Chapter 24: Relationships Change

Dave woke later than usual the morning after the long drive back from Boston. The birds were chirping outside his trailer and he stretched as he woke up. His first thoughts were about the bitter shock of Jennifer's engagement and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to get out of bed or not. He finally climbed out of bed and took his breakfast outside. He was munching his cereal at the picnic table as he tried to decide what to do. Several neighbours walked by, called hello, and usually congratulated him. He waved and thanked them. He tried to act cheerful but his world had fallen down in dusty chunks around him. He should have been excited about winning the British Open but he had lost his soul-mate; he was feeling hollow. He finally decided to call his big sister, Julie, and have a talk with her, get her advice. At least it was something he could do instead of simply sitting in a puddle of morose misery.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. It only rang twice before she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, sis; how ya doin'?"

"Great, Dave. Congratulations! When did you get home?"

He replied and got straight to his key question. "I got home late last night. Can we have a talk? I seriously need some independent advice."

"I have to go to work in an hour. I'm working the lunch hour but I can meet you here at the house at two o'clock. I have a split shift and have to go back in at four. Is two hours long enough? What's going on?"

Dave's heart hurt just to speak, "I had decided to confess to Jennifer that I finally knew she was my only true love and I wanted to be with her forever, but I found out last night that Mark gave her, and she accepted, an engagement ring. I'm not sure what to do or what I can do. My mind is in a fog."

Julie could hear the deep sadness in Dave's voice and she promptly said, "Give me ten minutes. Don't go anywhere. I'll call you right back, okay?"

A little hurt and confused by Julie apparently putting him off, he replied, "Sure."

He closed his phone and finished picking at his breakfast - he wasn't very hungry. He was cleaning up the dishes in the trailer when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"I got someone to cover my lunch shift so I could get with you sooner. Do you want me to pick you up or are you coming to town?"

Dave was happily surprised. "I just need a quick shower and I'll be there in under an hour."

"I'll just wait for you here at the house."

"Thanks, I'll be there soon."

Dave got in the shower and felt a little refreshed but his mind was still on Jennifer. As he pulled out of the campground, he paused to talk as he normally would to several friends. They congratulated him and then they invited him to the beach. He thanked them but said he was going to town. He promised to go with them another day then he drove to town.

When he pulled into the driveway, he pulled out his laptop and carried it into the house. Julie met him at the door and hugged him. Dave was happy to see his sister and she immediately guided him to the living room couch. Once they were seated comfortably, she was ready to dive in. "Tell me everything. Start with when you realized that you wanted Jennifer back."

Dave tried to give his sister the whole story in one blurt, "I'm not sure exactly when I first started to feel I wanted Jennifer again but I think it started when she flew down to Wake Forest last fall. As you know, I was pretty upset and she really saved me. I have seen a number of girls all winter but my thoughts always came back to Jennifer. When I won the NCAA title, I had wished she was there to share it with me. That was the first time I really acknowledged to myself that I wanted to be with her. Kyra knew I was distracted the night of the NCAA Championship and we talked about it. Kyra wanted me to call Jennifer immediately and confess my love for her but I wasn't sure. I was scared that she would want to stay with Mark. My fear of rejection was a barrier to a long-distance contact. I told Kyra I would talk to Jennifer when I got home but I hadn't really decided whether or not I would, even then. When I was in England, with Sarah, I had a wonderful time with her; but on the last night, when we were talking intimately, we both realized that it was probably our last night together. I told Sarah how I felt about Jennifer and she confessed that she had always expected me to marry Jennifer. That conversation convinced me that I had to tell Jennifer how I feel; at that point I was finally willing to risk her rejection if there was a chance I could be with her. I hadn't worked out a detailed plan but I was going to beg her to at least be with me even if she couldn't immediately marry me." Dave paused to catch his breath.

"Then Mom told me last night that Mark beat me to the punch and they got engaged on the weekend. I had waited too long..." Dave had tears pooled in his eyes but he had mostly cried himself out the previous night.

Julie squeezed his hands tenderly as she held one in each of her hands. She asked softly, "Are you still going to ask her to be with you?"

Dave looked into her eyes. "How can I? If I convince her to leave Mark now she will always wonder who she really wanted to marry. She must really love him to agree to marry him. I don't know what to do."

Julie thought for a moment before she explained, "I know Jennifer loves you, too. She told me two years ago that she had dreamed of marrying you but she knew you had to live your own life first. I think she would rather be with you. You should call her or see her and talk to her, tell her how you feel. If she decides to stay with Mark then you know that at least you tried. In any case, she needs to know how you really feel. It could be a disaster if she learned after she went ahead and married a second-choice without knowing something that important."

Dave shrugged. "I'm not sure. All of this is making my mind cloudy and my body disoriented; I feel pretty awful right now. I think I will give it a few days to allow everything to sink in then decide on Thursday."

Julie hugged him. "Well, it seems clear to me; you need to tell her how you feel. Don't leave it too long to decide. If you want to talk more, just let me know - I'm always available for my little brother."

"Thank you, Julie. I love you."

With a twinkle in her eye, Julie changed the subject and asked, "So, did you actually make love to Hilary Duff?"

Dave looked at her questioningly so she got up and walked to the kitchen table. She returned with a National Enquirer supermarket tabloid showing a picture of Dave and Hilary hugging. The caption read "Hilary Duff Falls for Golf Goon."

Dave laughed at the teaser headline then opened the magazine to the related page. There were a number of pictures of Dave and Hilary together along with old pictures of him hitting Keith. Dave didn't bother to read the article but simply tossed it on the coffee table. "No, we're just friends - she's a very nice girl but we only just met. I saw her father at one of my college golf tournaments; I even introduced myself and we talked, although I had no idea he was related to her. Then I coincidentally met her on the flight to England and in the end invited her father to play a practice round at St. Andrews with Alec and me. She already had tickets for him for the Open and they were booked at the same hotel; that was another coincidence. I do have her phone number and will probably call her sometime, but there is nothing there but friendship, right now."

Julie teased, "I think she's gorgeous. I bet she would be wonderful in bed."

For the first time since he heard about Jennifer's engagement, Dave laughed. "I'll probably never find out, but if I do, I'll call you with the details."

Julie nodded. "What are your plans for today?"

Dave shrugged. "I was going to go to Charlestown - but that went out the window in a hurry. I think I'll call John and see what he's up to."

Julie kissed him on the cheek. "If we're finished, I'm going to call work and see if they need an extra body for lunch. The restaurant has been packed every day. The beautiful weather has drawn lots of tourists to the Island."

Dave nodded as Julie got up and walked to the phone. It was just past eleven so he pulled out his cell phone and dialed John's number. John said, "Hello?"

"Hey, John, what are you up to?"

John replied, "Hi, British Open Champion. I was just getting ready to go to the beach. Want to join me?"

Dave thought for a quick second and agreed, "That's sounds like fun. I think I can find an old bathing suit here to wear. Do you want to pick me up?"

"I'll be there in thirty minutes."

Dave replied, "See you soon." After he hung up the phone he unpacked his laptop then plugged it into the high-speed connection. He opened his e-mail account and there were congratulation messages from dozens of his friends at Wake Forest. There was also a notice that his final grades for the spring term were available. He decided to reply to most of the messages later but he checked his marks. It was good news; he had earned one A^-, two As and one A⁺. He was very pleased and he returned to his main reason for starting up his computer - he had an e-mail to send. He selected Kyra's name from the contact list then typed:

I just found out Jennifer got engaged last weekend. Did you hear about that? Call me collect on my cell when you can talk alone. I miss both you and Jana.

Love,
Dave

Dave hit the send key just as Julie yelled that she was going to work. Dave said goodbye then went up to his room and found a pair of shorts to wear to the beach. Dave hoped the beach would be a good distraction. He got dressed and packed a small bag with beach supplies then went outside to wait for John.

John pulled up and immediately got out of the car. Dave was surprised; John had bulked up even more since he had seen him at Christmas. They shook hands and were soon back in John's car and headed for the beach. They talked about the Open and about Hilary Duff. Dave had to tell him three times that he hadn't slept with Hilary because John simply wouldn't believe him.

As they were driving to the beach, Dave's cell phone rang. He answered and his father explained, "Dave, leave tonight free. The City wants to have a 'welcome home' reception for you at the Civic Centre so plan on being there for six o'clock."

Dave was surprised but agreed. "I'll make sure I'm home and showered for five o'clock. John and I are heading to the beach right now. Are you going back to the North Beach before the reception?" After Roger said he was, Dave continued, "Will you take the Claret Jug and the two medals into town with you? I think it would be nice to display them at the Civic Centre." Roger agreed before they said goodbye.

John laughed. "They've been announcing that reception all morning on the radio. I didn't know if you knew yet, so I put in a music CD so you wouldn't hear it." John ejected the disc and they listened to music on the local radio station. Just before they arrived at Brackley Beach, which was very popular with younger Islanders, Dave heard the radio announcer say, "Make sure you come out to the home coming party for our very own British Open Champion, Dave MacDonald. There will be hot dogs and refreshments at the Civic Centre so let's have a big Island welcome for Dave."

Dave shook his head. "Does that remind you of when we came home from Calgary?"

John laughed. "I was thinking the same thing. That reception was awesome but I bet there will be even more people there tonight."

The day was very hot and the beach was packed. Dave couldn't walk two steps without someone stopping to congratulate him. He only knew about half the people he spoke to but he made sure he gave them all a fair amount of time. It took forty-five minutes to walk the quarter mile from the parking lot to the beach. After the tenth person stopped Dave, John said he would find them a spot to the right side of the stairs on the beach. Dave nodded as he spoke to a man he had never met before.

When Dave finally reached John, he saw two of the other Islanders who had played on the Missiles Junior A hockey team. He shook their hands and thanked them for their congratulations. Dave hadn't had much time to check out the girls on the beach as there was constantly someone walking up to him and shaking his hand. He wasn't really interested in girl-watching after his disappointment about Jennifer, anyway. John eventually asked if he wanted to go for a swim. Dave nodded then he followed his friend into the water.

They had been swimming for ten minutes when Dave spotted Katherine. He swam to her and said hello. She looked a little uncomfortable as she congratulated him. She eventually said, "I was going to call you later this week. I wanted to talk to you."

She was looking down at her hands so Dave put his hand out and raised her chin until she was looking into his eyes. "What's wrong, Katherine?"

She slowly whispered, "I wanted to tell you that I'm dating someone and it's pretty serious." She watched his face intently for any signs of his reaction.

Dave smiled at her; from his viewpoint, this was probably a positive development. He tried to sound a little disappointed but also supportive. "That's really good. I'm very happy for you."

She looked surprised. "You're not mad at me?"

Dave shook his head as he replied, "No, not at all. I'm pleased you have found someone who makes you happy."

She explained, "I haven't written you for a long time because I thought you would be upset."

Dave squeezed her hand, "I'm not upset. I'm a little disappointed that we can't spend as much time together but I hope we will always be friends. Do you mind if I still go to some of your soccer games? I love to watch you play."

Katherine hugged him. "I'd like that. I'll e-mail my schedule to you."

Dave kissed her on the cheek. "Great, I'll see you at your games then."

They were interrupted by another former classmate and Katherine waved goodbye as she walked back onto shore.

Dave really enjoyed the afternoon - it was nice to be back on QAI with his friends. He had been so busy that he hardly thought about Jennifer. John drove him home at four-thirty and Dave showered before he made himself something to eat. He remembered what it was like at the previous reception when he didn't get to eat for over two hours.

He listened to the voice messages on the phone. There were ten requests for interviews including one from David Letterman. Dave chuckled about the Letterman call and decided to call the number right away to learn the details. He spoke to an executive with the show. They wanted to fly him to New York for an interview that week. Dave thought about it briefly before he explained that he had just returned home and really couldn't travel anymore for while. He thanked them but politely turned them down. He left the other interview requests for the next day.

The sponsorship calls were different altogether. He couldn't hire an agent or he would lose his College eligibility so he decided to see if his Uncle Alan would again take all the calls for him. Alan could keep a list of callers and, after Dave turned pro, he could call them back then. He made a mental note to call and see if Alan would field his calls for him.

His parents arrived with the Claret Jug and the medals just before Beth got home from work - Dave hugged her lovingly. They talked briefly before all four of them went to the Civic Centre. Dave did several interviews with local media before even Julie met them there at quarter to six - her boss had pushed her out the door to be with her family.

Dave was introduced to the premier of the province along with the Mayor of Edwardton. They congratulated him before he met a large number of other politicians and dignitaries. A large stage was again set up in the hockey rink and fans were being directed into the stands. Dave was surprised as the crowd grew larger and larger until all the seats were full and the concrete pad that was normally covered with ice was full as well. All the hot dogs were gone in fifteen minutes and the liquid refreshments dried up shortly after.

At six-fifteen the announcer welcomed everyone and then introduced the politicians and dignitaries. They all spoke briefly with similar messages of how proud they were of an Islander winning the British Open and how Dave always referred to QAI as his very special home. The announcer finally called Dave to the mike and Dave made a short speech. He thanked everyone for their support and he invited them all to have a look at the Claret Jug and get autographs. He promised he would meet and sign every request even if he had to stay all night. He received a huge ovation from his fans.

He walked down in front of the stage and started shaking hands and signing autographs. He had been at it for about thirty minutes when he saw two familiar young boys with their gorgeous redheaded sister and their father. Dave smiled at Rebecca. When they finally reached the front of the line Robbie and Riley jumped into his arms. He hugged them and asked if they were being good. Both looked at him mischievously and he laughed. He leaned over and kissed Rebecca softly. "I was going to call you this evening. Do you have plans?" After she shook her head he added, "Do you mind waiting for me?"

She looked very pleased. "I'd like that."

Dave shook her father's hand and promised to play golf with him while he was home. He then grabbed the two boys and put them both in headlocks and said he would see them soon. They were both laughing as their father walked them out of the hockey rink. Rebecca walked over to stand with Dave's family and his mother hugged her.

Dave was true to his word and after two hours of shaking hands and signing autographs his last supporter left the building. Most of the politicians and dignitaries had also left but those who had waited thanked Dave and wished him a good summer. At eight-thirty Dave walked out of the Civic Centre with Rebecca under his arm. They got in his car and drove back to his house. She asked him about England and specifically how he had met and become intimate with Hilary Duff. He told her everything and he could tell she was relieved that he hadn't actually slept with Hilary although she didn't seem even slightly bothered about Sarah. She told him all about her winter and how her hockey team won the Island title and she received the MVP award. She said she received several scholarship offers from colleges in the northeastern US and she was considering two of them seriously. She asked if he would like for her to be closer to him.

They had moved from the car to the television room as he explained, "It would be great to have you closer but you have to choose the college that offers the best education and athletic opportunity - not the one that is closest to me. I'll probably only be at Wake Forest for one or two more years so do what is best for you. You know I'll come visit you wherever you go."

His last comment made her smile and she hugged him close. As he held her in his arms, he remembered what he loved about her, but then his gnawing pain from the news of Jennifer's engagement seemed to get worse - he had hoped he would be hugging Jennifer on his first night home. Rebecca had always been very special to him and he wondered if he could get over Jennifer, eventually, if he had to.