Far From Me Pt. 03

"Don't worry about it. If we win two more games, it'll all be worth it!"

He let them out, and returned to the couch to enjoy the last few minutes of "Blue in Green." Just as the record was ending, the buzzer in the kitchen went off. He pulled the piping hot pizza from the oven. He was so hungry that he only let it cool for a couple of minutes, before devouring three huge, steaming hot pieces standing at the kitchen counter. He wrapped up the rest, and put it into the refrigerator. Then, he brushed his teeth, undressed, crawled into bed at 7:30 and slept like a drunk until five the next morning.

*****

From the front, the Monteboro Community Center was a surprisingly small, low, narrow, red-brick building. It was situated on Queen Street in the center of downtown, just across from Quaker Park. When he arrived, a few people he didn't know were standing out front. When he first walked into a small front office just beyond the front door, he couldn't understand how the place could hold all the people that were expected.

He immediately heard the voices, but it was not until a pretty, 20-something, office employee with an impressive bosom ushered him back to a long, narrow meeting hall that sported a small stage in front of several hundred folding chairs that he realized just how big the building actually was.

Sadly, the Missiles had lost the game the night before by nine points to a really strong Reading Catholic Central team. Despite the disappointment, no one could say the Missiles didn't play well, and the contest was close throughout the first three quarters. But the Cardinals pulled away in the fourth, and despite the Missiles' gallant attempt at a comeback, the winning team hit every one of their free throws in the final minutes to salt away the victory. The loss ended their season, but they still finished their season with a stellar 26-2 record, far and away the best in school history.

The loss the night before probably diminished the gathered crowd's size, as well as its level of excitement, but if it did, it was not readily apparent to any of the 250 or so people gathered in the cramped hall. A few minutes after he arrived, the mayor, a 50-something balding man, named Henry Goetz, took the stage and asked everyone to take their seats. He sat with Paul and Juliette in the front row.

The audience was asked to stand while the mayor led them in the Pledge of Allegiance. When everyone sat down again, Mayor Goetz got things started with a rousing political speech about how lucky he was to be the mayor of "the greatest little town in America." He acknowledged a bunch of people, and then read a rather extensive mayoral proclamation that contained more "whereases" and "therefores" than you could shake a stick at. When he was done, he invited Principal Krueger up to receive the framed proclamation.

After that, Krueger introduced the Monteboro High School Varsity Cheer squad, who managed to jump and tumble their way through an energetic routine without anyone hitting her head on the low ceiling above the stage. Ingrid, of course, was among the enthusiastic, smiling girls who performed, and he couldn't get over how particularly fetching she looked that night in her blue and white uniform.

Of course, he'd seen her plenty of times since he'd returned from his Christmas vacation, but there was little doubt that a palpable friction existed between them throughout the remainder of winter and early spring. That was probably understandable.

On the one hand, he was certain that she was fully aware of his dalliance with Erika the night of her birthday party, and if that gave her pause to question any attraction she might have previously had for him, it was more than matched by his belief that she'd cuckolded him by having a two-month long affair with Lara.

The matter was never discussed, and they both pretended that nothing had changed between them, though any impartial observer could sense the tension. His perception was that they'd both kept quiet to hide their affairs from the Nagy's, though he also sensed that in each case Paul and Juliette knew exactly what had happened.

Without any evidence to support his theory, he was certain that they had heard everything that went on in their downstairs bedroom that night in December, and, for reasons that he couldn't explain - even to himself - he got the feeling that they knew about Ingrid and Lara long before he did. He remembered the knowing looks they shared the night of Ingrid's party when he told them that Lara had taken Ingrid back to their house in Monteboro to sober her up. He figured they knew all along.

Still, if Paul and Juliette did know, they, too, said nothing. He couldn't really blame them. It wasn't their fault that they'd been thrown into the middle of an international version of Peyton Place, right under their own roof.

He remembered back several months earlier when he told Paul how uncomfortable Ingrid's infatuation with him made him feel, especially when Lara was around. Paul's response was telling: he and Juliette, he said, were trying "to stay out of it." So, the whole convoluted mess went unmentioned and unresolved.

After the cheerleaders' performance, Gunter Fasching, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, spoke. His speech that was pretty similar to the mayor's except that it was more effusive and longer. He told the assembled crowd how important the Missiles' season was to community pride, and ultimately, how positive its impact had been on commerce.

He pointed out that all those crowds and the number of high profile, sellout playoff games held in the Monteboro High gym had brought basketball fans from near and far into town and, in so doing, quite a few dollars into the coffers of local businesses. He thanked a bunch of people, and then, like the mayor before him, congratulated the team, the cheerleaders, their coaches, as well as Principal Krueger, who was invited back to the podium.

Principal Krueger gave a little speech of his own, and then proceeded to introduce all of the members of the Varsity Cheer squad, their moderator, Kerri Bridges, followed by the varsity team members. When he finished calling up each by name, he introduced Paul, who walked up to the podium after the cheerleaders and players returned to their seats.

The crowd gave Paul a really amazing, standing ovation, and he could tell that being on the receiving end of all that adulation was pretty emotional for Paul. For at least a full minute, the crowd kept up their clapping, whooping, and whistling, while Paul nodded meekly like a crazed Buddhist monk who thinks he's getting too much attention. But he could tell that Paul's docile reaction was probably just a stalling method so he could swallow the lump stuck in his throat. Finally, as the crowd quieted, he pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and stepped up to the microphone.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I don't really deserve that ovation. Truth be told, there are far too many other people that deserve your praise, and I would point out, most of the time, players win games, not coaches." He paused. "I'll be honest, I'm not very good at this, and it makes me uncomfortable, so I'll be really brief, but I have prepared some remarks. If you don't mind, I'd like to read them now."

He looked down at the paper and began reading, making eye contact with the crowd as often as he could. "There are an awful lot of people I'd like to thank. It takes so many people behind the scenes to put on a game. To make it run smoothly - our manager, Tim Fischer, our statisticians, scorekeepers, timekeepers, the janitors, the Booster Club, the parent volunteers that run the concessions. Thank you to all of you." There was some scattered applause.

"To the cheerleaders and Coach Bridges - what can you say about these young ladies who put every bit as much time into supporting us and our school as we have done in representing it on the basketball court? Practice after practice; the long drives on cold buses; the lack of recognition; despite all of their hard work and dedication. Ladies, you've inspired this team, our fans, and the student body with your unbridled enthusiasm. Your contributions to our successes cannot be underestimated. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!" There was more polite applause and grateful smiles from the cheerleaders and Coach Bridges seated in the front row.

"To all of you parents who entrusted your sons to me over the past five months: you have been so supportive, and these young men have taken their cues from you. We couldn't have been so successful if we didn't have you behind us every step of the way. No team in this state has gained more confidence from the support it was shown by their parents who cheered their hearts out over the course of 28 games. Thank you so much, and know that your sons love and respect you."

"To Principal Krueger: thank you for taking a chance on me eight years ago! I don't think it's happened yet, but someday I hope you'll feel like you made the right decision!" Everyone laughed, and Krueger smiled as he shook a mock, chastising finger at Paul.

"To the school's faculty, staff, and all of our fans: thank you for your cheers, and for your boundless support. I would like to especially thank the Monteboro High School student body. I don't mean to disrespect anyone, and I understand there are limitations of all kinds in putting on an event like this one. Thank you for doing so. But those students? They should be here right now! To every member of the student body: remember, you are Monteboro High, not the rest of us." All of the players and cheerleaders stood, exploding in a loud, raucous ovation.

When they quieted down, Paul paused, seemingly with difficulty, before he continued slowly, "To my wife Juliette: I love you more than words can express, and I will love you until the sun goes black and the stars cease to shine! I can't conceive of living a day without you! You are everything to me!" Paul had to stop to gather himself, and that gave him the opportunity to affectionately pat Juliette, seated to his left, on the shoulder as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"There are probably very few of you in this room that can understand the role that a spouse plays in the life of a coach. Juliette is the reason that I continue to do this. Without her undying support, without her encouragement when we win, and her comfort and consolation when we lose, and, most of all, without her love, I would never be able to continue coaching. Thank you, sweetheart; I love you so much!" A round of respectful applause followed.

"To all of the players: you guys are the best, and you make all of us proud every day in so many ways that have absolutely nothing to do with basketball. You got better and better with each passing game, and your effort and dedication have been phenomenal, simply through the roof. You exceeded every goal we set for you all year long. Beyond that, you are truly young men of character, compassion, and determination, and I love you as if you were my own sons! Thank you and congratulations for the finest season in Monteboro High School basketball history!" The crowd, especially the players, erupted with thunderous applause.

"I would be remiss if I did not mention one more person. I'm kind of astonished that his name has not yet been mentioned from this podium tonight - it should have been. But in retrospect, that's probably not all that surprising, because he is a person who always deflects praise, while he's the first to accept blame that should more appropriately be directed at someone else, usually me. His contributions to this team are so numerous that we would still be here tomorrow if I tried to mention them all."

"Let me just talk about one of those contributions. In the past I've never had anyone who could give me accurate and thorough scouting reports of our opponents, but because we had those reports this year -because he gave of his own time to travel long distances to videotape games, or to watch tape of teams half way across the state, and then wrote up what he'd seen into these incredibly detailed and accurate reports, we knew how to prepare for every team we faced this season. I cannot underestimate how profoundly important that was to our success. You can ask any player on this team - we would not be here today accepting your proclamations, your kind words, and all this recognition without him."

"To Tom Albright: the best assistant coach I've ever had the pleasure to work with and a man I'm proud to call my friend. Thank you." As Paul nodded at him, the players and several cheerleaders jumped to their feet in a loud and appreciative round of applause.

"I guess that's about all I have to say. Thank you all for coming. Thank you to those of you who organized this event and donated the money to make it happen, and thank you all for your support and recognition. Go Missiles!" The rest of the crowd rose to their feet. The applause was long and loud. Paul nodded, folded his speech, put it in his pocket, and waved to everyone as he climbed down from the stage.

Mayor Goetz returned to the podium, thanked Paul and thanked everyone else for coming. He informed the crowd that the food and drinks would be served shortly from the front of the stage, and he asked that everyone thank those who had contributed the refreshments. He reminded them that the donors' names were mentioned in the program.

With the speeches concluded, everyone milled about shaking hands and visiting as they waited for the food and drinks to be served. When Paul rejoined them in the front row, Juliette didn't say anything, but hugged him as tightly as she could for a good half minute. When she released her hold on him, he, too gave Paul a big hug. "Nice speech, man! Thanks for the kind words!"

"Just telling the truth! Thanks for coming, even if you didn't want to."

"What are you talking about? You think I'd turn down free beer!" They all laughed.

A few people that taught with Paul came over to congratulate him, and shortly after they did, first the drinks - two kegs of Scholz beer, and two huge tubs full of Scholz flavored sodas -and then the food was served - finger sandwiches made of ham, roast beef, and turkey on rye bread, with hot German potato salad,.

The players and cheerleaders were the first to queue up for the refreshments. Most of the adults waited until the young people had paraded through a line from left to right across the front of the low stage. Pretty soon most everyone was standing around nibbling from platefuls of sandwiches and potato salad, as they enjoyed either beer in blue, plastic cups or cans of grape, orange, or strawberry soda.

Now that Paul had acknowledged him, Principal Krueger, the mayor, and the Chamber President came over to speak to him briefly. They all told him what a good job he'd done, and how proud they were of the team. After each conversation, he shook hands with them, and each wandered on to visit with someone else.

He, Paul, and Juliette each grabbed a beer, but they were among the last people to go up to the stage for food. After he'd eaten a couple of the small sandwiches, and some tangy potato salad, and was still sipping his beer, Ingrid strolled over to talk to him, "Hi, Tom. How are you?"

Both Juliette and Paul, seemingly caught up in a conversation with the parents of a few basketball players, took Ingrid's arrival as a cue to edge a dozen feet away from them. It was his impression that they had done so on purpose to give the two some privacy.

"I'm fine, Ingrid. How are you?" He smiled nervously.

"Goot! That vas nice vhat Paul said about you."

"Yeah, it sure was! He's a really good guy, and a helluva good basketball coach, too. You know, Ingrid, you lucked out having Paul and Juliette as your host family."

She smiled. "Ya, I know. I am going to be sat vhen I have to leave."

"When is that?" he asked.

"At the ent of May after gratuation. I ton't have to stay that long, but I vant to see my frients gratuate."

It bears mention that most foreign exchange students are in the U.S. for only one semester. Ingrid was able to stay for the entire school year. Of course, Ingrid Eriksson was not a very conventional foreign exchange student for a lot of reasons.

The first difference was her age, and since she didn't need to return to Sweden to finish her secondary education, there was no particular urgency for her to return home when the first semester ended. In addition, because she was a good student and well-liked by the other students, Principal Krueger wanted to keep her around for as long as he could.

Of course, as with most school districts, at the Monteboro Area Public Schools money was an even bigger incentive. Enrollment had steady dropped throughout the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with a population decline in most small communities throughout Pennsylvania, as well as most of the cities of the Rust Belt.

Manufacturing jobs, the lifeblood of a lot of towns and cities in the region, began disappearing in the mid-70s as the impact of global trade began to hit little towns like Monteboro pretty hard. Its negative effects continued to be felt.

The population of Monteboro had decreased by over 25 percent from its apex in the mid-60s. There were now just over 2000 residents, and the population of the outlying townships as well as the farming communities had also decreased, though at a lower rate than Monteboro proper. Because she helped pad the school district's revenues, it was more than happy to have Ingrid stay for the entire year. Now the end of that year was nigh.

He nodded. "You know I've enjoyed getting to know you, Ingrid. I'll miss you when you go back home." He smiled. Despite the uneasiness between them, the statement was honest.

"Ya, I vill miss you, too." She returned the smile and both nodded, but the awkwardness was tangible. "Oh, I vanted to give you something!" she remembered, reaching into her purse. She got out a small box, and opening it, pulled out two wallet-sized photographs of herself, and handed them to him. They were graduation pictures, even though Ingrid had actually graduated almost a year earlier from a gymnasium in Hässelby.

This first photo was a full body shot. In it, Ingrid wore a colorful, striped, full-length, tank dress that hugged her slim figure. The second was the more traditional graduation portrait. In it, a cryptic grin was emblazoned across her gorgeous face. Irrelevantly, he wondered if there was anybody else that was in on the joke.

"All of the seniors got their gratuation pictures taken in the fall, so I tit, too!"

"Well, thank you. These are good pictures of you. They'll be nice keepsakes to remember you by." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and opening it, found the half dozen, little plastic sleeves some of which already held pictures. The one on the top was visible. It was Lara's picture. He put Ingrid's into two of the empty sleeves, closed the wallet, and put it back into his pocket.

After an uncomfortable few seconds, Ingrid suddenly and brazenly asked, "Tom, I ton't know vhat you're doing vhen this is over, but coult ve go somevhere private to talk? I voult really like to speak to you... alone. I... I... think I shoult... apologize to you."

He shook his head. "Ingrid, you don't have to... you don't have to do that. I... I..." He didn't really know what to say, but she understood.

"No, I tefinitely think I shoult. I think that voult be the right thing to to."

He was really nervous, but she was smiling at him so sweetly that he couldn't help himself. "Alright, I guess we could go over to my place. Are you sure Paul and Juliette are okay with that? They're your ride home, aren't they?"