Chapter 28: I Just Wanted To Play Basketball

“How do we just act like none of this happened without losing face with Ted and Teddy?” Marilyn asked. But there was no doubt at all involved amongst these women needed the answer to this particular $64,000 dollar question.

“Simple go out tomorrow and bring your men home. Don’t act like you have something to apologize about, rather give them the notion they are both wanted and needed at home. Ambush them and leave them no way but to come home, hell they don’t want to be anywhere but at home. Ya’ll started this, so Ya’ll need to end it.” Mama C. said.

Gramma returned and told Granddad. “Let’s go these young folks need to solve their own messes by themselves, hell most of them are old enough to know better anyway.”

“But ... but,” Granddad stuttered.

“I said let’s go we got enough going on between us, to let their mess get tangled up in ours.” Gramma stated. Granddad got up and left without further comment.

“Be on your toes as I would bet our vacation is over, so pack your stuff so when we leave we won’t have to come back here.” Dad said. When I looked at him like he had two heads and was speaking Chinese he looked at me and said. “They have been told to make this Hotel visiting shit, end. And end right now!” Dad said.

(TUESDAY, MORNING.) The guys cleaned out the room as they both expected to be back home tonight. Teddy was met at the door of the school he was likely to enter by his ladies, and was asked if he would please come home. He was told dinner has not been the same, and Shelly has been asking for him. Ted was met in the employee parking lot by the sister’s. “We didn’t have you when we were pregnant with the girls, and we surely we don’t want you away from us at all during these pregnancies, please come home.” That was all Ted had to hear. With a smile, and a nod, and three loving kisses later, the sister’s left to go back home happy to have accomplished their mission.

On the basketball front the ladies go for the National Girls High School Championship this weekend. They just scraped by winning each of their games by 1 point. Most of the time having to coming back from points down to win. But hey, the rule is you only need to be leading when the final buzzer sounds off. And you only have to have one more point than the other team. By doing this you win, it may not be all that pretty, but a win is a win no matter the margin.

Grand Rapids had never sent a team of boys or girls this far needless to say the excitement the city, as well as the state, and for both the school and the team was well beyond imagination. I had been saying all along the pressure to do as good as the girls was on us. On paper we the boys were a better team, with more weapons to bring on the court. So short of the injury bug striking we well looking like a lock for the City League Trophy, favored to win the State Championship, but the National boys Championship? Highly unlikely. I wasn’t sure we could get as far as they had to the finals, actually winning the finals not even a dream I could even begin to dream could happen.

We were set to begin our run next Tuesday night at 6’1” Mitch McDeere a 3-point threat a senior guard, Kelly “Smoke” Traylor at 6’4” guard a senior, Henry “Train” Evans at 6’6” Forward a Junior, James “Truck” Evans also a 6’6” Forward a Junior. James and Henry are twins who were late comers as they were on the football team that won the City League. As expected and listed at seven feet I Teddy Mason won the Center position. We have a decent bench we hope to keep most of the starters on the floor at any given moment as our bench is not top notch after we get into the playoffs.

Coach cut practice short for a talk about our free-throw shooting. “We are not the greatest team though we have good weapons, in other words we will spend a lot of time on free-throw shooting, we need those free points, believe me when I say this. We won’t make them all nobody does, but the more we make the easier our game will be. Please accept help from those of us that can shoot better than you, we need this badly. I know you all want to do as well as the girls, as I have heard you saying this over and over.” Coach said.

“Our first goal is to win the division, if you don’t win that you are done. Then the real work begins. Let’s remember to have fun, but if you don’t put in the work we can’t win, and that includes you non-starters as well. You all worked to get here, so act like you worked to get here. Anyone acting stupid, and or doing stupid shit will be cut from this team so fast you won’t believe it. This includes everyone on this team, no matter who they are, is this clear?” Coach asked. “Yes.” Was heard around the gym.

“Hit the showers. Be here early tomorrow, Teddy says his Tailor will be in here to measure us for black suits to be worn on game day.” Coach told the team.

When I walked in the door all was good nobody rushed to me, but I did kiss every woman, as I saw them including Mama C. Mara brought her twin sister Sara, and her cousin Lanita, and her Mother Tara to meet me Tara looked like an older sister to her daughters. If it wasn’t for the few gray hairs showing you would never believe she was their mother. Her womanly curves just added to her good looks. A little later I called my Dad to ask why Tara was still over here and not at his house?” I asked.

“Son those women are like glue to each other you would need a jack hammer to get her out of your house.” According to your Mom none of the new women over there have left your house since they got there. Your Mom says that Mara, Sara, and Tara are never too far from one another either.” My Dad said. “No need to separate a matched set Dad laughed. I got my eye on another you got stashed over there, but until you let those girls know they are free, you will be having guests.” Dad said. My Dad it seems thought this situation was so comical. I didn’t see that much humor though.

I hung up the phone looking lost. I had too many women as it was, I had wanted to thin this herd fast. I met the other four women we rescued they were nice and pretty as well. I went to bed that night no night games, and not claiming any new faces either.

(WEDNESDAY, MORNING.) Breakfast was a quiet affair with me getting rice and scrambled eggs, with both bacon and sausage all in large quantities.

During breakfast Pam walked up and said. “We seem to have a little problem.” At my glance because my mouth was full. Several someone’s are shadowing our moves on Wall Street. The best we can tell because of our vast holdings from both Daniel’s, and George’s leadership, and now that you are trying to single handedly buy both Detroit, and much of Japan. Not to mention your sudden interest in Silicon Valley. You have made us a bell-weather, meaning if we are seen moving after something on the stock-market, lazy stock-brokers, sharks, and other greedy opportunist are hurting our chances to get what we are after.” Pam said.

“Ok seems to me it is time to hurt some feelings, as you well know you can’t stop all the hangers on. But start buying junk we know is junk after nosing around like you think these stocks maybe going somewhere.” I said.

“Use our Private Investigation division to find the weaknesses of any of these outfits, to take them over if possible. Or to leverage the stocks we lost to them, and when you buy this junk try to unload it while they are still buying it if that is possible. This buy, then try to quickly sell out, may well only work once, maybe two times at best. But those caught will make others wary about blindly following as you say they are doing right now.” I said. Pam agreed this couldn’t hurt, to try and shake some of the hangers on.

We all rode in my truck as we had got some good snow last night, better than foot since yesterday afternoon, having a 4x4 was a good thing on a day like today. All I kept hearing all day was we guys had to win like the girls, or there would be no living with the girls going to this school. Even the male teachers got in on the you have to do as well as the girls did campaign. To say there wasn’t just a little pressure being brought up on us before basket one was even made, only made me all the more uncomfortable. This to me at least this whole perfect season thing, into the perfect nightmare.

I for one was feeling more and more of the pressure being thrown at us to duplicate the girls team perfect season, and I for one was getting very uncomfortable with everyone’s expectations including many on our team. Our chances of pulling off the dream season was an understated hope at best. In fact to me this was getting completely out of hand.

My hope was for us to get a break after the season begins, as we knew had a winning team, we just don’t know how far we will go, winning the City League title should be easy. Notice I said should be easy, but winning beyond that was a crap-shoot at best. Any playoff win was gravy, and after we clear the State title is a plus. Only then could we begin to hope about the National boys title. But everybody and their kinfolks had all of these championships all ready won before the season tipoff.

Nobody is looking at the fact that the girls team was more of a surprise that no one took serious until more than half the season was over. They were still sneaking upon the teams that were favorites every year. Even though they had a perfect record they were still treated as beatable. Plus they struggled to win most the games in the playoffs helping them to look beatable. We the boys team were no secret at all, in some part thanks to the girls, and their great success, plus a high school with a seven foot center that is a freshmen is never going to remain a secret for very long, if ever.

Thus I felt like I was wearing all this weight like a collar with a heavy tow chain hooked to it on one end, and a cement block on the other end.

While we were being measured for our suits, I relayed these thoughts I had to Coach as every player on this team needed to know we are not promised anything extra passed our basic schedule. To duplicate the success of the girls, Coach went on to shout! “We are in this to win, everyone on this team has a job, those on the bench are just as important as those in the spotlight. Because in ten-years nobody will remember the rolls of every player that was on this team. And many of you will be scattered to the four winds, and can spin the story anyway you want after you have the hardware.” Coach stated.

“Right now is the time that the work has to be put in. Everyone will know you had to work to be on this team, and anything we win, we all win. And only the people in this room here right now can share in this winning, so anyone teasing you about riding the pine, or never getting in a game or, not playing in crunch time. Just ask them the most important question. Where were you, were you on the bench beside me, or in the game helping us to win?” Said Coach.

Coach then went somewhere I didn’t see coming. “I don’t know how many of you are still virgins, nor do I care, but we are expected to win big this year, girls will not be far behind. I am going to be blunt the more we win the more pussy you guys are likely to get thrown at you. This little message includes the non-starters too. Coach said.

“Whether you believe me, or not keep in your pants, or lay in a supply of condoms for your personal use, I promise you fatherhood will be visiting some of you next year. I was where you are before remember, plus I played in both College, and the NBA so I know what I am talking about. I saw some of my teammates become daddies on all three levels. And I only saw a few happy endings. No matter the level you become a daddy child support comes with all that fun you had making said child. Also you may get blamed as the daddy even if you never touched the girl so you need to think of all of these things before you lay down with anybody.” Coach said.