Page 36 of On Merit Alone
“So who wasthat cheeky little move for last night?” my dad asked as we sat around the couch at home. We were about to have dinner, watching basketball while we waited.
Women’sbasketball—and more specifically, the Denver Dynamite as they took on Minnesota on the road.
I gave him a wry smile. “No one in particular.”
“Oh?” His gray eyebrow raised along his brown face, the wear of time and age visible in the wrinkles and smile lines of his expressions. Glancing at me, he gave a look he’d been giving me since I was a boy no taller than his knee. Even now that I was a man several inches taller than his six-foot four, I could tell his‘bullshit’face from a mile away. “Now, you really expect me to believe that?”
“Pop, believe it,” I said as I leaned forward and stole a piece of popcorn from a bowl Mom set down for us. “Now shush, old man, I’m watching the game.”
“What you need to be watching is the clock. Cause time’s running out on you making a decision with that contract?” Dad said. “Know what you’re planning on doing yet?”
I grunted, and he huffed, shaking his head. “You’re not eventhirty-five yet, Ira. If you retire now, what are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
Another grunt.
“Do you even have a plan?” he pressed, just like parents liked to.
I didn’t. I was still going off feelings alone, and the truth was, now that this season was going well, my feelings were strangely changing again. But for some reason, I didn’t want my dad to know about my indecisiveness.
So, instead of telling him what was on my mind, I grumbled, “I’ve been doing some coaching here and there. Trying things out.”
Dad blinked at me, shocked. Then he nodded his head a few times before looking over his shoulder for Mom. This is how I knew he was going to say something she wouldn’t approve of. He always checked first before leaning in and whispering, “No shit?”
“Yeah, Dad,” is all I said.
It almost felt wrong to call what Merit and I were doing “coaching”. Yeah, I was giving her advice here and there, and yeah, I was actually pleasantly surprised by the feeling of satisfaction and gratification I got from her successes after having personally played a role in her training for them. But still, we’d done those things together. It felt wrong making it out to be some sort of transaction.
I contemplated correcting myself, but as I thought about it, in came the bustling of many voices.
“Uncle Ira!” Olivia, my four-year-old niece, outright banshee squealed as she charged me from the doorway. I don’t know how she did it, but somehow she managed to take me, a six-foot, six-inch professional athlete, by surprise. The way she ducked and dodged the living room furniture in order to tackle me on the couch had me thinking she had a future in football one day.
“Umph!” I grunted as she borderline attacked me. Scooping her up, I swooped her little body behind my back and plopped her on top of my shoulders. Then, raising to my feet, I jogged around thearea in a slow trot, making propeller noises all the way. Giggles and squeals assaulted my ears as Liv held on tight to my neck and enjoyed the ride, her little braided hairstyle smacking me in the face and her barrettes getting tangled in my curls.
Making my way around the room, I went around to my family in greeting. First to my mom who was bringing shopping bags to the kitchen island. I stole a kiss on the side of her face, bending low for Livy to steal one too, then I grabbed the bags from her hand to carry the rest of the way to the kitchen. Next, I caught my brother Isaac coming in from the garage, gave him a fist bump before swerving out the way as he tried to steal his daughter back. His wife Leah got a side hug from me and a sloppy kiss to the top of her head from her daughter. And then we were on to our final targets. When we arrived, Iris was just setting the baby carrier on the dining room table. Bumping her hip, I immediately stole her place and started unfastening my new favorite dude.
To Olivia, I warned, “Gentle now, okay. We’re going to get a new passenger.”
Like a good pilot, she quieted down and watched mesmerized over my shoulder as I swooped little Maddox up and cradled him right up to my chest. He smelled like baby, and milk, and maybe as if he needed a diaper change.
And like I guessed, beside me Iris outstretched a diaper like she already knew. Stacked along with it were the baby wipes and powder. All the fixings for my sister's favorite sentence, which I uttered with excitement, “I’ll change him.”
Fifteen minutes and a changed diaper later, Livy was back on my shoulders after being a good little helper of course and Mads was snuggled up to my chest. Wide awake after having slept in the car ride over and currently fascinated with smacking his palms against my face as I blew raspberries against them.
Heart full.
And, apparently,family amused.
“Look at that boy. Somebody get him a family, quick!” My mom chuckled, passing behind me and swatting my free shoulder as she did.
I gave her a smile. “Nah, this is enough for me right now.”
Looking at Mads, I asked, “Right, Mads? You two are all Uncle Ira needs?”
“Right!” the little girl on my shoulders shouted, causing Mads to look up at her in glee and wonder. I swear his eyes were so big. I laughed, but my niece had different plans. Pointing straight ahead, she said, “Now fly, Uncle I! Go!”
Extending my palm in a salute, I said, “Yes, Captain!” And then I was off on my little airplane trot again.
“Ira, be careful!” Both Leah and Iris called after me, while Isaac and Neil just chuckled from the couch with Dad.
