Chapter 43

Evangeline Collins was unhappy. Ed Bradley had insisted on going to a Super Bowl party that afternoon and she had been unable to dissuade him. Vangie paid less than no attention to football or football games but Ed had said something about a special interest in this one. The party was at a friend's duplex apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Fortunately, Vangie found that most of the other women there shared her total lack of interest in the game so they were talking about the latest around-town gossip and decrying the state of the Broadway theater when she heard her name called.

Carrying her drink, she found herself in front of a television set with a woman with whom she had a nodding acquaintance, Carrie Smith. Carrie asked, "Vangie, don't you have a daughter named Catherine?"

Vangie shook her head and said, "I used to. Why do you ask?"

Pointing to the television screen Carrie asked, "Is that her?"

Vangie looked and almost dropped her drink. She didn't recognize Bob Costas, of course, but there was Cathy on national television. At a glance she thought how beautiful Cathy looked in the green and tan. Her eye even caught the gold collar around her daughter's neck. She screamed and Ed Bradley came running. The group in front of the television set quieted down, realizing that a member of their group had a personal interest in the show.

She whispered, "Ed, that's my daughter, Cathy!"

As they watched, Costas played the tape of the play in which Cathy had caught the ball off Ken's fingers, flopped on her face, and raced in for a touchdown. Vangie was appalled at Cathy's appearance. "My God," she murmured, "she's not wearing any clothes, she's barefoot and it's pouring down rain. Ed, look at that awful mud!"

Edgar Bradley didn't respond. When she turned to look at him she found his jaw had dropped and he was shaking his head. Finally he was able to speak and said, "Vangie, that's my son, Ken! He's with your daughter."

The surprises weren't over. The next shot on the screen, Costas said, were taken the next time the two teams lined up at scrimmage. They saw Ken step across the line and take Cathy in his arms. What they didn't know was this was one of the shots that the NBC technicians had worked on, creating a close-up of the young couple. They watched as Ken tenderly moved a sodden lock of hair off her face and kissed her. Vangie didn't know how to react. With the shirt plastered to her body, it was apparent that Cathy was molding her body to Ken's and was returning his kiss with increasing passion.

The room was completely quiet now as the people were absorbed in the action on the TV screen. Then they heard Ken ask Cathy to do him a favor: to promise to teach their little boys how to play football. They also heard him comment, "Who ever heard of a group of girls with hair soaking wet and not seeming to care?"

They showed him move back and look down at Cathy's body. Fortunately, because of the Network's Program Practices group — otherwise known as the network censors — they omitted Ken's comment about Cathy's beautiful tits. The next shot showed all of the men with their women in their arms. Costas commented that this had to be a football first: a break in the action for a little necking between the opposing teams. Then he went on to describe the quality of play.

While he was talking, Ed Bradley had gone to a telephone leaving Evangeline Collins alone. Vangie didn't know what to do or how to react — she was in a state of complete shock. Before she realized he had left her side, he returned. Taking her hands in his he said, "Vangie, will you come with me to New Orleans? Right now? I was just on the phone to Executive Aviation. They'll have a Lear Jet ready to go from Teterboro in sixty minutes. We can be in New Orleans before the game is over. Will you come?"

He shook his head and smiled weakly saying, "Can you believe this? We've been trying to get our two children to meet but couldn't do it. Obviously, they did it by themselves. I think the trip could be fun, and it looks like my son may even end up with a Super Bowl ring."

Vangie didn't know what a Super Bowl ring was, either, but it sounded good. She was still so stunned that all she could do was nod her head. Just over an hour later they were airborne. Vangie even watched the first few minutes of the game on the plane's TV set, but then went to sleep. It was too one-sided to sustain her interest.

Unfortunately, she missed even more coverage of her daughter and her friends as the network tried to maintain interest in a game that had ceased to be a contest while still in the first quarter of play.

When Cathy and Kelly arrived at Antoine's, they were surprised at the looks they received from the people waiting in line outside for admittance to New Orleans' most famous restaurant. Since the Bears had a private room reserved they were walking by the line towards the entrance when a girl called out, "Miss Collins?"

Cathy stopped and saw a young woman who appeared to be of college age — about twenty. She smiled and said, "I'm Cathy Collins." Then she appeared puzzled as she looked at the girl and said, "I'm sorry, but your face isn't familiar. Do I know you?"

The girl was about five feet three and very cute. She was with a tall young man who was standing behind her and was obviously so embarrassed he wanted to fade into the woodwork. She said, "No, ma'am, you don't. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed watching you on television today humiliating those big men!"

Cathy and Kelly exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. Kelly muttered, "Uh, oh!"

Cathy just shook her head and said, "What, exactly did you see? I was at the game so I haven't seen any television today."

The girl quickly told about Bob Costas' pre-game show and the films of the girls beating the men in the mud and rain the day before. She finished by saying, "Boy, you sure showed them!"

"I'm sorry you got that impression," Cathy said quietly. "You see, nothing could be further from the truth."

As she was speaking, it was apparent from the way the people crowded around that she had been recognized by a great many of the people, but the overwhelming majority didn't feel they should impose. But now that the girls had stopped to talk, they felt it was all right to crowd around to listen.

Cathy swallowed hard and asked, "What's your name?"

"It's Phyllis Crowley, Miss Collins," she replied, extending her hand.

Cathy took her hand and noticed she had a rather limp grip. Then she said, "Phyllis, why do you suppose we played the game?"

The girl was taken obviously taken aback by the question. She shook her head and replied, "I don't know. To show them up, I suppose."

Cathy shook her head and said, "Phyllis, we did it to have some fun with our men. Maybe there was a little more to it than that, though. You see, we're all engaged to professional football players. I guess it's always bothered me that too many women — including wives and sweethearts of players — don't know a damned thing about the game."

Cathy grimaced and continued, "Me, show up Ken Bradley? Nothing could be further from the truth. I guess I wanted to show him that first, his bride knew something about the game and could even catch a football, and second, that his children wouldn't be cowards or quitters."