Page 58 of When We Were Young
I’d get two clearances, if I were you. So the people youlove don’t have to bury you early.... Get that second opinion, will you? For peace of mind.... A minor hit could leave you unable to walk and talk and feed yourself.... A major hit could put you in a vegetative state. For the rest of your life.... A devastating blow... could kill you, Noah. On the spot. Right there on the field.
And of course the statistic that shook Noah to the core: the fact that he was ten times more likely to have terrible consequences from the wrong kind of hit. Ten times.
Noah lifted his face to the sky. And gradually a peace came over him, like he’d never felt before. God hadn’t been talking about football. Those weren’t the good plans He had for Noah Carter. A smile tugged at his lips. The choice was actually pretty simple. A life on the field, where every day could be his last. Where even if he lived through his time in the NFL, he might not know his name by the time his kids entered high school.
Or a life with Emily Andrews.
Noah felt his smile fill his face.Thanks, Lord. For making it easy. On the way home from the field he called Joel Walker. One thing was certain.
His would be the shortest professional football career ever.
18
This time Noah didn’t want to wake up. He was just at the good part, the chapter of his story where he gave Emily the greatest gift ever. The gift of life. His life.
But he was wide awake. He rolled over and stared at the off-white apartment ceiling. There was no falling back to sleep now.
He climbed out of bed and looked around the room. The scratchy carpet again, but something was different. What had happened this time? It was the same room, but when Noah looked to the window it was open and warm air drifted in.
Warm air at Christmastime?
He blinked a few times. Indiana was never this mild in December. He drew a deep breath and checked his face in the mirror. “Yikes.” He stepped back. His reflection made him catch his breath. He looked terrible. His blond hair was darker, cut short. The lines around his eyes had spread and now there were creases on his forehead and near his mouth.
Whatever was going on with his head, the pain and damage were taking their toll on his face. That had to be it. He heard voices in the next room. Finally, something that made sense. His family was here, where they belonged. Enough of that strange man sitting next to Emily.
Before he left the room he turned back to the bed. If Emily was here, then surely she’d slept in bed with him. Even if he couldn’t remember yesterday at least she had been with him, the two of them sleeping next to each other, their legs intertwined.
But her side was still freshly made. Like she hadn’t even come to bed. He stared at the empty spot where she should’ve slept and pieces of his memory were suddenly clear. She hadn’t fallen asleep next to him in a long time. Granted, the dates didn’t line up. Entire chapters of his story were missing. Like time was slipping away, hours for years.
Still one terrible, tragic constant remained: the love of his life wasn’t here with him.
Noah sighed. He went toward the voices in the living room, and fixed a smile on his face. “Hey there!” He said the words before the kids came into view. “Everyone having a good morning?”
That’s when he saw them, Aiden and Olivia.
Panic grabbed at him, suffocated him. They weren’t little anymore. They weren’t even ten and eight. Olivia was on a phone, her legs draped over the arm of the corner chair. Aiden was flipping channels with the TV remote. He barely looked up when Noah entered the room. “Hey.” He muttered the word. “Shouldn’t preseason ball be on by now?”
Preseason? Noah blinked a few times. His headache was back, stronger with every passing minute. “You mean football?”
Aiden turned his eyes to Noah. “Dad.” His tone was a mix of contempt and condescension. “Of course football. It’s August.”
“Right.” It was August? Noah felt his knees begin to tremble. What could he say? When did Aiden get so old? And mean? Noah forced himself to concentrate. His son was waiting for an answer. “The games might start a little later.”
“True.” Aiden turned off the TV and tossed the remote on the sofa. He leaned back and closed his eyes. “What are we doing today, anyway? A whole day’s a long time, you know?”
Olivia looked up from her phone. “A very long time.”
“Give me a minute.” Noah tried to keep his tone upbeat. “Dad needs a little coffee.”
It was true. Coffee would help his headache; at least it used to help. But he needed the time for another reason. So he could study his kids, try to figure out what had happened to them. When had they grown up and become so... so different?God, where has the time gone? I can’t take this!
While the pot brewed, Noah grabbed his phone. It looked different, but the pass code was the same. First thing he did was open the calendar. What was the date? He absolutely had to know at least that detail.
There it was. August 12. Okay, that much lined up with what Aiden said. It was August. But what year? Noah made a few clicks and what he saw was too outrageous to believe. If the year was correct Aiden was fifteen and Olivia was thirteen. His kids weren’t kids anymore. They were teenagers.
From his spot in the kitchen, Noah observed them. Olivia wore tight jeans and a skimpy tank top. Part of her stomach was showing—Emily never would’ve worn something like that. So how could she allow it for their daughter? Olivia’s ears were pierced and... he looked closer. Yes, she was wearing makeup.
And what was keeping her so busy on the phone?
