Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:05:08 -0500 From: Alan A. <eastcoastasulax@gmail.com> Subject: Jake Grimke Chapter 33 NOTE: This is the fictional coming of age story of Jake Grimke as he matures through high school, into college and eventually into adulthood in the Baltimore, Maryland region. It contains and embraces accurate representations of life in Baltimore and its suburbs; Maryland's traditional sport of lacrosse and the career path a firefighter might follow in his profession. All of the characters in this story are fictional and resemblance to any one person whether dead or alive is purely coincidental. If you liked this installment, please send me some feed back; I got a rough idea where this is headed but I am always open to some suggestions. Needless to say, if you are offended by handsome athletic young men growing up gay and the obstacles they will encounter as well their personal triumphs, you should use the BACK button on your browser forthwith. Jake Grimke continued his training regimen through out the summer, running, swimming and lifting and continued to make time for a few trips each week to Baltimore to visit Jose at the FIJI frat house just off campus from Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus. And if Jose was busy with school work or fraternity activities, Jake could always find Will or Aaron or Erik from school at the Park Severn swim club not far from his home. In fact, when possible, he would return in the afternoon after a morning swim just to have a cool down swim or play a pick up game of doubles volleyball in the sand court within the club's property. And by the end of July, it was time for Jake Grimke to head to the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville again and sign his Letter of Intent to play lacrosse for the Cavaliers in return for a partial athletic scholarship to attend Thomas Jefferson's idyllic university. John Grimke was surprised at how much his alma mater had expanded from when he had earned his history degree nearly 25 years before. Jake's strong GPA at Severn High also helped him earn a small scholarship available from the Baltimore Fire Officer's Association of which his father is a member. In the grand scheme of things, the Grimkes would have little out-of-pocket tuition costs for Jake to attend such a prestigious school. John insisted on driving the family to Charlottesville in the newer Honda, pointing out and talking about out the familiar sights he remembered along the way the closer they got to campus during the three hour drive. As they got nearer, Jake became more quiet and began to take in the sights that would become his home for the next four years before they pulled up to the Klockner Stadium complex to meet Assistant Coach Walker who was waiting outside for the Grimke clan to arrive. Emma and Jake jumped out of the car while John found a nearby visitor parking space. Coach Walker, who made several trips to Severn High to scout Jake Grimke's skills and abilities was the first from the Virginia lacrosse program to welcome the Grimkes on this visit to the campus. "Hello again Jake, Welcome Mrs, Grimke, it's Emma isn't it?" Coach Walker said with an outstretched arm. Emma shook hands with Walker, "yes, I'm Emma Grimke." "Coach Walker, how are you doing today?" Jake said enthusiastically shaking John Walker's hand. "It's a great day here in Charlottesville. I think we have finally put so much of the ugliness of that tragedy behind us now. We have a fresh NCAA championship to our name and some fine talent coming on board to help continue our winning tradition," Coach Walker said as he talked confidently about the future of Cavalier lacrosse. "Hello again Coach Walker, how are you doing," John asked as he walked up to the front of Klockner. "I'm fine Mr. Grimke, we're excited to have all of you here today in Charlottesville," Walker continued, "Jake, you must be pretty excited." Jake smiled, nodded, looked at his parents looking at him proudly, "Yeah, let's get this started." Just inside the entrance to the lobby outside of the UVa men's lacrosse team offices, Junior midfielder Mike Vernier waited for the Grimkes, wearing his Cav's jersey and ready to greet Jake, just as a junior had met him two years before. "So, you're the Jake Grimke everybody's been talking about," Vernier offered, putting his right hand out to shake, "I'm Mike Vernier; we've heard quite a bit about your game." "Thanks a lot Mike, it's an honor to be asked to play for the Cavaliers," Jake said trying not to sound too confident, "these are my parents, Emma and John Grimke." After all the introductions were completed, Coach Walker dismissed Mike and Jake for a formal tour of the lacrosse facilities while Emma and John Grimke met with Coach Walker to review the plan for Jake's freshman year at Charlottesville and put them at ease that their only son was in good hands. "We might as well start with the locker room," Mike said leading them down the hall. As soon as they were out of ear shot of Coach Walker and his parents, Jake opened up, "so, what should I really expect, what blew you out of the water?" "Just the intensity with which the game is played. You may have been the toughest bad-ass on your championship team but what you played a year ago will pale when compared to D1" Mike confessed, "we'll prep you for it but your freshman year is going to kick your ass. Just kind of imagine the football team with lacrosse sticks." Jake smiled at the reference to championship team, "Gotcha." Before entering the locker room, they stopped by the weight room, empty for now. Mike continued, "Might as well get used to being in here. It's a pretty top-notch place and the strength coaches will put you through some moves; you are going to need strength as much as power." Jake drank in the heavy duty equipment, obviously better than anything he found in the gym at Severn High School or the local Gold's Gym in the strip shopping center not far from home. Together, Mike and Jake moved further down the hall and through the double doors into the men's lacrosse locker room. "You're a freshman, your locker is going to be over in that corner somewhere," Mike said, pointing to where his locker was his first year, "as you move up, you will be closer to the center where that flat-screen monitor and white board are mounted and over there is a work bench if you have to speed tune your stringing" Jake put his hands on the custom wood-finished stalls of one of the lockers, noticing the plaques mounted inside of bygone players who contributed greatly to the program. "These are pretty sweet," Jake said remembering the mesh-ventilated metal lockers that they had to share with the football team at Severn and thinking to himself, maybe my name on one of those plaques someday. Even though all of the lockers were empty for summer, Mike's stall had two well-used sticks in it, knowing that he would be showing Jake around Klockner today. Vernier picked up a ball and the sticks, their shafts covered in well-worn tape from the locker, and handed one to Jake as he led them to the field exit from the locker room. "It gets pretty pumped up in here before we take the field," Mike said reflectively, "then we come out here through the tunnel to 8,000 plus screaming fans when it's a big home game. It's intense, a feeling like you've never had before." A chill went down Jake's spine listening to Mike's details as they walked to the sideline where he continued, "the best place to play lacrosse my man, Klockner." Pointing to the round pillars at the end of the field, "each of those represents an NCAA championship, the newest one is right there," Mike pointed out as they walked on to the perfect midfield grass, "I've played a lot of ball all over the East Coast Jake, but this place is special. Jake, I've heard nothing but good, no, great things about you, your game and I really hope you are going to be out here with us. What do you say we have a toss?" Neither was dressed for it, Jake in jeans, polo shirt and his signature Nike Shox while Mike was similarly dressed with his jersey, jeans and Asics running shoes. They tossed the ball back and forth for a little while, keeping themselves at a conversational distance as Mike began to lay down the expectations for the freshman, "be ready, none of this `I forgot my cup or any other shit.' Be the first one on the field for practice, be the first one in the weight room, be the first one to shut up when Qualey or any of the coach's speak; got it?" "Crystal clear Mike," Jake answered smartly, recalling that Qualey was Don Qualey, the team captain. "Be the last off the field, be the last out weight room," Mike drilled on, throwing the ball harder each successive time to Jake to emphasize his points, remembering what his own mentor said to him two years ago, "Another thing, your keep eyes and ears open and your mouth stays shut unless you got something constructive to say; nobody here will care what or how you did it in high school, lacrosse camp or your traveling team or whatever it was. You're joining us, not the other way around; you are to play `hoo's lacrosse now and you'll play it our way." "I'm getting in tune with what you are saying," Jake said in agreement, knowing there was little if any room for argument. "And most of all, keep your shit squared away on and off the field," Mike said, catching the ball, holding it before tossing it again to emphasize, "if nothing else, that's the most important thing now. We've had some tough challenges, on and off the field that distracted us from our team's mission, we don't need anymore for a long time to come; I hope you understand where I'm coming from." Jake nodded in the affirmative and fired the hard rubber ball back to Mike as he noticed his parents and Coach Walker on the sidelines having their own tour of Klockner Stadium. And for the first time since his freshman year at Severn, Jake was in unfamiliar territory: new school, strangers all around him, no wingman and no longer king of the crease. Today, he felt a little more humble than usual as he walked with Mike to the sidelines to rejoin his parents and Coach Walker. With one little nagging question left in his head, Jake asked, "how do you know so much about me?" "That's easy, I'm dating Bryant Williams' sister," Mike said, breaking into a big smile, "let me give you my number, call me if you need anything Jake, or just want to talk." After Jake and Mike walked off the field to regroup with the Grimkes, Mike offered a handshake but all of a sudden, Jake felt like he had a new friend and potential wingman and after gripping Mike's offered hand, Jake pulled him into a classic Jake hug, "Thanks a million Mike, I'll be in touch soon enough." Coach Walker brought the Grimke's back into the lacrosse offices and sat them all down at a table with the school's athletic director in a small conference room where he proceeded to brief them on all the NCAA as well as UVa policies for student athletes. Because there was a standing offer of a partial athletic scholarship, Jake's signature was required on his Letter of Intent, declaring that he would in fact play lacrosse for the University of Virginia. And while Jake was interested in signing the letter and moving on to the rest of the day's activities, John and Emma asked him to wait and re-read it before signing it after he saw the rest of the campus. Coach Walker said that was acceptable so long as the Athletic Department had the signed original in their possession before classes commenced. John enjoyed showing Jake around the campus, at least the parts he remembered before they met with Jake's academic advisor and finalized Jake's housing assignment at the Hereford Residential College. On their way back to Severn, Jake called Mike and thanked him for showing him around Klockner and before calling Erik, Aaron, Will and then Jose to say that all was set for the fall. Jake also wanted to call Evan too but that wouldn't be for a few more weeks when Evan was allowed to phone home again but he did call Jackie just to say hi and wish her well as she and her parents made the trip to Brandeis University Jake then crashed in the back seat while John and Emma held hands on the trip home, not waking up until Emma opened the back door at their Maryland home.