“Yeah, well, I’m over all the clowning for the moment. Including yours, dumbass. Later.” I head out of the room, passing coach’s office door, thankful he’s on the phone. He doesn’t bother glancing up.
Making my way to the parking lot, I weigh the cost of living next door to my son. It will be tight, but I should be able to make it. Though it would be more money smart for me to live with Harris and take the free ride, it’s time I make a stand where Dante is concerned. Clarissa still refuses to cash the checks I mail, though I know she needs them, but teaching must be paying off because the house she rented is a pay grade above her last two places.
Now might be the time to finally stake my claim for a place in his life, but the fear is real. I don’t want to make her life any harder, but Dante’s passed the point of recalling his first memories, and I’m determined that from this day forward, I want as many of his memories as possible to include me.
“Dude, where’s your head at?” Kevin asks, nudging me.
“Huh?” I ask distractedly pulling out my keys.
“You constipated, man?”
“What?” Kevin keeps up beside me as I head toward my truck.
“I’ve been talking to you
for like, five minutes, and the whole time you’ve had this ‘need to shit’ look on your face. What in the hell are you thinking about?”
“Nothing…coach. He seems off. You know what’s going on with him?”
“No clue. But God help us.” Kevin does the sign of the cross as I unlock my truck, and he jumps in the passenger side.
“I told you to find a ride.”
He shoots me a devilish grin. “Just drop me at the library.”
“When are you going to take the hint? She’s not feeling you, like at all.”
“Nah, she loves me, she just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Fine, and I hate to say it, bro, but you’re setting yourself up for failure.” It occurs to me then that the statement might be just as true for me as it is for him.
Tracey’s Incredible Breakfast Bake
Wildlife Photographer, California
Makes 8 servings
45 minutes
1 Can Flaky Grands Biscuits
8 Ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Milk
5 Eggs – Beaten
1 Cup Cubed Ham or Cooked Ground Sausage
Cut each biscuit into quarters. Mix all ingredients together saving biscuits for last. Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Clarissa
After a quick stop at the market, I pull up to Dante’s daycare, and his teacher greets me as he climbs in the back. “Hey, Peanut, have a good day?”
He wrinkles his nose. “It was a five at most.”