Mr. Basketball Ch. 07

"You still have a ball?" I asked.

"Yur Uncle Bart knows to brang one tomorrow."

I went out the front door and heard the two girls laughing. Guess things were going well. I rounded the house and got the ladder. I set it up under the hoop and looped the net in place.

"What are you doing?" Teagan asked as her and Sam stood looking at me.

"I guess we are going to play tomorrow."

"Oh, I didn't bring my shoes."

"I can get you some tonight," Sam offered. "I have to go in tonight at 5."

"On Christmas Eve?" I asked.

"Better than working on Thanksgiving," she croaked. "I had to do that too. I missed dinner and everything."

"That sucks," I said.

"Tell me about it."

She checked her phone. "I have to go and get ready. I will see you later."

She hugged Teagan then me before leaving.

"You two ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course. We talked and we are fine. She's sorry and I told her not to be. Everything happens for a reason."

"That's good. That's one less enemy you have to worry about."

"Missy going to be here tomorrow I take it?"

"I assume so."

"Great," Teagan groaned. "Try to play nice."

"Only if she does."

"Teagan," my mom called. "Cain you help me cook?"

"Yes, be right there."

"You better go," I said smacking her butt. "She don't let just anyone in her kitchen."

She quickly went into the kitchen. I joined them but sat at the table and let them work. They worked right up until 5.

"You better get cleaned up," my mom scolded me.

"Yeah, I know," I said.

I went and took a quick shower and got into some nicer clothes. Teagan was next and got ready. She dressed in some pants and a nice shirt. She looked very good although I liked her in a skirt better. My dad arrived home and we all sat down to eat dinner. We said grace and then dug in.

We finished quickly then Teagan and I cleaned the dishes tonight. They went and got ready. We got into the car and drove the short distance to the church for service. Then we led a convoy of cars back to the house. We all sat around on the front porch again and had a good time.

Sam arrived around 1030 and had the shoes she promised Teagan. She tried them on and made sure they fit. Missy tried to start in on Teagan again. Sam jumped in right away which surprised Missy and she shut right up.

We kept drinking and picking well into the night. Randy showed up just after midnight.

"Oh shit," I cried. "The cops are here."

They all started laughing as he climbed the steps and said hi to everyone.

He stood off to the side and just hung out.

"Sam," I waved her over.

"Does everyone know about you and him?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Why is he hiding in the corner then?"

"He don't know that you know."

"Hey Randy," I called.

"Yeah."

"It's cool, you and Sam," I said. "Don't hide it from me. I won't arrest you for it."

The porch roared with laughter.

"I did cut you some slack last night so I guess you owe me," Randy laughed.

"I would have arrested the tramp," Missy hissed.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Sam fired right back.

"What do you know?" Missy huffed.

"Dam it," Gus cried. "I told you to behave. It's over between you two. Cain't you just get that?"

The porch was silent now as everyone looked at one another. I pulled the guitar from the wall and strum a few cords to break the tension. I pulled my phone out and opened the app to get the strings to play for the song I wanted.

"What the hell is all that?" Scooter asked.

"You got to catch up with the times," I laughed. "This here's a phone. It does more than just call people."

"Is that what that is?" Scooter said sarcastically.

"I can control the space station from this thing."

The porch started laughing again as I found what I was looking for. Randy worked his way over to Sam and wrapped his arm around her waist. They smiled at each other as I pressed the play button. The words and cords started to scroll across the screen.

"This one is for you baby," I said looking at Teagan.

"What's your all-time high, your good as it gets," I started.

I played along as everyone held there other halves. Boy that pissed Missy off good. She sat in the corner and steamed as I played. The beer must have loosened me up because I hit every string perfect and I thought I didn't sound half bad. Teagan finished the song with me. She leaned over and kissed me as I set the guitar down.

"That was good son," dad complimented me.

"That dang thang got that Britney Spears lip sync app on it?" Scooter joked." You sounded pretty darn good tonight."

We started laughing as Missy now left the porch and went to sit in the truck.

Gus now picked up the guitar and strum a few cords. "Now that you broke the ice with that, I'm gunna play one I like."

He strum the first few cords and I knew exactly what he was playing. I took Teagan's hand into mine and looked at her smiling face.

"I love you."

She just smiled and batted her eyes at me.

Gus started. "You may thank that I'm talkin foolish, you've heard that I'm wild and free."

"Oh baby," Teagan looked at me now. "I love this song."

I hushed her with a kiss. She kissed me back and we found ourselves making out as the song played to its end.

"Get a room you two," Sam teased.

I gave Sam the finger and kept kissing.

"Jacob," my mom scolded now. "You best say yur sorry."

Randy's radio crackled.

"Dam," he sighed. "TC104, go ahead."

"Possible break in at the gas mart on Main and Market road. Reported two suspects seen in the area acting suspicious."

"Received," he replied.

"You want some help?" Gus asked.

"Follow me up there so I cain see what's goin on."

The porch emptied out now. Everyone got into a vehicle and followed Randy around the corner into town. Just the girls remained as we took off except for Missy since she was already in the truck. They all cried out their warnings for us to be careful.

Randy parked his car and hit the spot light on the front door. The broken glass sparkled on the ground as the rest of us came to halt. I climbed from my dad's truck as he took his trusty shotgun from the rack. Randy already has his gun drawn as he looked into the open front door.

I went to the front corner of the store and stood flat against the wall. I was here to help but there was no way I was going to get into the line of fire.

"Shit, they is runnin out the back," Randy hollered. "TC104, two suspects running from the store....." his voice trailed off as I turned the corner.

I forgot everything I had just told myself now as I turned around the building and saw a shadow of a man running towards me. I just reacted and lowered my shoulder. I caught him around the waist and drove him into the ground. We wrestled for a second before I dropped an elbow on his face and got him turned over.

"I got one," I called to whoever was close by. My dad and Gus ran by chasing the other guy who had seen the events unfolding and turned back. Randy dropped some cuffs as he ran by and chased the other suspect.

"I'll be right back," he called as he ran by. "Don't hesitate to knock the shit out of him if he tries anything funny."

"Give me your hands," I barked.

I spun the cuffs around his wrists quickly and left him on the ground as I stood. I dusted myself off and called the guy a piece of shit.

"Jake?" the guy puffed.

"Tommy," I said recognizing his voice immediately.

"Yeah," he croaked.

"What the fuck are you doing Tommy?"

"I wanted some cigarettes."

"You couldn't have come and found Carol you idiot. You know she would have opened the store for you."

"This seemed like less work. Plus if you ain't got the money to pay for them it don't do much good."

"Geez, Tommy," I cried. "Fucking idiot. Who was with you?"

"Nobody," he groaned.

"Your brother wasn't it?"

He sighed. I could hear the distant voices of my dad and Randy now.

"Get on the ground," Randy's voice called first.

"I'm gunna knock the dog piss out of you if you don't get down boy," dad's voice carried my way.

"Taser him," I heard Gus cry.

"Fuck that," Tommy's brother called. "I don't want no Taser."

"Fine," dad howled. "You get my fist then."

I could hear the muffled gasps as he took a punch. They wrestled him to the ground.

"Get up," I ordered Tommy.

He stumbled to his feet and I led him to the cop car.

"Sit down so I can keep an eye on you."

"Yur bleedin," he said. "On your elbow."

"It's just a scratch."

"What are you doin back in town?" he asked.

"Shut up Tommy," I said annoyed.

Randy rounded the corner with Tommy's brother and set him on the ground.

"Dam Jake," Randy huffed. "Yur bleedin."

"It's just a dam scratch," I said.

I turned to look at it in the spotlight. It was a little more than a scratch but nothing to be concerned with.

"I didn't frisk him," I said to Randy.

"Hold on," he said. "Dam radio ain't working."

He got into the car and radioed that he had two in custody. We could hear the sirens of the backup units flying down the road from the other towns.

My dad and Gus puffed their way back to the car as Randy started searching them. He didn't find anything but the four packs of cigarettes on them.

"Where did you hit him at?" I asked dad.

"Stomach," he smiled. "I ain't gunna break my fist on his face."

Dad was a wise man I thought. If it had been me I would have hit him in the face. At least I used my elbow on Tommy.

"Thanks for helping out," he said to us all. "I cain take it from here."

"You sure?" Gus asked still panting. It might have been the most running he had done in quite some time.

"Yeah, back up is just a minute away."

We piled back in and went back to the house.

"What happened to you Jake?" Teagan gasped.

"Gosh," I huffed. "It's just a dam scratch."

"Where's Randy?" Sam asked.

"Oh he's got his hands now," Gus said.

"I got to go," Scooter said. "I got to board up the window."

I went inside and let my mom patch up my arm. The fun was over as everyone started to leave. They would be back by noon tomorrow. I changed and took my spot on the couch. Teagan let a few minutes pass before coming out.

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked. "It's cold and lonely in there."

I pulled the covers back and let her slide in next to me.

"You better not snore," I said kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm not going to snore," she giggled. "Maybe moan a little."

She reached her hand back and curled her fingers into my hair. I kissed her neck and made her giggle some more as she pressed into my lips.

"If y'all are gunna be do it, don't be doin it on my couch," mom called making us both jump and pull away from each other.

She circled the couch and stood in front of us with her hands on her hips.

"What?" I asked. "We ain't doing anything."

"I cain hear the giggling from my room," she hissed.

"Thought you were going deaf," I teased.

"Jacob," she laughed. "You be nice to your old mama."

"Old," I teased again. "You ain't that old mama."

"Tryin to butter me up are we?"

"No," I smiled.

She started laughing. "You two go to bed and behave. I mean it. We gots a long day tomorrow and I don't need Teagan to be tired in the morning."

We both looked at her and tried to judge whether she was serious or not.

"Go on," she said waving her hands for us to get off the couch and go to the bedroom. "Don't make me tell y'all again. Y'all best behave in there or else."

Teagan scooted off the couch and stood. I followed her but hugged my mom.

"Thank you mama," I whispered.

"I guess yur not my little boy anymore," she sighed. "You grew up so quickly. It feels like just yesterday you was goin to yur first game and now look at you. Yur all grown up and goin to be getten married. Where did all the time go?"

"I will always be yur little boy, mama."

"Go on," she sighed. "Before the water works start."

I kissed her on the forehead and left it at that. I left the door wide open as I climbed into bed with Teagan. She snuggled against me and sighed.

"I had this same talk with my dad a few weeks ago. Guess we won't understand it until we have little ones will we."

"Don't get ahead of yourself baby. We have to get married first."

"I don't want kids just yet," she giggled. "Maybe once I'm done with school but not yet."

"Nite, nite baby."

The bed was empty when I woke up in the morning. I lay there for a few minutes listening to my mom and Teagan talking. They must have been on the couch with an old photo album looking through all the pictures. I knew I was going to get embarrassed when I walked out there.

"Hey sheriff," Teagan giggled when I finally came out the door.

"Haha," I quipped. I knew exactly what part of the photo album they were looking at.

"You were so cute," she smiled. "What happened?"

My dad roared with laughter as he sat at the kitchen table and drank his coffee. "I thank she is a keeper."

"Speaking of keeper," I said. "Are we going fishing like we always did?"

"After service," he smiled. "Which reminds me, it's getten close to that time."

We got ready to head off for the Christmas day service at the church. We came back and the two girls started in the kitchen as my dad and I loaded up the john boat and went to the lake.

We put it and took off to the grass bed that we had always fished on. It started off slow but it didn't matter if the fish were biting or not, it was more just to relax and talk.

He started off slow, asking me questions about my job and the city. We got into Sam a little bit later on as he still pressed on about why she came back home. I kept to my story and he finally moved on to Missy.

"Why is Missy so sour towards you? You guys were inseparable back in school. I always thought y'all would be the ones gettin married."

"Things change," I sighed.

"Well, what changed?"

"I was leaving for college," I said. "You didn't expect me to take her with me did you?"

"She was willing to go wadn't she?"

"Yeah, she was more than willing to go. How was I going to afford her though? I was basketball all the way, I didn't have time for a job. Hell, I barely had time for classes and practice. I almost failed out more than once."

"I know that," he sighed.

"Sam must have told you."

"Don't be mad at her. She was just concerned. She knew how much it meant for you to be there and she thought I could motivate you if I got after you."

"You never said anything though," I offered.

"It wadn't my place. You was tryin to find yur way in life and I wadn't gunna interfere with that."

"I got it together after my first year," I said. "Took a little while to figure out how to grow up but once I did I was straight. It was hard leaving everything and being out on my own."

"Which brangs me back to my question, why didn't you take Missy with you? I could have gotten you an apartment and y'all could have figured out the rest."

"I just couldn't dad," I sighed. "Things happened over the summer and I just couldn't."

He looked away from the water now and at my face. To this point we had been facing opposite directions and just talking. Now we both had spun around and were facing one another.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" I asked.

"Gus and I almost got into a fist fight 'bout it and we almost sold off the business because thangs got so bad. It took an awful lot to make thangs right again."

"So, I was supposed to stay with Missy to keep things cool between you two?"

"I ain't sayen that," he barked. "It just made thangs strange between us. You broke that poor girl's heart."

"I guess things are one sided then," I seethed. "I guess my heart didn't get broken at all. I'm the fucking bad guy and she is completely innocent in the whole fucking thing."

"I ain't sayen that neither boy," he sneered. "You best just settle down and remember who you is talkin too."

He set his rod down now as I spoke and folded his arms. It was his way of telling me he was getting more and more mad and he was about to go off. He wanted an answer that I didn't want to give to him.

"Then, what is it?" I asked still more than annoyed. "Is this about Teagan and her not being good enough for me?"

"No," he said firmly. "It ain't 'bout that at all. Yur mama loves her already. Thanks she's the best thang that's happened to you. That girl made you grow up in more ways than I thought possible. I'm glad she come into yur life."

"Then why keep digging up the past? Missy and I broke up and I've moved on. I can't help that she hasn't. Why can't we just leave it at that?"

He leaned forward now and pointed his finger at me as he spoke. "Because, ain't nobody that knows the story. An awful lot of people 'round here speculate on the matter but ain't nobody that knows the truth but you and her. It makes me in a bad spot when I cain't defend you with some facts other than what little we all know."

"You won't like the facts," I hissed.

"I don't care if I don't like them, I want to know."

"Fine," I quipped. "This don't leave the fucking boat. Do you hear me?"

"Don't you be raisin yur voice at me like that boy. I ain't whooped yur ass since you was twelve but don't thank I won't now."

"Alright then, I won't tell you nothing. You can keep on living in the dark and save yur ass whooping for somebody else."

"It cain't be that bad cain it?" he asked softening considerably.

"As much as Missy and I don't like each other I wouldn't ever want to hurt her. Maybe it's best if some things are left unsaid."

"She wadn't pregnant or nothing was she?"

My face twitched which told him the answer I was trying to hide.

"I ought to drag you off this boat and beat yur ass boy," he yelled. "How could you leave her after you done that to her? I know I raised you better."

"It wasn't mine," I quickly said. I had to calm him down some before he really did start beating my ass. He was halfway out of his chair as it was.

"What do you mean it wadn't yurs?" he asked sitting down again.

"It wasn't mine. How much plainer can I say it?" His face changed now. He knew what I was saying and felt bad for digging up the past.

"Whose was it then?"

"Remember that Zack guy you guys hired to help y'all out in the spring of '05?"

"Yeah, I vaguely remember him."

"She started sleeping with him when things didn't look good between us. She thought that he was her way out of here if she wasn't going to go with me."

"You sure it wadn't yurs" he asked.

"Her and I always used protection. It wasn't mine. Besides, the timing wouldn't have been right for it to possibly be mine."

"Those thangs don't always work you know?"

"Yeah, I know that," I said annoyed. "She admitted it wasn't mine. It would have been impossible for it to be mine anyway given the circumstances."

"I guess I'm not getten what yur sayen son."

I sighed and knew this was going to be a longer conversation than I wanted to get into. He looked at me waiting for me to explain so I guess I was obligated to now.

"I signed my letter of intent to play at Duke that first week in May. She wanted me to play at Texas so I would be close to home. When I didn't, she flipped her lid and said she hated me. We didn't speak for a while. Probably not until after the graduation party we had. We kind of started seeing each other again after that. It wasn't what it was beforehand. We were never intimate if you get what I'm saying."

"Yeah, I get that," he nodded.

"I told her I would look for work and try to get her there so we could be together. She didn't believe me but still held onto hope. I found a job late in July and was going to start when I got out there in the fall. I went over to tell her and try to fix everything I had ruined."

"I came around the side of the house and stumbled onto her talking with Zack. She was telling him she was late by over a month and that she had taken four tests that all had come back positive. He questioned her on whose it was and she herself said it was his since her and I hadn't been together since May. He flipped out on her and took off. I tried to stop him but he started swinging and yelling so I let him go."