Hotbox (26 page)

Coach Tucker t
ook me aside after practice to have
a little chat with me.
I knew what it was going to be about before he even spoke, but I remained silent to allow him
the opportunity
to deliver the lecture.

“Ty, I know you’re worried about your girlfriend, and I’m really glad she’s okay. Honestly. But we have one last game to focus on, all right? I need for you to use your best judgment—eat well, sleep well—so we finish this season as a team. Jayden realizes your commitment; she doesn’t want you to compromise anything on her behalf. So…
now that she’s home and doing better,
I’m just reminding you that you still have a curfew to adhere to, okay?”

I nodded my agreement and he left it at that. If I thought I might have a chance staying at Jayden’s, I just might, but I knew her father would probably lock me out of the house. I didn’t want to push my luck.

I did spend a
s much time as I could with her,
though, in between baseball and her other friends visiting her. She seemed to be getting pas
t most of the more serious pain
and was just sore. At least that’s what she convinced me of.

Tuesday morning she was pretty bored. She begged me to take her to the batting barn of all places; she wanted me to do some extra batting like I usually did several times a week. She was still off from work by Wednesday, and again she wanted to go to the batting cages.
I was really glad she was willing to indulge me in my obsession, although she claimed it was more for her benefit to watch me because she thought I was pretty hot.

She’s quite a boost to my ego.

We had our last game that night at six o’clock. I was pretty excited that Jayden was doing a lot better and was only taking
something
for an occasional headache. She had barely taken any of the prescribed medication, anyway.
She arrived with her dad, which surprised me, but she also came down to sing our anthem, which surprised me even more. But it was amazing and it gave me a wonderful feeling. At the same time, though, I
was also battling
other
feeling
s
. I was a little sad that this was our last game
of the season. All the thrills—the
excitement of playing baseball, me
eting Jayden for the first time,
and
looking for her at every game—w
ould soon be over. It was a cheerless thought, but I reminded myself that Jayden was the greatest result from it all, and I was looking forward to our future together.

I saw Matt and Stacie there, and I think it was the second or third time they had come to see a game. I knew Matt really liked baseball
,
and I assumed that was mostly the reason, but I actually felt like they
were being supportive of me at the same time. Shawn and Josh were there
also,
and I
even
saw Chris
during
the fifth inning
. H
e didn’t stick around to talk to me afterward
s
like everyone else did
, but I didn’t really expect him to.

We did end up
winning our last game.
It was pretty exciting, but once again those
mixed feelings
consumed me
. I was almost reluctant to let that part of my life really be over
.
But we still had regionals
coming
up
the next weekend
in Seattle
,
and
I was definitely looking forward to that. And,
because of our standing, we had a pretty good spot in the brackets.

Thursday Jayden went back to work, and I returned to Lou’s for the day. My team was still holding regular practices until the next weekend, so
three
o’clock found me on the field.
She
stopped by and watched the last
bit
of our practice like she sometimes did when she didn’t
teach
music
classes, or
if
I didn’t have a game. She had actually walked there from work since it was only a
couple of miles
away. I knew her father had driven her to work and he sometimes worked late, but she insisted that she walked because she needed the exercise.

Graduation was
Saturday
. That’s all I can say. It wasn’t exciting or anything, and it certainly wasn’t momentous to me. Jayden came, even though I warned her of how boring it would be. She knew, she had already gone through it, but
she insisted she wasn’t about to miss any part of my life.

We went to a couple of celebrations that night. One was at the school and I
was ready to leave after five minutes
, and another was just an informal celebration at
Zero
. I had a lot more fun at that one because Jayden had convinced Shawn
to
come and play,
and i
t was even better because
she
performe
d a couple of songs with him
.
O
nce again
she
went through her little ritual of nerves, but after getting on stage
,
she just seemed so completely relaxed.

I had a good night, particularly because of
the beautiful girl I got to spend
it with
.

             
As more good things happened, the more I felt the other side of it was coming. I got nervous when things in my life wer
e going well. It meant that
something was
going to take a turn.

             
My father never made it to my graduation. I didn’t expect him to, and I didn’t care. Jayden had made mention of him, but
I told her that it wasn’t in his
interest to support me unless his money had run out and he couldn’t afford a
ny alcohol. Then he was sober—n
ot by choice, but by accident
—a
nd he was forced to somewhat have a clear mind to come and see me
.

             
He called me again on Sunday morning, drunk off his
ass
again. He was in a lot of trouble, he told me, and I was the only person who could help him. I
basically
t
old him to take a hike
. I promised Jayden I would take her car shopping that day
,
and I wasn’t about to let her down.

             
“Son, I won’t ask you for anything else again,” he slurred. “These guys…they just want
some money, that’s all—
eight
hundred bucks
for now
.
Please, Ty
ler
…
I’ll never call you for money again.”

             
Yeah, right. I’d heard that three dozen times.

             
“I can’t ask Sue. I don’t want her involved. It’s
Olevsky’s
guys, Ty. Come on, you understand.”

             
The name sent a panic to my chest. “Why are you involved with them again?” I demanded. “I was told they would leave you alone.”

“I- I did something I shouldn’t have, son. I- I’m sorry. They just want their money. That’s all.
Can’t you help me? Please?
”
By then he was crying.

Why is this happening?
I growled to myself. I didn’t know what to do except what I always do: bail him out of the hole he
’d
dug himself into.

“Fine,” I replied. “Where are you?

Of course Jayden was understanding. She
always
understands. But I was so sick and tired of my father’s selfish life interfering with the innocent people in
mine
.
I convinced her to have her dad go with her to look at cars. For one, it would give them some
time together, and another, I c
ouldn’t be blamed for any wrong choices.

“But you know cars,” she said. “I want
your
advice.
I can just wait, it’s no big deal.
”

“I already suggested what to look for, and your da
d knows what he’s talking about
as well. You don’t have to buy anything today. Just look around and see what you find.
And Jayden
Joelle
, if you buy a foreign car,
we’re through.”

She laughed. “Don’t test me, Tyler Matthew.”

“
Anyway,
” I smiled. “Y
ou can call me if you have any questions. Maybe I’ll be back in time to check it out if you find something.”

She agreed, wished me luck with my father (I
never
filled
her
in
on
any
detail
s
), and the most important
part,
reminded
me how much she loved
me. I kept that in mind so I wou
ldn’t be tempted to kill my own dad
and be sent to prison
.

When I arrived at my dad’s garbage dump there was a car sitting out front with two men inside. The driver smiled smugly as I entered the house.
My dad was sprawled out on the couch, bottles and empty packs of cigarett
es everywhere around him.

And drugs.

I patted his face rather roughly and told him to get up.

“
Wh
- what?” he mumbled, slowly sitting up in a daze. He looked up at me and squinted. “
Ty
?”

I was almost too pissed to even talk to him. All
I wanted to do was haul him
to jail and slam the cage
door
nice and hard. This was too much for me; this was the final straw.
I didn’t know if he owed them for drugs or gambling, but I
just
couldn’t do this again.

I took a deep breath to keep myself from yelling at him. I told him I wasn’t going to help him again, that this was the last time and I wasn’t coming back. He got mad and told me not to threaten him anymore.

“Threaten you? Dad,
it’s not a threat;
it’s a
promise
. I can’t do this anymore. You do nothing to help yourself.
Nothing
. Take responsibility for your own life.
You gotta stop gambling.
Stop throwing your money away on drugs and alcohol
, stop spending all your time in the bars—”

“Don’t you talk to me like that!” he yelled, coming at me.

“Sit down!” I
shoved
him back on
to
the couch. “You ca
n’t push me around anymore!
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve grown up. You lay a hand on me again and I’ll knock you on your ass. I’ve had enough of this. I have a girl that I love more than anything in this world. I
f I can ever get away from my past, I
want to marry her. We want to have kids, a family. The
re is no way in hell that you’
ll ever
enter my life again unless you’
re clean and sober. That’s the bottom line. I’m done with you unless you get your act together.”

He
’d
sat there with an ugly scowl on his face, but at the mention of a family, his
appearance
had
softened. He
stared at me for a long time, and f
inally he
asked
, “Jayden still your girl?”

After a pause I answered, “Yes.”

He nodded slowly and rubbed his face. “How is she?”

I scof
fed. “Well I’m glad you asked, D
ad. A week ago she could have been dead. You know why? Because a piece of garbage
like you ran her off the road
;
a
drunken bum that has no regard for the lives of
other people
. So
yeah,
she’s doing great. And she understands I have to deal with my deadbeat dad, but I don’t even tell her
half
of what I’ve been through
because of
you. If she knew, she would be so heartbroken, and she would feel
sorry
for me. I don’t want to put that on her.
I don’t want anybody feeling
sorry
for me.
”

I
was done. I didn’t have anything else to say, so I made sure I was clear with what the guys in the car wanted, and slammed the door behind me. The driver rolled down his window, still holding the same smug look on his face. I tossed the money
in
his lap and walked away.