Chapter 25 -- Most Likely To
Friday November 4
It felt good to not have a game this weekend. We'd played Thursday night to give us an extra day off before the state playoffs, which would begin on Wednesday. The other important upcoming event was the election on Tuesday.
Grandma Dawson had met with the city council because they'd had fears about how having a dog as mayor would work. She assured them she would have Duke's power of attorney.
She explained two terms I'd heard before,
de facto
and
de jure
.
De facto
was Latin for 'in fact,' while
de jure
meant 'in the eyes of the law.' Grandma would wind up being the
de facto
mayor, while Duke would be the
de jure
mayor.
The whole council understood the difference, and with most of them being from the area, they were well aware of her political credentials. The council came out in favor of Duke's candidacy after they learned who they would really be working with. After all, their alternative was to have to deal with Thomas Fox, who had mounted a write-in campaign. Or our former mayor, but no one expected him to be around for long.
Grandma told us the rumor around city hall was that Mr. Fox needed the income he would earn as mayor, or he might have to close his practice. I was eagerly awaiting the day he would be taking my order at the drive-through and asking if I want fries with that.
My grandma was as happy as I'd ever seen her. For a minute or two, I thought it was because she'd finally be out in front and not just supporting my grandpa Davey. The little discussion we had showed me I'd misjudged her, though.
"David, my favorite definition of politics is 'the pursuit or exercise of power with respect to matters of governance.' The problem is that most politicians spend all their time, energy, and money pursuing power. They give little thought to the actual exercise of it. As soon as they're elected, they start preparing for the next election. This leads to skewed and shortsighted decision-making.
"A statesman focuses on the proper exercise of political power for the long-term benefit of his people. Right now, what we're doing is a lark, but everyone knows it won't happen again, and that I won't be seeking reelection. That means I have the freedom to be a statesman, and I can make decisions based on the right criteria. The council members know that too, and it makes them happy because we might actually do something worthwhile.
"Davey's statesmanship was why he never sought higher office and why he always was so well respected. This reminds me so much of those days, and of him," she explained.
People looked up to my grandfather, and he had mentored several politicians in our state. It was too bad they weren't more like him. He wouldn't have put up with the partisanship that was prevalent today. Grandpa Davey had been the one who got things done because he wasn't afraid to reach across the aisle and talk to the other side. He could never be the 'face' of the party and get out in front to spout the party line. Instead, he was the one behind the scenes who could make deals.
---
During first period, Jill and Becky checked all my injuries. That was not a pleasant experience.
"If you're going to jab me, at least give me a Vitamin T shot," I complained.
"Go get in the ice bath and then we'll give you a massage," Jill promised.
"Will you use the stuff that deadens the pain?"
"Yes. Now go soak."
No matter how many times I've used an ice bath to help reduce swelling and bruising, it was hard to force myself to get in. I knew intellectually that when they were done, I would heal faster. But I'd had an aversion to cold ever since being buried alive in a mountain of snow. If I just got in and didn't mess around, that was best. The slow approach made me more likely to crawl out.
I also had to make sure to take deep breaths when I first got in. If I didn't, it seemed like my body would forget to breathe.
I'd checked out my injuries this morning after I got out of the shower. I'd protected my injured right side, and it seemed my left had taken the brunt of the beating last night. Percy was a big boy, and when he'd hit me from my blind side, I'd felt it.
Wolf joined me in the next tub.
"What're you in for?" I asked.
"Took a helmet to the thigh in the third quarter. I'm glad we don't have to play them again."
"What did you think of the new plays?"
"I can't believe Coach Hope is letting us toss the ball around so much. When he first came here, did you ever think he would even let you pass?" Wolf asked.
"Heck, he thought Brad was a better option at quarterback. I think he was afraid we might score too much."
Brad was Coach Hope's son and had been anointed the starter as soon as he hit campus. His biggest problem was he couldn't throw an accurate pass past ten or fifteen yards. I chuckled.
"Remember when he wanted to trade seven-on-seven players?" I asked.
"He wasn't the brightest guy," Wolf admitted.
The best thing Brad did for us was to talk all his ass-hat buddies into using steroids. That allowed the rest of us a chance to play our sophomore year. I think that additional experience gave Coach Hope the confidence to let us get creative. I doubted he would give Trent the same freedom next year.
When Jill came and got me for my massage, I saw that Tim was next in line for the ice bath. It looked like most of us were dinged-up after our game against Broadview Academy.
---
"What are we doing this weekend?" Brook asked me at lunch.
"Cassidy and I have our written test for flying tonight. Why don't you log some flight time while we do that and then we can go out afterward?"
"He finally has a Friday night free, and he wants to take a test?" Tracy asked.
"We could have taken it Saturday afternoon, but Dare told him he'd fixed his drone, and they plan to go fly it then," Cassidy shared.
Why was it my new Jedi mind powers only worked on my little brother and Dare? Both Cassidy and Tracy should be clutching their throats as I snuffed the life out of them.
"There's no football game, so if Brook is up for it ..." Wolf suggested.
What were the rules about hitting people? Girls, only if they tried to kick you in the 'nads. And guys were fair game. I slugged Wolf in the shoulder.
"Oww ... what was that for?" Wolf complained and then smirked. "We all worry that 'fun David' may have gone the way of the dinosaurs."
I must not have hit him hard enough.
"You're never around. You should come out and play with us," Pam said to flirt with me.
"Sounds like we need a party," Tim said. "Who can have it?"
"I can," Dare volunteered.
Brook and I looked at each other and silently agreed that that wasn't a promising idea. If anything happened, I would feel horrible.
"We could have it at the lake house," Tracy offered. "That way, we wouldn't bother the neighbors if the music gets loud."
I would have to thank her for the save for Dare's sake. He lived in an apartment building, which would almost guarantee calls to the police.
"How about we do it Saturday? David needs to take his test, and I want to log some flight time," Brook suggested, agreeing with my original plan.
"Dare could bring your drone, and we would make a day of it," Tracy said.
The girls ignored the rest of us as they planned the party. It sounded like we would cook out and relax. It was too cold to do much outdoors, but I was sure we would have a fun time flying the drone. If my friends flew it, it would stress-test Dare's effort to make it idiot-proof.
---
For practice tonight, Coach Hope had recorded our game on ESPN. It was fun to listen to their take on our first three onside kicks.
"I'm not sure what to make of Lincoln's game plan. Is it genius or just a gimmick?"
"I've never seen anything like it. Lincoln came into this game a decided underdog, and now they're up 16 to nothing. If Broadview doesn't figure out the onside kick, they may never get the ball. My feeling is this won't last, though. Lincoln better get all the points they can now because I predict it'll be a long night for them."
"The talk before the game was how David Dawson would respond tonight. From what I heard, it was a game-time decision as to whether he would play. Dawson was involved in a serious hit-and-run collision when he was on a recruiting trip to USC. Initial reports were that he would need upwards of eight weeks to be on the field," the color announcer shared.
"Dawson takes the snap from the shotgun. They've triple-teamed Wilkes, leaving just two receivers to go downfield. Dawson's been flushed from the pocket and throws a long pass ... and it's complete to Pearson. It looks like they might catch him ... no ... Touchdown!" the play-by-play guy announced.
"That's just it. Dawson has all the talent in the world. What you worry about is whether he's another Johnny Manziel. You saw him walking in with the sign that said 'Irrelevant!' Then he lifts his shirt and points to his crotch. I'd be worried about what you're getting with someone like him."
"Bullshit!" I barked.
I was embarrassed I'd said that out loud. I was even more embarrassed when I saw Jeff's cameraman pointing the lens at me.
Thankfully, Coach Hope just let the recording run so I could get a chance to gather my emotions. All it took was one talking head to question your attitude, and suddenly it would be a problem. I sent Frank a text to see what I should do. He sent me one back admitting he hadn't seen it yet, and that he would call me when he had something for me.
I was mad because of the comparison to Johnny Manziel. His problems seemed to be that he partied too much and then did stupid things.
Frank sent me a text back to call him when I had a chance. I stepped out of the team meeting to talk to him.
"Ideas?" I asked.
"Here's my advice: ignore it. The people who count know your character and work ethic. If you make a big deal about this, you'll only draw more attention to it."
"The documentary crew caught me reacting to what he said," I worried.
"Good. It was an honest reaction. I would bet they want to talk to you later. Explain to them you were shocked that that was how what you did was perceived. Tell them what really happened and then don't talk about it again."
I thanked him for his advice and returned to the room to watch the remainder of the first half. When the half was over, Coach Hope turned it off.
