WANNA GO TO TALLAHASSE?
*
CHAPTER 1
Silver Lake Stadium was thundering with the rhythmic stomping of feet, and the chanting of a thousand voices, as Bob Spenser carefully made his way up the steep bleachers.
Whump, whump, whump, wha-whump!
"GO BLUE, GO BLUE!"
Whump, whump, whump, wha-whump!
"GO BLUE, GO BLUE!"
Bob was carrying a flimsy cardboard container, which was over-laden with three big drinks, five hot dogs, a cinnamon pretzel, and a big bag of buttered popcorn. It seemed as if everyone in the entire stadium was standing up, stomping, screaming and clapping, or tooting their plastic horns loud enough to wake the dead. They were acting as if this were the last game of the playoffs, instead of the first game of the season. As Bob made his way up the aisle, he dodged elbows, horns and waving blue pennants, desperate to keep his precious cargo intact. He almost felt as if he were in an action movie.
Braving the ascent, he finally reached the spot where he thought his family was seated, but they were nowhere to be seen. Then he heard his older daughter's voice to his right and realized that he'd gone up the wrong aisle. "Fuck!" He had no choice but to go down, circle around and run the gauntlet all over again, this time focusing on the big blue afro wig Nikki was wearing. She'd graduated from high school ten years ago, but she was a die-hard Blue Bear Booster and never missed a game. She regularly shouted herself hoarse, but her voice was still in fine form. As soon as she saw him she shouted hoarsely, "Dad! You just missed the greatest fucking set of plays in Big Blue history! Oh shit! Quick dad! Look!"
Bob looked over his shoulder at the field, just in time to see the Bears taking their extra point kick. When the ball spun through the goalposts, the crowd went even crazier than they already were, and someone jostled his elbow so that he nearly dumped the drinks all over his wife. Luckily, Brenda reached up just in time to steady the cardboard container. Bob was finally able to plop down on the bleachers, exhausted from his stressful ordeal.
Nikki scarfed two of the hot dogs, as she excitedly described everything he'd missed while he was at the concession stand. The Big Blue had somehow managed to score, kick the extra point, then a few minutes later intercepted the ball again, then quickly ran a 60 yard passing play, and now they were seven points ahead.
Bob asked, "Was Bobby playing?"
Nikki rolled her eyes, "No, Dad. Warming the bench as usual. But it looks like the guy that intercepted the pass pulled a hamstring when he was running the ball back, so maybe the coach'll put Bobby in for him."
Brenda huffed, "Well, I certainly hope so. They only let him play six games last season! Maybe I should go down there and talk to that coach. Give him a piece of my mind."
Nikki laughed. "Yeah, go for it, Mom! Coach Hamilton fucking loves it when parents give him a piece of their minds. And I'm sure Bobby would be fucking thrilled to have his mommy come running to his rescue!"
Brenda's eyes narrowed. "Must you be so vulgar?"
"Yeah, Mom. I must. I really fucking must!" Nikki stood up and shouted down at the field, "DRILL THEM A NEW ASSHOLE, BIG BLUE!!"
Bob and Brenda shared a wry look. Then they laughed. They'd done everything they could to make Nikki sweet and gentle like her siblings, but she'd always been the wild child of the family. She had tattoos and piercings, cursed like a sailor, and was always getting into minor scuffles with the law. They used to joke that Nikki would end up living with them forever, considering what a fuck-up she was, but she surprised them by signing up for dental assistant school right after graduating high school, and moving out a year later. It wasn't until she was gone that they realized how much they missed having her around. She made life interesting.
Bob saw a sad little twinkle in Brenda's eyes. He didn't have to ask her what she was thinking. She'd been missing their second daughter Julie ever since the girl went off to college a month ago, and by this time next year, Bobby would be off to college too, and then Bob and Brenda would be all alone in that big, empty house.
Nikki yelled, "Hey, they're playing Bobby!"
All three of them stood and clapped as Bobby ran out onto the field. He had put on 15 pounds lifting weights over the summer, but he still looked so small down there in his blue and white uniform. He was a defensive back, and though he wasn't as big as the other guys on defense, he could run like the wind. Bob settled in and tried to keep his eyes on his son, so he wouldn't miss it if anything happened. But after a while, he found his attention drifting toward the section of the stand where the band was sitting.
Where is she? I can't see her. Damn it. I wonder if she's here. Of course she's here. She's on the Colorguard. Where else would she be?
He could see a patch of blue flags whipping about on the far side of the band, so he knew
Dana Lee
was probably there with her fellow flag girls, but she was hidden behind drummers, trumpeters and tuba players.
Oh well... it'll be halftime soon.
Bob felt Brenda's hand squeezing his and he looked down into her quizzical eyes.
He shouted over the din, "What?"
She shouted back, "What are you looking at, Bob? Bobby's over there." She pointed toward the field.
He smiled. "Sorry. I... I just have a lot on my mind. Our meeting with the Canadians didn't go that well today. We're probably gonna lose that contract."
Brenda cocked her head with concern. "Oh, Bob. That sucks. I'm so sorry."
Bob kissed her, and even though he'd been lying, he was touched by how loving she was.
Damn, I have the best wife in the world. I don't deserve her. I honestly don't.
Then the crowd started yelling, so Bob looked down at the field again. The Saints were making a big offensive play, and the guy with the ball was heading right for Bobby. Nikki was screaming so loud by this time that Bob was almost certain he was going to pop an eardrum, and Brenda was squeezing his hand so tightly he could feel his bones crunching. This was just the kind of play Bobby would have choked on last year. If he flubbed this one after finally getting a chance to play, all three of them knew he'd spend the rest of the week kicking himself for it.
But last year was last year. With a confidence they'd never seen from him before, Bobby ran directly at the running back and drove his shoulder pad directly into the runner's midsection, taking him to the ground and managing to make him fumble in the process thus allowing the Bears to regain possession of the ball. The crowd went crazy, and Bob hugged his family as they all jumped up and down screaming, "WAY TO GO, BOBBY!"
But even as Bob embraced his loving family, he felt like a fraud. He'd lied to them all summer long. He'd betrayed their trust. And worst of all, he would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. He simply couldn't help himself. Dana Lee was just too cute.
Not that he'd planned to commit adultery. He'd watched Dana Lee Pruitt grow up across the street. To him, she was nothing but the neighbor's little girl, and one of Julie's occasional playmates. But one weekend in August, Brenda and Bobby went to Orlando with Julie to check out apartments for college, and Dana Lee, now 18-years-old and not such a little girl anymore, challenged him to a basketball game and... well... one thing led to another, and before Bob knew it, he was fucking the shit out of his daughter's little friend. And when they were done, they ordered a pizza, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. After eating it, they fucked again and again until it was dark, and Dana Lee's dad called her cell phone wondering where she was.
The next day Bob felt like a total shit, so he promised himself he'd never cheat on his wife again. But then... a few days later Brenda took the kids to visit their grandparents in Omaha. After only an hour alone, Bob sent Dana Lee a text message asking her what she was doing. Five minutes later she was in his bedroom, stripped naked and on her knees sucking his cock again. For the rest of the summer they hooked up whenever the opportunity presented itself. He'd fucked her in every room in the house, all at Dana Lee's insistence. Even in Julie's old bedroom, which was still full of her stuff.
But then the school year started, and it was like she dropped off the face of the earth. She no longer sent him random pussy pics, and the two times he'd sent her a text wondering what she was doing, she said she was too busy. Maybe that was true. She was a senior after all. But he'd convinced himself that she'd grown tired of him. Sure, he was in tip top shape, but that didn't change the fact that he was bald, married, and thirty one years her senior.
He sighed.
