Destiny (25 page)

“Leave
him alone, guys. I’m sure he has things under control,” Marcus said.

“Thanks.
I was beginning to get worried for a second there,” I said.

“What
we really need to talk about is why I’m not on this show that Emmitt and
Derrick are doing. I can’t help but feel that I’m getting the short end of the
stick here.”

“Come
on. You know it’s not like that. I’ve got that article that’s going to be
written about you. I can’t help it if they asked for them.”

“I’m
just saying that I could be happier,” he said.

“Okay,
I’ve got a plan then. How do you guys feel about shameless plugs?”

“I’m
all right with them,” Emmitt said.

“Okay,
then I need you to do me and Marcus a favor. Sooner or later, they’re going to
ask you what you feel your best strength was at Miami or something similar to
that. Say it was being able to hand the ball to your star running back when you
needed the tough yards. Go on and on about him, and then say you think it’s a
shame that America isn’t going to get to know a man who is only standing a few
feet away. Can you do that?”

“That’s easy.”

“Good.
It’ll make you look like a good guy and get Marcus more attention before the
draft.”

“Hey,
what if I want to look like a good guy?” Derrick asked.

“That
ship sailed a long time ago. When you get suspended for stepping on the
opposing quarterback, people tend to not like you. We’re going for the rough
and ruthless approach with you. Someone like Oakland or Detroit will go for
that.”

“You’re
the boss.”

“All
right, is everyone ready?”

They were. I had been over every question
with them that they could possibly be asked. They knew what to say and do. The
only audible would be getting Emmitt to give Marcus some exposure, and I was
sure that doing so would help two clients out easily.

We drove right over to the studio and got
the two of them into makeup. It was odd for Emmitt and Derrick to have someone
putting makeup on them, but it was part of being on television. I figured that
they would have to get used to it eventually, if they were going to be doing a
lot of commercials in the future.

I
remember that when the interview began the host asked both of them the hard
questions. Derrick was asked about the incident that ultimately led to him
being suspended. He answered it just as I told him to. He had to seem sincerely
sorry, but at the same time, like no intensity had been lost from his game. He
still went all out every play and tried to hurt the opposing quarterback. That
was the real message we wanted teams to hear.

Emmitt
was asked about the many times he was pictured in different clubs around Miami.
The questions centered on his maturity and whether he was truly ready for
professional football. He responded exactly as he should have. He pointed out
that most people party in college but that he was starting a career now. His
head would be in the game. It had to be if he was going to play with the best
athletes in the world. Finally, the question I had been waiting on was asked.

“What
would you say made it easiest for you to succeed on the college level?”

“That’s
simple.
My running back.
When we needed a tough yard
or everything broke down and I needed to get rid of the ball, he was always
there. Marcus Wright was the heart and soul of the Miami football team, and
it’s a shame that more people don’t know who he is. As a matter of fact, it’s
ridiculous that he’s only standing a few feet away and America isn’t even going
to get to know him.”

The
interviewer stopped and looked toward her producers almost as if to ask if she
could change things in the middle of the show. The news she got was good for
us.

“Well,
let’s get a seat for him, too. It would be a shame to leave out the heart and
soul of Miami football,” she said.

Within
a few seconds, Marcus was set up, and she was asking him questions. One in
particular stood out to me, and I think it’s why he was successful.

“Why
should teams draft Marcus Wright?” she asked.

“That’s
simple. I’ll work harder than anyone on
their
team.
While some guys might be looking to cash in on endorsements or to go out and
have fun, I’m working. I’ve got a girlfriend I’m engaged to back in Miami and a
family who loves me. I’ve found everything in my life that I need but a place
in this league, so that’s the only goal I’ve got. I can give it all of my focus
with no distractions. I know I’m ranked as the number 52 prospect on most
people’s boards, and that might even be where I belong right now, but it’s not
where I’m headed. Five years after this draft, I’ll be considered a top five
talent from this class, and it won’t be because I’m so great like my friends
here. They have God given talent like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’ll be because
I’m going to work harder than anyone. I’ll run, block, and catch. I’ll even
play special teams if it can get me on the field. I’m a pure football player
and a gym rat. That’s what you want for a running back.”

I
knew right then that I had found something special in Marcus. I wouldn’t know
just how special until later on. For now, I was completely pleased with my new
reality in every way. Things couldn’t be going better in New York. All three of
my clients had made headway, and I had found a new love
who
seemed to truly care about me. All that was left to do was a few more press
events, and then we could cash in at the draft. The path there was going to be
a bit harder than I thought, though, and one of us was going to lose something
very important to them. A lot can change in one night.

Chapter 25

Should
I Stay?

When
all the media events were over, it was already past three. We were starving,
but I was with three borderline celebrities. It wasn’t like we could go to a
regular restaurant without running the risk of them getting mobbed for
autographs. Thankfully, one of the staff members at the newspaper that Marcus
was doing his interview at offered us access to a back room and something to
eat. We were told it would only take a second for it to get there. After we
took a seat in the break room, I asked them how they thought the day went.

“It
couldn’t have gone better. I shined. Derrick did his bad guy routine, and I did
my guy a huge favor,” Emmitt said while wrapping one arm around Marcus.

“I’ll
take it as payment for all the times I blocked for your slow ass,” Marcus
joked.

“Hey,
what’s with the aggression? Oh, I get it. I could kind of tell when we were
going through all this,” Emmitt said.

“What
are you talking about?”

“You’re
camera shy. You’ve been a nervous wreck since we started this, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,
you’re right, Emmitt. I think I noticed it, too. The self-proclaimed top five
player of this draft class is scared to even talk to a small blonde woman in an
interview,” Derrick said.

“I
don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

“Well,
we know exactly what we’re saying. Speaking of that blonde, though,” Emmitt
said before I cut him off.

“Enough
about the reporter. I’m asking you where you expect to go in the draft?”

They
all paused for a second. It was almost as if they thought that saying what they
felt would jinx the whole thing. Finally, Emmitt spoke up.

“Number
one. I worked for three years to get there. I was ready for professional
football when I was eighteen, but with the new tricks I’ve picked up over that
time, I think I’m ready to be a star,” he said.

“Top
three,” Derrick said.

“It
doesn’t matter,” Marcus said.

“What
do you mean it doesn’t matter?” I asked.

“We
get a short rookie contract out of this deal. I know that the sooner you’re
picked the better, but that’s not what I’m worried about. I want a future in
this league. What I really care about is performing well in my first few years,
so I can get a contract that beats all you guys’ second one,” he joked.

“Yeah,
no way that’s happening. I love you, Marc, but I’m going to heights that most
only dream of,” Emmitt said arrogantly.

About
that time, our food came. It was nice just to be able to eat. The day had gone
by so quickly. It was almost over. I couldn’t believe just how close we were to
the finish line.

“Hey,
earth to Eric,” I heard Derrick say.

“What’s
up?”

“You
were really out of it there. Emmitt’s been trying to get your attention for the
last thirty seconds.”

“Sorry.
I’m just thinking about how far we’ve come.”

“That’s
nice, but can you guess what I’m thinking about?” Emmitt asked.

“The
club tonight.”

“You
really
do
know me. So what have you
got planned out?”

“While
you guys were on television, I found out where the hottest club in the city is.
All the celebrities hang out there. After a few phone calls, it wasn’t hard to
get your names on the list. If you show up with identification, they’ll let you
right in.”

“All
right, but you’re still coming, right?”

“I
think I need to get back to the woman I brought here. It’s already bad enough
that I’ve left her alone all day.”

“See!
I knew she was going to get in the way of our time. This is important, you
know.”

“I
get it, and I’m almost hesitant to let you go anywhere by yourself, but I think
you can handle it now. You’re a big boy.”

“What
is that supposed to mean?”

“It
means that you get into trouble every time he doesn’t tower over you like he’s
your parent or something,” Derrick said.

“Be
quiet. You’re not any better,” Emmitt said with a smile.

“I’ll
watch the kids for tonight. You just enjoy yourself. Tomorrow the real work is
going to start for you,” Marcus said.

Emmitt
eventually agreed that I probably shouldn’t abandon Chastity. I was worried
about him, though. He was still like a big kid. Was he really ready for the
professional world? People often think that playing professional sports means
you never have to grow up, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Emmitt
was about to be in for a crash course on adulthood, and I didn’t see it going
well.

The
rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. I sent the guys off to the club in a
limousine and caught a cab back to the hotel. Just before I went inside, I
received a phone call. It was Olivia. I froze right where I stood. Out of all
the things that could happen today, this was the last one I expected. Why would
she be calling, and what if it was for romantic reasons? Wouldn’t that be so
wonderful, but at the same time, confusing and completely at odds with what I
was doing with Chastity? On the fourth ring, I finally answered it.

“Hello,”
I said.

“It’s
me. You need to know that your uncle is in the hospital,” Olivia said.

“What
happened to him? Is he okay?”

“He
had a heart attack. I think he’s all right now, but it was a pretty substantial
one. Your aunt and friends didn’t want to call you. They knew you had the draft
tomorrow, and they didn’t want you to feel like you needed to come back when
you’ve got something so important going on there.”

“
Do
I need to come home?”

“I
can’t answer that for you. That has to be your decision. I think he’s going to
be okay, but I don’t want to tell you that and something happen to him. I know
he would want you to stay there. I just thought that you deserved to know what
was going on and make this decision for yourself.”

“How
can
I make that decision? I would be
throwing away millions of dollars to come there, but if something happened to
him and I didn’t get to say goodbye, it would crush me. No amount of money
could make up for that. Tell me what I need to do.”

“I
can’t, Eric.”

“Try.
There’s no one I’ve ever trusted more than you. If you say I need to be there,
I’ll get on a plane without hesitation.”

“Stay
for now. I’ll call if I hear anything indicating that he’s getting worse.
They’re trying to see the extent of the damage. Once we know that, I’ll be able
to tell you more. Do me a favor, though. I told your aunt that we needed to
call you, and she insisted that I didn’t. Don’t call her right now. It’s just
going to upset her and make her angry with me.”

“I
won’t. Thank you so much for letting me know what was going on. Call if
anything changes, no matter what time it is. I’ll be up.”

“I
will, but, Eric, are you okay?”

“Yeah,
I’m fine. How about you? Are things going well for you in Wisconsin?”

“It’s
going all right. I’m taking night classes now. I’m not going to be a doctor
anymore, but I’ll at least get to be a surgical tech before it’s all over.
Things are really starting to fall into place for me, or at least it’s getting
better.”

“I’m
glad to hear that. I always wanted you to find happiness. I’ve got to get off here
for now, but call
me whenever something changes or anytime
you
want. It would be nice to hear from you more than once a year.”

“I’ll
definitely do that.”

As
we said goodbye, I had a lot of thoughts rolling through my head. My uncle
might be dying. What was I doing in New York? Shouldn’t I get on the first
plane going to Green Bay? Then there was the last thing I said. I had just
blurted out that question about Olivia. Did I still care about her so much that
I even thought of her in a moment of crisis? I didn’t want to answer that
question. I pushed it far out of my mind and walked up to the room. When I
opened the door, Chastity walked over and wrapped her arms around me. She met
me with a gentle kiss.

“You
told me to enjoy myself out on the town, so I did. I didn’t have any clothes
either because we had to leave so quickly, so I did as you suggested and went
shopping. I hope you don’t mind, but it was pretty much that or walk around
naked,” she said while motioning to several bags of clothes lying on the couch.

In
that moment, I didn’t even notice how much she had bought or how expensive it
all was. That would come as a nice big surprise on my credit card bill. Right
then, I was still concentrating on the news about my uncle.

“What’s
wrong? I figured you would have some snappy comeback,” Chastity said.

“I’m
sorry. I just found out that my uncle is in the hospital. He had a heart
attack. I’m trying to figure out if I should fly to Wisconsin right now or
not.”

“Come
here,” she said and wrapped her arms around me. Then she gave me her opinion.

“I’m
sorry that this happened. You can’t leave, though. You have a once in a
lifetime opportunity. If you go, they might find someone else. A heart attack
doesn’t mean death anymore. Medicine has come a long way. Plus, it’s not like
he’s one of your parents. If this were your mom or dad, I would be on a plane
with you in a second. It’s not, though.”

“You
don’t understand. My uncle was the first person who actually acted like a
parent to me. My mom and dad are my parents, and I love them, but I learned
most things from him. If I’m not there and he dies, it’s going to be like I’m
choosing money over a parent. I don’t know if I can live with that.”

“What
would he want you to do?”

“Uncle
Gary would want me to stay here, and that’s what most people would tell me to
do, but I don’t know what the right thing is. I got the call when I was in the
hotel lobby. I’m supposed to hang tight for now. If things get worse, they’re
going to call. If not, I’m just supposed to stay here.”

“Then
do that. If it gets worse, I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.
I’m going right after the draft, though. I can negotiate deals and fax whatever
papers I need to after I get there. I can’t stick around here past the draft,
though.”

“I
understand. Can I come with you?”

“Why
would you want to do that? Even if he’s all right, it’s not exactly going to be
a party. We haven’t been back together for long, and I don’t expect you to go
through that with me.”

“I
want to be there for you, so don’t even question that. Right now, I think you
need to relax, though. Worrying about this isn’t going to make anything
change,” she said while moving the bags off the couch. Then she pulled me down
to it and massaged my back.

“I
think you missed your calling,” I said.

“What
do you mean?”

“You’re
really good at that. Masseuse might have been a better career than waitress.”

“Hey,
I think I’m a good waitress.”

“Well,
you never did serve us. I can only go by my experience,” I joked.

I
was trying to bury what was going on at the back of my mind. It wasn’t working,
but that didn’t mean I couldn’t act. There was no reason to ruin this trip for Chastity.
We talked throughout the evening and tried to have a good night. It was all
still there nagging at me under the surface, though. At ten, my phone finally
rang. I grabbed it and stepped out of the room.

“Hey,
what’s going on?” I asked.

“He’s
going to be all right. They said there was extensive damage to his heart but
not so much that they won’t be able to keep it under control. He’s going to
live, but he’ll have to change a lot of things about his lifestyle,” Olivia
said.

“That’s
great news. Thank you. There’s still one thing I don’t get. Why are you at the
hospital? I didn’t think you and my uncle were even close.”

“We
weren’t while you were here. After you left for college and he called me about
everything you were mixed up in, I kept in touch with him. He was like a lifeline
straight to you. I could hear about everything that was going on in your life
without actually having to talk to you. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t
stopped doing that even now. Old habits die hard I suppose. We got close during
the last few years, or at least close enough for me to be here.”

I
smiled. I didn’t mean to, but the news that she still cared about me was enough
to make me feel hopeful. Then again, what was I so hopeful for? I had to check
myself. Was I really going down this road again?

“I
shouldn’t have said that. It was wrong. I’m sorry,” she said.

“No,
it wasn’t. I ask him if he’s heard anything about you all the time. A part of
me is still waiting on things to fall apart between you and Richard. I guess
that ship has sailed, though.”

“I
think so . . . I don’t know what else to say, Eric. I should probably get off
here. I’ll call you if I hear anything else. Try to have a good trip.”