Chapter 77

Saturday morning I was up early. I walked outside the house with my glass of orange juice, to see how much the pool contractors had gotten done. The concrete sides and bottom of the pool have been poured and they had started setting the poles which would support the walls and roof. There were piles dirt all over and the place was a mess, but I knew all of this would change real quick once they get the rest of the concrete poured, with the roof on and the walls up.

It’s hard not to get my shoes on and run over to the park. I had done that so many times, it became a part of my everyday life, and a very good part of my life.

I did go back inside and pull my track shorts on with my sweats over them. I was lacing my shoes when Brandy came in and pushed me back to sit across my lap. All she wore was a pair of my boxers and a cut-off, Outlaw T-shirt that, barely covered her nipples in front.

“Tell me again about your track meet. I would have given up anything in my possession to have been there.”

I went through the whole thing for her and by the time I told her again about the state record in the hundred meter, she was all over me. Suddenly she looked over at the clock, “If I don’t get up now and dress, I’ll miss running with you,” she told me.

With that, she jumped to her feet and ran to our room.

She came back, dressed in the same cutoff T-shirt, with her sports bra underneath, and her sweat jacket over that. Her sweat pants fit her sexy ass so tight, I could see the lines of her boxers. She was carrying her shoes when I handed her a plastic cup of orange juice.

We stopped to get Em, then Ben. Ben was like me, he was still excited about our first track meet, with the medals and first place, team trophy we brought back to the school.

When we arrived at the new track complex, there were more vehicles already than there had been any morning since it opened. Standing by the gate, was nearly all of our sprint and relay teammates, with their girls.

Then I saw Bonnie, Gage, and Maelee just inside the track area!

By the time Brandy and I had made our way through the track team, greeting each of them and their girls, Bonnie, Gage and Maelee had moved closer to the gate.

As soon as we were clear of the others, I pulled Bonnie aside and she turned to hug me. “Rick, we heard about you breaking the record in the 100 meter. Gosh, I am SO proud of you. Mom and Dusty want you and Brandy to come out today or tomorrow and tell them all about your races.”

“Thanks, Bonnie. We had planned to go out after Taekwondo this morning. I’m glad my sister, my cousin and my brother are here to run with us. I love all of you!”

Maelee grabbed me as soon as Bonnie turned me loose, “Cuz, you are the fastest Outlaw in the land and I love you so much.”

“Thanks, Maelee. I love you to, Sexy Cuz. Let me say hi to my brother so we can run this morning. I feel so good, just from seeing all of you here to run. This means a lot to Brandy and me.”

I turned to Gage and he was smiling as always. “Brother, you really are an Outlaw. We heard how you stole the whole show over there yesterday ... Congratulations! Dad has already called this morning to ask if we had heard the news. He was as excited as the rest of us to hear about your records.”

I saw Brandy, Bonnie and Maelee warming up, so Gage and I joined them. Brandy pulled me close as we stretched and did our knee bends. “Bonnie told me that she, Maelee and Gage are moving back to town. They’ve talked to his parents and they’ve asked your mom and Dusty. The parents have all agreed that they can move in, now that she and Gage are almost eighteen.”

“WOW! Now, we need to get you moved in fulltime!”

“Mom’s already told me that I can come over anytime I wanted to, but we’d need to stay at our house some just to keep the gossip down.”

“Let’s go run this off. You and the others have me hyped up even more than I was about our track meet yesterday!”

The next Friday, our track meet was over at Clarkton, just thirty miles away, across the county line. We played the Clarkton Wildcats on their field last fall, and this year we play them at home for our third game of the season.

Today, we met at the cafeteria and ate a light lunch, before we boarded the bus at 12:00 for the short trip. The meet starts at 2:00 again, and as a team, we felt like we could win this meet. Our coaches told us they expected no less of us than bringing home the overall first place trophy for the meet, to stand beside the first one we won. They had put together the best relay teams possible - we knew we were good and still improving. Our big guys were really coming into their own, in the field events also. Especially in the Javelin, Discus and Shot Put.

Each member of the track teams carry a small laminated card with the schedule of events for the day, though they were in the same order each week. We were responsible for being at the right place at the right time, so the coaches could concentrate on the field events. Once the meet started, there would be field events happening at the same time the races and relays were being run.

Clarkton’s track is around their football field, with the playing field used as the infield for the track.

As the start of the track events was announced, the members of the teams began to gather. The first event, the 4X800 Meter Relay was first and our guys were already out there on the track.

Jerry Cobb jumped up to move closer to the track. His 110 Meter High Hurdles was coming up next and the 4X800 relay was already on the second leg.

“Go get ‘em, Cobb. You know you can take this one!” I told him.

“Thanks Dalton. Your 100 Meter Dash is next - wipe out your own record!”

When the 4X800 relay was over, the attendants hurried out onto the track to place the hurdles in all eight lanes at the exact spot designated for each lane.

I saw Cobb lining up in lane five and watched him as the pistol was fired. He was off and running in that long easy stride of his. Then he was over the first hurdle and racing toward the next. I lost sight of him around the turn and on the back straightaway, among the other runners.

Then I saw him coming around the long curve on this end. He was neck and neck with the runner in lane six when they cleared the last hurdle. He was past me and gone, but I saw him lean into the finish line. I just knew he had won 1^st place. Sure enough, I saw him leaping and pumping his fists when his time flashed on the scoreboard.

While the attendants were removing the hurdles, I grabbed my blocks and walked over to the starting line for my 100 Meter Dash. I felt good and though there was a pretty stiff headwind, I felt like I could at least come close to my time at the last meet.

When they announced my name, I was running in lane three. Like the other runners, I walked over and set my blocks. The scoreboard timer was counting down to race time and I did my warmup routine. I still left off the Taekwondo routine until Coach Dunavant told me I could or couldn’t use it. I was loose and I was ready to run when I saw the official starter take his place. I stepped into my blocks and settled into my relaxed stance.

“READY” - “SET” and the shot was fired. I knew I came off the blocks clean, and I knew where the fastest runner was lined up too. He finished second to me at Fair Oaks last week. Today, he was on my left, in lane two, and there was no one in my peripheral vision when I crossed the finish line. I knew I had won and looked up to see the scoreboard flashing 10.1 seconds - with my own record time beneath it, at 10.1 seconds. I was happy! Even with the headwind, I had tied my own record!

Someone tapped my shoulder and when I turned, there stood the runner from lane two, “Dalton, Tray Griffin here. Congratulations on your win and tying your own record. I came off the blocks just as you did, but by the time I was hitting my stride, you were three steps ahead of me. I just knew with this stiff headwind, I’d have a better shot at staying close to you!”

“Thanks, Tray. I didn’t know your name, but I knew you finished second in the 100 Meter at Fair Oaks last week. When I saw you line up next to me back there, I knew then, you were the one to beat.”

“Man! I have never seen anyone come off the blocks as smooth as you, and who can run as fast as you can down the stretch. I was giving it all I had, and you were still pulling away from me when you hit the line!”

“Thanks again, Tray. This is just my second meet but I’ve been running nearly every day for over a year and a half now. Running track just comes natural for me, though I’ve never competed until last week.”

“Dalton, you’re going to make me a better runner this spring! I’ll never catch you, but I’m going to keep trying!”

We were walking back toward the infield as we talked. He held out his open hand, palm up, and I reached out to slap it. He turned to gather with his teammates and I turned to be greeted by my teammates.

The events were really moving faster today, or so it seemed to me. Before I realized it, our 4X100 Meter Relay was next up. With Mickey, Jimi, and Martine I jogged out onto the track. We were laughing, we were loose and we were ready to run track!

We looked up at the scoreboard to see the wind speed and direction. The wind is out of the southwest at 5 to 7 miles per hour and gusting to 10. Jimi would have a headwind, Martine would have a crosswind, Mickey would have a tailwind and I would have a headwind when I came out of the last turn, headed toward the finish line.

Jimi held his blocks as we slapped hands and headed for our positions around the track. We agreed, this would be a true test, with the wind like this.

We didn’t have long to worry over the outcome. The race was upon us as the starter stepped into position. I could hear him declare “READY - SET” then the pistol shot rang out across the track complex.

Jimi was blazing the track as he rounded the turn. I saw the clean exchange between him and Martine. I looked over my shoulder to see Mickey kicking hard as he ran toward me. I was jogging in place, and when he entered the exchange zone, I started running. He yelled at me, “GO, GO, GO” and I felt the baton slap solidly into the palm of my hand. I was still in the exchange zone when I let it all out. When I came out of the turn and hit the straightaway I was neck and neck with the runner on my left. The wind was roaring in my face as I raced for the finish line.

When I slowed and looked back, there was only the second place runner near me and he was slowing after crossing the line. I whirled to look up at the scoreboard just as the times flashed.

We had shaved .02 of a second off last week’s time. We were still .01 of a second short of tying the National Record. Though this was good enough for a Gold Medal today, and we were happy, we would not be not satisfied until we had that record! Our coaches were excited that we improved our time, even against the wind, but we were determined more than ever now!

Our relay teams won each of the races we entered at this meet, and though we came home with the Meet Trophy, and the most medals once again, we were not satisfied.

In the 200 Meter Dash, I tied my time at last week’s meet, with 20.15 seconds, which is still .02 hundredths of a second off the National Record. I was so close and now, I was determined even more than ever to have that record before going into our District Meet and State Finals. Coach Dunavant and Coach Lacefield have both told me my attitude going into a meet is my second greatest advantage. The first being, my natural ability to run.

On our way home, I sent Brandy a text, telling her briefly of our meet. She returned my text immediately, congratulating me and the team, then telling me that she was spending the night with her mom. She and her mom were going shopping early in the morning and that she’d be home in time for Taekwondo.

I knew what she meant when she said home, and I was smiling as I called Dr. McHenery on his cellphone.

He was laughing as he answered, I was hoping I wasn’t disturbing him. I wasn’t!

“Rick! I was just thinking about you. I heard on the radio on my way home, that you and the Mavericks took first place in your meet. Congratulations on your first place finish in the 4X100 Relay, your 100 Meter and 200 Meter Dash.”

“Thanks, Dr. McHenery. I hope you don’t mind me calling like this, but I’ve been meaning to call you and set up a time to talk with you about some things. I really do need some advice and I know you’ll help me decide what’s best for me.”

“Can you come over early tomorrow? I’ll cook breakfast for you and we can talk. Marla left right after school to spend the weekend with her mother. Shaun and Tara have gone with her and we’ll have the place to ourselves.”

“I get up early ... What time?” I asked. I was so excited about this I could have shouted.

“Be here at 6.00, we’ll eat and talk and you’ll still have plenty of time for Taekwondo.”

Saturday morning, I was up earlier than usual. I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept alone. Though I took a shower before I went to bed, I showered again this morning and dressed in sweats and a hoodie over my Outlaw T-shirt and track shorts.

I pulled out a drawer on my chest and took two new hoodies and two pair of sweats out. One for Dr. McHenery and one for Mrs. McHenery.

Just as I opened the door to get into the SUV, I looked across the street and saw a car parked on the curb, directly across from our driveway. Then, I saw a woman as she stood on the other side of the car. I could swear, she had a camera in her hand, aimed at me over the roof of her vehicle! She opened the passenger door, put something inside, then closed the door to walk around the front of her vehicle and get into the driver’s seat. She never looked my way as she did, and I knew she had to see me.

As she drove off, I got her license number and typed it into my iPhone. Something about her didn’t seem right. If that really was a camera she held, she had been taking a picture of me and my home. She sure was pretty though. tall, dressed in a black leather jacket, jeans and boots with her hair braided.

I saw her turn left at the intersection and drove fast to the four-way stop. When I stopped before turning right, I glanced in that direction ... I didn’t see her car.

By the time I pulled into the McHenery’s drive, I had forgotten all about the tall, mysterious, yet attractive woman I’d seen earlier.

“Come in, Rick. I have breakfast started.” Dr. McHenery greeted me when he opened the door.

“I want to thank you again, Dr. McHenery, for letting me come to you for advice.”

“Rick, it is always a pleasure to visit with you. The last time we visited, I told you then to come to me anytime you needed help.”

“Yes Sir, and I knew then, I would come to you for a more private talk, to get the answers to some questions I couldn’t risk asking anyone else.”

“Sit down while I take up the eggs and bacon. I hope you like your eggs scrambled.”

“I love them.”

We didn’t talk much as we ate. Then when we finished, Dr. McHenery picked up his plate and mine to put them in the dishwasher.

When he was seated at the table, I started telling him about my plans to graduate from Masonville a full year early and enroll in college with hopes of redshirting my freshman year.