Chapter 52

David
David invited both Greg and Phil out to breakfast so they could spend some family time together without anyone else around.

“We really haven’t had a chance to talk,” David said to both of them. He then turned to his younger brother. “How was your trip to Uncle John’s?”

“We talked a lot. It helped me understand more about you guys, Dad, and the family.”

“Did he spring the blood test on you?” Greg asked.

Phil shook his head.

“No, but he told me about your Alpha Male talk. I didn’t realize that our bodies controlled us so much. He also didn’t treat me like slave labor.”

“Why is it that I’m the only one who went through that?” David complained.

“You’re the only one that Mom kicked out of the house. Phil was a guest, not a juvenile delinquent,” Greg reminded him.

“Did you at least get his help to create life goals?” David asked.

“Yep. As I said, I learned a lot. Uncle John explained how you used them to get where you are. My only question is, what went wrong with Greg?” Phil asked.

“Funny,” Greg groused. “I can still kick both your butts.”

That made his younger siblings laugh even harder.

“Dad sent me articles about how you did playing football,” David said to Phil. “I knew you could win the starting quarterback job. You’ve certainly put the work in. I was sorry to see that you lost in the second round of the state playoffs. I think you can win it next year,” David predicted.

“We seem to have the pieces in place to do that. I was surprised that Dad flew back to watch all my games. I figured with him in Malibu, I wouldn’t see him that much. But he was there, every time,” Phil said.

“I didn’t realize he did that,” David confessed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“He said he had to go back to help manage your businesses,” Greg said.

David was sure that his dad made it a write-off. That had to be a win-win sort of arrangement. That was until he figured out that his company had paid for it. David had no doubt that his dad did spend some time overseeing everything. Since Scarlet had left as his COO to work for David’s management company in Hollywood, his uncle John had taken on that mantle. Truth be told, it was really Megan who ran the day-to-day, and Uncle John was in the process of grooming her for his position so he could focus on his farm.

Megan had come a long, long way from the ‘Megan the Mouse’ she’d been when he’d first met her, David mused.

“This will be a big summer for you. Have you picked out what football camps you plan to go to?” David asked.

Phil would be a senior next year. Unlike David, who’d been rated the top recruit in the nation, Phil was going to have to get noticed to garner a football scholarship. To do that, he had to go to the right football camps.

“I wanted to ask your advice about that and get your help. Dad suggested that I ask you if you’ll help me with getting a quarterback coach and possibly help pay for travel to the different camps,” Phil tentatively proposed.

David’s first reaction was to push back. Phil had expected their dad to buy him a car when he turned 16, as he had for Greg. When it was David’s turn, he’d known that money was tight for his parents. His dad’s work hours had been cut to part-time so the park district didn’t have to fund his health insurance.

David had suggested that he get the apartment over the garage in lieu of a car. That was done mostly so he could have his own place. David also knew his parents couldn’t afford another car but knew that they would have figured some way to make it happen. That ended up being the best suggestion he’d ever made. He’d loved that apartment.

When Phil had come and asked for a car, David had been vocal against it, at least partially because Greg had never demanded one. David’s point at the time was that Greg had worked around the house and helped out. Looking back on it, he was reminded of his conversation with Joey. Phil had never gotten the chance to do the things Greg had done.

While David didn’t want to turn into Phil’s personal ATM, the guy was family. David had also heard from Coach Hope that Phil had turned a corner and was now doing what it took. David suspected a lot of that had come from spending time on his uncle’s farm.

“Do you have someone in mind?” David asked.

“Dad talked to Coach Mason. I guess he’s doing much better, health-wise,” Phil shared.

Coach Bud Mason and David had met at one of the Elite quarterback camps. Before becoming a camp coach, Bud had been the quarterback coach and later offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders. He’d kept busy coaching at Elite quarterback camps after he retired. Then, when David was a senior, Bud had offered to be his team’s offensive coordinator so that he could work with David. Bud explained that he felt David was a unique talent, and he wanted to be part of his development.

David had been worried about Coach Mason because he’d had a stroke and some other setbacks. Hearing that the old guy now felt well enough to possibly coach Phil made David’s day.

“Talk to Dad, and he’ll set it up. If you want to sit down and talk about the different camps, we can do just that,” David offered.

“Thanks,” Phil said and then changed the topic. “I called Uncle John yesterday.”

David and Greg looked at each other.

“I was upset with you guys bullying me,” Phil said.

Greg started to say something, but David cut him off.

“Your feelings are valid,” he said with a straight face.

Phil flipped him off. It was a family joke that their uncle tended to fall into psychologist mode, which had him saying stuff like that. David’s favorite Uncle John line was ‘How does that make you feel?’