Chapter 22

We had fun at the film study session in the afternoon on the last Wednesday in February. This week's game was the seventh game of the season, our blow out with Eastern. Jeremy, Ed and I taught the younger players about how we used our play selection to keep Eastern's defense off balance. We had used the deep pass in the beginning to spread out the defenders so Drew could run. When they put eight in the box (eight defenders close to the line of scrimmage) we used play action to freeze the line and linebackers and give Andy one-on-one coverage deep. We nailed them three times with deep passes, twice for Andy's touchdowns.

I made an announcement when we finished the session. "All of you know Coach Baer right?" Most of the group nodded. "He is moving on Saturday. He and his wife Sherry have promised soda and all the pizza we can eat for everyone who helps them move. I hope all of you can help out. We are meeting at the Baers at 10 am. If you need directions, take one of these sheets. If you need a ride, talk to Ed, Jeremy, Hal, Drew, Travis or myself. We'll pick you up in the morning and drop you off at your house when we are done in the afternoon. Could I see a show of hands if you can help Coach Baer."

Eight guys raised their hands, not counting Ed, Andy and Jeremy. I knew they were going to help. Patrick Jones, Logan Mitchell and Corey Brown all asked me to give them a ride. Patrick and Corey are freshmen. Patrick hoped to make varsity next fall as a free safety. Corey expected to play as linebacker. I agreed to get Logan at 9:35, Corey at 9:40 and Patrick at 9:45.

Friday morning Matt Horn announced it was time for some new exercises. Matt said I had done well building up my hamstrings and quadriceps. He tested my knees on the orthotron. I had 75% strength in my left knee. It was time to work on agility and balance. Matt had me practice hopping off an 18" high box and landing on two feet. Matt expected me to do this for a few weeks and then I could start jogging. I was anxious to get back to my normal life. My knee was a little sore by the end of rehab, but it felt like I was making progress.

I got up early on Saturday. I grabbed some breakfast and then went upstairs to wake Andy up. "Come on you lazy bum. Get your butt out of bed," I said as I shook Andy.

"Nooooo..." Andy moaned.

"You have to be over at Ed's house in twenty minutes. You owe Justin Baer big time of all the help he has given you in football this year. Get your ass out of bed." I yanked the covers off of Andy.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm getting up," Andy said as he sat up. "Why can't I get a ride with you?"

"You could, but I'm leaving right now. I have to pick up Patrick, Logan and Corey. I'll see you at the Baers at ten o'clock.

My passengers and I met my friends at the Baers. I was pleased at the turn out. We had a dozen Venturers and fourteen guys from the football team. Jon and Amy Miller came to help. Joe and Barb Baer were there too. Jon's sister Heather babysat Justin and Sherry's son Billy, Joe and Barb's kids Betty and Jeff and Jon and Amy's son Brian. Brian, Betty and Billy were five. Jeff was three. Billy made a point of making sure everyone knew "I'm going to be six in thirteen days." He insisted he isn't a baby anymore. Billy and Brian were best friends. They got along well with Billy's cousin Betty. Jeff followed along with what ever his big sister and cousin did.

Amy, Barb, Penny, Kathy and Tammy all helped Sherry get things packed while Sherry sat, watched and directed the packing. Sherry's due date was nine weeks away. She needed all the help she could get.

Justin rented a U-Haul truck for the day. The big work gang had everything packed and loaded before lunch. Justin led the way to his new home. It was about a mile and half from his parent's house. It was a modest, i.e. small, three bedroom house. It was probably about twenty-five years old.

Barb, Amy and Sherry had two coolers filled with sodas for us when we arrived at the new house. The pizzas came a few minutes later. We chowed down on our inducement to help with the move. It was delicious.

I noticed Eric, Sammy, Andy and Heather hanging out together. They seemed to actually to have fun. I would be nice if Andy and Heather would learn to coexist with each other. I always thought Andy and Heather made a good couple.

After lunch Jon and Joe took the U-Haul and a gang of Venturers over to the Jones' house (Sherry's parents). They were donating some old furniture to help Justin and Sherry finish furnishing their house. The rest of us carried all the furniture and boxes inside to the appropriate rooms and helped the Baers unpack. Everything was in place by 3 pm. Justin and his family were moved in and ready to begin life in their new house. Billy was delighted to finally have his own bedroom including a real bed. He had spent nights on a sofa bed since he out grew sleeping in a crib.

I loaded my riders in my car and hit the road. I felt good about all the help the team and the Venturers had given the Baers. We really did a good turn for them.

Penny's audition went extremely well for the Drama Guild's spring production of Peter Pan. Penny won the starring role of Peter. I thought it was hilarious that my sexy, curvaceous girlfriend would be playing the perpetual boy. This was going to be interesting.

The exercising I did every day was finally starting to show. I only lost a couple of the pounds I gained since I hurt my knee but flab around my waist had disappeared. My abs stood out the way I expected. I needed to get the strength in my left leg up to match my right. I was anxious to start jogging again. Matt Horn had promised that I should be able to start before the end of March.

Penny and I headed to Manheim on the second Saturday of March to meet Ashley and Trent. Trent took us to a restaurant in Elizabethtown for dinner. We caught a movie afterwards.

In Boy Scouts Mr. Clark assigned me to help Andy and Troy teach their patrols the skills they would need to learn in the next year. Andy and I both spent a little extra time with Gary Harrison. It was the least we could do for him. Nothing would ever make up for losing his brother but we did our best to help him with the pain.

Our Easter vacation from school came much earlier than usual. We were off from school from March 17th to March 24th. Will and Abby decided to stay in Philadelphia for most of their spring break. Penny and I enjoyed our free time together for the week. We got together every afternoon. We watched movies a couple afternoons. We went shopping together at the mall another afternoon. We also enjoyed some recreation in my bedroom too. The week off was great.

Letters arrived for Andy and me from the Boy Scout Council office. They contained our summer camp staff contracts. Both of us were going to be Aquatics instructors for the summer. Ed was hired to work in the Pioneer (first year) Scout program area.

Will and Abby came home on Good Friday. Abby and the Hendricks family joined my family for Easter dinner. Abby surprised nearly everyone after dinner. She told us that she had accepted the position of Camp Health Officer for our camp this summer. Will explained that last year's Health Officer had decided not to come back. Mr. Holloway had mentioned that to Will, who suggested that he knew a pre-med student who might be willing to do the job. It took Will a week to convince Abby to do it, but she agreed.

I was impressed with my brother's thinking. It's a brilliant idea to bring your girlfriend along to scout camp for the summer. If only I could find some job at camp for Penny. That would be really sweet.

Our troop went camping at Camp Rodney down on the Chesapeake Bay the next to the last weekend of March. I had never been to this camp before. We stayed at a cabin at the bottom end of the camp. The cabin sat on top of a bluff overlooking the bay. It overlooked the sail base of the camp. They had sailing, motor boating and water skiing at this camp. I wish I had something like this at the boat yard at my camp. It was a beautiful spot.

Ed and I helped Andy and Troy teach their scouts knife and axe safety, how to cut or chop down trees, how to use an axe or hatchet to limb a tree and how to split wood for campfires or wood stoves. These new kids were extremely enthusiastic and excited about their first campouts. I enjoyed helping them earn their Totin' Chip Award. The kids were exhausted by dinner time.

We finished up our winter film study sessions on March 26th. We reviewed our first playoff game with Gov. Pinchot. We weren't going to play them in the regular season but could see them in the playoffs next year. They were one of the better teams in our part of the state.

Coach Caffrey joined our group at the end of the film session. He wanted to report on some decisions regarding the next season. The first thing was that the PIAA had approved us wearing a black patch with the number 82 on it to commemorate Greg Harrison's contribution to our team over the past three years.

Coach also let us know that construction on the new stadium was scheduled to start next Monday. Last week the school board decided to name the new stadium 'Harrison Field' in Greg's memory. It was a fitting memorial to a great teammate.

Ed, Jeremy and I talked with the guys at the film session about our spring passing drills. We were going to start the drills next week on Tuesday after school. The passing drills would be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of the school year.

Ed, Jake, Jeremy, Seth Vogel, Drew McCormick and I met after school on Thursday. The six of us were going to run the spring training. Ed and Jake would take turns running the varsity squad while the other worked with quarterbacks on the JV squad. Drew would spend time with the running backs. Jeremy and Seth would take turns with the varsity and JV linebackers and defensive backs. I would work with the receivers and defensive backs in both squads. I would coordinate things during practice since I wasn't allowed to participate yet.

Matt Horn laid out a new exercise program for me the following Monday. He said my leg was ready for straight ahead jogging. Matt took me outside for my first run. I was to jog 50 yards and then walk for 200 yards. Each day I was to add 50 yards to my jog. I was to cool down after each jog with a walk. The jog wasn't much, but at least I felt like I was making some progress.

I convinced Mom and Dad to let me drive to school everyday so Andy and I would have a ride home after our spring practices. I loaded my folding camp chair in the trunk before school. I wanted to be able to sit down if my knee started to hurt too much during practice. I wasn't used to standing and walking around for almost two hours without a break.

I counted heads as guys came in the locker room after school for our first practice. Thirty-three middle school and high school guys showed up. We divided up the group into two squads.

Ed, Drew and Seth Vogel organized the first squad, mostly varsity starters or back-ups. Jake, Jeremy and I organized the second squad. This group was mostly JV players and guys that were on the middle school team. Jake worked with Logan Mitchell and Garrett Houseman at quarterback. Jeremy worked with the defensive backs and linebackers to show them how we wanted the practices to run. I worked with the receivers and running backs.

Part way through practice Ed, Drew and Seth traded teams with Jake, Jeremy and me. I never did get to sit down during the hour and forty-five minute practice. The whistle my friends gave me last spring came in handy to keep practice moving along.

Jason Harting looked good in my wide receiver spot. He should have, he was our number three wide receiver for ten games last season after I got hurt. Pete Ellis was expected to start at tight end in the fall. He needed more work, especially on the crossing routes that Greg Harrison was so good at running. Pete's younger brother Cameron did a good job backing up Drew and Marcus at running back.

I had a surprise at practice. Brett Fulmer covered Jason for the first half of practice. Jeremy switched Dylan and Brett for the second half. Dylan couldn't cover Andy. That wasn't surprising. He couldn't keep up with Andy last year either. Brett could almost match Andy step for step on the speed routes. His coverage technique wasn't very good, but he was fast. Brett's speed reminded me of something I heard Zack Hayes and Coach Caffrey talking about when I started football three years ago. We can teach a kid how to play football but we couldn't teach him to be fast. Brett was fast. We would work on everything else he needed to know this spring and summer.

I used my break time in the middle of practice to do my day's jogging. I jogged the length of the field. My knee was OK when I was done. The first practice reminded me how much I wanted to get my rehab done so I could finally play football again. It was what I was meant to do.

I enjoyed watching Jake work with the first squad in the second half of practice. The guys looked a little rusty. That was expected. We hadn't played football for almost four months. I was satisfied at the end of the afternoon. We had made a good start to preparing to defend our state championship.

The Drama Guild was in full swing preparing for opening night on Friday, April 25th. Penny had play practice three days a week after school. We still managed to spend at least three evenings together after dinner to study each week. I helped Penny memorize her lines when I had free time.

Each week Matt Horn allowed me to jog a little further. The second week Matt said I could jog for a quarter mile, the third week I could go half a mile and the last week I was allowed to jog a mile. I was able to lift weights with Ed and Andy each evening and then start on the evening run with them. I walked back home when I reached the maximum distance for the week.

I bugged Matt each week about how soon I could participate in spring practice. Matt continued to tell me I wasn't ready yet. It was frustrating. Matt said I had a good chance of being ready some time in May. At least it looked like I would be able to get in some practice.

The Venturer Crew decided to go to French Creek State Park on the third weekend in April. The park has an excellent system of mountain bike trails. Justin Baer was going to set up an orienteering course in the afternoon. I talked to Matt Horn about the trip before I signed up for the trip. Matt said I could go as long as I stuck to straight bike riding. I wasn't allowed to do any tricks or jumps.

It was interesting to see who signed up for the trip at our crew meeting a couple weeks before the trip. It wasn't unusual for our crew to have a lot of couples. Heck, it was normal to have half or more of the attendees on trips to be couples. Penny and I were going, Ed and Lindsey, Jeremy and Kathy, Jake and Morgan, Eric and Sammy, Brandon McCafferty and his girlfriend of the past four months Cassie Nolt, along with Mark Good and his girlfriend of the past month, Karen Reeser. The only kids going on the trip without their boyfriend or girlfriend were Andy, Paul and Heather.

Andy managed to talk Shannon into staying in a cabin on the ski trip in February. She wasn't impressed with the "dusty smelly" cabin or going outside to go to the bathrooms. When Shannon heard we were sleeping in tents she absolutely refused to go on the April trip. Paul didn't have a steady girlfriend. Heck, I don't think he had been on more than a few dates since he started high school two years ago. Heather's current boyfriend Nate Foster wanted to go on the trip, but couldn't. His cousin was getting married down in Virginia that weekend and Nate had to go to the wedding.

Justin Baer went along on the trip to help Joe and Barb. Not surprisingly Sherry elected to stay home. The baby was due in twelve days. She allowed Justin to go as long as he had his cell phone with him at all times. French Creek State Park was only about a half hour away from home. Justin's dad stayed "on-call" for the weekend just in case.

Our campsite was at the top of the hill in the group camping area. We had lots of privacy in our campsite. Every couple set up their own tent. Andy and Paul shared a tent. Justin and Heather each had a tent of their own. The sounds coming from our tents after bedtime were more intense than usual, with seven couples taking advantage of the privacy to share themselves with their partner.

Everyone grabbed their mountain bikes after breakfast and headed out for our first trail ride. I hung back near the back of the group. I didn't want to do something stupid to hurt my knee on the weekend. We rode about five miles through the woods and hills of northern Chester County and southern Berks County. We headed back to camp in the middle of the morning for a snack and to get everyone hydrated. My knee started to hurt a little as we rode up the steep hill leading to our campsite.

I volunteered to stay back in camp when the group went out for a second ride and make lunch for the group. I grabbed my MP3 player and went for a walk before I started lunch. Justin went out during the second ride to set up the orienteering course for our group after lunch. He was back in time to help me get lunch ready. The bikers returned to camp around 12:30.

Our group had lunch and then went out on Justin's orienteering course. Orienteering is a cross between a foot race and a map and compass test. Unlike a normal race, there was no set course you had to follow. The map had eight control points marked on it. You had to get to all eight of them but you could take any route you wanted.

Jeremy suggested that we do the orienteering course as couples. Mark and Karen invited Paul to go with them. Heather suggested that she could go with Andy. Andy agreed immediately.

Justin started the teams off every five minutes. Justin decided the order by pulling names out of the hat. Jake and Morgan left first. Ed and Lindsey followed five minutes later. Jeremy and Kathy, Eric and Sammy; Mark, Karen and Paul all followed at five minute intervals after Jake and Morgan. Penny and I finally took off when it was our turn. Brandon and Cassie would follow us. Andy and Heather would go last. Andy and Heather passed time until it was their turn sitting at the picnic table talking, mostly about the Algonquin trip last summer.

Justin laid out a 3 mile long course with eight control stations. Penny and I jogged out of the campsite for the first control point. I warned Penny that we probably wouldn't have a great time. Matt Horn approved me doing orienteering, but I couldn't jog more than a mile and I was only allowed to jog on paved or smooth dirt roads. We would be at a disadvantage to all the athletes on the other teams. I just hoped we wouldn't place last.

We had no trouble finding the first marker. We passed Jake and Morgan when we got close to the second control. When we found the second control and used the punch to mark our scorecard I grinned and said, "It looks like we won't come in last in this race. We had a twenty-five minute head start on them."

"I know. I can't believe they had trouble finding this. This control was easy."

"It probably doesn't help that Jake wasn't in Boy Scouts. He probably doesn't have as much practice with a map and compass as me."

"You are pretty handy with them, Kyle. I'm glad I'm with you."

Penny and I headed off for the next control. Jake and Morgan weren't anywhere to be seen when we came out on the road again. We found the third control easily. We passed Mark, Karen and Paul after we found the fourth control. The fifth control was on the far side of the lake. We saw Ed and Lindsey in the distance leaving the lake. They probably had just left the control point. Penny and I jogged around the lake. The control point was exactly where we expected it.

Control point six was the hardest to find. Penny and I searched the hollow where it was supposed to be for ten minutes before we finally found the marker. The last two control markers were easy to find. We had a third of a mile to go to get to camp, all of it on good roads and trails. I had done my mile of jogging already but my knee felt good.

I asked, "Honey, are you up for running back? My knee feels good."

"If you're sure you'll be OK, I can jog it."

"Let's do it!" I declared. Penny and I started off at a fast jog. When we turned the corner of the road onto the trail that led to our campsite we spotted Ed and Lindsey a hundred yards up the trail. They were walking. They turned back to look at us as we jogged closer.

Ed said, "What the hell?"

"What are you waiting for slowpoke?" I yelled as I jogged past. I looked back and grinned at my friend.

"Hell no! I'm not getting back to camp after a guy on one leg," Ed taunted. I could hear Ed running hard while he tried to catch me. I increased my pace.

"Kyle! Take it easy. Remember your knee," Penny called to me as Ed and I pulled away.

"Those two are too competitive," Lindsey said.

"I hope Kyle doesn't hurt himself," my girlfriend added.

Ed ran harder, trying to get ahead of me. I matched his pace. We ran up the hill. I tried to pass Ed but couldn't manage it. Ed couldn't get ahead of me either. We got to the picnic table in the middle of our campsite with Ed a half a step in the lead.

"Hah! I beat you," Ed crowed.

"If you don't count your twenty minute head start," I countered.

Ed asked, "What's my time for the course?"

Joe answered, "You guys aren't done yet. The time doesn't stop until the whole team is back."

Ed yelled, "Hey, Lindsey, hurry up!" Ed turned to me and said, "I didn't know you were able to run that fast yet, Kyle. That was pretty good work."

"I didn't know I could run like that either. I haven't run that hard since I got hurt."

Penny and Lindsey walked into the campsite while we waited impatiently. When they reached his picnic table Joe announced, "Ed and Lindsey – your time is 114 minutes and 31 seconds. Penny and Kyle – your time is 94 minutes and 42 seconds."

I said, "Cool! Did Penny and I beat Jeremy and Kathy?"

Joe chuckled. "You beat them, Kyle. They aren't back yet."

"Really? Does that mean we are winning?"

"No. Eric and Sammy beat you two by almost seven minutes." Joe explained. I hadn't noticed Eric and Sammy sitting over by their tent.

Ed, Lindsey, Penny and I sat and talked with Joe and Barb for a few minutes until I realized Justin was missing. "Joe, where is your brother?" I asked.

"Ah, that's right. You don't know. Justin got the 'call' from Sherry. She is starting labor. He is driving to Lancaster as we speak."

We sat and talked about the news while we waited for the rest of the crew to return. Andy and Heather arrived next, twelve minutes behind Penny and me. The rest of the group straggled in after them. Jeremy and Kathy were not in a good mood when they finally returned. They had spent over an hour looking for control marker number 3.

The group went out for another ride on the trails after everyone got hydrated. I decided to stay at camp. I had abused my left knee enough for the weekend. The group was gone for an hour. Jeremy had Brandon and Cassie start supper. Some of the group hung out by the campfire. Some of us hung out at the picnic table with Joe and Barb. Justin showed up about half an hour after the group came back from their ride.

Joe looked at his brother and exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"It was a false alarm. Dad called me while I was driving through Leola. He's taking Sherry home." Justin explained.

Joe said, "I feel for you bro. I hated the waiting game. 'Honey, do you still love me?' 'Honey, could you get me some pickles and peanut butter?' 'I'm ugly. I'm the size of a whale.' I'm glad I don't have to go through that again."

Barb protested, "I wasn't THAT bad."

Joe looked at Barb. "You weren't. I was exaggerating." Joe looked back at Justin and me. He smiled and winked.

Wow. I thought I wanted kids when I grew up. I asked, "Justin, this sounds pretty hard. Are you are sorry you and Sherry are having another baby?"

Justin smiled. "No, Kyle. I'm very happy that Sherry and I are going to have another child. The last couple months of pregnancy and the first few months after the baby is born are hard. It is worth all the pain in the end, but it is hard."

I asked, "You don't have any regrets then?"

"No. No regrets. I don't even have any regrets that Sherry and I had Billy. It was difficult having a son when we were only seventeen. Even so, I wouldn't change anything."

"You gave up football, college, and all the normal things that teenagers do. You wouldn't change that if you could?" Andy asked.

"No, I wouldn't change a thing. Billy was a mistake and an accident. Sherry and I were careless. Even for all of that, I wouldn't change anything. If I did then Sherry and I wouldn't have Billy. He's my son and I love him. I would do anything for him. Absolutely anything."

Heather added, "I think my brother and sister-in-law would say the same thing. My nephew Brian was an accident too. They really love him."

Justin answered, "I agree with part of what you said, Heather. Jon and Amy would do anything for Brian, but he wasn't an accident. Sherry and I had an accident when my condom broke. That is why we have Billy. Your brother and sister-in-law were being stupid. They had sex repeatedly without any protection. I hope all of you are being careful." Justin waited for a response. No one said anything. "That's enough of the sermonizing."

Brandon and Cassie called everyone for supper. Penny and I were assigned to clean up after dinner. Our group relaxed in the evening around the campfire. Some of the group played poker. Most of us talked.

We made mountain pies later in the evening. They are small pies made from two slices of buttered bread with jelly or jam in the middle. They are baked in small metal clam shell shaped pie makers with long handles. The butter and the jam made them delicious when they are properly toasted in the pie maker.

Couple by couple, my friends headed to their tents. Penny and I were the next to the last couple to leave the fire. I was a little surprised. Andy and Heather spent all evening together talking and flirting. It was almost like the last sixth months hadn't happened.

Penny and I went to our tent, stripped down and made out for a few minutes. We ended up satisfying each orally before we shared our bodies with each other. It was an excellent lovemaking session.

Penny and I were cuddled together, cooling down from our lovemaking when we heard Joe yell, "Jesus! Andy! Heather! Go to bed. It is a quarter to twelve."

"Sorry, Joe." We're going," Heather and Andy answered. Penny and I fell asleep a few minutes later.

I woke up a little early the next morning. I pulled on shorts and a T-shirt so I could go the latrine before the rest of the crew got up. When I came back Joe, Justin and Paul were out of their tents.

Joe said, "It's time to wake everyone up. Paul, Kyle – help get the crew up."

"Sure, Joe." "No Problem," Paul and I replied.

Joe, Justin, Paul and I went around shaking tents to wake the occupants. I shook and talked at each tent until the occupants told me they were awake, or at least until they grunted an acknowledgement.

I reached Paul and Andy's tent, shook it and said, "Andy, get out of bed..." I waited. "Andy..."

Paul laughed. "He's not in there, Kyle."

"What?"

"He didn't come to the tent last night."

"Where in the hell is he?" I asked.

Paul just shrugged his shoulders. I found out where my brother had spent the night a minute later. Justin shook Heather's tent and got two replies, hers and Andy's.

About thirty seconds later Heather insisted, "Andy, just get out!"

"What's wrong, Heather?" my brother asked meekly.

"Just leave now. I can't believe I..."

"I thought you wanted to..." Andy said.

"JUST ... GET ... OUT!"

Andy came flying out of the tent as he pulled up his boxers. The rest of his clothes flew out of the tent after him. Andy gathered up his clothes. He tried to pull his pants up.

Heather's outburst continued, "God! You are the most frustrating, infuriating guy ... Arrrgghhhh!"

Andy stumbled away as he pulled his shirt on. I asked, "What the hell happened?"

"I ... well, we ... Ah, hell. I don't know."

"Andrew, how did you end up in Heather's tent last night? Start at the beginning."

"Heather and I did the orienteering course together yesterday. We had a lot of fun together. We hung out together last night and talked. It was great. It felt just like when we were going steady. When the fire started to die down last night Heather got cold. We snuggled together. I put my arm around her to help her stay warm. Things started to move kind of quick after that. We started kissing and then she wanted me to feel her up. Next thing she wanted me to come back to her tent for the night. We uh ... you know..."

"Were intimate?" I offered.

"That's a polite way to put it. I didn't force Heather to do anything last night. What is Heather's problem this morning?"