The person I am now is a far cry from the person I was two years ago. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, I'll start the story at the beginning and hope you find it interesting.
In high school, I was an all-star quarterback. I loved football and I played even on days where we didn't have a game. I'd gather up some of my friends, we'd find an empty field and play a makeshift game. I knew all about the legends like Johnny Unitas and Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath. I think I was initially more pissed at OJ for tarnishing his legend than for the horrific crimes he committed. I was a football nut.
I was on the fast track to a football scholarship when a few months before graduation, I blew out my knee. They could fix it and I'd be able to walk normally again with some therapy and after a few months, but no more football. I was really bummed because I honestly knew I'd play in the NFL. Coach had told me as much.
I owe that man a lot. I didn't want to go to university because I saw no point. All I had ever wanted to do is play. He insisted I go to night classes and, to my complete surprise, he offered me a job as Assistant Coach. At 19 I was going to be coaching football. Not my dream, but a close second. Coach was and is, a great guy. He's more like a father to me then my own dad, who was conspicuous by how absent he often was. I accepted his offer and moved into my own place. Once I settled in to my new life, I got hit by lightning.
Lightning in the form of Julia Schmidt, a transfer student from Germany. A blue-eyed blonde honey who was 17 when we met. She joined the cheerleading squad and damned if she wasn't forward enough to ask me out. I didn't know that I was playing with fire. There was only 18 months between us, so I said sure. It got hot and heavy pretty fast and by the time Julia turned 18, I knew what I wanted from her. It had started as a fling but I was crazy about Julia and she was just as nuts about me. Even her dad liked me because not only did I know football, I knew European football (soccer) and could talk knowledgably about it with him. Her mom liked me because she could feed me as much food as she liked and I would always want seconds. Her kid brother liked me because he wanted to play football when he went to high school and I helped coach his team on weekends.
The only fly in the ointment was the school. They really didn't like me. Or rather, they didn't like one of their teachers dating one of their students. The both of us were over 18 and we weren't doing anything illegal. They just said it set a bad precedent. I never understood how. All of the other teachers were a lot older than I was, I was an exception, kind of a "student teacher". The school board decided to make it an issue and I was turfed. Out of a job again at the tender age of 19. I couldn't afford my apartment and go to school at night. I sure as hell wasn't moving back home with my parents. I have to give Julia credit, she came through like a champ. "I'll always stand by you, Carl," my gorgeous girlfriend said to me. "My family adores you, why don't you come and live with us until you find another job?"
I looked at this girl I loved so much and knew what I had to do. I got down on one knee and said "You have a deal, but only if I move in with you as your husband. I don't know what my life is going to be like over the next few years, but I know it won't be anywhere near as good if you're not in it." It was then I noticed she was giggling and tears were running down her face.
"You don't listen very well,
dumbkopf
, I said yes about a minute ago," she sobbed and threw her arms around me. I hugged this woman I loved even more than sports and secretly promised I would do something to make her proud. Luckily for me, another one of my teachers came to my rescue.
An English professor I had at college read a paper I had written about Unitas and commented that the structure and research was very good. "I think you have the talent to be a good sports writer," he told me. "You should think about it, if you're interested, I can get you a paid internship at the Clarion."
The Clarion was -- is -- our local newspaper and it's well respected for its sports coverage. At the time, the reason for that was a reporter named Chuck Kim. If I knew most sports stats, Chuck knew them all. He could tell you where Namath had a birthmark or where Pete Rose got his first haircut. I told my professor I wanted the opportunity and two days later, I was interning with Chuck Kim. He became my mentor and friend and remains so to this day, even after his retirement.
I liked writing and I remember the thrill of seeing my first by-line. It happened only a week before my wedding to Julia so it was an early wedding gift for me, although from the way my fiancΓ©e carried on, you'd have thought it was her gift too. Maybe it was. After a year, I was writing almost as much as Chuck and the LoCs we got at the paper complimented my work. I believe it's because I was thorough and unbiased, even though I do have my favorite teams. Don't we all?
During the first few months of our marriage and my internship, Julia made a home for us in her parents' home. We saved our money wisely and thank God we did! We hadn't been married for 4 months when my wife announced she was pregnant. I was hit by lightning again. A husband and reporter by age 20 and a dad by age 21? I did anything and everything I could to earn extra money and both sets of parents were great. By the time Janis arrived, a 7 pound, 6 ounce baby, we had a new apartment with as much baby stuff as we'd ever need. Julia was now studying so that she could work as a portrait photographer, turning a beloved hobby into a well-paying career. In a few years, we'd have a nice income. We decided if we were both going to be working and studying to advance ourselves, we'd better stop with the one child. We both love being parents, but it was the right choice for us and Janis is a delightful young woman who was rarely any trouble.
I've always been healthy and thank God I was because I might not have survived otherwise. My beautiful wife is an excellent cook and she cooks more than enough food for the three of us. Over the years of doing a sedentary job, I began packing on the pounds. My cholesterol was good and so was my heart, but as I edged my way to 40, we knew that couldn't last forever. Friends at the paper were worried because I was nearly 300 pounds on a 6'1" frame. I didn't have a gut or waddle, I just got big all the way around. Julia and Janis made one big mistake at first, they nagged me about it.
"The pair of you eat the same food I do and you both have very healthy appetites," I groused. "Why aren't the two of you as big as houses?" Of course, like anyone with a problem I was fishing for a way out.
"Because mom swims and bikes to her classes and I swim and am on the cheerleading squad," my good-natured daughter told me. "You used to be active Daddy, but you aren't anymore. We both love you and we're not willing to lose you to a heart attack before you turn 50." It was a very real fear as my own father had suffered a near-fatal attack only 2 years earlier. Janis was almost hysterical at the thought of losing her granddaddy. "
Opa
is 65 and he's in better shape than you are right now."
"She's right Carl," my wife said of her father. "He still plays soccer with his friends twice a week."