You’ve Been Caught
You’ve Been Caught
Coming out of the film, we’re stopped by another, “You’ve been caught.
” I will say, for the most part, I find these hilarious.
It’s a great way for viewers to get to know us a little bit more, without invading our private space too much.
Today, written on the black-framed whiteboard is, “What’s your favorite food to cook? ”
“Oh, this is an easy one.” Tyler grins. “Fish.”
“Bro, fish is not easy,” Dylan says as he sidles up next to the few of us who have stopped.
“Sure it is. Especially fresh fish,” he says proudly, while smiling from ear to ear. Tyler loves to go fishing. If he’s not playing football, he’s on his boat, and we all know it.
“I will say, he’s cleaned plenty of fish at my house, and it doesn’t look that hard. We’ve grilled it, baked it, pan-fried it, deep-fried it, and made patties out of it. You name it, we’ve cooked it. Vivi loves it,” Jonah tells Ross, who’s holding the camera.
“It’s not surprising you’re going to be on his side. He brings you free food,” Dylan argues.
“Damn straight.” Jonah grins. “But I’m a good cook too.”
Jonah’s a quiet one. He hasn’t been with the team that long, and everyone loves his little niece Vivi, who he has custody of. She steals the show no matter where we are.
“Oh, this is a fun one,” Sully says, coming up behind the group.
“Boy, you better keep your mouth shut. You don’t cook. You mooch off other people.” Rico laughs, and a few of the other guys chuckle.
Sully blushes as he looks around the group and finally at Danica. “That’s not true, I can cook.”
She doesn’t say anything. She just presses her lips together to keep from smiling too.
“You eat at Jonah’s like four times a week. Every week,” Rico announces as if we all don’t already know this.
“That’s because Vivi wants me there,” he declares, defending himself.
“Does she, though?” Rico taunts with a few oohs in the background.
He turns to face Jonah. “Tell them, Jonah. She asks for me if I’m not there.”
Jonah holds up his hands in surrender. “She does ask for him.”
“Boom. I told you.” He points at Rico’s face.
“Well, you still haven’t told us what your favorite food is to cook.” Rico waves at the board.
“Mine is Southern mac and cheese.” This comes from a deep voice, and all of us turn to look at Camden.
“Ha!” Rico laughs. “You playin’. There’s no way. Yours has to be something swanky like pan-seared scallops with creamy risotto, or lemon-butter chicken paillard.”
“I heard him talking once about making a classic coq au vin,” Bryan adds.
“Exactly!” Rico smirks.
“Well, it is,” Camden says flatly. “My mother used to make it for me.”
The entire group goes quiet. Not all of us have lost a parent yet, but some have. There’s a certain level of empathy and respect that is given when moments like this occur.
“Well, you should make it for us sometime. We’d all love to try her mac and cheese.” Sully claps him on the shoulder.
“And there you go again. Trying to weasel your way into someone’s house to eat!” Rico shakes his head.
“That’s not what I was doing.” Sully frowns. “Superman never invites people over. Maybe it’s time we take a field trip to his house.”
Camden pulls away from him. “No,” he tells Sully and then walks off.
I’ve been to Camden’s place once. He lives in the penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton Residences on Bayshore Boulevard. It’s the fanciest place I have ever been. I didn’t even want to sit on the couch.
“Well, I like to cook barbecue. I bought this new wood pellet grill when I bought my house, and I’ve had a great time making all kinds of meat on it. I’m going to get a flat top grill next.”
“We’ve got the Green Egg.” This comes from Bryan. “I like it, but sometimes it gets too hot and burns the food. There’s a learning curve.”
“You ever make burnt ends?” Rico asks.
“Of course I do.”
“You give me a shout-out, I’ll come over to help you eat them.”
“You gonna bring Tammy with you?” Darius asks with an innocent voice, and everyone cracks up. “Ryder can grab a girl, and you can make it a double date.” The laughter gets louder.
Tammy is Rico’s blow-up doll that he keeps in the passenger seat so he can use the HOV lane on the expressway.
“Man, why do you gotta go there and disrespect poor Tammy? She’s never done anything to you.”
“She’s never done anything at all. Or has she?” Now the laughter has escalated, and I can’t help but think that I love these guys.
“Danica, to answer your question, my favorite dish to make is kimchi fried rice,” Sully tells her.
“What the hell is that?” Rico frowns.
“Well, kimchi is salted, fermented vegetables, and I take it—”
Rico holds up his hand. “I’m going to stop you right there. Fermented vegetables. Nasty.”
“Kimchi?” Bryan raises a brow.
“Well, yeah. I had it in Korea and fell in love with it. I’ve since learned how to make it at home.”
“Boy, when were you in Korea?” Rico crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head back.
“A couple of years ago. One of the best trips I’ve taken. Quite frankly, I think everyone should go at some time in their life. They have world-class cuisine, centuries-old royal palaces you can tour, and the hiking is incredible.”
Everyone stares at him.
I’ve only known Sully for a couple of months, but every so often, a new piece of him comes out. Outside of football, I think he’s probably the most interesting person.
Danica breaks the silence, pulling the attention off him, but I watch her glance at him curiously.
“Rico, we’re still waiting to hear from you.” She flashes a smile at him.
“Oh, that’s easy. Sloppy joes,” he declares, and the whole group grumbles.