Danny Ray (Ray Trilogy) (18 page)

“Girls, please meet my friend, Lisa Marvel.”

“So pleased to meet you,” Lisa said as she acknowledged the introduction.

“Girls, would you like to go in the house? I have some sodas in the refrigerator. Help yourself.”

Nodding happily they carried the kittens into the house with them.

Danny looked at the old milk barn which housed his chickens with his pigs on the other side. It wasn’t nearly as big and impressive as it looked to him as a child. Then he looked at the old hay barn that his dad had built when he was little. The corrugated tin was showing its age with rust spots
marring the silver tin in places. He looked at the mustard colored clapboards and wondered why he hadn’t repainted them white until he could rebuild.

Lisa had been watching Danny’s expression as he looked around. “Danny, what are you thinking?” she asked trying to read his thoughts.

“Lisa, I know that this place isn’t what you expected but I am in process of building a new house as soon as spring comes.”

“
It’s okay, Danny.” Lisa touched his arm, “It’s true, I didn’t know what to expect, but it is your home.”

“Yes, it is,” he said feeling a little relieved. Trying for a lighter note he smiled and added, “I would show you the animals but it can get a little smelly out there.”

She smiled and replied gratefully, “I think I’ll pass right now.”

“Would you like to come in and see my mansion?”

She tucked her arm in his and allowed him to lead her into the house. “You understand, this is a bachelor’s pad,” Danny said in way of apologizing for the appearance of his house even though he knew he kept it as clean as most women would have under the circumstances.

In the living room Lisa stopped to study the painting Laura made of the house. “That’s how the old house looked when I was a little boy. My mother painted it.”

“It’s very,” Lisa searched to find the right word, “interesting.”

She knew that he didn’t have the same background as she did, but was surprised, just the same, that he had been as poor as that. Her football hero had come a long ways, but she vowed that if she could, she would take him home with her. She would make him into the man she knew he was meant to be.

She looked at the house plan that Danny showed her but gave it only a thought. It didn’t mean anything to her.

“Danny, I’m staying at the
Ambassador Hotel in Tulsa. Could you come for dinner tonight?”

Danny looked around at the girls playing with the kittens on the couch. He knew that he needed to care for the animals and deliver the girls to their respective places and clean up. He looked back at her and she smiled her inviting smile. “Sure, I have a few things I need to tidy up here.” He looked at his watch again and said, “I’ll meet you at eight.”

“Perfect,” Lisa answered. “I’ll be waiting.” She walked to the door and Danny followed.

All three girls giggled and peeked out the window while Danny and Lisa gave each other a kiss of promise for things to come.

“Come on girls, I need to take you home,” Danny said when he returned to the living room. It would already be time to do the evening chores by the time he got back from taking them home.

After Danny dropped off Sarah and Janie, Lauren said, “Uncle Danny?”

“Yes, Lauren,” he replied looking over at her denoting the seriousness in her voice.

“I like Angela much better than Lisa.”

“Why?” he asked curious what she was thinking.

“She’s much nicer. More like us.”

“Well, okay, Cookie.” Danny smiled at her fondly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lauren knew from the way he said it that he wasn’t taking her seriously. She shrugged. Sometimes grownup
s have to make their own mistakes before they learn she thought.

He wore his best black suit and dress shoes. He combed his hair wishing that he had stopped for that haircut that he decided to postpone for another day. He splashed the aftershave Lisa had given him for his birthday or some other occasion he couldn’t remember which. As he drove up the Will Rogers Turnpike he puzzled about what Lauren said about liking Angela better because she was more like us. He shook his head and thought about what Art Linkletter used to say
, ‘Kids say the darnedst things.’

Danny smiled to himself; finally it looked like things might work out between him and Lisa. He pulled into the Ambassador Hotel knowing that Lisa waited for him inside. He could already feel his pulse beating faster.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

Danny walked into the lobby of the Ambassador Hotel at exactly eight o’clock. Lisa rose from a chair in which she waited. She had piled her hair high on her head with one long black curl hanging over her shoulder. She wore a full length navy evening dress with a low
vee in the front. In the center of the vee hung a diamond necklace with a teardrop that rested at the beginning of where her breasts came together. He stood spellbound as she slowly walked up to him and greeted him with a quick kiss on the lips.

She put her arm onto his and asked, “Would you like to go to my room?”

He quickly declined, “No, I don’t think that would be a good idea before dinner, do you?”

She smiled
knowing the power she had over him. “Okay, then let’s go to dinner.”

Toward the end of dinner, Lisa sprang the question that she returned to Oklahoma to ask him, “Danny, would you go home with me to New York?”

He started shaking his head, when she interrupted him, “I just mean for a few days. I want you to be my date for New Year’s Eve. Then after that you are free to leave when you want.”

“But I have my farm,” he began.

She shook her head and held up her hands, “I’m sure you can find someone who can watch you place for a few days so I can show you New York and our home. Then after New Year’s Eve you can leave when you want.”

Danny thought it curious that she repeated herself. While he wondered who he might get to feed his animals, she said, “Danny, I will pay for your
airplane tickets. It will cost you nothing just consider it a holiday vacation on me.”

It looked to Danny that she was throwing out a lifeline for their broken relationship. This might be a way that they could come to terms to mend it. After a short deliberation he knew he could ask Ted or Greg for that matter to watch his farm for a few days.

“Yes, I think I can get away. It’s an awfully short notice but I think my neighbor would help me out for a few days.”

“Good, can you be ready day after tomorrow?
My flight leaves at ten fifteen.” Lisa asked earnestly. “That would give us a couple of days to enjoy New York before New Year’s Day.”

“I am so happy, Danny, that you have agreed to come with me.
” She smiled excitedly. “I know you will love New York. I will book a flight for you so we can travel together.” She reached over and caressed his hand, “Let’s dance.”

After a few dances, they went to her room for a drink. At five in the morning Danny awoke and rolled out of bed and went
into the bathroom. He looked at his disheveled hair and sleepy eyes and splashed water on his face and wet his hair. He didn’t have a comb so he raked his hands through it a few times and hoped it would do.

He went back in the bedroom and pulled his clothes on. Lisa hadn’t moved. She still lay on her stomach with her hair spread out on the pillow behind her head. He wanted to touch her soft skin and rub his hand on her silky hair but his obligations at home were pressing him. If Lisa awoke there’s no telling when he would get away. He left her a note saying ‘I will meet you here at eight tomorrow morning.’

At nine thirty, Lisa awoke slowly with a smile on her face and stretched. She opened her eyes and remembered the source of her happiness. Danny! She turned and reached over to an empty space. She quickly sat up, and then she saw the note.

She couldn’t believe that he mentioned nothing about today. Here she had a whole day in a city to spend by herself when she came all this way to spend time with
Danny. She sat back and pondered the situation; did he not want to be with her?

She picked up the phone and ordered breakfast. She scooted back down into the soft sheets and spread out her arms and legs. Aah, she sighed. She still could feel the warmth and soft caresses he gave her last night. She was confident in the fact that he still wanted her.

After breakfast and a shower, Lisa decided to call Danny. When he answered the phone, she said, “Hi, Danny. Can you come back to Tulsa today? I thought we might do some touristy things.”

“Lisa, I thought about this all the way home this morning, and I don’t think I’ll have time to come over,” Danny said raking his hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m really sorry to leave you to yourself today, but I don’t see any way around this. I have to set several things in order to be ready for my absence for a few days.”

“Okay, Danny. We’ll have a really good time when you come in the morning.” She wasn’t going to sweat the small stuff. She had already won the round last night which was the most important. She grabbed up her purse to go shopping.

After the phone call Danny stood looking at the new box of fan mail that replaced the one that Angela had helped him answer. He pushed it under the table. He’d deal with that later. His head was spinning with all the things he had to do. He looked back at the phone puzzled
that Lisa had given up so easily about him coming today. He had expected her to protest about that a little. It seemed somewhat out of character for her but he did notice that she didn’t offer to come back to Pryor to visit with him. He shrugged it off. Some things a person doesn’t need to worry about.

Memories kept flooding his mind all day about Lisa coming to his games all the time that he played for the Dallas Cowboys. Although she attended Princeton, in New Jersey, she made time out of her school functions and studies to attend his games. His parents attended every game and Nora and Jeremy came to most of them. He loved and appreciated his family coming, but it was Lisa that set his heart to singing.

Every night after the game she met him and they spent the night together. It was a happy whirlwind that he loved.
The only game Lisa missed was the game on November the third due to an event that her father insisted she attend.

The Dallas Cowboys were p
laying at the top of their game. Coach Landry intended to be #1 in the nation at the end of the season. They were soaring high reaching their goal.

The
Cowboys were on a happy spiraling ladder of success until Danny’s fateful accident. The Cowboys were shaken by the accident but still continued their winning season undaunted much by Danny’s tragedy. Then the day came when the Cowboy’s manager brought a man with him to talk to Danny.

Danny sat in his hospital room in a wheelchair
with his leg still in its cast extended straight in front of him waiting to be escorted down to physical therapy. His mother Laura waited with him, she wanted to accompany him to his treatment to learn more about what they expected from him.

Two men wearing business suits, white shirts, narrow ties, and polished shoes walked into his room. The man with the silver hair combed straight back, who Danny recognized to be the Cowboy’s business manager, smiled and shook Danny’s hand.
He introduced himself to Laura wearing a big smile, “I’m Jerry Jones, the manager of the Cowboys.”

He shook hands with Laura and Danny.
“It’s so good to see you again, Danny. I hate it like everything about this accident. I’d like you to meet Roy Clifton. He is the Dallas Cowboy’s insurance representative.”

Danny hadn’t thought much about the hospital bill since he knew that all of the players were well insured by
the Dallas Cowboy’s organization.

Mr. Clifton held out his hand to shake and said, “Danny, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You have been a dynamic player for the Cowboys.”

Danny acknowledged him with a shake of the head still curious about the visit.

“How are you feeling?”
Mr. Clifton asked.

“It still hurts like the dickens, but I can be upright some now. That’s my latest accomplishment.”

“I’m so sorry.” Mr. Clifton went on, “The doctor has told us some encouraging news. He says that you are healing fast and should get use of your leg in a few weeks. That’s good to hear.”

“Yes, the doctor gives me hope but I’ll feel much better when I get this cast off so that I can bend my knee again.” Danny was feeling a little nervous about this visit and a knot was forming in the pit of his stomach.
He glanced at his mom, she looked a little apprehensive also.

Jerry Jones spoke up, “Danny, we are very happy that you should get full use of your leg according to the doctor.” He pressed the ends of his fingers
together to form a steeple. He hesitantly began again, “Unfortunately, we have to make a decision based upon length of recovery and the doubt that your leg will ever recover well enough to play professional football again.”

Danny looked at Laura who had the beginning of tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing Danny’s reaction, Mr. Jones glanced at Laura also. “I don’t know how to say this more gently, Danny, but the business management team has decided to terminate your contract.”