Chapter 32

I dropped my bags inside the door quietly. I knew Noah, Connor and Hunter would be sleeping. The kitchen was deserted so I headed for the family room. Mom, Liz and Andy were watching TV.

"I'm home," I said as I walked in the room.

"Don't you look like you've spent some time in the sun," Mom replied as she inspected me.

"Hey, bro," Andy added.

"Welcome home, Kyle," Liz said.

"Do you need the heating pad or heat cream for your bruises, honey?" Mom asked. "Those young men hit so hard."

"I'm fine Mom," I replied. "Oregon didn't play press coverage. I don't have many bumps and bruises. I might soak in the tub tomorrow after everyone leaves, but I'm fine other than that."

"Tell us about your trip," Mom asked.

I spent the next twenty minutes telling my family about my stay in Beverly Hills. I didn't get downstairs to my bedroom until 10:45 PM. I was in time to catch the tail end of the Sugar Bowl.

I was shocked when I saw the score. Georgia Tech was up 31-21 with ten minutes left in the game. The odds-makers had #14 GT set as a 14 point underdog to #4 ranked Florida. Florida had the ball when I flipped the TV on and was driving on the Yellow Jackets.

The drive stalled out at GT's 27 yard line. #5 trotted out with the kicking team. I could read "FRITZ" on his back. Ed never told me he held for his team's kicker. I knew something was up the second Ed took the snap. He stood and rolled to his right. I spotted a tight end down field paralleling Ed's route. Ed rifled the ball to him. The big tight end rumbled down the field. A couple defenders caught him but couldn't bring him down before he fell into the end zone.

Florida's defense held on GT's next possession. Ed's roommate, Eric Peters, took the punt from GT and made a nice return to give the Gators the ball on their 37 yard line. I watched as Elijah Carter demonstrated why he was called the comeback king of college football. He started the drive with about two minutes remaining in the game. Elijah worked the ball down the field hitting receiver after receiver in nearly impossible situations. Georgia Tech stiffened as the Gators got into the red zone. Twenty-eight seconds were left and Florida had one time out left.

The Yellow Jackets rushed four and put seven back on pass defense. They managed to force Carter to throw the ball away on first and second downs. On third and goal, GT blanketed the receivers. Carter stepped up in the pocket, desperately searching for an open receiver. He was forced to cut between two rushers and run when the pocket collapsed. GT brought him down at the three yard line.

The Gators were forced to spend their final timeout. The decided to send out the field goal team and try for a tie game. The kick was good. The game was going into overtime.

The Gators won the coin toss and confidently elected to take the ball. Elijah Carter was masterful as his team drove down the field. His timing was perfect. He threw with touch or velocity, as required. His play action fake was perfect, fooling not only the Yellow Jackets but the cameraman too. Eight plays later he hit an open receiver on a slant for a touchdown.

When it was the Yellowjackets' turn Carter's heroics inspired the Gator's defense. They stuffed two consecutive running plays, sacked the quarterback on third down and then batted away the desperation fourth down pass.

I smiled as I watched Ed celebrate the 37-31 victory on the field with his teammates. Ed and I planned to get together tomorrow night when he got home so we could regale each other with stories of our bowl victories. It should be fun. I turned off the TV and settled into bed to get some sleep.

I slept until 10:30 on Monday morning. A long soak in a hot bath tub helped ease my various aches, bumps and bruises from Saturday's game. I grabbed some breakfast, headed out to the grocery store for lunch food and snacks and to the video store for some DVDs. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies and reading a book from the Pattee Library on Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Cedar Mountain in June, 1862.

Andy and Liz got home from school a little after three o'clock. Liz took off for her friend Annie's house. She was helping Annie with a project for her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. Andy coaxed me into playing NFL Challenge with him. He whipped my ass. I just didn't have enough time to get good at it anymore.

Andy and I heard the scampering of little feet and shouts of "Daddy" when Mom brought the kids home from day care. We could hear them checking the kitchen then the family room before they came upstairs in search of Andy.

"Daddy? Daddy?" the twins chirped as the searched upstairs.

"Daddy!" Noah yelled when he peeked inside Andy's room. Noah raced for Andy to greet him. Connor followed right behind his brother.

"Daddy!" Connor exclaimed until he spotted me. "Unka Ky!" he shouted as he ran for me. Andy and I gave each twin hugs and kisses and then exchanged one for the other. Of course both boys insisted on plane rides from their uncle too.

When the greetings were done both twins grabbed Andy's hand and pulled him. "Unka Ky," they insisted as the tugged and pointed towards the door. "Unka Ky!"

"What's up?" I asked.

"I think they want us to look at the video of your game again," Andy said. The two of us followed the twins downstairs as they led us to the family room.

Both twins stopped in front of the TV and pointed. "Unka Ky," they insisted as they pointed at the screen. Andy turned the TV on and brought up the video of the Rose Bowl. Andy fast forwarded until he got to my first touchdown.

"There's Uncle Kyle," he explained.

"No!" both twins insisted. "Unka Ky!" Andy fast forwarded through my next two touchdowns and didn't stop until he got the third quarter where Coach Burton benched the first team. Andy hit play when the camera panned onto Zack, Aaron and me standing along the sidelines.

"Unka Ky," both twins said triumphantly. They stared raptly at the TV until the scene shifted away from me. Andy fast forwarded again until the camera caught me again.

"The boys understand the guy on the side line is you," Andy said as the boys watched raptly. "They haven't figured out that the guy on the field is also you."

"I think I know how to fix that," I said. "I have an old game jersey downstairs. Do we have any helmets?"

"Yeah, we still have that old plastic one," Andy answered. "I think it's in the junk closet in the basement."

I disappeared downstairs for a moment while I found my props. I came back upstairs wearing my 87 jersey and a small plastic helmet that Andy and I used play with in elementary school.

The boys looked surprised to see me dressed in "uniform". I had Andy rewind back to my second touchdown and replay it. I pointed to myself and explained, "Uncle Kyle," and then pointed at me on the TV as I caught the ball. "Uncle Kyle." The boys stared at the image for a few seconds. I hoped the camera man followed Anders, Hassan, Zack and me as we celebrated the TD. He did. As we passed the Nittany Lion, I had pulled my helmet off before I gave the Lion a high five.

"Unka Ky!" Connor gasped as he realized the guy in the uniform was his uncle. "Unka Ky," Connor explained to Noah as he pointed at me. Noah got it a second later. The boys danced around calling my name as the video played on. They watched for a couple minutes before Connor made the next connection. He ran over to the play box, dug around and pulled out the Nerf football I had given to each of the twins at Christmas.

A minute later the twins were playing "foobah". One twin would cradle the ball at the far end of the family room the way Andy showed him and then try to run across the room without being caught by the other twin, Andy and me. The boys seemed to love foobah. The game was interrupted when Mom called us for supper.

Dad had me narrate my week and a half adventure in Hollywood and give him some of the back story behind Saturday's game. He seemed to enjoy hearing about our win over Oregon.

Noah and Connor babbled along as the older members of the family conversed during our meal. Some of their "words" were understandable, but more weren't. Little Hunter babbled along with his nephews, not mature enough to form intelligible words yet.

Noah and Connor wanted to play more foobah after dinner. Andy and I indulged the boys for fifteen or twenty minutes until they got tired of the game and went on to other amusements. Andy headed upstairs to do his homework. I watched another movie while I waited for Ed Fritz to call after he got home from New Orleans.

Ed called a little after seven o'clock. I invited him over to work out with me. Ed gratefully accepted the invitation since he was stiff and tired from be squashed into an airline seat all day. He flew home in a coach seat direct from New Orleans instead of flying back to Gainesville with the team.

Ed came over fifteen minutes later. Ed, Andy and I headed to the basement to train. While Andy was doing his reps Ed commented, "I caught part of your game on Saturday, Kyle. I had a QB meeting and dinner and I couldn't watch the whole game. You looked good on the touchdown to start the second half."

"Thanks, Ed," I replied. "I caught the tail end of your game. I didn't get home until a quarter to eleven last night. You guys had a hell of a win."

"Georgia Tech was tougher than we anticipated," Ed replied. "We got the job done in the end."

"Yes you did," I said. "I watched most of the fourth quarter and the overtime. I guess Elijah Carter is pretty popular now."

"Popular?" Ed snorted. "They worship him like he's a god on campus. You should know how that is. After the season you had I would assume you're pretty popular around campus too."

"Yeah, I am," I admitted.

"I wouldn't know about that," Ed replied. "I'm about as popular around campus as a MADD mother at a beer party. Everybody on campus is expecting Terrence Walker to be their savior next season."

"You will beat him out next summer," I said. "Painful as it was, you have three games as a starter. You already understand how fast things move at this level. You will have a leg up on Walker."

"Painful?" Ed snorted. "That's putting it mildly. The beating I got in Death Valley was horrible."

"And you learned from it," I said. "I watched your stats. You got better with every start. It doesn't matter what the students on campus think about you. You can go out in the spring and show everybody the same thing you showed us in high school when you beat Steve for the starter's job in your first year of varsity."

"Yeah, you're right, Kyle," Ed agreed. "Coach Meyer gets the only vote on who starts. He still believes in me."

"That's what counts, man," I said as my cell phone rang.

The call was from Kathy Trimble. She was organizing a Fiesta Bowl party for Wednesday's game. I passed Kathy's information on to Ed. Ed figured he'd give Paige Anderson a call and see if she would be his date for the party.

Ed, Andy and I finished working with the weights and headed back upstairs for our run. We bumped into Mom giving Hunter a bath in the sink while Noah and Connor "helped," one at each side. I introduced Ed to my baby brother, who he had never seen before, and to the twins, who didn't remember Ed from seven months ago.

The twins were uncharacteristically shy around Ed. Ed complimented Andy on how cute his boys were. Ed was surprised how much the twins had grown since last summer. The three of us headed out for our traditional three mile run around the neighborhood.

The three of us decided to hang out and watch a little TV when we got back from our run. The twins showed up a few minutes later.

"Unka Ky, book?" Noah asked politely. Of course he held out "The Cat in the Hat" for me to read to him and his brother.

"I'm sorry, boys," I explained. "I have company. Maybe your dad will read it to you." The boys' faces fell when they realized I wouldn't read to them.

"It's all right," Ed said. "I wouldn't mind seeing you reading a bedtime story. The fully domesticated Kyle Martin should be an interesting sight."

"Thanks, smart ass," I said quietly. I added at full strength voice, "Off to bed boys."

"Mart ass," Connor commented to Noah. Noah giggled and agreed, "Mart ass Ed."

Ed rolled his eyes and chuckled as we followed the twins upstairs to their bedroom. The twins cuddled on either side of me while Ed sat on the edge of the bed as I read the Dr. Seuss story until the boys fell asleep. Ed covered Noah while I transferred Connor to his own bed. We quietly left the boys to sleep.

"You seem to be a good uncle," Ed commented after we closed the door to the boys' room.

"It's fun. You'll see some day when you're an uncle," I answered.

"I am an uncle already," Ed replied. "My brother Pete knocked up his girlfriend last year. My niece was born two months ago." Pete had moved to California six years ago, after he graduated from college.

"Have you seen her yet?" I asked.

"No, Pete came in with his girlfriend and daughter for Christmas," Ed said. "They haven't decided about getting married. Needless to say, mom and dad aren't thrilled about the whole thing."

Ed showed me the picture his niece, Sophia. She was a cute little thing. The two of us joined Andy and Liz downstairs in the family room. We watched TV together until ten o'clock, when Ed headed for home.

The week moved along at a quick but relaxing pace. Tammy Brooks and Kathy Trimble decided to go shopping Tuesday afternoon, so Hal Long joined Jake Kring, Ed and me for a trip to the bowling alley. Ed and I played computer games and watched some movies to pass the time. I volunteered to prepare supper for the family while I was home. Mom appreciated the break.

I talked to Kelly every evening before bed. Both of us were anxious for Friday to come. Kelly was leaving right after her family's breakfast and driving in to Paradise. She expected to arrive sometime after lunch on Friday.

Coach Caffrey gave Ed and me permission to stop by after school to help Andy and Tex organize the weekly video study session for the football team. I'm sure Coach Caffrey was grateful for the help. It was off season and he wasn't allowed to work with the team according to the PIAA rules. I enjoyed teaching the young kids how to study and prepare for the next season.

On the way home I quizzed Ed about the things he learned from his game against LSU early in the season. I knew he was still upset by how poorly he had played in his first start. I wanted Ed to look at the game analytically instead of emotionally so I pressed him for his observations and the lessons he had learned from the experience. Ed went through and described the mistakes he had made, things he had observed and what he would do differently given another chance at LSU.

"Do you want another shot at beating the Tigers this year?" I asked.

"Of course I'd love it," Ed agreed. "But I have to wait until next year to get revenge."

"Not necessarily," I countered. "Would you mind sharing your observations with USC's quarterback? Brady and I have stayed in touch over the last year."

"Really?" Ed said. His eyes lit up at the prospect of sticking it to one of his team's biggest rivals. "Do you think Rasmussen would listen?"

"He probably would," I said. "Brady is a real down-to-earth, nice guy. I'm sure he would appreciate someone who wanted to help him win the national championship."

"Let's do it!" Ed replied enthusiastically.

When we got to my house I put my supper casserole in the oven and then the two of us went straight to my basement bedroom. We spent the next forty minutes in the basement composing a memo for Brady about everything Ed had learned about the Fighting Tigers this season. I sent the e-mail off to Brady just before dinner. Hopefully he would have time to check his e-mail before the game and that Ed's observations would be helpful.

Our gang of friends assembled after dinner Wednesday evening at the Trimbles' house for Kathy's Fiesta Bowl party. Hal Long and Tammy Brooks helped Kathy get everything set up in the afternoon. Paige Anderson came as Ed's date. Brandon invited Holly Cox. Mark Good and Karen Reeser came as a couple. They had continued dating in college. Mark's best friend Paul Abbot came stag. Jake Kring, Penny and I didn't have dates either.

All of us grabbed some snacks and drinks and then settled in to watch Notre Dame take on Oklahoma on Kathy's dad's big screen TV. The game proved to be quite good. Oklahoma had a potent offense and a so-so defense. Notre Dame wasn't the juggernaut that it was last season, but they could move the ball effectively. Notre Dame hadn't lost anything since last season on defense. They were dominating.

The Sooners took an early lead but The Fighting Irish battled back to take a 21-20 lead into the half time. Jeremy was dominating on the field. The Fox commentators raved about how well he was playing. Of course everyone cheered our friend as we watched the action on the big screen TV.

Notre Dame came out in the second half and scored on a long, time consuming drive. Oklahoma responded, driving 36 yards on seven plays before they ran into trouble. On second and five Jeremy shot through a gap in the o-line and drilled the running back in the backfield a moment after he took the handoff.

Everyone in the room cheered as Jeremy was credited with a tackle for a four yard loss. Coach Brown, the Irish defensive coordinator, sent in six DBs to support Jeremy and the four down linemen. Jeremy dropped back into pass coverage as the ball snapped. They played zone, with five shallow and two deep cover men. It looked to me like Jon Stokes, Oklahoma's QB, would have a hard time finding any open receiver in the 9-12 yard range that he needed.

Half a second later as Stokes scanned the field, Jeremy stopped backpedaling and rushed the quarterback on a delay blitz. The running backs had gone out in the flat already as receivers. All the offensive linemen were engaged with the four defensive linemen when Jeremy rushed. He blitzed in clean between the center and the right guard.

I knew Jeremy was a smart football player, but his next move was perfect. Jeremy tackled Stokes' arm and the ball instead of his body. Stokes was dragged down by his arm as Jeremy ripped the ball free. Jeremy rolled over on his back, clutching the ball to his chest as the ref whistled the play dead. Sack, fumble and recovery – all credited to our friend.

The Trimble living room echoed with the cheers of his friends and fans. Kathy basked in the praise we heaped on her boyfriend. Jeremy's play had changed the game decisively. Notre Dame scored a field goal off the turn over, putting them up 31-20. They cruised through the rest of the game to a 38-27 victory.

All of us helped Kathy clean up when the game was over. The group talked about getting together again. We agreed we'd meet on Saturday night at the Green Iguana club in Lancaster. A night of music and dancing would be fun.

I found a reply e-mail from Brady Rasmussen when I checked my e-mail after lunch on Thursday. Here is what Brady said:

To: fastwr87@redroses.net

From: rassmussen.brady@usc.edu

Wow! Thanks for the tips. Most of what you and Ed gave me we knew from studying video. There were a couple things we couldn't see in the tapes that should help us. I guess you have to see the Tigers in person to pick them up.

Congrats on the Rose Bowl victory. I watched the game that evening. You played great. Tell Zack that he would have gotten the Heisman if the voting had been after the Rose Bowl. I'll see him at the Senior Bowl in a few weeks. He'll recognize me. I'll be the QB at the other end of the field celebrating his victory. ;-)

Brady

I showed Ed the e-mail when he came over in the afternoon. Ed took a copy along to show his teammates back at UF. Hopefully Brady could put the information to good use and beat LSU on Saturday night. That would be the best revenge the Gators could get until next season.

Jeremy North arrived home from Phoenix on Thursday evening. Only Kathy was invited to his homecoming. The rest of us would have to wait to see him until Friday evening. The four couples – Kathy and Jeremy; Hal and Tammy; Ed and Paige; and Kelly and me – planned to catch a movie together.

I got up around eleven and took a shower on Friday morning. I was excited that Kelly would arrive in an hour or two. I cleaned up my bedroom so it was presentable. I wouldn't want my lover to have to share a pig sty with me. I had just stepped out of the shower when my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey, it's me," Kelly explained. "I just got on 283 from the turnpike."

"Cool," I answered. "You'll be here in forty-five minutes."

"Can I get lunch at your house?" Kelly asked. "I don't want to stop and waste time at a restaurant. It's been twenty days since we made love."

"Twenty days, two hours and forty-three minutes," I corrected. "We have plenty of food here for your lunch. My parents are at work and the kids are at school or day care. No one will be around to bother us until three o'clock."

"I'm on my way," Kelly said. "I hope I don't get a speeding ticket. Love you and see you soon."

"Love you too," I said before clicking the off button on the phone.

I dressed and headed upstairs to get things ready for lunch with Kelly. Thirty-eight minutes later I was thawing some of Mom's home-made chicken corn soup when the door bell rang. Kelly certainly had driven above the 65 MPH speed limit on the highway to get here this fast.

"God! I missed you," Kelly exclaimed as she launched herself at me when I opened the front door. Kelly hugged and kissed me, squeezing me tight to her body as our tongues danced together. We finally pulled our lips apart when we needed to breathe.

"God, I missed you too," I gasped as I stared into Kelly's hazel eyes. "I'm so glad you're here." We held each other for a few seconds more until a cold blast of arctic air reminded us we were standing in the open doorway. I helped Kelly inside and then shut the door.

"Do you want lunch first or should I help you bring in your bags?" I asked.

"Lunch would be great," Kelly said as she unzipped her coat. "I'm famished."

I led Kelly back to the kitchen. I fried up a couple hamburgers for us while the soup thawed and warmed. Kelly and I caught up on all the happenings in our lives as we ate. There was one thing I was particularly curious about.

"Did your dad say anything about nearly catching us having sex Saturday morning before you went home?" I asked.

"No. It was amazing," Kelly replied. "He knew you spent the night with me and he didn't say a single word about it the whole way home."

"I'm glad he isn't mad at me," I said.

"I didn't say that, Kyle," Kelly said. "I know he wasn't happy about us having sex but I think he realizes that he has no say in the matter. He's finally stopped treating me like a little kid."

I was relieved that Bill was learning to live with me having sex with his daughter. I wanted to be accepted by her family. It wouldn't be good to fight with potential in-laws if I expected to stay together with Kelly.

I helped Kelly move her bags downstairs after we finished cleaning up lunch. The two of us took full advantage of having an empty house that afternoon. Our first time together was pretty frantic, the two of us fulfilling our urgent lust for each other's bodies.

We made love again after fifteen minutes of cuddling and talking. The second time of lovemaking was exactly that. We made love – sharing our complete passion for each other as we shared our bodies slowly and gently. It was a glorious way to reunite with my girl.

Kelly and I cleaned up after cuddling for awhile after our romp in bed. We headed upstairs and watched a movie together. Andy and Liz came home from school a little after three o'clock.

Liz greeted Kelly warmly with hugs and kisses. Teen-aged boys aren't normally demonstrative, but Andy greeted Kelly with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. My siblings seemed to display just as much affection for Kelly as they had for Abby when she was our brother's girlfriend instead of our sister-in-law. Liz headed upstairs to get a head start on homework. Andy cleaned up and headed to work. He would be working until 9:30 that night. I started a pot roast for supper, with Kelly's assistance.

The two of us relaxed with our movie while the beef roasted. Around a quarter to five Kelly and I headed back to the kitchen to finish cooking supper. Potatoes, carrots, celery and onions went in the big cast iron pot with the roast. Kelly put together a simple chocolate pudding pie while I made dough for dumplings to go with the roast.

Mom and the kids got home just as I finished the dough for the dumplings. The twins stormed into the kitchen as hard as their little legs could go calling, "Daddy? Daddy?" The cries switched to "Unka Ky!" when they spotted me. I gave Connor and then Noah a hug and a kiss.

"Guys, do you remember my girlfriend, Kelly?" I asked. The boys turned shy instantly when they saw Kelly. They scurried around behind my legs and peeked out at my girlfriend.

Kelly gave the boys a big smile, crouched down so she was closer to their eye level. "Noah, do you remember me?" she asked sweetly. Noah leaned out a little further and stared at Kelly. "I'm finishing a chocolate pie for dessert. Would you and Connor like to lick the spoon?"

My nephews hadn't progressed to the point where they could say chocolate, but they certainly knew what the word meant. Their faces lit up with big smiles and they stepped over to Kelly. She handed the boys the spoon, which they licked until the stainless steel shined. From then on the twins considered "Keh-EE" a normal part of the family.

Mom carried Hunter into the kitchen as the twins were finishing up cleaning the spoon. "I see you've made friends," Mom teased as she looked over the messy faces of her grandchildren. "Did you have a good trip in?"

Mom and Kelly talked as Mom took off Hunter's winter clothing. Mom swiped a finger around the edge of the pudding bowl and gave my little brother a taste of pudding. Hunter relished it. My little brother went in the play pen in the corner of the kitchen when Mom went upstairs to change into every day clothes.

Hunter was slowly becoming mobile. He learned to roll over between Thanksgiving and Christmas. While I was in California he started pushing up on his hands and knees, trying to crawl. Hunter could stay up for a few seconds before he would flop down on his belly again. Eventually he would catch up to and have his nephews as playmates, but not just yet.

Noah and Connor toured the house in search of their daddy, but didn't find him. They ended up coming back to the kitchen, "helping" Kelly and me get dinner ready. I had everything on the table around a quarter to six, soon after Dad arrived home from work.

I received a good review on my first pot roast cooked indoors. The other times I made this meal had been on camping trips with the scouts. I cooked it on the fire in a dutch oven. We enjoyed a pleasant conversation around the table as Kelly told us about her holiday and we filled her in on the happenings in Paradise. Liz agreed to take care of the dishes after dinner so Kelly and I could get ready for the movies.

The four couples were meeting at my house. Jeremy, Kathy and Tammy rode with Hal. Ed drove Paige, Kelly and me to the theater. Kelly and Paige got acquainted on the drive over to Millersville. The four couples settled on a nice romantic comedy with a good storyline.

Kelly and I sat back, cuddled, held hands and enjoyed the movie. Ed and Paige did the same. Jeremy and Kathy as well as Hal and Tammy took advantage of the darkness to make out. Their parents weren't nearly as understanding about their children's sexuality as mine.

Kelly and I had no need to carry on like high school kids. We'd satisfied ourselves twice in the afternoon and had the prospect of sleeping together that night. Ed and Paige were no less horny than Kelly and me. Fortunately for the two of them, the Andersons were as understanding as my parents. Ed was spending the night at the Andersons.

The whole group stopped off at the pizza shop after the movie. We bumped into Matt Sauder, Josh Strickler and Cody Stevens with their dates. The guys peppered Jeremy, Ed, and me with questions about our experiences in our bowl games.

Hal didn't seem to mind the kids ignoring him. Even he realized that sitting on the bench at the Meineke Car Care Bowl wasn't a big deal. His full four year scholarship gave him an equal education to what Jeremy, Ed and I were getting our big name football schools.

The kids had to leave in a hurry when Matt realized that his dad would be outside the theater in a few minutes. They all had a midnight curfews. Jeremy, Kathy, Tammy and Hal split soon afterwards. They were off for some parking before they headed for home. Ed drove Kelly and me back to my house before he took Paige home for the night.