Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2016 13:38:27 -0500
From: Eric Trager <trager2275@gmail.com>
Subject: It Is What It Is: Chapter 26

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Saturday morning early Sean's phone rang. It was Dix. "Hey, Wymo...didja
see the article in today's Gazette?"

"No, why?"

"They got a write-up on the team. Go read it!"

"OK, I'll read it and I'll give ya a holler after, man...."

Sean got his iPad and went to the website of the Janesville Gazette, the
local newspaper. He pulled up the headline and began reading:

***************

ARE THIS YEAR'S COUGARS THE REAL DEAL?

With three games under their belts in the always-tough Big Eight
Conference, the Craig Cougars have notched up an unbeaten 3-0 record. In
front of a home crowd last night at Monterey Stadium, a sharp first-half
offense and a solid defense knocked off the Sun Prairie Cardinals
29-14. The Cardinals were tipped in the pre-season to be one of this year's
tougher teams.

Last week, the Cougars handily out-played the Middleton Cardinals, also
tipped to be a contender, and the season opener was a 71-0 blowout on the
road against Madison LaFollette.

This writer has been covering local sports for 37 years and feels that the
team to watch in Big Eight Football this year is our own Craig Cougars.

Are they the real deal?

We spoke to two of the Cougars' players, Senior Linebacker Trent Westfahl
and Senior Quarterback Tim Dickson to find out. We also had a
question-and-answer session with Head Coach Bob Slater.

Westfahl had this to say about the Defense: "You know, we practice hard on
our skills. And not just to put in the time, but to really improve. It
helps that we've got a lot of experienced players, but there's some new
guys who came along and are working out real well, too. We've had a couple
key interceptions so far and haven't given up a lot of points. I can't say
enough about the attitude on this team, either. We're just a bunch of guys
with a job to do, and we have a good time doing it."

Dickson added, "Our offense this year is special. I'm the starter but our
back-up, Sean Wyman, could be the starter anywhere in the state, including
here. Sean calls the plays when I'm in and I do the same when he's in. We
work together. I don't think other teams have that. And I gotta give a
shout-out to our O-line. Coach always says it's Linemen that win games, and
these guys are the best. Without them it wouldn't matter who the
Quarterback was."

The following is the unedited Q & A with Coach Slater:

Q: After three games, how would you rate this year's team, Coach?

A: I'll tell you the same thing I told our men. It's rare to be able to
coach a group of young men with the raw talent they have as a group. And as
always with raw talent you're constantly working on refining it.

Q: Tell us about assigning play calling to your Quarterbacks.

A: Sure. It turns out that we're lucky enough to have two Quarterbacks with
starting-level abilities. From the beginning those two meshed. During the
pre-season we ran a pilot having them call the plays, and spending time
analyzing what you do in different game situations. We were satisfied that
we should try that route for play calling during actual games. After three
games it seems to be working well, and it frees me up to concentrate more
on game management. So far, it's been a smart use of our talent.

Q: You've got Parker coming up this week. How do you see that game?

A: It's the old cross-town rivalry. Just like it is every year. But it's
friendly competition. I wish their team all the best and I always will.

Q: There's been some scuttlebutt around about the score in the LaFollette
game. How do you react to that?

A: What's the scuttlebutt?

Q: What it's about is the high score on your side given the fact that the
game was a shut-out. It seems some folks think LaFollette was needlessly
embarrassed.

A: I see. I guess I'd just say this: what the final score will be in any
game is something nobody knows while the game is still going on. You only
know it once the game's over. I think it's fair to say we played well. I'll
add that we had no penalties during that game. Not one. LaFollette had four
unsportsmanlike conduct calls. Two, or three of them could have resulted in
injuries to our players. One resulted in a LaFollette player being ejected
from the game. Thank God there weren't any injuries. I know how hard our
men work every day to be the best they can be, so if instead of resorting
to getting upset and breaking the rules they scored points, I'd say that is
a mark of maturity on their part. It's certainly a better use of their
energy than deliberately trying to injure opposing players. I've been at
this for a lot of years. This a first-class group of young men. They're
true sportsmen, every one of them.

Q: How do you see the rest of the season playing out, Coach?

A: Well, you know, it's really too early to say. We've had a couple tough
games already, but there's more to come. The season's far from over. Sure,
we're 3-0 right now, but there's eight games left. That's a lot of
football. From a Coach's standpoint, this year's team so far has been a
good one to work with. They're talented, smart, and above all, they're
coachable. We'll just have to make the most of our opportunities and see
where we end up.

Q: Thank you, Coach.

A: My pleasure.

***************

Sean picked up his phone and called Tim right back. "Wow, great article,
man...."

"I thought you'd like it. Especially the way Coach snuck in that LaFollette
question after what the TV reporter did."

"Whadya mean Coach snuck in the question...."

"Wymo, don't be so naïve.... That reporter only asked Coach the
questions Coach told him to ask. I'd betcha a hundred bucks on that. Coach
probably had them all written down beforehand and told the reporter that's
what he was gonna ask before they even sat down."

"Well, if that's how it went he's smart."

"Yeah, it's like a good Lawyer never asks a question in Court unless he
already knows the answer. Coach isn't gonna give an answer unless he
already knows the question. There isn't anything the Madison press can do
anymore because Coach is in print and on the record. And of course you
noticed the paper said the Q & A was unedited.... Get it?"

"Dix, man, when we're in real life if I ever need a Lawyer, you're it,"
Sean laughed. "I liked how he kinda played down that he thinks this is a
good team. I think we're way better than a good team. The only thing that's
gonna stop us is if we get big heads."

"What's that? You give good head?"

"Shutup Dix! Wouldn't you like to know, anyway...."

"Promises, promises...."

"We can talk about that shit when the season's over. Anyway, yeah, Coach
was smooth with that reporter."

"Yup. OK, I gotta go. I guess I'll see ya at 10:30 then."

"10:30 it is, Dix! Oh, hey, this afternoon we're gonna be seeing that
building dad's buying. I'll let Andy know you have some ideas for him."

"Yeah, do that. See, my grandfather used to own that building and there's
some things I remember about how it was when I was a kid. Like how the
apartments were and stuff."

"He'll wanna know that because I'm sure he'll be wanting to make them as
original as possible. He likes that kind of shit. He'll want dad to get
higher-end tenants, too. Not rent it out to drunks and crackheads."

"OK, well, let me know whatcha see!"

"Alright, see ya at school!"

"Yup!"

The morning's meeting with the NFL players went well for the team. They
favorably noted that the guys had taken seriously the things they went over
last week and took some good steps on the pointers they were given. They
noted the same thing Coach Slater told the Gazette reporter, that this
bunch of young men were coachable. It was decided that the main portion of
the meeting would be going over the lack of offensive point production for
most of the second half with an eye toward how you play a really good
defense. The meeting broke up with a specific list of new skills to
practice in the coming two weeks and they would use the next meeting to
gauge their progress.

Back at the Alamo, Joe rounded up the boys and they all went downtown to
the building on Main Street.  His offer had been accepted without a
counter-offer, and this was to be the final walk-through before
closing. Ginny was waiting for them outside with the keys.

"Hey, Joe!" Ginny said, "And hello to my young studs! I swear, Johnny, you
get to be more of a hot tamale every time I see you! So you got a
girlfriend yet? Boyfriend?" Ginny reached out and pinched John's cheek
which made him giggle and blush. "And YOU TWO!" she said pointing at Andy
and Sean, "Uhhhhhhhhhh!" she fanned herself. "Alright, let's do it, guys!
Now, Andy, I know you're gonna want to look carefully at the apartments,
and you should take photos and maybe some quick measurements, too."

"Hey, Ginny?" Sean asked. "Tim says his grandfather used to own this
building when he was a kid...."

"Yeah, he did. Your dad knows that. It was sold out of his estate because
George and his sister didn't want to be property managers on something this
small. I'd almost bet if you look through the basement once the sale closes
you'll find some old Dickson stuff down there. Tim's Great-grandfather, his
name was Angus and he was a tough old Scotsman, he owned the building
originally and ran his law office out of it before business got too big and
they bought the Hayes Block. I thought that old Scotsman would cry having
to fork over the money to buy it.... My husband used to joke that Angus
Dickson was so tight with his money that he never took a shit."

The men and Ginny walked through the building. Andy photographed every inch
of all the apartments and took a lot of photos of the empty commercial
space that would be his office. "Dad, I think I'm getting some ideas for
the apartments. They have to be done over anyway, so what do you think
about doing them to a condominium standard with a view toward selling them
if the market moves in that direction?"

"I was already leaning in that direction. As it is now, we can get top
rents for being so close to the Court House and the river and everything. I
know there's a lot of redevelopment scheduled for this area. It would make
sense to do it now. I don't want to overspend, but I want a good renovation
and I'd like the building to look as original as it can both inside and
out. I'd like all new mechanicals as well, and every unit separate. I want
central air in all the units, too. This is going to be a big project,
Andy."

"Don't worry, dad. I've been doing my research. I know who all the best
contractors are in town and I'll go over that list with Ginny. Ginny, you
can help with the permits in case we get any crap from City Hall, right?"

"If you get any BS just let me know and it'll be taken care of with a phone
call," Ginny laughed.  "Anything for you, Andy, my sweet little shit."

"You can do that?" Sean asked.

"Sean, my blonde bomber, it's not how much power you have, or even whether
you have it or not. It's how much power other people think you have. I've
faced down people in this town with nothing to back me up at all. Remember
the line from the movie Dolores Claiborne: Sometimes being a bitch is all a
woman has to hang on to."

[https://youtu.be/yhTM4pxBL-k]

"I swear, Ginny, words to live by!" Sean smirked. "Been there. Done that."

"Yes, I know you have. Now let's go to the basement."

The basement of the building was sound structurally, but it was dark and
somewhat dank. The boys turned on their cell phone flashlights and began to
look around.

"Wow, there's a ton of old shit down here!" John said.

"Yeah, look at all these boxes. I guess we could go through them
sometime...." Andy agreed.

"Hey! Guys! Dad! Ginny!" Sean called. "Look over here!"

"What is it, son?" Joe asked.

"See this door here? This is the street side of the building, so it's not a
bulkhead that goes to the back alley. And I don't think the wall here is
the front of the building. I think there's a room on the other side of here
that's probably about eight, or ten feet deep. What do you think, And? You
know this shit better than I do...."

"Hmmmm, I think your right, Sean-o. See this plumbing waste pipe here?"

"Um, yeah...."

"It goes to the bathroom in the first floor commercial space. If I pace it
off, it's about thirty feet back from that wall, but when I measured, the
upstairs the bathroom starts forty feet from the front of the building and
if I subtract off for the wall and the position of the toilet, yeah, that
wall is about ten feet behind the front of the foundation. I just noticed,
too, that it's a brick wall but the courses of brick aren't even with the
courses of brick in the foundation next to it. A hundred bucks says this is
a partition wall is what it is...."

"Well, we'll just have to get in there after we close, I guess," Joe
said. "It doesn't look like there's any plumbing, or anything in there to
worry about anyway...."

"No, there isn't, dad," Andy said.

Sean noticed Ginny had an odd look on her face.

"You know anything about it, Ginny?" Sean asked.

"Oh, uh no...."

Sean thought Ginny looked as if she might have had something more to say,
but decided not to press the issue.

"OK, guys! We all set here, then?" Ginny smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so!" Joe said. "Now, the title company will call me Thursday
and send me the settlement statement, right?"

"Yeah, they will, Joe. I'm sorry I won't be here, but this is the time of
year I spend a couple, three weeks in London anyway. If you need me for
anything, my phone works over there."

"You're going to London?" John asked.

"Yeah, sweetie. I own a townhouse over there in Chelsea. I go a few times a
year, and then in the Winter I'm back and forth between here and
Florida. There's no place like London, though. I'd live there all the time
if I could...but good old Janesburg* will always be home, ya know?"

The group filed out of the building, Ginny reminding Joe that she'd drop
off the keys at the title company before she left town.

Once in the XTS, Sean said, "So I wonder what's in that room...."

"I guess we'll find out once the work starts...."

"Yeah, it's probably nothing, or whatever it is it's been in there for
fifty years and it's crap anyway....

"Well," Andy said, "the first guys I have to line up are trash out guys,
and then electrician and plumber.  After that it'll be HVAC and then we can
get the finish trades in there. We'll open that room before the trash out
guys get there so they have access to it."

"Do you think Dix might know anything about it?" Sean asked.

"I dunno, he might.... Let's ask him...." Andy replied. "I'll call him
now."

"Hey, Dix, it's Cass... Fine, you? Ok, here's the deal.... We went over to
that building dad's buying and we think there's like a secret room in the
front of the basement. You know anything about it? You don't?

OK, well, after we close we'll show it to ya... Yup.... Have a good one!"

"Dix says he doesn't know anything about it."

"OK, well, we'll just have to see then."

"Hey dad?" John asked.

"Yeah, squirt?"

"When we get home I'm gonna go over to Kathleen's for a while."

"That's fine. Just use your head son. I mean the one between your ears."

"I will.... Sean and Andy are lucky. They can't get pregnant...."

"No, son, they can't. You can't get pregnant by fucking a guy up the poop
chute."

"DAD!" all three boys laughed.

"Look, guys, and I mean this to all three of you. You each in your own way
are a joy to me. But I don't have one foot in the grave. Not yet. I
remember what it's like to be your age and horny as fuck all the time, so I
know you're gonna be getting your rocks off. If you didn't you wouldn't be
normal. All I ask out of you guys it that when you do, you're smart about
it. I know we've talked about this before. I don't wanna sound like a
broken record, but just don't bring me home any surprises like a bun in the
oven at your ages, or HIV or anything like that, OK? So, anyway, John, if
you and Kathleen are gonna fuck you're gonna fuck but for Christ's sake
make sure she's on the pill and you use a condom. That's all I'm
sayin'...."

"I know, dad. And she knows, too. We've talked about it." John said.

"So, you two are using your heads. That's good. You can bring Kathleen over
any time. I'd like to meet her. She sounds like she's as level-headed as
you are."

"Yeah. Her sister's the opposite, though...."

"You're not dating her sister, son."

"Thank God!" Sean said.

Both Andy and John laughed.

Once home, Joe called all three boys into the bar room.

"Guys, it's been busy around here lately. I want to talk to all three of
you about how school is going. I mean grade-wise. All three of you are in a
new school and we've kind of neglected talking about that, so let's spend a
few minutes here. Sean, we'll start with you. Tell me what your classes are
and how you're doing."

"OK, dad.... All my classes are AP. There's Advanced Algebra and Trig. I'm
doing fine in that. We haven't had a test yet, though. There's Advanced
English Composition and that's going good, too. In Physics I got a 100 on
the first quiz. Same in American Political History and Accounting. Phy Ed
is academic for me as it's just football practice. Then I have that Art
class and we're doing sketching which I'm decent at. I expect to get all
A's."

"If you say so, Sean. Andrew?"

"Well, dad, I have all AP classes, too and I don't think I'm gonna do quite
as good as Sean-o, but I expect about a 3.5 maybe which is better than I
ever did at Tremper, and I only took average-level classes there. I got
Human Anatomy and I think I'll get an A. Then I got Algebra II and I'd say
B+. American History, I'll ace that. Chemistry prolly a B. I'm exempted
from Phy Ed so they have to give me a B by default, or maybe an A because
I'm the football Team Manager. Then there's Woodworking which is an easy A
for me. I can talk to Coach about that. Then I got Cooking and I think I'll
get a B."

"Cooking... That's a D for you...." Sean snickered.

"Fuck you, at least I'm TRYING to learn how to cook, asshole! You're gay
and you can't even decorate!"  Andy came back.

"Just let me know when you figure out how to boil water...." Sean
snickered.

"Look, you guys can roast your wienies later. I just wanna get an idea of
where we're at here and I don't wanna spend all day on it," Joe
said. "John, what about you...."

"They put me in average-level classes and so far, they're really easy. I
think I'll ace all of them. I got Geometry, History of World War II,
Biology, English Lit which I fucking hate but I'm doing the work, Economics
is pretty tit, in Phy Ed Coach likes me because I'm Sean's brother so
there's an A, and then I got Civics which is really easy. Yeah, I'll ace
them all."

"OK, so I got three sons here, two think they'll get a 4.0 and the third
one a 3.5. I'm fine with that.  Andrew, if you think you're slipping you
let me know. I know it's your first time in AP classes and a 3.5 under
those circumstances is acceptable to me...for this semester. I'm proud of
all three of you." A tear ran down Joe's cheek. For all, he was a Marine
and a hard-nosed businessman, but he knew well what it was like to have to
earn every dollar that passed through his hands, and he saw that he had
three industrious sons. He didn't think they needed undue supervision, but
he also knew that all young men their age were task- and goal-oriented.

"I'm not being a dick here, guys, but I want all three of you to be
successful in life. I got three of you and there's only one of me. A month
ago I only had one, so I didn't get a lot of advance warning for this. We
don't have a mom around here so we'll have to do the best we can. I'll bust
my ass to do what I can for you behind the scenes, but if there's a door
you want to get your foot into, you gotta have the credentials yourself to
open the door in the first place. I don't think they teach you kids that in
school any more. To be honest with you, I'm not sure what they teach you
kids any more except to be pussies and expect shit you haven't earned or
get a trophy for just having a pulse and showing up because if your tender
feelings got hurt you'll die, or some other BS.

"They don't teach you kids how to win and how to lose any more, and the
lessons to be learned from that. That's OK, it's my job to do that
anyway. All I want you to realize is that the real world doesn't work that
way. It's the real world out there, guys, and no one is gonna give a shit
about your feelings one way or the other. They're only gonna measure you by
what you deliver. I think you guys get that, and that you're all personally
tough in your own ways because you've had to be. You guys will do fine. I
want you to be boys and have your fun, but you're also almost adults and
we'll have these talks from time-to-time. Is that OK with you?"

"Yeah, dad..." all three guys said.

"Alright. I didn't mean to lecture. It's just that I got three of you
assholes to keep track of is all.... By the way, that reminds me. John,
when do you turn 16 again?"

"February 16th."

"OK. You remember to sign up for Driver's Ed next semester then."

"Dad, I was thinking of something, too," Sean said.

"What's that?"

"Well, this Summer's done, but I got contacts from Ginny for the lawn
business. I was thinking of hiring J.R. and Andy for next Summer and then
when the Summer's done and I won't be around the year after that, I was
thinking about selling the business to J.R.."

"How would he pay for it, son?"

"Same way as I paid you when you bought the equipment."

"And how would we value the equipment and the book of business?"

"We can value the equipment either at fair market value, or depreciated
value whichever works best for taxes, and the book of business we can value
at some discounted rate that we all agree on. I own all the equipment
outright anyway...."

"OK, well what do you think, John?"

"Own my own business? Um, sweet! You guys gotta tell me how it all works,
you know, what I'm getting into and everything. I'd do it, yeah, but I
can't go into it blind. That would be setting myself up to fail.  And I
won't fail."

Joe, Sean and Andy all got a good laugh out of that.

"Nope, bro, I don't believe you would fail," Andy said. "You'd find it
appalling, or something like that."

"Well, I would!" John answered back. "Who wants to be a fuck up?"

"We'll set you up to win, bro. I don't lose either," Sean reassured him.

"Alright then...." John said, seriously folding his arms.

"Hey, dad?" Sean asked.

"Yeah...."

"We gotta get ready for the Parker party. Can you have the cook come by
tomorrow morning and we can just finalize what we need and shit?"

"Yeah, don't worry, son, we'll be ready. John, I need the recipes for those
Mexican things you wanna serve, too. We'll have it all made in advance. And
don't worry, I'm gonna leave the game at halftime and get ready over here.

"Sounds like a plan!" Sean said. "Hey, J.R., I know you're gonna invite
Kathleen but see if you just kinda, ya know, don't mention anything about
the party to Colleen. I'm just not sure she adds anything on the positive
side of the ledger if ya know what I mean...."

"Are you kidding? No, I ain't gonna say anything to her, and I know
Kathleen won't either, trust me. But she'll find out anyway.... I mean it's
not like half the school doesn't know already...."

"Yeah, I know, but I just kinda like don't want her invited so that if she
has to be uninvited then nobody can say anything."

"What's wrong with Colleen?" Joe asked.

"How much time do you have...." Andy deadpanned.

"OK, I get it...." Joe laughed. "Her dad's a big wheel out at the
Club. Kind of a horse's ass if you ask me, at least from what I've seen. I
know George doesn't have too much to do with him."

"Well, here's the deal," John said. "Colleen's kinda out of control. When
she drinks, she drinks vodka and she drinks until she either passes out
cold, or pukes. Kathleen says she wouldn't be surprised if she's on drugs,
too, but she says she looked once and didn't find anything. One minute she
can be OK, and then two seconds later she's like a screaming bitch. And
when she screams she doesn't make any sense. It's just weird. Their mom and
dad are almost never home from what I can see, so I dunno what goes on
there. All I know is that Kathleen avoids her big time. I can't even
believe they're sisters!"

"Well, if she comes over just point her out to me. I'll try to keep my eye
on her, and if she looks like she's getting sloppy, or disruptive, I'll
escort her out," Joe said.

Sunday morning saw Ginny Miller roll her big Mercedes down the
driveway. She'd kept the old, black 1986 560SEL all these years, spending
the not inconsiderable sums required to keep an expensive German car
pristine because she felt the newer models just didn't look like what she
thought a Mercedes-Benz ought to be. If she could take it with her to
London she would as she actually preferred it to the 1984 Bentley Mulsanne
she kept at her Chelsea townhouse. Her favorite, though, was the white 1958
Cadillac Eldorado convertible with red leather interior that she kept in
Florida, loaning it to a friend to keep in his classic car museum and only
used when she was in Miami Beach. Some day she knew she would have to make
plans about what to do with all these things, but not today.

An hour and a half later, she parked the big Mercedes, got out and made her
way to her destination.

Walking in, she looked around for a minute, not seeing anyone. Still not
seeing anyone, she suddenly heard a low voice call to her from the next
room.

"Vehrgeenia. I vill be right out. Pleasse sit down."

Shrugging her shoulders, Ginny did as bidden.

Shuffling out with a tea tray in her hand, Madame Zastrow looked Ginny up
and down. "Vun day I knew yoo vould come to me, Vehrgeenia. My lonk lost
sistair. Yoo haf had goot life, nyet? Here, haff cup uff tea."

"I...I...yes, I have...had a good life"

"I know. I am so sorry, Vehrgeenia. I vas so youngk ven yoo were giffen
avay."

"I'm sorry, I...."

"Da. Yoo don't know vat iss my name. I am Olga. I kept Russian name. I know
how yoo find me. Yoo find me from poofta boyss. I am glat dey are now
safe. Dey can not come back to dis place. Dey are goot boyss. Pleasse tell
me vut can I do for yoo dis day, Vehrgeenia."

"Oh, Olga...yes, you're right. That little Andy told me about your place
here. I didn't know for sure, so I looked into it a little bit and I
figured that if I really did have an older sister you were about the right
age.  I had to be sure. Can you tell me about our parents? I don't know
anything about them...."

"Vell I can tell yoo dey die yearss ago. In 1970's. Vee come from Russia
after da var. In 1946. It vass still very bad for us Jewss. I vas alreaty
ten yearss olt. Vee hat to escape tru Austria. Our Fatter vas Professor in
Russia but here he vork in factory. Yoo vas born in 1948. Vee vas poor. Dat
is vy dey hat to giff yoo avay. Dat iss vat dey tell me. Our Mutter vas
vaitress. Vee liff in small house. I haff daughter in 1958. She is
Nurse. Alexandra iss her name. I neffer haff husband. Dat was scandal in
dose dayss."

"I'm so sorry, Olga. I wish I would have known. I could have helped
you. You see when my husband died...."

"I know. Your husbant leafe yoo very rich. I tink nobody but me know how
rich. Yoor husband neffer tell yoo vere money come from. I know. It come
from his Fatter. Dey make durink Prohibition. Dey vass not gangsters. Dey
vass discreet. Dey vass high-class businessmen. Dey knew people who keep
quiet. Dey use da vuns like Al Capone like puppets. Dey made da real
money."

"Well, I knew we were well off, but when he died I had no idea.... I've
always kept it quiet. After all these years there's no need to stir those
things up. Heaven knows, I paid my share of taxes on it...."

"I tink so, too. Vat vas done vas done."

"I just want you to know I didn't know anything about you until Andy told
me he saw your name on a building. Something tells me you want to know how
he is. He's fine. He's recovering well. My husband and I never had any
children. I love Andy and his boyfriend like they were my own sons."

"Da, I know yoo do. I haff gift. Yoo haff gift, too, but only just
little. Yoo haff eentuition sometimes and yoo don't know vy. Most ting yoo
see dat vay vill be right ting. I tink yoo haff something yoo vant to do.
Ve don't neet talk about it, Verhgeenia."

"I want to...."

"Yes, I know vat yoo vant do. Dat iss fine. My daughter, her name iss
Alexandra Zastrow."

"Could you get me a couple of envelopes?"

"I haff dem right here. I knew yoo vould ask."

Ginny suddenly relaxed and laughed in her earthy tones. She finished what
she had set out to do and handed the two envelopes back to Madame
Zastrow. "Please take these. There's one for you and one for
Alexandra. I'll be leaving for London in a couple days. I'll come and see
you again when I get back.  Here's my card in case you want to get a hold
of me. Anything, anything at all and you call me, Olga!"

"Da. I vill see yoo venn you get back. Tank you for comink, Vehrgeenia."

Ginny rose, gave her frail older sister a hug and a kiss, wiped a tear from
her eye and made her way back to the black Mercedes.

After she left, Madame Zastrow heard her telephone ring.

"Da?"

"Mom, it's Alexandra. Something told me to call you. Are you alright?"

"Da. I tolt yoo many times uff my lost sistair. She find me. She come to me
today. Your Aunt, she iss grand lady. Magnificent. Imperious. She leafe me
sometink for yoo. I haff here for yoo."

"I'll stop by after work, mom."

"Dat vill be fine. Goot bye."

Madame Zastrow placed the envelopes on her tea tray and let them be. As
promised, Alexandra came by after her nursing shift was over. Madame
Zastrow handed Alexandra the envelope with her name on it. Inside was a
piece of paper which she withdrew and unfolded. Looking at the paper, she
saw it was blank on both sides. Falling out of the paper when she turned
it, a check landed on the floor. Alexandra picked it up, turned it
right-side up and gasped.

"This can't be real...." she whispered.

"Da, it iss real, Alexandra."

"But it's...."

"I know vat is iss...."

"It's fuh...fah...fi.... It's five million dollars.... This can't be
real...."

"Da. It iss real my dear. Like I say, yoor Aunt Vehrgeenia iss grand
lady. Dat is almost nothink to her. She hass goot heart. Yoo take it."

On the way back to Janesville, Ginny felt both joy, and sorrow. Joy at
having been able to provide wherewithal to two people who had either never
known it, or had to scratch hard to gain the median of a middle-class
lifestyle. And sorrow at never having known her own sister until now. In
the end, it made no difference. She'd scratched for everything she'd ever
got and her late husband, while providing well never let on that he had any
money beyond what he made at his engineering firm. What she came into had
surprised her as much as Alexandra was surprised by the envelope she left.

For the boys, the rest of the week went fairly normally.

Andy and John had some quizzes in their classes which, once they got the
results, they dutifully printed and handed to Joe. There was nothing to
talk over since they both gained solid A's on them. Sean hadn't had any
tests yet since his classes pre-supposed the students were keeping up. He'd
know how he was doing once he had his mid-terms.

Sean was, however, approached at his locker Thursday morning by Colleen
Kennedy. Initially, Sean recoiled both because he thought she was gross
after what transpired at her party, and she appeared to be perspiring
somewhat.

"Hey, I um...I, well, I'm just really sorry about what happened at the
party and all. I...well...I like wasn't feeling good and I had a couple
drinks.... I'm sorry I was a bitch to your brother, and...um...I'm sorry I
puked."

Sean did not find the foregoing the least bit charming, although of course
he would never let on.

"Oh. Well, thanks, I guess...." Sean smirked. "I guess we all have bad
days, huh...."

"Are you making fun of me!" Colleen said more as an accusation than a
question.

"No, no, I'm not...I just meant that it's OK...." Sean answered, rather
being anywhere else than where he was.

"OK, well, fine then.... Let's get together sometime...."

"Colleen, I know I told you at your party but maybe you don't remember. I'm
gay. I have a boyfriend.  Now, if I was straight maybe I would, but I'm
not. I guess I just have to be honest and let you know that's not going to
happen. I'm sorry...."

"Whatever!" Colleen said matter-of-factly, then turning and stalking away.

"Phewwwww!" Sean thought, rolling his eyes. "At least she didn't say
anything about the party.... That would have been awkward...."

Thursday's practice saw Coach go over the game plan with his team. He
admonished them that although Parker was their old cross-town rival, and
that he expected they'd fairly easily win the game, that no one was to
think it would be a cake-walk. He also reminded his players that he and the
Parker Coach were long-time personal friends and that if they got ahead
they wouldn't run up the score too much. After that, there was a light
work-out and drilling on their skill objectives. Wrapping up, Coach Slater
huddled his men for the post-practice talk.

"Men, this is an important game we have tomorrow. As you know over the
years of our rivalry with Parker, we hold a 28-18 record in the battle for
the Monterey Rock Trophy. This is the biggest rivalry in the Big Eight
Conference. It's an important game not just for you to remain undefeated,
but for the school as well. I'm sure you're ready physically and
mentally. Let's just go out there and get the job done. Dismissed."

Friday saw George Dickson at the Alamo at 6:30 a.m. to pick up Sean and
Andy. Mark Braden's trial was to begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Kenosha County
Court House. George had been unable to convince the D.A.  to allow the boys
to testify remotely. The D.A. wanted a tight conviction in this case and
wouldn't take the chance at even the slightest hint of giving Braden an
opportunity for appeal. George had been reassured, however, that the boys
would be called to the stand early in the day and hopefully would be
dismissed by Noon.

Sean had been correct in assuming that some of the charges against Braden
had been made in order to secure evidence from him to be used against the
gang members Berrifield had hired. The single charge now stood as Accessory
after the Fact. Given the nature of the crime itself, this was a felony
charge and if convicted, Mark Braden could face a sentence of up to ten
years in a State Prison. George told the boys that this was the most
serious charge the D.A. could bring and still be reasonably certain of a
conviction.

As George put it, "If your goal is justice, you can't overcharge the
Defendant. Juries don't like that. Now, I have to assume that Braden's been
cooperating with the authorities, and if we get a conviction I'd bet he'd
be sentenced to one, maybe two years behind bars with probation afterwards.
That's just how the system rocks and rolls, guys...."

"I'd take that," Andy said. "The guy's a piece of shit, but maybe he'll
learn a lesson. That's the thing with people like that; they always bite
off more than they can chew."

"I'd say it's more like Forrest Gump," Sean added. "Stupid is as stupid
does."

Arriving at the Court House, George checked them in, and they were directed
to the Court Room.  George saw that the D.A. was already there. He went
over to let him know the boys were there. As George had prepared them for,
they were taken to a Witness holding room to await being called.  George
reminded them that he was there as their Attorney, but that the questioning
would be done by the D.A. and Braden's Attorney would be doing
cross-examination. Both the D.A. and George were satisfied that the boys
would make credible witnesses.

"All rise!" the Bailiff announced at 8:30 a.m. "Oyez! Oyez! The Circuit
Court for the Second District of the State of Wisconsin, Kenosha County, is
now in session, the Honorable Judge Thomas Fitzgerald presiding. All
persons having business before this Court are admonished to draw near, give
their attention and they shall be heard. Be seated."

George was silently thankful that they'd drawn Judge Fitzgerald who was
known to be a fair Judge, but no-nonsense. Fitzgerald didn't tolerate
Lawyer's antics in his Court Room, and he moved things along.  Once seated,
the Bailiff announced the case. "The matter before the Court is the State
of Wisconsin versus Mark Braden. Will the Defendant please rise."

Judge Fitzgerald began, "Mr. Braden, you are charged with being an
Accessory after the Fact to the crime of Assault and Battery with Great
Bodily Harm. Per the pre-trial hearing, your plea of Not Guilty has been
entered. Are these facts accurate?"

"They are, Your Honor," Braden's Attorney replied. As defense Attorney, the
Braden's had hired Stanley Shapiro, a well-known Criminal Defense Lawyer
from Milwaukee. George knew of Shapiro by reputation and expected that
while he'd already been successful at getting his client's charges reduced,
there'd still be some Court Room fireworks ahead.

"Very well, let's proceed. Mr. District Attorney, will the State please
call their first Witness?"

"Your Honor, the State calls Andrew Churchill."

George looked over and saw that Mark Braden looked somewhat uncomfortable.

Andy entered the Court Room keeping his eyes straight ahead as George had
instructed him. George also made sure Andy was walking on his crutches and
not with his cane. He wanted the Jury to get a picture in their mind of
Andy's injuries. Once on the stand and sworn in, the D.A. began his direct
examination.

"Please state your name."

"Andrew Churchill, sir."

"Mr. Churchill, on the night of July 24th of this year were you transported
by Paramedics to Aurora Hospital in Kenosha?"

"Yes."

"Why did that happen?"

"I was attacked, beaten and I was unconscious."

"Could you describe your injuries for the Court?"

"Objection!" shouted Attorney Shapiro. "The Witness' medical records have
already been submitted into evidence and stipulated to, Your Honor."

"Over-ruled," Judge Fitzgerald replied. "Mr. District Attorney, keep this
line of questioning short!"

"Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Churchill, could you describe your injuries for the
Court?"

"Yes. As far as I remember I had some broken ribs, a punctured lung, some
injury to my spleen, my leg was broken in two places, bruises and my leg
was stabbed."

"And where did this happen?"

"I'm not sure. I was blindfolded. They threw me in the trunk of a car and
drove around a while. After they beat me up they threw me back in the
trunk. Then I blacked out. I was found at Southport Park.  They put me in
garbage bags."

"I have no further questions at this time."

"I wish to cross-examine, Your Honor," Attorney Shapiro stated.

"Proceed."

"Mr. Churchill, is it alright if I call you Andy?"

"I prefer Mr. Churchill if that's OK," Andy replied.

"Very well, Mr. Churchill, do you know of any direct connection the
Defendant has to what happened to you on the night in question?"

"No."

"Is it possible that the incident might have had something to do with a
drug deal gone bad?"

"Objection!" the D.A. countered. "Irrelevant, Your Honor. In addition, the
Witness is not on trial here."

"Sustained. Counselors to the side-bar please."

Both the D.A and Attorney Shapiro approached the bench for a side-bar
conference. Judge Fitzgerald addressed Attorney Shapiro. "Counselor, I'm
pretty sure about where you want to go with this line of questioning. But I
caution you that it may not be in the best interests of your Client. From
what I've seen of pre-trial evidence it could in the minds of the Jury only
tie your Client further to the deceased John Berrifield. In addition to
that, there is no evidence of the Witness' involvement in gang activity at
all.  Now, you have two choices here: you can either withdraw the question,
or you can ask it again. If you ask it again, I shall admonish the Witness
to answer yes, or no only and that will be it for that line of
questioning. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

Attorney Shapiro and the D.A. returned to their tables.

"Your Honor, if it pleases the Court, I withdraw the question."

"Any further questions?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Redirect, Mr. District Attorney?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Very well, the witness may step down. I admonish the Witness not to speak
of these events with other Witnesses who have not yet testified."

"Yes, Your Honor," Andy replied.

"Next Witness, Mr. District Attorney."

"The State calls Sean Wyman."

Sean was sworn in as Andy had been and the D.A. began.

"State your name, please."

"Sean Wyman."

"Mr. Wyman, do you know the Defendant?"

"Yes."

"How do you know the Defendant?"

"We were both students at Tremper High School."

"Were you associated with the Defendant in any way other than being
students at the same school?"

"We were both members of the Varsity football team."

"Any other association with the Defendant?"

"No."

"Very well. Please listen to the audio I'm about to play." The D.A. then
played the audio Sean recorded what seemed like a hundred years ago on the
Braden front porch.

"Can you identify the people in the audio, Mr. Wyman?"

"Yes. One person is Mark Braden. The other one is me."

"In your opinion, is there anything on the audio that stood out as being
significant to you in light of Mr.  Churchill's injuries?"

"Objection!" Attorney Shapiro called out. "Asking the Witness to draw
conclusions."

"Your Honor, I asked the Witness for his opinion, not for a conclusion,"
the D.A. replied.

"Objection is over-ruled. The Court can certainly hear a Witness'
opinion. The Jury is admonished to bear in mind that the opinion of the
Witness remains to be established as fact and that opinions are not
evidence until established as evidence. Proceed."

"Mr. Wyman, in your opinion, is there anything on the audio that stood out
as being significant to you in light of Andrew Churchill's injuries?"

"Yes."

"Please tell the Court what that was."

"The Defendant appeared to have knowledge of what happened to Andy, but
Andy's name had not been released to the press. That stood out to me, and
you can hear me on the audio saying as much."

"When you say 'Andy,' to whom are you referring?"

"Andrew Churchill."

"I have no further questions."

"Mr. Shapiro, cross-examine?" Judge Fitzgerald asked.

"Good morning, Mr. Wyman."

"Good morning."

"How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine, thank you, sir. Can we get on with this?"

"Certainly. Are you currently a student at Tremper High School?"

"Objection! Irrelevant!" the D.A. interrupted.

"Over-ruled. I will admonish Attorney Shapiro to cross-examine only on the
Witness' direct testimony."

"Certainly, your Honor. Mr. Wyman, are you currently a student at Tremper
High School?"

"No."

"What school do you presently attend?"

"Craig High School in Janesville."

"Why did you change schools?"

"My father changed jobs. The new job required that we live in Janesville."

"Is that the only reason?"

Sean paused. He knew he had to answer the question honestly, but he also
knew he had to answer it in such a way as to disallow Attorney Shapiro from
introducing questioning about his relationship with Andy, in other words
that the video of Sean and Andy kissing in Andy's garage not be
introduced. Then Sean remembered Attorney Shapiro neglected to ask Andy
where he went to school and why. Sean knew he was home free.

"No," Sean answered.

"Can you tell the Court what other reason there would be?"

"Yes. The reason is that I am a homosexual. I was told by members of the
Tremper football team, including the Defendant, that they did not care to
have a homosexual on their team. I wanted to continue to play football, but
there was no reason for me to stay in a school where I was not wanted on
the team. It seemed pointless then for me to try to get my dad to stay in
Kenosha so I could stay at Tremper."

Sean looked over at George, and thought George looked like if he weren't in
a Court Room he would piss his pants laughing. Sean had made a fool out of
the Defense Attorney. Sean could also see smoke coming out of the Defense
Attorney's ears.

"Mr. Wyman, how would your team mates know that you are a homosexual?"

"I don't know. I didn't tell anyone. Perhaps they could answer that
question. But I'm not going to lie about being a homosexual."

Even the Jurors were snickering at this point.

"Order in the Court!" Judge Fitzgerald commanded. "Attorney Shapiro! Are
you quite finished with this line of questioning?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Attorney Shapiro said through gritted teeth, all the
while glaring at Sean.

Sean stole a quick glance at Mark Braden whose look seemed to be one of
grudging respect coupled with anger but tempered with shame. Sean thought
that if Braden had been able at that moment to tell him to eat shit, he
would. "Too bad. A day late and a dollar short, asshole. Ya get whatcha
play for," Sean thought to himself.

"Do you have further questions for this witness?"

"No," Attorney Shapiro said, still glaring at Sean.

"Mr. District Attorney?"

"No, your Honor, but the State would like to reserve the right to recall
this Witness."

"Let the record so indicate. Thank you for your time, Mr. Wyman. You are
excused. I admonish you not to speak of these events with other Witnesses
who have not yet testified."

The time was now 9:45 a.m. and the boys were at least happy that they
wouldn't miss the game that night.

Once in George's Escalade, Andy asked if they might stop and pick up a
couple burgers for the trip home. There was a Culver's on the way out of
town, so they stopped there. Each guy ordered a Butter Burger with the
works and Andy decided he's take a cup of Frozen Custard, too.

"You guys were excellent witnesses," George said. "You answered the
questions just like I wish every witness would. Sean, you made a fool out
of that Defense Attorney."

"He was a knob. I didn't make a fool out of him. He made a fool out of
himself. I knew if I answered the way I did he'd try to trip me up into
talking about that meeting at Braden's house and all that shit, so I had an
answer ready for him. I'm always good at reading a Defense. The guy was
just an ass...."

"Honestly, son, I've never gone up against him before, but he seemed like a
very good Lawyer. He's doing his job, but his problem is he hasn't got
anything to work with and he knows it. And the D.A. was really smart
getting that audio recording in right away, too."

"What's that reserve the right to recall me shit, anyway?"

"I can't see why they would recall you. To me, that's the D.A. telling
Shapiro not to fuck with him.  Anyone who does this shit for a living could
see that you were an excellent prosecution Witness. Shapiro isn't gonna
want you back on the stand. Not in a million years. Besides, don't forget,
on discovery I've seen the evidence to be used in the trial. Shapiro tried
to get your audio recording thrown out, but Wisconsin is a one-party state
for those things, so it was ruled as admissible evidence. This is a simple
case and I'd be surprised if the trial went much past Noon tomorrow. Then
we see what the Jury has to say."

"How long will that take?" Andy asked.

"Ya never know with a Jury. Like I said, this is a simple case, so I
wouldn't think too long, but again it could be an hour and it could be a
day...." George answered. "Now, Andy, they might give you the opportunity
to make a victim's statement if Braden is found guilty. I think they'd let
that be recorded as it's not evidence, only something the Judge would
consider in sentencing."

"OK, if they let me I'd do one...."

"What would you say?" Sean asked.

"Well, I've thought it over. I think he should do time, and I think he
should learn a lesson, but I can't see locking him up for ten years. Maybe
a couple years. And see a therapist, or something. See, the thing is he
never planned it. The other ones can fry. I just don't see the point in
ruining Braden's whole life is all.  I guess it's Be Kind to Assholes
Week."

"That's what I thought ya'd say, Brown Eyes. I think that's fine."

"So, when we get back, where do you guys want me to drop you off?" Geroge
asked.

"You can take us to school. There's still gonna be half the day left
anyway, and then the game tonight...."  Sean said.

"Yeah, that's good," Andy echoed.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday evening, the Craig Cougars and Parker Vikings found
themselves on the field at historic Monterey Stadium for their pre-game
warm-ups.

This year, Parker played as the Home Team, as the stadium was shared by
both schools and each school alternated years as the Home, or Guest
Team. Across the field, the opposing bleachers could be heard with the
friendly, yet biting, cross-town taunts. "In-bred Farmers! (clap) (clap)
(clap) the Craig side sneered at the Parker crowd. "Spoiled, Bratty Rich
Kids! (clap) (clap) (clap) the Parker fans returned.

A lot of the students even dressed the part for the game, the theme in the
Craig stands being preppie with their Ralph Lauren shirts, argyle socks,
penny loafers and bow ties they did, indeed, look like spoiled rich
kids. As for Parker, the stands were filled with students in overalls and
barn boots, camo and blaze orange, straw hats and plaid.

At precisely 6:55 p.m., the announcer cut in. "Ladies and gentlemen!
Welcome to the forty-seventh annual challenge for the Monterey Rock Trophy
between the Vikings of Parker High School and the Craig Cougars! In a few
minutes we'll be kicking off, but please stand now for our National
Anthem!" Once The Star Spangled Banner was finished, fireworks were shot
from a barge anchored in the middle of the Rock River, green and gold for
Parker and blue and white for Craig. As always, the General Motors plant,
older than the old stadium itself, brooded mightily on the opposite bank.

The team Captains made their way to mid-field for the coin-toss. The
Referee announced that Parker had won the toss and elected to receive. This
would be the first game in which Craig would use the headphone/helmet
speaker equipment for play calling. Neither Sean, nor Tim had any problem
getting used to the new equipment, and were confident that they could
pretty much run a no-huddle offense all night if they had to.

On the kickoff, the Cougar Place-Kicker nailed a dribbler right down the
middle of the field. It bounced so furiously that it kept going until it
got to the Viking's deep receivers. The strategy also bought time for the
Cougar defenders to get well downfield before any run-back could begin. The
strategy proved wise as before he got even one yard the Parker return man
was popped hard. The ball came loose, spiraling across the field and in the
ensuing scrum, Craig came up with the it for a first and ten at the Viking
12-yard line.

Sean's instinct against an opponent like Parker in this situation would
have been to call the Power Sweep, but he knew that although not as
talented as Craig, the Parker team was well-coached and might be expecting
that play. At the same time, he thought that out of the box, and with a
Quarterback like Dix they might also be looking for a pass and possibly
blitz meaning a run up the middle had about a sixty-five percent chance of
producing the desired result since the Parker Linebackers might not be in
their usual positions. In addition, Sean factored in the superiority of his
offensive line versus the Parker defensive line. He elected to go with a
Quarterback run up the middle. He thought that was the play Parker would
least expect. For this play, Tim lined up in the Shotgun-T formation with a
halfback and a fullback acting as blocking backs. It called for Tim to pump
fake, thereby drawing in the Parker Linebackers in. Once the defenders had
their momentum coming toward him, Tim would take off running in the
expectation that the Craig O-line would have opened a decent hole for
him. Tim was a quick sprinter, and at 6'2" tall and 195lbs once he got up a
head of steam, for a High School player he was difficult to bring down. The
play worked as Sean had weighed the odds, and the Cougars were up 6-0 after
less than one minute of play. The extra point made the score 7-0 and after
the kickoff the Craig defense was back on the field.

The rest of the half, Sean was conventional and conservative in his play
calling, heeding Coach's admonition that while this was an important game,
it was also important not to humiliate the Vikings. At the half, the score
stood 17-7 in Craig's favor. Tim played it the same way in the second half,
mostly calling a slow-paced game, heavy on rushing plays and not much
passing designed to chew up the clock and grind out a slow, steady
victory. As the final whistle sounded the Cougars had defeated their
cross-town rivals, but did not embarrass them, by the score of 31-14. Coach
Slater accepted the trophy award post-game, and his players hoisted him up,
carrying him off the field and into the locker room.

"Men," Coach address his sweat-soaked team, "This was a well-played game. I
can't think of a single mistake, or mental error on your parts all
night. We should play 'em all like this. Our clock management was superb,
and we also know that our ground game is solid. This was a game that was
won simply by time-of-possession and no errors. Congratulations, men. Now,
I am aware of a party later tonight hosted by the Messrs. Wyman and
Mr. Churchill. I'll stop in for a little bit if it's alright with you. Good
job, men, good job."

Once showered and out, the boys headed to their respective homes. Sean,
Andy and John were surprised when they got to the Alamo to see the entire
façade of the house illuminated in blue and white floodlights, and the
trees in front already festooned with toilet paper. It looked quite
festive. A number of the Parker players had been invited as well by the
some of the other guys on the team who might be friends, or relatives. In
all, preparations had been made for 350 guests.

Gradually, the party got rolling with the adults in the bar and the kids
out back. Joe had made sure to rent a DJ for the evening, and Sean was able
to talk the guy into his favorite classic Rock 'n' Roll music style. The
caterers did a creditable job keeping the food coming, and most importantly
the party did not run out of beer. It seemed as the evening wore on that
the original estimate of 350 guests was on the light side and there were
easily a hundred more than that crowding the Alamo's yard.

Coach Slater made his appearance, circulating around congratulating his
players and commiserating with the Parker players he recognized. He stopped
by the bar inside to say chat with the adults. Recognizing George Dickson,
he went over to say hello. "George! Good to see ya," Coach said.

"How's Tim behaving this year, Bob? Hope he's not being a pain in the
ass...." George chuckled.

"Nah, you got a good kid there, George...."

"Let me introduce you to a couple folks here," George said. "Bob Slater,
I'd like you to meet Joe Wyman over here, and next to him is Herb and
Marilyn Dowling. Sean is Joe's kid and Brett belongs to these two."

"Good to meet ya, Joe," Coach said. "I can't tell you how much Sean's
brought to our team this year.  He's a fine young man, that one. And so are
Andy and John. And good to meet you, too, Herb and Marilyn. Brett's been an
unexpected star. I can't say enough about his attitude and hard work. He's
a joy to coach. I gotta tell ya all, this year's team is a team that you
might get just once in your career. If you're lucky.... Hell, we've almost
run out of ways to coach them!"

"That's good to hear, Coach," Joe said. "Sean was initially a little
apprehensive about coming here, but the way the rest of the guys have been,
especially George and Peggy's kid, well, he thinks he's fit right in. I
tell ya, that's a load off my shoulders for sure."

"Lemme tell ya something there, Joe, that kid of yours is a real leader. He
stays behind the scenes and lets Dickson run the offense, but he's a
motivator. And Dickson knows with Sean around he can't let up.  And your
other two, now they might not be big enough to play, or in Andy's case have
a broken leg, but those two have balls. The whole team feeds off that. Just
the other day I heard John ask one of our Linemen who's twice his size how
many chances he thought he needed to run a play the right way. I about
pissed my pants. That kid doesn't mess around...."

"No, none of my boys do. They've each had tough rows to hoe in their own
ways, but I never have to worry about them. They've got their heads screwed
on straight, I'll say that for 'em."

"That they do! Say, George," Coach said turning to George Dickson, "can I
talk to you about something for a minute?"

"Sure Coach..."

George and Coach tore themselves away from the rest of the group for a
minute. Coach asked George if he'd got the copy of the interview with the
WKOW reporter. Joe said he had and that Coach had nothing to worry
about. If by some chance they aired the interview, Coach would end up
owning the station.

"Thanks, George. I'm gonna mosey back over there and say my
good-byes. Gotta get home, ya know.  Every year if we beat Parker my wife
treats me to a nice, long blow job and lemme tell ya she could suck the
chrome off a trailer hitch. She coulda worked for Bill Clinton.... It
sounds corny, but, hey, shit like that is what keeps a marriage working, ya
know?"

"Don't give Peg any ideas, or I won't get any sleep for the next two
weeks!" George guffawed, slapping Coach Slater on the back.

"Well, OK, and thanks again, George...."

Coach made his way back to Joe and the Dowlings, letting them know that he
had a prior engagement with his wife, thanking them for their hospitality
and hoping to see them all again soon.

Outside, the party continued to grow. Kids were jammed in everywhere. Sean
had been circulating around, thanking everyone for coming and taking
compliments on all the preparations. Quick to tell everyone that was almost
all Andy and John's work, he realized he needed to fill his beer
glass. Sean made his way over to the keg and once there joked and
wise-cracked with the other partiers filling their glasses. Once it was his
turn, he bellied up, filled his glass and was promptly smacked into from
behind.  Some of the beer went on his shirt. Sean put his glass down,
grabbed a bar rag, cleaned his shirt off, and refilled his glass.

Sean then waded back into the crowd, and spotting Andy in a group with a
bunch of the other players went over. "Hey, Sean-o!" Andy said.

"How do you think the party's going?" Sean asked.

"Seems like everyone's having a good time. Glad the caterers suggested we
hire a clean-up crew. Don't think I'd wanna clean this mess before dad saw
it tomorrow...." Andy laughed.

"Hey, Wymo!" Cunns called out. "Awesome party, man!"

"Well, everyone seems to be having a good time, yeah...."

"Are you fucking kidding me? No one ever put on anything like this that I
can remember. You gotta do it again sometime!"

"Tell ya what, Cunns, we win State and we'll do it again. Deal?"

"Sounds good, man...."

The boys talked for about fifteen minutes trading memories from the game
and wondering what would be in store for Saturday morning. Sean noticed
that the caterers seemed to be letting the finger food run low and excused
himself to go inside and ask that the food be replenished.

John and Kathleen were at a picnic table talking. "Johnny, I'm having a
really good time tonight. I'm glad you invited me!" Kathleen said.

"Me, too. Hey, I never showed you around the house. You wanna get the
nickel tour?"

"Sure," Kathleen smiled giving John a peck on the cheek.

They both knew what that meant. Kathleen as the youngest child of a wealthy
family where the parents didn't really raise the children, she'd been
raised as a little girl by a nanny, and John, the cast-off son of a drug
runner had feelings for each other that ran deep. This night was meant to
be their first night doing more than just kissing, feeling up and mutual
masturbation.

The young couple arose, went into the house and made their way to the bar
where the adults were still congregated. John spied Joe, and guided
Kathleen in that direction. "Hey, dad?"

"Yes, son...."

"I'm gonna show Kathleen the house. She's never seen it before and all...."

"That's fine, son. Enjoy your tour, Kathleen," Joe said with a smile on his
face.

On their way up the stairs, John turned back and made eye contact with
Joe. Joe put his index finger to his temple and tapes it three times. John
gave his dad the thumbs up. Joe had to admit that while young, the two
looked radiant together. Joe knew John to be a serious young man and he
decided to trust him and his pretty girlfriend. If this was to be their
first time, he wasn't going to play the heavy. The two were almost sixteen
years old, and he felt that John had been honest with him. Joe simply
smiled and shook his head.

About an hour later, Andy came in asking Joe if he'd seen Sean. Joe replied
that he'd seen him a while ago, but not recently.

"OK, well, dad, I haven't seen Sean for like over an hour. I looked all
around outside, you know where all us kids are. I thought he might have
come in here by you guys."

"You probably just missed him. Did you try his phone?"

"Nah, I'll give him a call now. I feel kinda dumb doing it, but
whatever...."  Andy dialed Sean's iPhone but got no answer. "No answer,
dad...."

"OK, well, I doubt if he left. Here, I'll do the Find My iPhone app...."
Joe punched it up on his phone and after a few seconds looked up, "It shows
he's here, or at least his phone is..."

"He had his phone on him. I know he did because he was uploading some
photos from the game to Facebook when we were outside. Well, I'll go back
outside and look again."

"Good idea. I'll check your room. Maybe he got tired and laid down for a
bit, although that wouldn't be like him." Come back once you've made the
rounds outside and let me know if you found him."

On the second floor, Joe made his way to Sean and Andy's room. Opening the
door, he found the room empty. Joe shrugged, shut the door and made his way
back to the bar room. Walking past John's room he could hear the muffled,
yet unmistakable sounds of his youngest son and his girlfriend. He chuckled
as most of the sounds seemed to be coming from her, and thought to himself,
"well, at least the kid knows what he's doing, I guess...."

Back in the bar, Tim was there. "Hey, Tim!" Joe called out. "Helluva game
tonight. How's it feel to be 4-0?"

"Oh that's fine. I didn't think we'd lose tonight. Anyway, I ran into Cass
outside and he says he can't find Sean. Come to think of it, I haven't seen
him for a while, either. I just came in to see if he was in here is
all...."

"Nope, and I checked his room. I checked the location of his phone and it
says he's here in the house, so maybe you just missed him in the crowd, or
something."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, this is a great party! Thanks for
having it. Everyone says they can't remember anything like it!"

"Well, thanks, Tim. You guys deserve it."

Andy finished up looking around for Sean. He came back to the bar letting
Joe know he hadn't seen him.

"I was just telling your dad I hadn't seen him, either," Tim said.

"When was the last time you saw Sean, Tim?" Joe asked figuring by now it
would be between an hour and a half and two hours since Andy saw him.

"I can't say for sure, but I bet almost two hours, maybe...." Tim answered.

"I know this is stupid, but he wasn't in the kitchen helping the caterer,
was he?" Joe asked.

"I didn't think of that, dad," Andy said. "I'll go look."

Andy returned in a minute letting Joe and Tim know that Sean was not in the
kitchen, either.

"This is odd, but how do you lose someone in your own house?" Joe
asked. "I'll check the garage...." Not finding Sean in the garage, Joe
returned to the bar. "Well, he's not in the garage...."

"What about the basement?" Andy asked.

"I locked the basement before the party. I just didn't want anyone down
there. One area to supervise you kids is enough," Joe said, "besides, the
audio and video equipment down there is too expensive to take the chance of
people that don't know how to use it possibly damaging it."

"Well, I'll go check the door. If he went down there the door would be
unlocked," Andy said. Returning, he informed Joe and Tim that the door was
indeed locked and that when he unlocked the door with the keypad and looked
he saw no lights on down there.

"Well, he must be magic then. He disappeared...." Joe quipped.

George came over with a Scotch in his hand. "Something wrong, guys?" he
asked.

"Probably not. It's just no one's seen Sean for about two hours and no one
can find him. His cell phone is somewhere here in this house, though
because I checked it," Joe said.

"These kids, I tell ya...." George laughed. "I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Well, I'm gonna go back outside and look for him some more," Andy
said. "I'm gonna kick his ass when I find him, I tell ya that much!"

Joe, George and Tim had a good laugh over that. "You do that, Cass!" Tim
said.

Tim went to say hello to Brett's parents. Uncharacteristically, Herb
Dowling, not a hard-drinking man, was a bit socially lubricated after
three, or four Scotch and waters and gave Tim a hearty greeting.  "Timmy!
How are ya! You looked great out there tonight! I'm as pleased as fucking
punch with you and Brett.... I was a fucking dick to you guys, wasn't
I.... Well, fuck that! That's all in the past now. You're the greatest
fuckin' kid I ever...."

Just then Herb's speech was interrupted by loud banging coming from the
main hallway on the first floor of the house. Due to the noise of the
people and the party, was not noticed at first, but after multiple bangs it
called their attention. Joe and George looked at each other and took off in
the direction they thought the banging was coming from.

Listening closely, they determined the noise was coming from behind the
basement door. Joe moved to open the basement door. Once open, it was
totally dark as Andy had said. Lying at the top of the stairs with a
hypnotized look on his face, disheveled, and missing his pants was Sean.

END CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

*The local nickname for Janesville is "Janesburg," or sometimes simply "The
Burg."