Page 89 of Necessary Roughness
I snorted. “And you still remember it?”
“It’s kind of part of my degree.”
“What degree is that?” I asked skeptically.
“Theoretical physics. Five-year master’s program.”
I stared at him. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“Come here.”
He took my hand with a possessiveness that brokered no discussion, leading me down the hall and into his bedroom. I had never been in here before. He usually kept the door closed, giving me only occasional glimpses inside whenever he came and went. It was strangely clean, more so than his two roommates, with few personal possessions and only a singleCosmosposter on the wall with Carl Sagan’s picture smiling down.
“Here,” he said, pointing at the bookshelf next to his desk. “Classical Mechanics. Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications. General Relativity. Quantum Field Theory. Topology and Geometry for Physicists.”
“Wow. I wouldn’t have thought…” I struggled to find the words that wouldn’t make me sound like an asshole.
“Football players aren’t usually theoretical physicists,” he answered for me.
“Yes! Logan told me most football players choose easy majors, like Communications.”
Roman shrugged those massive, boulder-like shoulders. “I’m not most football players.” He selected a book off the bottom shelf, Introduction to Physics. “Bring your laptop in here. I have some free time to help you study.”
It was an order, not a request. So I demurely retrieved my laptop and returned to his room. He sat at the desk, and patted the bed for me to sit.
“You make your bed,” I observed.
“I like things orderly,” he said. “Routine gives me structure. Let’s start with arrays. I’m pretty sure I know where you’re getting hung up, and I have a practical example that should help you differentiate between them and vectors.”
For the next hour, I forgot that Roman was a big, burly linebacker. He was as knowledgeable as a professor, and more helpful than any tutor as he explained the basics to me. When I got something wrong, he calmly pointed out why and redirected the logical part of my brain toward the right answer. It was an absurd analogy, but I was struck with the image of an enormous sheepdog gently guiding the flock away from a cliff.
When I finally got a perfect score on one of the online practice tests, I let out a squeal of joy. “Yes! I feel like I actually understand it, rather than plugging in answers and praying it accepts them.”
“Physics is extremely logical… if you understand the core foundation,” he said with the closest thing to a smile I had ever seen. “Thanks for being a good student.”
“Are you kidding? Thank you for the help. I only wish I could repay the favor with one of your classes. I don’t suppose you’re taking any Education classes this year?”
“No, but I’d gladly take any advice on how to tackle a fucking quarterback,” he said dryly.
I grimaced at him. “I didn’t want to say anything, but since you brought it up… you’ve been having a tough year?”
He took a deep breath then sighed heavily, the chair squeaking from his weight. “I don’t know what’s wrong. It feels like I’ve lost a step this year. I think I’m doing everything right, but I’m struggling to make tackles. I’m always a millisecond away from making a great play. It’s infuriating.”
I smiled sadly. “Wish I could help. My only athletic experience is three years of high school field hockey.”
“Oh well.” He sighed again. “I’ll figure it out. Maybe. I still have another year of eligibility, so it’s not like this is my last season to make a splash for the NFL scouts.”
“At least you’ll have a master’s degree when you graduate!” I said cheerfully. “That’s something, right?”
“It’s something,” he agreed. “But I have the rest of my life to study the wonders of the universe. I was hoping to end my football career on a positive note.”
He looked so sad, sovulnerable, like a grizzly bear that had lost its cubs. Before I knew what I was doing, I was rising from the bed and throwing my arms around his neck in a hug.
“Sorry,” I said. “I can’t help you do better on the field, but I’m a good listener if you ever want to bitch about it.”
“Might take you up on that.”
I picked up my laptop and started to leave.
