Chapter 6
Theo
Running a hand through my damp hair, I got out of my truck.
A storm had blown in right when we’d hit the field for practice, drenching everybody.
There hadn’t been time for me to go home and change, but fortunately, I’d found a Timberwolves hoodie in my truck.
A hoodie and shorts were a far cry from interview attire, but Kevin Wilkins, the athletic director for Carolina, knew I was coming straight from practice.
He’d been there to watch me coach for about the first hour from the safety of the covered bleachers.
I’d asked to meet him at a sports bar near Tilikum College. It had been a strategic decision on my part. The area around the college was somewhat separate from the rest of town, which substantially decreased my chances of being seen by nosy neighbors who’d be apt to start rumors.
The gossip line in Tilikum was no joke.
I went in and spotted Kevin at a bar-height table, perusing a menu. He looked up as I approached.
“Theo,” he said, reaching out a hand. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
I took his hand and shook. “Absolutely. Sorry if I kept you waiting. Practice went a little long.”
“You’re good. I just got here.” He gestured to the high-backed stool across from him and I sat. “Can I order you a beer? Something else?”
“A beer would be great. Thanks.”
The server came over, and after a brief discussion of what they had on tap, he ordered two Blue Moons.
I’d had a couple of phone conversations with Kevin, but he’d been out due to a family emergency when I’d gone to interview back in July, so I hadn’t met him in person.
He was probably in his fifties, with light brown hair going gray at the temples and a trimmed beard, and was dressed casually in a half-zip fleece with the Carolina logo on one side of the chest.
“Thanks for flying all the way out here,” I said. “It must be a quick turnaround.”
“Yeah, in and out. But I really wanted to meet you in person. I like to get a feel for my people, and you just can’t do that the same way on a video call.”
When the server set our beers on the table, Kevin lifted his drink. “To new opportunities.”
I clinked my glass against his and took a sip.
He set his down. “So, tell me about your career. I’m familiar with your résumé, but talk to me about your progression. What’s led you here?”
“Sure. After leaving the pros, I moved back here to my hometown. I decided to go back to school, get my masters. While I was doing that, I took the assistant coach position for the high school. A couple of years later, I was hired as a full-time teacher and head coach. So, here I am.”
“What about your time in the pros?”
I tapped my thumb on the table a few times. “Shorter than I would have liked.”
“You got injured in your first season? Second?”
“Second season. Game three. I got taken out by the human equivalent of a freight train, although the severity of the injury was mostly bad luck. If I’d landed a little differently in one direction, I probably would have walked off the field.”
He shook his head. “That’s tough.”
“Although an inch in the other direction, and I might not have walked again at all, so there’s that.”
“I remember it. I was watching that game. You could hear the entire crowd gasp when you went down. I don’t know how much you were aware of as things were unfolding, but I’ll never forget the silence. Tens of thousands of people holding their breath, waiting to see if you’d get up.”
I did remember it. Part of me wished it wasn’t so clear. “Yeah, it was quiet. That was eerie. I think that was part of how I knew it was bad.”
“It’s remarkable how you’ve bounced back. A lot of guys in your position wouldn’t have picked themselves up and moved forward.”
“It didn’t happen overnight. Recovery took a while. But that was what motivated me to go back to school. After months of not doing much other than physical therapy, I was itching to do something. Find a way to stay in the game, you know?”
“Absolutely.” He took a drink. “What interests you the most about this opportunity?”
“It would allow me to up my game as a coach. Get into stuff that’s more advanced and complex. There’s a ceiling on how far you can take your players, and in college, that ceiling is higher.”
The conversation turned to my coaching style and ideas for Carolina’s offensive strategy, as well as the team’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities. Kevin nodded along as I spoke, and the longer we talked, the more my excitement grew.
He took another drink and set down his glass. “As a coach, I’m sure you’re used to trusting your instincts.”
I nodded.
“My instinct has always been that you’re our guy. Watching you coach and talking with you today has really confirmed that. Honestly, you’re great with those kids. I feel a little bit guilty trying to steal you away.”
I smiled through the sudden knot of nerves in my gut. Was this really going to happen? “Thanks.”
“Having said that, I am going to try to steal you away. No pressure to accept right this minute. You’ll get an official offer letter and you can take your time. I know it’s a big move, and a big decision. But we’d love to have you on board as our offensive coordinator starting next season.”
“Wow.” I took a deep breath. “Thank you. I’ll definitely consider it.”
He reached across the table and shook my hand.
“I hate to cut this short, but I’m catching a red-eye home. I need to get going.”
After he paid the tab, we both stood and I thanked him again for flying all the way out to Washington to meet with me. He assured me the offer letter would be in my inbox in a day or two.
Once he left, I slid back onto the stool and signaled the server to order another beer. I had a lot to think about.
When Carolina had reached out to me to see if I was interested in the position, I hadn’t really thought things would get this far. I’d figured I would fly out to South Carolina, chat with the coaching staff, go home, and never hear from them again. But this was actually happening. I had an offer.
An offer that would take me to the other side of the country.
The server brought my second beer, and I sipped it. I was glad Kevin hadn’t pushed me to answer immediately. He was right. It was a big move and a big decision. I didn’t have a wife and kids to think about, but I did have a family—a family who meant a lot to me.
This opportunity meant a lot to me, too.
In the back of my mind, I’d thought if I actually got an offer, I’d know if it was the right call. As if somehow the reality of the job would immediately sink in, and my gut would tell me which way to go.
My gut was strangely silent.
Or maybe not silent, but uncertain. I could see it both ways—staying in Tilikum or taking the job. Both had some big pros and cons. And in that moment, neither stood out as being the obvious choice.
Oddly, I thought of Penelope. I kind of wanted to talk to her about it. See what she’d think.
Of course, if the tables were turned, and she was the one contemplating a job offer on the opposite side of the country, I’d probably hate it. The thought of Tilikum High School without her was weirdly depressing.
This was just something I’d have to figure out for myself—sooner rather than later.