Page 120 of The Last Guy On Earth
James Bond didn’t wear hoodies. But if you’re really worried, I’ll leave a door open for you. Come in the back.
Oh baby.
!!!
:)
I’m drowsing when Clay arrives in my bedroom. “Is that you? Or am I being robbed.”
“Gonna rob you of those boxers.”
Apparently, we’re still capable of joking around like rookies, because he does, in fact, steal my boxers a moment later.
And then we stay up way past our bedtime.
Game four goes a little better for me. Carolina plays like they’re out of gas. By the middle of the third period, it’s 3-0 in our favor. Their coach calls a time out, and I skate over to the bench.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Clay is saying to the team. “Don’t underestimate them. Defense will be everything as they get desperate. Help Jethro keep a clean sheet, okay? I want itbad.”
I don’t even dare to make eye contact with Clay after that comment.
“If we can shut out Carolina tonight,” he adds, “forget the bar tab. I’ll buy everyone a pony.”
There’s a rumble of laughter, the loudest of it from me.
Maybe there are some sexual favors at stake for the other team, too, because Carolina makes a big push and slides a goal between my skates in the last two minutes of the game.
I’m only partly mollified by DiCosta’s goal right before the final buzzer, and we go home with a 4-1 win. The series is three games to one, which means we could end this thing in Raleigh.
The next day I get a text from my dad.Call meis all it says.
That sounds grim, so I return it in a hurry. “You rang?”
“Yeah, kid. Nice streak you got goin’.”
I relax a little. “Thanks. How’s Shelby?”
“She’s great, Jethro. So great. Can’t wait for you to see for yourself. Meantime, I could fly Toby out to Raleigh to watch the game. You got two tickets?”
“Sure.” I rarely use my comp seats. “You want to come to a game? They’re yours.”
“Of course we want to come,” he says, as if this were a regular occurrence.
I buy them airplane tickets and find them a hotel room. On game day, I wait for them in the hotel lobby, stealing a few minutes from my busy schedule for a quick hello.
I’m checking my watch for the fifth time when the revolving doors push open and Toby strides in. He’s wearing shorts, a Cougars tee, and a big smile. “Uncle Jethro!”
“Hey!” Something catches inside my chest as he runs toward me. “Dude! I haven’t seen you in ages! Nice shirt.”
He laughs and throws his arms around my hips. “I got a foam finger, too! I’m gonna cheer really loud.”
“I could use it. How you been?”
We sit down on a sofa, and he starts blabbing at me about day camp. “The free swim is better than the lessons. They make everybody take lessons. Volleyball is cool, but we’re riding horses next week!”
“Wow. I’ve never ridden a horse.”
“Never?”
