Faking It(58)

Over his shoulders, I saw something more surprising yet. I’m not sure how they did it so quietly, but it looked like everyone I had ever known was on my lawn. My agent was the first one I saw, on one knee, snapping pictures of me and Vlad. All of the guys from the gym were there—minus Mason, of course. They rushed me, slapped me up and down, play fighting for the cameras that were filming the event from scaffolds that had been rigged up out by the curb, behind the crowd.

High school friends. James from Nike. Most of my teachers from elementary school on up. Neighbors. All of them cheering and crying and saying that they supported me. People were waving signs and ordering me to stay safe.

To say it was overwhelming would be a big of an understatement. I’m not sure I had ever been so moved.

Vlad stepped to my side and began clapping in rhythm. The crowd joined in. Something was happening, a shift in the ranks. The sea of people parted further, then further, and then there they were.

Holding Mason’s arm as if she were a bride being given away, Alyssa was there. She and her dad walked towards me with huge smiles on their faces. I couldn’t make sense of it and I didn’t give them a chance to get closer. I was running towards them, sweeping her into my arms, and spinning her around like we were in some corny musical.

“I’m getting dizzy!” she said.

I put her down and gaped at them both. “What are you doing here?”

Mason put his hands on my shoulders. “I felt terrible about the way I spoke to you. Just horrible. Alyssa and I had a very long talk about you, her, me, and what we all want for each other.” He smiled. “Braden, I’m not an easy man to love, unless I’m your coach. I’ve got a lot of blind spots, especially when it comes to Alyssa. But she has helped me see that I’ve overdone it in some ways. As a fellow serviceman, I respect what you’re doing, more than you understand yet. As a coach, it drives me crazy. As a father, I need to just back off a bit and let Alyssa live her life. But if you two are going to be together, I just wanted to tell you that you’re everything a man could want for his daughter.”

“I’ve got a lot of things I still need to work out,” I said.

“You sure as hell do,” he said, laughing.

“Is that what you want?” I said, turning to Alyssa.

“First,” she said, “I have to tell you some good news.”

“Please.”

She lit up like the sun and took a deep breath. “ESPN picked up my show! It’s going to be small to start, but High Impact is going to get a thirty-minute slot and sometimes it’s going to air during halftime of NBA games!”

“What? That is amazing. How did it happen?”

She threw her arms around me and kissed me hard. “It just so happens that while you were away, I released our interview episodes. I think you’ll like the final result, but I don’t want you to listen to it until you’re in basic training. It will give you something to think about that I think will be good for you. That’s how it happened, though. The producers said it was one of the most moving things they had ever seen in a sports piece. It’s just a trial run, but it looks like it’s really going to happen!”

I wasn’t even surprised. I mean, you’re never really prepared for something like that, but as I looked at her, thought about her, remembered all the things I loved about her, it was only what she deserved. There was no way that Alyssa was ever not going to take the world by storm.

“They’ve commissioned a follow-up piece as well,” said Mason.

“What is it?” I said.

“Once you’re situated,” said Mason, “we’re going to be able to talk with you once a week, assuming that you’re not in the middle of maneuvers. It’s going to be an ongoing profile of you and the life of an athlete who gave it up—temporarily, I hope—to serve something bigger than himself, bigger than sports. So you two will get to be in more contact than you would have otherwise.”

“Depending on the conditions,” said Alyssa, “I might even be able to come over for a visit, somewhere safe, when you’re on furlough.”

Janie rolled her wheelchair next to me. “I want to go too!”

“We’ll see,” said my mom. “I’m not sure I want anything to do with it. But it would be fun to go see all three of your brothers, wouldn’t it?”

Alyssa kissed me again. “I am so proud of you. I can’t believe how fast this has all happened, but I’m so glad it did. I will be here when you get back. You go do whatever you have to. I am always going to be here. Always.”

It was all I had ever wanted to hear.



The End