Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Carson entered the district’s administration offices, and the receptionist greeted him brightly.
“Good afternoon, Coach Andrews. They’re ready for you in HR. Go down the hall to your right and turn when it dead ends. Take it all the way until another dead end, and you’re there.”
“Thank you, Gretel,” he said, reading the name tag she wore. He knew people enjoyed when a person used their name, and he certainly had a lot of new ones to learn in Driftwood Bay.
He followed her directions and found himself at Human Resources.
He was shown in immediately, and the director introduced herself.
Everything was set out on a round conference table, and they seated themselves.
Mae Williams walked Carson through everything he was signing with brief but thorough explanations.
The last time he’d been hired in his previous school district, it had been like herding cattle through, as several hundred new hires had been present, going to various schools throughout Houston.
This time, he was getting the personal touch.
He supposed part of that was small-town charm, while the other was the fact that he was taking two important positions.
Small towns in Texas were known for supporting their teams, and the district’s athletic director would have his finger on the pulse of every sports team.
“That should do it, Coach Andrews,” Mae said. “I’ll have my assistant make copies of these for your records. Once you’ve established a bank account in the Bay, give me a call. I can set up direct deposit for you if you’d like to go that route.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“Thank you for taking on the additional title and responsibilities of being our athletic director,” she continued. “While you may feel that this is a stretch for you, Dr. Perry and Jon Earl believe you have tremendous potential. Jon Earl has been the gold standard, so I’m not saying this lightly.”
He found himself sitting up a bit taller. “Thank you for letting me know that.” Setting down the pen, he asked, “Is there anything else?”
“If you have time now, Jon Earl is in his office at the field house and would like to speak with you,” Mae said.
“You won’t officially be on the clock until June fifteenth, but he can pass over the keys you’ll need, and you’re welcome to come and go for the next two weeks.
I know you also need to find a place to live. ”
“Yes, I want to find housing while I’m here for a few days. For my daughter and me.”
“Talk to Jon Earl about that. His wife is a real estate agent and as sharp as they come. She’ll want to make certain you’re happy, so we can keep you in Driftwood Bay.”
He stood and shook hands with Mae, and she asked if she could take his picture for his school ID. She handed him a lanyard that he could use with it, telling him she’d send the laminated card along with the copies of his contract.
“I’ll text Jon Earl to let him know you’re on your way over.
I’ll have everything from the contract to insurance copies sent to the high school in interoffice mail.
I’ll also set up your district email account now and forward it and instructions on how to activate it to the email you’ve used to correspond with us.
I’ll notify the webmaster that you’ll need to be added to the district’s website.
He’ll contact you directly about providing a picture and info for your page on the site.
” She smiled brightly. “Folks in the Bay are going to want to know all about you.”
Carson got into his SUV and drove across the street, parking behind the high school and next to the field house Mila had showed him just a couple of hours ago.
He still wondered at the connection he had felt with her, but that would take some deep thoughts.
Right now, he needed to focus on the time with his predecessor.
Jon Earl Horton held a wealth of knowledge about the district, and Carson was eager to soak up whatever the football coach passed along to him.
Knowing his way, he went straight to Jon Earl’s office, where he was warmly greeted.
“Have a seat, Coach. Bill tells me you’re all on board.”
“I just finished up with the paperwork at HR, so it’s official. I’m glad you’re going to be around, though. I hope you won’t mind if I have questions for you regarding the AD portion of the job.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk with you about.” Jon Earl looked around. “You can see this office is a decent size, and it comes with the AD position. I’m going to move down the hall now that you’re an official Driftwood Bay Pirate. I’ll take the former basketball coach’s office.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he protested, although Carson was secretly happy he would have all the extra space.
“First of all, you’ll need this office for storage. You’ll accumulate a ton of things. Second, you’ll be having meetings with everyone in the athletic department. That includes all the sports at the high school and the middle school. I’m happy to vacate the space and let you have at it.”
For the next half hour, Jon Earl showed Carson where hard copies of various files were kept and gave him a rundown of a typical year for an athletic director, promising that once Carson had activated his school email account, he would inundate him with emails that contained attachments that Carson would need to refer to.
“When I decided to step down as AD, Hillary got on to me, gently nagging until I came up with a timeline of everything to pass along.”
The older man picked up a notebook sitting on this desk and handed it to Carson.
“This is for you. It’ll walk you through, month-by-month, in much greater detail than the overview I’ve given you, the kinds of decisions which need to be made by certain dates.
Tasks which must be accomplished. Budgets are a huge part of that.
It also has UIL info for all sports, not just basketball.
You’ll need to really study this, as well as everything I send to you so that you’re familiar with the state’s regulations for each sport and the Driftwood Bay’s school trustees’ plans for athletics over the next several years.
I’ve worked with them on one-year, five-year, and ten-year plans.
Of course, you’ll want to put your own spin on things. ”
“Then I guess I need to thank you and Hillary. I’ve been told by two people that she’s the realtor I need to speak with.”
“We’re done here,” Jon Earl said. “I’ll be out of your hair and moved from this office into my new one in the next twenty-four hours. I know you don’t officially report until mid-June, but feel free to make this space your own starting tomorrow.”
Jon Earl handed over a key ring stuffed with keys, each labeled meticulously, and they spent another quarter-hour going through all the places those keys opened.
“That’s it for now,” the older coach proclaimed. “And now that you’re a part of Driftwood Bay, I’m going to give you a heads-up. This will be my last year of coaching and teaching. I’m going to retire at the end of this coming school year.”
Carson guessed the coach was in his mid- to late-sixties and said, “We don’t need to have this conversation today. You may change your mind.”
“No. Giving up the AD’s slot was the first step in cutting back and easing into retirement.
I know it’s hard to find personnel, especially in a smaller district, and I wanted to let you know what my plans were so that you’ll have plenty of time to replace me.
It’s another reason I’m also going back to the classroom for a year.
I haven’t been there for a good many years, and I miss the teaching part.
Yes, I do teach all the time when I’m coaching, but the classroom is a little bit different.
I just wanted you to know about my plans, and I hope you’ll keep that in a very small circle for now. ”
“Does Dr. Perry know about this?” questioned Carson.
Horton nodded. “He does. Bill’s the one who suggested a transition year, so that I’d be around and able to answer questions for the new AD before I put in my retirement papers with the state. Would you like me to call Hillary and see if she has some time to visit with you now?”
“Sure, I’d appreciate an introduction.”
The older man picked up his cell and tapped it. “Hey, honey. I’m with Carson now. Yes, everything is a done deal, and he is going to need a place to live. Sure.”
Jon Earl passed his phone to Carson, who said, “Hi, Hillary. You have been recommended to me by a few people today, and that doesn’t even include your husband.”
He heard her chuckle. “That’s good to know, Carson.
Why don’t you come on over to my office?
I’d like to hear what you’re interested in, but I need to be very upfront.
We don’t have a lot of inventory open up in Driftwood Bay, so it may take time to hit on the right property for you and your family.
People here like the area and seldom leave.
Your best move would be to lease something for six months to a year.
That way, I could keep my eye out for the kind of property you’re looking for.
If nothing right opens up over the next few months, I can suggest an architect for you to commission to come up with some plans and then build from scratch. Are you free now?”
“Free as a bird,” he replied, a little disappointed that housing would be difficult to find.
“Good. Come on over, and we can visit a bit. Jon Earl will give you the address. I’m right on the edge of the square.”
“Already familiar with that since I ate at the Driftwood Diner for lunch.”
Carson ended the call and handed Jon Earl’s cell to him.
The other coach provided the address of his wife’s real estate office, as well as directions.
He found it amusing that Jon Earl didn’t use street names.
Instead, he gave directions which told him to turn at a gas station and then at the firehouse before reaching the square.