Chapter 3 #2
Brian looked at his best friend on the Celtics team—hell, his best friend period.
He hadn’t seen much of his boyhood friends in years.
Hadn’t had time or much in common. His life had been basketball 24/7 since he could remember.
Judging by the look on Dave’s face, he was going to have to spill some details soon.
“She was. Who knows, maybe we’ll continue the affair—someday. But not until long after I’m retired from basketball. Then I might have half a chance at handling a woman like her.”
“That wild, eh?” Dave prodded, and leaned closer on his huge elbows.
“It was intense.” Brian didn’t want to say more.
He thought about her. He liked thinking about her.
But could he risk seeing her again? What was he really afraid of anyway?
Of course he had to see her again, professionally, that is, for the interview he’d promised.
He frowned now, worrying that maybe he shouldn’t have made that promise.
Another impulsive move. He didn’t want to lead her on, but then he almost laughed at himself for worrying about her.
She was definitely a big enough girl to take care of herself where men were concerned.
He figured she had an abundance of experience.
Not likely anything to worry about there.
Now Susan was another matter. Their relationship had been convenient for him, but she wanted more. He didn’t have any more for her. It was over and he knew it. He’d been restless and he supposed that’s part of the reason he took Roxanne home with him. But only part of it.
While Brian thought about Roxanne while he ate, Dave kept on a steady stream of play-by-play on his golf game that day.
“What happened to your last putt?” Dave asked with a grin.
“Me? I thought you said you’ve been living on the golf course this summer. If this is how you play when you practice you definitely ought to stick to B-ball,” Brian chided as they walked outside when they’d finished.
“Yeah? What about your drive on the eighth?” Dave reminded him.
“I planned it that way. I ended up with a par on that hole didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but who’s going to pay for that poor guy’s operation since you hit him with your flying two iron?” They both laughed at his exaggeration.
“Seriously, come out and play golf with me tomorrow morning. You could use the practice,” Dave invited him.
“I think I could use the hoop practice even more.” Brian resigned himself to getting back to the reality of his work regimen. Dave slapped him on the back.
“That’s what I like to hear. The old Brian’s back. Watch those wild weekends now.” Dave and Brian parted, walking to their respective cars.
It wasn’t until after he walked into the house that Brian realized Susan was home. Her bags were on the floor in the foyer. She must have caught an earlier flight than expected, because he was supposed to pick her up at the airport later that night.
He also remembered, with a groan, the condition he and Roxanne left his bedroom in that morning in their rush to leave the house.
He suddenly felt pity for Susan. He knew that she loved him.
They had lived together only five months because it was the only way he could maintain a relationship with a woman.
She had always been loving and understanding from the beginning.
He now knew that he had never loved her back.
Their relationship had been nothing but a repeat of the mistakes of his marriage.
He didn’t want it to end this way, but he was helpless to salvage the situation now.
He was still standing there in the foyer with his golf bag over his shoulder as she came down the stairs. Her face was tearstained and he didn’t know what to say, but he felt compelled to say something.
“Are you coming or going?” He gestured to the bags.
She reached the bottom of the stairs. She wasn’t a petite woman, but she looked it next to him.
She was average size with shoulder length blonde hair and clear blue eyes.
She turned those eyes up to his now, and they were red and filled with pain.
Then she answered his question with a catch in her voice.
“Can give me a reason to stay any longer?” She tried to smile, but only succeeded in looking more pitiful in her hopefulness, he thought.
“You don’t have to go now,” was all he could manage with any sincerity.
He didn’t want to keep her under any illusions.
He wasn’t the kind of man who would use a woman—or was he?
Had he been using Susan all this time without realizing it?
Taking her love and giving nothing of himself in return?
He wouldn’t take from her any longer. He would let her go. Susan’s head dropped with his response.
“I think I should go right away.” She paused and seemed to have something more to say as she picked up her bags. He waited for her to speak.
“You can send the rest of my things…” She moved to the door and he turned to watch her go before she said what she had to. He wanted to say something more to her, something to make it up to her, but there was nothing.
“I always knew you probably didn’t really love me. Your only love was always basketball. I couldn’t get used to that. I hadn’t counted on there being other women too.” Susan’s voice trailed off and she turned to go out the door but he couldn’t resist asking.
“How did you know that I wasn’t in love with you?” He was astounded. She laughed without humor.
“It’s pretty obvious to anyone who sees you play basketball that that’s where your heart and soul is.” She sighed and then she left. His ex-wife had said pretty much the same thing.
He stood there holding his golf bag, not knowing what to do next. His weekend with Roxanne was over, but the repercussions were not. When the goose bumps sprang up, he felt very uneasy.
After an early workout the next morning, Brian felt better.
Determined to get back to his schedule, he arrived early at the local college for a preseason practice.
Only Coach Benson was there, in the office, reading the sports page of that morning’s Boston Globe.
An immediate sense of dread assailed Brian when the coach looked up at him from behind the paper.
John Benson sat at the desk with his expression holding a look of concern.
It was the look that everyone on the team knew meant no good.
Brian took the seat next to the desk and didn’t say a word. He waited for the coach to say what it was he had to say.
“Have you seen this morning’s paper?” The coach shoved the paper in front of Brian’s face so he could.
“Note the lead on the article that was supposed to be about the charity golf tournament.” He prompted Brian to read it aloud.
“Basketball star Brian Dennis arrived late to the charity tournament yesterday, delaying the crowds and causing much speculation. Apparently the guru of basketball, the reincarnation of the work ethic, merely overslept.” Brian slapped the paper down.
He was not a guru or a reincarnation of anything, he thought to himself, and if they thought so, then that was their problem. .
“And that was written by our friend, Kevin.” The coach nearly shouted. Brian couldn’t remember seeing him this agitated off a basketball court.
“Why such excitement about one minor off-season article in the Globe?”
“Because I think there’s more here than meets the eye. What is it you’re not telling me?” Brian was taken aback by the question. Things had gotten all out of perspective and it was time he set the record straight.
“There is absolutely no need to worry, coach. It’s not that big a deal. I met a woman. That’s why I overslept and why I didn’t work out over the weekend.”
“Didn’t work out?” Coach Benson’s voice thundered. Brian winced. He realized immediately after he had said it that he shouldn’t have.
“Calm down, Coach, I’m back on my regimen.
I took one weekend off.” Even Brian had to admit that didn’t sound like him.
The coach paused for a few moments and seemed to scrutinize him, weighing the matter, as if to determine the severity of the problem like he was a giant puzzle with a missing piece.
“Brian, you don’t seem to understand what’s happening here. I’m just beginning to see it myself and I don’t like it. Not one bit. But I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later—I was always hoping it would be later, when you were ready for retirement, not now while you’re in your prime.”
“Now wait a minute, you’re getting excited over nothing.
As far as basketball’s concerned, nothing’s changed.
I’m still dedicated, hard working, and the toughest damned competitor anyone will ever come up against.” Brian got up from his chair and began pacing, determined that he was right in his convictions.
When he stopped pacing as he faced the coach, the man was shaking his head with almost a sad look on his face.
“But don’t you see, Brian? Basketball has been your woman all these years.
You’ve carried on this love affair with basketball with such intense passion that you’ve become the best player ever to play the game.
And I don’t want that to change, not yet.
But you seem to have gotten distracted.” The coach waved at the paper.
“I was restless. I’m not anymore. It won’t happen again.”
“Do you want to see the team therapist?” The coach was serious.
Brian stared, incredulous. Where Brian came from people didn’t see therapists. They gutted it out. They played through whatever was bothering them—and this was nothing anyway.
He laughed at the coach’s suggestion. “I don’t think so. Maybe you should see the shrink—this all seems to be bothering you way too much.”
“Maybe you’re right. What about the woman?” The coach spoke quietly.