watch his weight while two cooks fed him. They laughed and enjoyed watching the college and pro football games on Christmas Eve. Dad cooked steak and potatoes for dinner, and they ate dinner while watching football. When the last game ended, they said goodnight and went to bed. Grif fell asleep, and the tingling started, then he drifted into a deep sleep.
Grif woke up early Christmas morning, put on sweats, and practiced martial arts on the heavy bag in the garage. It felt good to hit something again after their trip. When he finished, Grif stripped off his sweaty clothes at the laundry, showered, and read the two legal books he had checked out from the library. One was on contract law, and another was on criminal law. Both interested him, and he smelled breakfast cooking, so he dressed and went to the kitchen.
While they ate, Amber called, and they exchanged Merry Christmas greetings. She said they were packing and returning to the house in Denver, Colorado. Grif told Amber to tell her mom not to say anything to her dad until she gets her valuables from the house in DC. Amber repeated what Grif told her to her mom, and she said, “Oh my god,” and thanked him for the advice. She said most of her valuable jewelry was there and didn’t trust the asshole not to pawn it or give it to his girlfriend.
Amber said goodbye and that she would see us after the new year. Dad said he was glad they left when they did, and Grif agreed. After breakfast, they watched basketball until the football games came on. They decided not to buy presents as they bought what they needed during the year. Mom didn’t call, so they didn’t bother calling her.
At halftime of the football game, Dad made lunch and ate at the kitchen table. After lunch, they watched the rest of the game. Then the second game started, and they watched until it ended. Dad made dinner, and while they ate, he said he would return to work on Thursday. They have New Year’s Eve and New Year’s off next week. They watched the evening football game, and at the end, they said goodnight and went to bed. Grif fell asleep, then the tingling started, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
On Thursday morning, Grif went to The Harbor Lakes Golf Club and played a round of golf. The more he played, the more comfortable he felt with his clubs and shot selection. Grif didn’t keep score, but was happy with his play. On the way home, he saw an Academy Sports store. He stopped, went inside, and saw they had a 25% off sale on basketballs. He hadn’t played since middle school and thought it would be good exercise. They had a hoop above the garage, so he bought one with a pump included.
Grif returned home, ate lunch, and shot hoops for two hours. His shooting was terrible for the first 30 minutes. He’d grown since he last played, and that took some adjustment. Then it was dribbling the ball and footwork, but everything came together in the last hour of practice. When he quit, Grif was drenched in sweat, and he stripped at the laundry, showered, and dressed.
Then he checked his emails, and his test results were there. He passed all the finals with an average score of 95%. Then there was one from Mrs. Jacobs at TCU. They set up a charge account with Lyft for his transportation to and from the university. The information on how to charge the rides would be mailed to him. Then there was his itinerary for the film shoot from Joanne, his agent. The shooting location was in Yuma, Arizona. He was scheduled to leave on Sunday after New Year’s.
Grif sensed Dad was nearby, so he headed to the kitchen. Dad arrived with Mexican takeout, and they sat and ate. While eating dinner, Dad asked Grif what he thought about going to Denver and returning Sunday morning. Grif said it sounds like a fiancé trip to suck up, and they laughed. Amber asked us to help remove her dad’s things from the house. They already went to DC and got her mother’s things. Grif said it sounds like you’re going to have fun, and Dad said No, you were invited by Gramma, too and they laughed.
After dinner, they watched Thursday night football and turned it off at halftime. It was a blowout, with the score 24 to 3. They said goodnight and went to bed. Grif fell asleep, then the tingling started, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Friday morning, Grif rode his e-bike to the library. He returned the two law books he had checked out and then asked the librarian what books a first-year law student would read. She did her magic on the computer and printed a list of books law students checked out for him. Grif thanked her and was surprised she printed the list for all four years. He picked out six books on the list. He read four and checked out two to read later. Grif marked off the two he previously checked out and the four he read.
On his way home, he stopped at Subway, got a footlong, and continued home. Grif ate lunch, changed into his sweats, went to the garage, and practiced martial arts on the heavy bag. When he finished, Grif dropped his sweaty clothes in the laundry, showered, and turned on the computer. He checked the computer system at Allied Technologies. Everything was fine, so he shut off the computer and got dressed. He sensed Dad was nearby and went to the kitchen.
When Dad arrived, they sat down and ate dinner. He said they were leaving at 4 a.m. tomorrow, so we’ll skip watching a movie tonight. Dad told Grif to pack an overnight bag so we could carry it on. Grif asked if he got knee pads and lube, and they laughed. After dinner, they watched an episode of The Recruit with Noah Centineo and Teo Yoo. When it ended, they said goodnight and went to their rooms to pack. When he finished, Grif went to bed, fell asleep, and the tingling started. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
On the way to the airport, Grif asked Dad if this was an excuse to see Amber for their Saturday night date. Dad laughed and said, “No, we’re going to help them.” They went through security without a problem and were early for their flight. After waiting fifteen minutes, they boarded the plane. The flight took around two hours, and they landed in Denver. Amber met them at the baggage claim and drove to her mother’s house.
When they arrived, Dad and Grif were shocked at the size. Amber said the house belonged to Mom’s parents, and she inherited it. Grif said he needed to get into Gramma’s good graces, and everyone laughed. Mrs. James welcomed them, and they ate breakfast in the kitchen. Then, the fun began packing the senators’ clothes and possessions. Grif asked about the safe in his closet, and Mrs. James said she didn’t have the combination.
Grif asked if he could open it. Would you give me the first choice of what’s inside? Everyone laughed, and Mrs. James said yes, but any cash inside was excluded. Grif said she drove a hard bargain but agreed. It was a digital safe with a keypad, and the books he read from the retired CIA farm instructor had a trick to open it. Grif blew hot air on the keypad, showing the numbers 6912. He entered 6921 and opened the safe.
Everyone was in the bedroom, so he called them into the closet. They couldn’t believe he opened it and asked him how he did it. Grif said the key was a book he had read in the library, and they were free to try to find it. They laughed, and he opened the safe door. Mrs. James said, “Look at all that money,” and Grif said, “Look at those file boxes.” He said I don’t want anything and suggested you don’t take anything. Those files say Top Secret, and that money could be marked if the Senator took bribes.
Grif recommended hiring a professional mover to move the safe and the rest of the senator’s things into secure storage. That way, the safe would be out of your house and in his total control. Mrs. James agreed, and Grif wiped down the safe and keypad and locked the safe. Dad asked what the big deal was. Grif asked if he had heard about the Senator from New Jersey and his wife getting convicted after opening their safe at home. Dad said Oh shit, he remembered that, and they resumed packing.
They finished around 5 p.m., and Amber and her mom cooked dinner. Grif said, “This is life, having women cook us dinner.” Everyone laughed, and Amber flipped him the bird. While they ate, Grif asked Mrs. James if she had pictures of Amber as a baby. Amber threatened her mom with a butter knife and told Grif he wasn’t seeing them, causing more laughter.
After dinner, they watched the BBC World News, a well-rounded newscast. After an hour, Grif said goodnight, and while climbing the stairs, he asked the lovebirds to keep the noise down. He could hear laughter going to his room, and he went to bed. Grif fell asleep immediately, then the tingling started, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Gramma James hugs and kisses Dad and Grif goodbye, and Amber gives them a ride to the airport. She hugged Dad and kissed him goodbye. Then she looked at Grif, said, “Your trouble,” and hugged and kissed his cheek. Grif said, “That’s my job. Welcome to the family,” and they left Amber laughing. The flight was uneventful, and they were finally home after three and a half hours. They’d stopped at Whataburger drive-thru and ate lunch, watching football.
Grif said it was nice having women cook for us, but the younger one was excitable, and they laughed. They spent the afternoon watching football, and Dad ordered pizza for dinner and went to pick it up. They ate dinner while watching the Sunday night game. When it ended, they said goodnight and went to bed. Grif fell asleep immediately, and then the tingling sensation started as he drifted into a deep sleep.
For the rest of the week, not much happened until Thursday. Grif played golf on Monday and went to the library in the afternoon. He read four more law books and checked out two for later reading. On Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, they shopped for items needed for his apartment at TCU. Then Dad and Grif went to the university and put on the sheets, pillows, and comforter on the bed. Then they put the towels in the bathroom. Dad said they would get a TV for him when he was ready to attend.
They saw a maintenance man who changed the lock and installed a deadbolt. The man said the university was supposed to approve it, but a $100 tip changed his mind. Wednesday, New Year’s Day, was a day of sports and relaxation. But Grif did martial arts and played some hoops with Dad.
Then on Thursday morning, Joanne, his agent, called while Grif played golf. She said someone screwed up on the movie “Soaring Eagles Revenge.” They were supposed to have you in for a wardrobe fitting. You need to report to Yuma on Friday instead of Sunday. Your ticket has been changed, and the flight is the same time. Joanne said a car would pick you up. Don’t forget to bring your leather goods from training. She told Grif to have a fun time and hung up laughing.
Grif finished his round and returned home. After lunch, he read the two law books and returned them to the library. Then, he practiced martial arts in the garage on the heavy bag. When he finished, Grif took a shower and started doing laundry. Then he went upstairs and packed. He added 10k in cash from his stash for an emergency, and hoped they had a laundry service, or he would be buying clothes.
Dad arrived with Chinese takeout and sat and ate. Grif told him about the movie company screw up, and he needed to go to Yuma on Friday instead of Sunday. Then he said, When Amber arrives and starts redecorating, tell her no feminine colors. Anything pink will be painted black, and they laughed. Grif said Oh, and tell her to stay out of my room, or I’ll visit hers while she’s at work. I have some great ideas for her wardrobe, and Dad said Oh shit and they laughed again.