Page 32 of Flip the Field
I sleepwalked through the first half of practice.
“There’s such a thing as pushing too hard, guys,” Coach stood up in front of the team as we gathered in the center of the stadium. “You guys take off and I’ll see you Friday at twelve p.m.” Whoops and hollers rang out from the guys and echoed around the empty stadium. “Don’t make me regret it,” Coach stood with his hands on his hips. “Y'all be smart. Now get out of here.” We were supposed to go for another two hours today and had a film session and position meeting scheduled for Friday morning, so the break was more than welcome.
We all ran back into the locker room. Some guys pulled on clothes without showering, talking animatedly about what to do with the extra time.
I grabbed my phone. Still no word from Amerie.
“Florida,” Matthews slapped me on the back. “What’s up, man? You’ve been twitchy all day.”
“I haven’t heard from Amerie,” I checked my phone again.
“She’s hob-knobbing with future constituents for her father’s run to the presidency. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Her father found out about us,” I grabbed my stuff and headed for the showers. Matthews followed.
“Oh yeah. He freak?” He stood under the shower head next to me. I moved over a space.
“I don’t think so,” I turned toward Matthews. “Why would he freak?”
“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “Wealthy Black powerful men don’t typically see their daughters with poor white trash like yourself.” Matthews chuckled.
The term poor white trash rubbed me the wrong way. I knew Matthews didn’t mean anything by it, but I didn’t think of myself in that way.
“Not like Amerie would mind. She’s already super into you. Why don’t you drive down and see her?” Matthews stepped under the spray.
“You think I should?” I had already made up my mind to go, but I needed a sign.
“Of course. Coach gave us the time off,” He wiped his face with his hand. “It’s, what? A two-hour drive. You could be there before dinner and leave early in the morning. You can take my truck.”
“Yeah, no,” I shook my head. “I’m not getting in that death trap ever again. Besides, Amerie left me the keys to the Rover.
“There you go,” Matthews walked toward me and hit me in the chest. “It’s fate.”
He was right. I cleaned up and threw on some sweats. I ran back to my dorm to change into something nicer. I’d make it just in time for dinner. I pulled on a pair of black slacks and a black sweater. I grabbed my jacket and jogged to Amerie’s house. I slid into her SUV, programmed the GPS on my phone, and was on my way.
* * *
When I arrivedat the hotel, I followed the driveway along the side of the building and up to the front entrance. The doorman approached my car.
“Good evening, sir, and happy Thanksgiving,” He tipped his cap.
“Hi. I was looking for Senator Clinton and his daughter,” Through the glass doors, I spotted a formal dining room near the back of the lobby overlooking the water.
“Oh yeah, they’re just about to sit down to dinner,” He stepped back. “Leave the keys in the car and I’ll park it.” He pointed.
I stepped out of the car and ran my hands through my hair. I stepped into the lobby and slipped off my jacket. A young woman was by my side in a minute.
“I’ll take that.”
I handed her my coat and proceeded across the lobby. The gloss marble floor looked like you could skate across it. A huge chandelier hung from the rafters. I spotted Amerie standing off by herself near the windows. She took my breath away. She was so beautiful. Her hair flowed down her back and she wore a curve-hugging sweater dress in burgundy. I couldn’t wait to peel it off of her later. Her legs were covered in black tights and suede boots that matched the color of her dress.
Someone called her name and she turned around. She smiled, but it was all wrong. Not the typical smile she wore with ease. Something was wrong. As I approached the room, she turned, and her gaze fell on me. It stopped me in my tracks.
Her eyes were tired and sad. Her spirt was defeated. Gone was the fierce, confident woman who’d worked her way into my heart.
Something was definitely off. By the way she looked at me, I was the cause.
