Chapter 19: Can I Come Home With You?

Saturday October 22
We met everyone in the lobby.

“Where y’all want to eat?” Wyatt White asked. “I know of a good barbecue place that’s not too far from here.”

“Daddy, David and his family might not want to go to one of your favorite restaurants,” Scarlet worried.

I could tell that Ashley and her group were staying out of the decision.

“I could eat some good barbecue,” Mom said. “I hope it’s nothing fancy.”

“It ain’t fancy,” Clay, Scarlet’s supposed boyfriend, assured us.

We ended up about fifteen minutes from Bryant-Denny Stadium. On the ride there, I received a text from Tim, wondering where I was. I checked the time, and it was nearly eight. I must have had a good nap.

We arrived at Dreamland Bar-B-Que, and it looked just like an old-school barbecue place should. Everything was served on paper plates, and they gave you plastic silverware. I shook my head when Wyatt ordered a gallon of sweet tea and then slabs of pork ribs and sides. We decided to just keep it friendly during dinner and not talk about the babies.

Wyatt and Diana White mentioned that they owned a farm near Maplesville, Alabama.

“We have about 10,000 acres that we run a sportsman’s retreat on. We have a large lake for bass fishing, and some of the best deer and turkey hunting in the state,” Wyatt said. “Dove hunting, too.”

He was obviously pretty proud of it.

“I thought you lived on a farm?” I asked.

“No, that’s Clay and his people. They have a cotton farm a few miles from our spread,” Diana said.

“My folks are going to put a trailer back by the pond for me,” Clay shared.

I saw Scarlet shudder a little bit at that prospect.

“What do you do?” I asked Mr. Kincaid, Ashley’s dad.

“Our family is involved in the transportation industry, down near Mobile. Brett is in management at one of our warehouse operations,” Hiram shared.

“Don’t get him started on work. He’ll talk your arm off,” Marianne Kincaid said.

“They both sound quite interesting. I know that David has hunted on his uncle’s farm. He and all the older guys in the family went on a ten-day fishing trip to Canada over the summer. I’m sure he would love to check out your resort,” Mom said. “I don’t know anything about the transportation industry, but that sounds fascinating, too.”

When they wanted to, my mom and dad were very good at making people feel at ease. Dad helped steer the conversation away from any potential minefields, like ‘our son knocked up your daughters.’

It was decided that we would go back to the hotel and use a conference room to talk about the children. Dad suggested that we do it one family at a time. I figured that was probably the best idea because I could see that they might have different needs. That, and I was worried that Scarlet’s fears might rub off on Ashley.

Before we left, I ordered a case of their barbecue sauce to be shipped home. It was the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. I wanted to have Mary try it and see if we could use it to make our barbecue at the restaurant. There had been a rumor that we might get a smoker and I wanted to be ready. Wyatt had picked a winner in Dreamland, and Mom and Dad agreed. If I ended up at Alabama, I would come here again.

At the hotel, we had the Kincaids join us first. I wasn’t sure I wanted Ashley’s boyfriend in the room, but Brook had decided she wanted to sit in. My first thought had been this was family business. I’d used that argument to shut down Tami’s access to all things Dawson when we were at odds. Of course, my mom hadn’t played along, so back then, I’d decided to just let it go. I sighed and let it go this time, too, and started the ball rolling.

“Ashley and I talked last night, and we’re going to move forward right now as if Dawson and Allen are mine...”

“Is there any doubt?” Brett asked to make his presence known.

“How would I know if there’s any doubt or not?” I shot back, which caused his face to go red.

“I think you better watch what you say. You’ve done enough damage without questioning Ashley’s character.”

“I did no such thing. All I’m saying is that we need to confirm paternity. This works in everyone’s favor when there’s no doubt that I’m the father.”

“I’m going to kick your ass,” Brett said as he stood up.

I looked him up and down and thought I could take him in my current physical state. The door opened, and Mom pointed at Brett.

“Get him out of here,” she said to Fritz and Cassidy.

I was glad that Mom had sent them a text before this came to blows. Brett tried to be tough and started to tell them what he thought when Fritz, of all people, took him to the floor. Brett was struggling to get loose when Cassidy found a pressure point. His voice then suddenly went up to dog-whistle range as he squealed like a little girl.

I’d have found it amusing that none of the Kincaids tried to stop my security people, but these discussions needed all of my focus right now.

“If he makes noise about calling the police, have him arrested for threatening physical harm to David,” Dad said.

Fritz nodded and frog-marched him out.

“Sorry about that,” Hiram said.

“See what I mean?” Ashley asked me and then turned to her parents. “I’m not marrying Brett, and I’m not working for the warehouse company while he works there.”

“We’ve talked about this. Brett’s a good employee,” Hiram said.

“I didn’t tell you to fire him,” Ashley shot back.

“And if you’re not going to work for me, you need to figure out what you’re going to do.”

Ashley looked defeated. It was a perfect opportunity, so I ran with it.

“You want to work for me? I have businesses with offices in LA, Chicago, and my hometown. I even have contacts in New York. One of them owns an adult film company.”

“David Allen Dawson!” Mom barked.

Ashley, to her credit, began to laugh uncontrollably. She kept pointing at the expression on her dad’s face and then would start to laugh again.

“I’m sorry. I’d never have even thought to bring it up, but last night Ashley said she wanted to explore all her options, and I was just trying to help. I didn’t mean it to say anything about her character,” I backpedaled.

Now Ashley was howling with laughter, and it didn’t take long for everyone else to get the humor of it.

“You don’t even know what my degree is in. How would you know if I would fit in?” Ashley asked when she finally could speak.

“I do know that you were able to give tours to a bunch of cocky athletes. You have a sense of humor and can think on your feet,” I said.

“What is your degree in?” Mom asked.

“Art History.”

“Can you say, ‘Would you like fries with that?’” I asked.

This time Hiram and Marianne laughed. They knew she’d never have to stoop to that, but an Art History major didn’t translate into a real-world job, either.

“Hey, I figured I could land a job with the Mobile Museum of Art,” Ashley said to defend herself.

“More like you were working on your MRS degree,” Marianne said.

I knew right then that I would get along fine with the Kincaids. I also understood now why Ashley had said her situation wasn’t as bad as Scarlet’s. If it weren’t for the ‘you must get married’ mentality of parents in the Deep South, Ashley would be okay. They weren’t going to throw her and her babies out into the street if she didn’t cooperate, and it was clear they wanted the best for her. They just had very conservative ideas of what the best for her was.

Then Ashley got serious.

“Is the job offer still available even if we find that Dawson and Allen aren’t yours?”

“Have you ever thought about becoming a real estate agent?” Mom asked.

I knew then that Mom liked Ashley.

“I’m not sure if I want to go into sales.”

“In real estate, if you’re selling, you’re doing something wrong. Your main job is to help people find what works for them. You don’t have to twist their arms if it’s the right choice,” Mom explained.

“I like that,” Hiram said. “I can see where that would work for Ashley.”

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Dad said. “I’ll have Caryn, our chief operating officer, call you on Monday and let you know what we have available.”

Ashley asked her mom and dad to give us a moment alone. My parents also left. Ashley got up and hugged me and began to cry.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to get out.

“If I remember correctly, we were both there. I should have insisted on using condoms.”

She then admitted that she was flat broke, didn’t want to hit her parents up for more cash because of the Brett situation, and needed stuff for the boys.

“Brook, would you go with her and help her get what she needs?” I asked, and she nodded, so I turned back to Ashley. “Do you know what all is involved with your trust fund?”

“Not really. I can see now that I need to investigate that for the boys’ sake. I just don’t know where to start,” she admitted.

“The good news is I have people who can help with that if you find you need it. The great news is you also have my mom in your corner now. With the help of your parents and mine, we’ll be okay. We just have to go through the steps to do this right. We want what’s best for those little boys.”

Next up was Scarlet. She’d told her family and boyfriend she wanted to handle this alone. Scarlet walked in and handed Carol to me. It hadn’t been missed that Scarlet had named her after my mother.

“How did you know that Carol was my mom’s name?” I asked.

“Google. You can figure out all kinds of stuff on the Internet.”

“Don’t I feel stupid.”

Mom and Dad smirked.

Carol snuggled down into my arms and had a silly smile on her face.

“Wow. I’ve never seen her take to anyone like that,” Scarlet admitted.

“It’s his superhero ability, baby whisperering,” Dad said.

I’d take that.

“So, tell me what you want?” I asked.

Scarlet got a determined expression on her face and launched right in.

“I’m not living in a trailer on a farm, and I’m not picking cotton the rest of my life. If I don’t find something soon, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.”

“Would you be interested in what David offered Ashley? Would you like to work for one of his companies? They’re located in LA, Chicago, and our hometown,” Dad said.

“Please tell me you’re not an Art History major,” I said as I crossed my fingers.

“I have my degree in management. I’d like to work somewhere where I could take night classes and get my MBA.”

“We can work something out, I’m sure. You also said you need money, at least until you turn twenty-five,” I prodded.

“Anything you could do would be a help. I’m not asking for a handout. If I could work for it, I’d be much happier,” Scarlet said, surprising me.

Mom made both Dad and I pull out cash to give her.

“I know it’s asking a lot, but could Carol and I come home with you?”

My mom told Dad and me to take a walk. That last question made her want to talk to Scarlet alone.

When we came out, Fritz told us that Cassidy had taken Brook and Ashley to the store. Then he got a concerned look on his face.

“I just got a call from Paul. There was an incident at your home. The police took Peggy’s date into custody.”

I thought my mom had warned her about that guy. Fritz’s background check hadn’t turned up any information on him. That was why we’d upped our security. Chuck had drawn the short straw and watched Peggy and the little ones.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

“Yes. The boys and Duke were at Pam and Lacy’s place. Chuck was watching over them,” Fritz said.

Sunday October 23
While I got ready for the day, I thought back to last night. Fritz didn’t have much information on what happened with Peggy and Lucas Marks, her date. From what I gathered, they’d come back to the house so she could change. He’d accidentally spilled a drink on her, resulting in the need for a wardrobe change. While she was upstairs, he tried to hack into our home-office computer. What Lucas didn’t know was that Fritz’s team had protected our computers with anti-tampering software that alerted his LA office if someone tried anything.

They’d contacted Paul who was outside. He came in and found Lucas with a thumb drive plugged into the back of the PC. Peggy was in shock when she came down and found Lucas face down on the office floor with his hands secured behind his back with zip ties. Paul called the police, and they took Lucas into custody. Fritz said that Lucas probably would have been let out of jail last night, but the police couldn’t identify him either. They fingerprinted him and planned to run it through the system to see if they could get a hit.

Brook and I had gone to the party that Tim and Wolf were at with Jim and had a good time. When we left, Mom was still talking to Scarlet, so I didn’t know what that was all about.

I’d just turned on the TV to watch a football wrap-up show when I heard my door chirp and open. Brook and Cassidy came in, pulling their bags.

“You ready to go?” Brook asked.

“Yeppers.”

All the recruits and their families had been invited to Coach Wilson’s house for breakfast. Before we left, we took our bags to be checked. We would pick them up on the way to the airport. I needed to come back anyways to take the paternity test. We were the last ones to arrive downstairs, so the bus left as soon as we boarded.

When we arrived at Coach Wilson’s house, we were greeted by his wife, Ms. Ruby. She was the daughter of a Pennsylvania coal miner, and you could tell that her down-home nickname undersold her savvy. She went right to my mom to introduce herself. She knew my mother was the one who eventually would need to be sold on wherever I went to play ball. She even called Brook by name. The woman had done her homework.

Ms. Ruby was Alabama’s secret weapon when it came to recruiting. You would have never guessed from her humble beginnings that she would become such a poised, elegant, skilled conversationalist, actually recruiting you. She had such a deft touch that you felt like you’d known her forever and that you were one of her favorite grandkids. I think when she was done with us, we all wanted her to adopt us. Dad and I both took mental notes on how she worked the room. Someday I wanted to be as effective as she was at gaining people’s trust. You could see people wanted to please her. She made it clear nothing would please her more than if each recruit became a part of her family.

I was about to learn how much work Alabama had gone to in my recruitment. Coach Wilson and his staff had done their homework. I would later find out that they’d talked to just about everyone around me, Wolf, and Tim to ascertain our character, what motivated us, and whether we would be a good fit for Alabama football.

Our next stop was to meet Coach Wilson one-on-one in his corner office on the second floor of the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. I recognized the reason for the location of his office. You were forced to walk past the crystal walls showing all of Alabama’s national championships to get there. When we stepped into the room, he was seated behind a massive cherry desk. He smiled as he rose to greet us, and pressed a button that shut the doors once we’d entered. I gave him a ten on style points for the door.

He guided my family and me to an overstuffed couch. Brook had been told that he wanted to meet with just me and my parents. I looked around the room, taking in the wood panels, and noticed the shades were closed to soften the light. Sitting on the coffee table between us were three national championship rings. The light bounced off the diamonds, and all three of us were drawn to what they represented. If you came to Alabama, you would play in National Championship games. Coach Wilson took an overstuffed chair across from us.

Each coach we had met had approached this meeting differently. We’d been in conference rooms and coaches’ offices where the coach had either sat behind a desk or come around to talk to us. This was by far the most impactful approach. I got the feeling that nothing had been left to chance, and I had to admit it was working.

Everyone thinks of Coach Wilson as a robot. On the sideline, he’s focused on the game, and in public settings, he seems distant. Ms. Ruby had explained that he was probably thinking about football and was oblivious to what was going on around him. What we found today was a man who was focused on us. He was sitting on the edge of his seat and had a warm smile.

“I’m glad I finally get to talk to you with your parents. I want you to know that we would love for you to join us at the University of Alabama and become a part of something special. We will win championships here. You see these rings?” he asked as he pointed to them. “We will get more of these.”

“I suspect you will,” I said.

He leaned further forward and spoke with increased animation, like my dad did when he got into an in-depth discussion about the nuances of golf.

“And we’ll help prepare you for the next level. We’ve had more NFL draft picks in the last five years than anyone. Anyone.”

He had me starting to lean forward. This was what every recruit wanted to hear.

“Recruiting is the lifeblood of our program. After we won in 2012, I told a friend I was upset because I’d missed a week of recruiting while playing in the championship game. I was confused as to why he made fun of me. Ms. Ruby explained that it was because we’d won that game. I, on the other hand, was focused on the process. Part of that process is recruiting the absolute best players we can find. They don’t care that I have to take time off to win championships,” he said, giving a glimpse into his psyche.

I started to understand what Bo had told me. Coach Wilson had a way of doing things that worked. He had a plan, which he called ‘the process,’ and he followed that process, and pushed it hard. That would explain why Coach Wilson ran his offense a certain way. I was sure he did the same with his defense.

“The best come to Alabama to become better. We have a process. We focus on what we’re doing right now, not what it will result in. We believe that if we work hard and are focused on the task at hand, the results will take care of themselves. I know that you work harder than anyone we’ve seen at the high school level. Here, you’ll work even harder. With your hard work, you’ll earn your way onto the field. I believe in the process to such an extent that I know that if you decided to go elsewhere, we will win without you, but I’d rather we did it together,” Coach Wilson said.

I glanced over at Mom and saw her grinning. He’d just done the classic take-away with the ‘we can win without you’ spiel. It was a tried and true sales technique that made people want it even more. I admit it worked on me, in this case. He was also selling the idea of joining something bigger than yourself, another hot button for me.

“You say you know I work harder than anyone else.”

He gave me a wan smile like he’d revealed something he shouldn’t have. I could see him think about his answer and then our eyes locked.

“We create a detailed report on every recruit before we decide to pursue them. For each position, we’ve created what we think is the ideal model. It first covers the physical attributes that are necessary to play the position; in your case, quarterback. For example, the recruit must be a certain height to see over the offensive line. No detail is too small. Physically, you are the prototypical quarterback, according to our analysis.

“We then dig into the person. Will they fit into the team, are they a leader, what is their football IQ, and much more. We’ve talked to all your coaches, both football and baseball. Spoke with your assistant principal and teachers to assess your study habits and social conduct. We also consider how you handle adversity. What happens when you get blindsided? Do you chew out your teammates? We’ve done our homework on you.

“Based on all that, we think you are the best quarterback prospect to walk through these doors since I’ve been here. Even with all that talent, I think you will get better. I don’t think you have any idea what your ceiling can be. We can make you the best quarterback in the country when it’s time for the NFL draft. With our process, we have a plan to make that happen.”

“I like what I’m hearing, but even you have to admit that you haven’t had much success at developing quarterbacks for the next level. I’ve been told that you’ll plug me into your system and I’ll have to fit your mold. What makes me good is what I can do when plays break down,” I said, getting to the root of my concerns.

He nodded and stood up as he became even more passionate.

“Here’s what you’re missing. Part of our process is to put people into situations where they’re going to excel for a long time. I’m sure you’ve seen college quarterbacks do all sorts of crazy stuff and pull off spectacular plays. The problem with that is it doesn’t translate into long-term success in the NFL. A prime example is Robert Griffin III who played ball at Baylor and won the Heisman. He was the second draft pick by the Washington Redskins the year he came out. In the same draft, they picked up Kirk Cousins from Michigan State.

“Because Griffin had to rely on a style of play that put him in harm’s way, his career with the Redskins was cut short by a series of injuries that included a knee and concussion. Cousins, on the other hand, is your prototypical drop-back passer. I think you would agree that the Redskins were smart in selecting Kirk Cousins, now that we’ve seen what happened. He needed time to develop, while the Redskins needed someone to start day one. At the time people scratched their heads as to why they took two quarterbacks in that draft when they had so many other needs. Now they look like geniuses. They knew that RG3 was most likely going to get injured.

“I say this because I want you to know that I take your health very seriously. Quarterback is the one position that can make or break your team. I’ll be frank. I’m not a fan of a quarterback having to scramble. When that happens, it tells me we did something wrong. On the other hand, we’ve never had someone like you.

“I had a long talk with Bud Mason. Coach Mason thinks a lot like I do, but he is convinced that what makes you special is your ability to think on your feet. He says you turn into Captain Chaos and can devastate defenses. This made me go back and review your game film with what Coach Mason had said in mind. What I saw was someone who could be a difference-maker in a big game. Instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, you could make something positive happen. I’d like to explore that with you,” Coach Wilson said, rocking me back into my seat.

We spent the next hour with him laying out his plan to use my talents to win games and how he would prepare me for the next level.

I came away from the meeting knowing that I’d just met a unique individual. There was no secret about how it would go. There was one thing Coach Wilson believed in: hard work. I could see why this wouldn’t be for everybody. It was abundantly clear that I couldn’t bring my ego to the party. I wouldn’t be getting any special treatment just because I was a five-star recruit.

Something else that was clear was that unlike the situation at Clemson, Coach Wilson wasn’t ever going to be my best friend. He was all business. My takeaway was that they had a process, but it wasn’t written in stone. He was smart enough to know that one size didn’t fit all. I also never once felt like Coach Wilson promised me anything or tried to oversell what I could expect. I felt like I could take him at his word. Honestly, that was a big deal. I had just one last question before I left.

“Coach, when you win the next one, do you plan to stick around?” I asked.

That was the question everyone at Alabama wondered.

“Ms. Ruby likes it here.”

Coach Wilson didn’t say he liked it here or that it was his lifelong dream to coach Alabama football and he would never leave. He’d simply said his wife liked it here.

Then I got it. Coach Wilson’s loyalty wasn’t to the University of Alabama as such. What made him tick was hard work in the form of the process he’d talked about. He could take that anywhere.

When we left, I knew one thing for certain: Coach Wilson meant what he said. I discovered a focused man. He wasn’t complicated, and in that sense, I felt that I’d found a kindred spirit in him. His process was eerily similar to my life goals that I used to guide me, and I attributed much of my success to always staying conscious of my goals.

I could see that once I bought into the process, it would drive my life at Alabama. It felt right. It felt like it was something I could easily step into and be successful at. If Coach Harrington hadn’t talked to me yesterday, I would have accepted his offer to play here before I left.

After we left Coach Wilson, we went back to the hotel to do the DNA testing. Scarlet had texted me that the testing packages had arrived at the hotel.

Tim, Wolf, and their parents came back to the hotel to pick up their bags. Tim didn’t look happy.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“They don’t have an architecture program,” Wolf said.

“I thought you found that out yesterday when you talked to the academic people. What’s really going on?” I asked.

Both my mom and Brook turned to me, impressed I’d figured out that wasn’t the real reason Tim was upset. I was learning.

“My offer isn’t committable,” Tim explained. “They have other linebackers they’re recruiting, and I was told that if those fell through, that they would accept me.”

Florida State had made an offer to a kid a couple of years ago, and it was discovered it wasn’t committable when the kid made a big public announcement that he was going there. That was the first I’d heard of this practice. What it amounted to was that they made the offer and told the recruit they were a plan B or C option. In Florida State’s instance, they went ahead and made his offer committable in order to fight the PR shit-storm that followed. The kid got smart and bailed. He ended up at Clemson.

“Oh, shit! I might’ve jumped the gun. We had a long talk with Coach Wilson about the future of Alabama and how they could prepare me for the NFL,” I said.

Both Wolf and Tim froze. This was the first Brook was hearing this, and she didn’t look happy, either. I wondered how she thought she would get a vote on where I went. I would talk to her and was sure we would discuss it, but the decision was mine—or so I thought.

“We got the same talk. We agreed to compare notes before we committed,” Wolf said.

“Bullshit! You’re a terrible actor,” Cassidy announced as she pointed at me.

“Hey, how do you know?” I asked.

“You have so many tells it isn’t even funny,” Cassidy said. “I can easily see if you’re telling the truth or not.”

“But I didn’t lie. I never said I committed,” I defended myself.

“You’ve never been able to lie,” Mom assured me.

“So, you didn’t accept?” Tim asked.

“No. I was just busting your chops.”

I could see Brook, Tim, and Wolf relax.

“I really want to come here,” Tim admitted.

“Even though they don’t have an architecture program?” I asked.

“Even though.”

“Wow. I take it you were impressed.”

“Weren’t you?” Wolf asked.

“Oh, yes. We would be wearing championship rings for sure. It would be all about football, though,” I said.

“I know what you mean. Jim said he constantly works out or is doing something football-related. He told us that when you add in school, he has almost no time for a social life,” Tim shared.

“Would that be so bad?” Mom asked.

None of us were touching that after I’d just had to do a paternity test.

Before we left, I met with the girls and their parents. It gave me a chance to say goodbye to my children.

“I understand that Scarlet’s going home with you,” Ashley said.

I turned to my mom and then to Scarlet, and they both nodded.

“It seems so,” I said, and then turned to her parents. “Are you okay with this?”

Clay, Scarlet’s supposed boyfriend, walked away from the group. Scarlet handed me Carol and went after him.

“Clay’s not taking it well. Frankly, none of us are, but this is what Scarlet wants. At first, I told her no, but have since been convinced otherwise,” Wyatt said.

From the look his wife gave him, the subject was closed. I got the feeling that Wyatt normally got his way, but for some reason, he was bending on this one. Mom and Dad took Scarlet’s parents aside to talk. It seemed a lot was going on that I didn’t know about. I turned my attention to Ashley.

“We’ll be in touch and get everything worked out. If you need anything, give us a call.”

“I appreciate that. I feel much better about everything now,” she said.

“I think she’d be on the plane with Scarlet if we’d let her. I’ve promised to back off on the matchmaking,” Hiram explained.