Empty Nest: Chapter 113

Our circle widens and the group of us begin zipping passes back and forth to each other as Jordan, aka Cap, and Coop explain to me the ins and outs of Ultimate. It was basically a modified version of football but with a frisbee instead of a ball. There were a host of particular rules and etiquette that set it apart but having that as a base to work from made it a breeze to learn. And, being one of the smaller guys on the field, I was pleased to hear that the sport was technically non-contact. I’m told that there was a lot of incidental contact but that nobody was going lay me out with a hard tackle or anything like that. With a household counting on my income the last thing I wanted was to be laid up so bad that I couldn’t work. That thought alone and that empowering feeling of responsibility had me smiling and looking over to my Heather. Though she was merrily chatting with the other girls her eyes were locked on me. As our eyes meet across that field…

Bap!

“Gah!” I rub my chest where a disk had just smacked it.

“Head’s up, rookie.” Dave, aka Spider, says with a smarmy grin. A smattering of chuckles goes around the circle as I’d been caught red-handed making goo-goo eyes at my girlfriend.

I was hoping at this point that I could stop being the center of attention and the butt of jokes and we could get down to what we were here for but it was at this point that Julie comes trotting up all sweaty and taking in great gulps of air holding the disk she’d sent into the next postal code a couple of minutes previous.

“Hahhhh! Hwahhh! Whooooo!” Julie is near the point of collapse as she staggers the last few feet toward me. Grabbing my shoulder and slumping against me for support she tosses the frisbee out into the center of the circle. “Here’s your…whoooo…thing.”

“Thanks.” Cap grumbles, unimpressed by the interruption.

“Hahhh!” Julie continues to make a scene much to the amusement of most of the team. “I gotta get a treadmill or some shit.”

“Uh, Julie.” I try to subtly hint at her that she wasn’t welcome here. In retrospect I should have known that Julie didn’t do subtle.

“Sooo, what are we playin here boys?” Julie wipes her brow and joins the circle.

“This is a MEN’S team.” Cap snaps.

“Ahhh, ya pussies.” Julie wheezes. “Can’t take a bit of…whoooo…competition from the…hahhh…better sex?”

“Let her play, Cap.” Says Mateo, aka Meteor, aka the guy who thought Julie was ‘FIRE’.

“No!”

“Julie.” I hiss. “You’re making a scene.”

“Huh?” Turning to me she sees my aggravation. “Oh! Right.” She pats my shoulder. “Got get’em, champ.” With that she shuffles off to join the the rest of the spectators.

“Sorry about that guys.”

“Is this going to be a thing with you?” Cap asks.

“No, no.” I assure him. “They’re just, um…”

“Supportive. I heard you the first time.” With a clap of his hands he says. “Alright, boys, lets put rookie through the paces.”

They do that and then some! From the pull to offense to defense and everything in between I am running, running, running. And not just a jog either as the game demanded constant jukes and redirections followed by intense sprints. With Heather’s good cooking and my new physical job I had begun my journey to wellness but the years of sedentary life before that had left me horrendously unprepared for such sustained effort. Half and hour in and I am gasping like a fish out of water. I do learn a lot however. Stacks, cushions, marks, doinks, unders, deeps and a bevy of other terms are added to my lexicon as the guys show me the ropes even as they’re running me into the ground. Though I struggle mightily, to the point where I was confident that I wouldn’t be making the cut, the actual throwing of the disk was something I excelled at. Even Cap was impressed by the range of throws I could pull off. Well…except when that damn Dave was my mark. I could see how he earned his nickname as the dude seemed to have six extra arms when defending.

Knowing that Heather and my ladies were watching I soldier on as best I could but by the hour mark I was DONE. With my stamina tapped even my previous strong areas, my throwing and nimbleness, had flagged to the point of impotence. They were singling me out and running circles around me. I just couldn’t keep up and everybody knew it.

Mercifully Cap at last claps his hands and calls. “Rookie, take a break. The rest of you”

“Yes…Cap!” I huff with a limp wave of my arm.

“The rest of you, bring it up to full speed.”

“Yes, Cap!” They call back.

As the other men continue to practice, at full intensity now that the newbie was gone, I stagger my way off of the field. The other’s watching say some supportive words as I pass by them, though I couldn’t say what as my whole focus was centered on a shaded spot of soft grass beside Heather. I shuffle up…then collapse at her side. Laying flat on my back, arms and legs spread wide, I stare up at the boughs of a tree and do the only thing that I could do. BREATHE!

“Ohhhh.” Heather shifts to kneel by my shoulders. Taking my head she lays it on her thigh and begins to stroke my sweaty hair. “You did so good!”

“Good!?” I gasp. “I’m dyin out there!”

Gazing down on me with that beaming smile of hers she says. “You worked harder than all those other boys. I am so proud of you.”

“I did my best.” I whisper.

“You are the best.” She whispers back.

Into my hand is thrust a cold sports drink. “Drink this.” Says Lily. “It’ll help replenish your fluids and electrolytes.” Patting my twitching quad she asks. “Sore?”

“Only from head to toe.”

“That’ll take care of that too.” She says with a wink. “Drink up. Doctor’s orders.”

Looking at my drink I see that it had already been unsealed. If I was reading her signals correctly there was something extra special in this sports drink. Gratefully I take a few gulps and before long the soothing effect of honey is spreading down my weary limbs.

“You hungry, baby?”

“No, Heather.” I sigh. “I just…need a few minutes to breathe.”

“That was awesome, dude!” Julie slaps my shoulder. Looking around I realize that all five of Heather’s family had come to sit around their fallen Prince. By the subtle flaring of their nostrils I could see that they were grabbing a nose full of me while they had the opportunity. “You gotta teach me to throw like that sometime.”

“Sure Julie.”

“Gotta work on that cardio though my man.”

“Look…whose talking.”

“Ha!”

“You were amazing, Sir!” Mia claps her hands, bouncing slightly. “I didn’t really understand what was happening but it was all very exciting.”

“Mia.”

“Yes, Sir?”

I pat her knee. “Please don’t call me Sir in public. They already think we’re weird as is.”

“Oh! Right.” She glances left and right. “He he he. Sorry.”

From her I look to her stern faced mother who stood over us. “Well?”

Her brows furrow as she states. “This whole activity is ridiculous.”

I laugh. “Yeah.”

“You are woefully out of shape for a man your age.”

“Yeah.” I confess.

“The other men are clearly more skilled than you.”

“Clearly.”

“You have a lot of work ahead of you to reach their level.”

“I do.”

“But…” She crosses her arms and looks away. “…you did not quit.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Pff. I will leave those to my soft-hearted sister.” She says. “You did not let the family down, Elliot. I will leave it at that.”

I look to Mia and quip. “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”

She giggles despite her mother’s grumbling.

Just then comes a pained cry from the field. “AHH!”

Lamar, aka Puke, was on the ground clutching his ankle. The other players stand around him as the onlookers stand to see better what was happening.

“Just twisted it. I’m okay.” Lamar reports as he is helped to his feet. “AH! Fuck!” The moment the tries to put weight down on it he discovers it wasn’t as ‘okay’ as he first thought.

Jenny and another of the women hurry out to meet him and Coop, who was helping him limp back. Lily looks to her mother. “I better check this out.” Then she too rises to hustle out and check on the injury. When the others look at her curiously she says loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m a doctor.”

“A doctor?” Coop says. “Eyyy! We got a team Doc!”

With Lamar getting checked out Cap calls a break for everyone. As the men come jogging back Heather is directing them toward the picnic blanket. “Plenty of drinks and snacks. Help yourselves.”

Happy for the goodies the guys partake with lot of ‘Thanks, Big Mama’ before mingling with the others. Coop and Cee-Cee come to sit beside us. Munching on a banana Coop says. “What’dya think, Diablo? Not bad, huh?”

Sitting up and feeling WAY better I say. “I think I’m not making the team.”

“What?” Coop says. “Nah, man. You did great.”

While I appreciated the words of encouragement I knew that Coop wasn’t exactly the voice of sound judgment. About twenty yards away Jenny and Cap were talking to each other while Lamar got treated. The way they kept looking my way and the expressions on their faces told me that I was the subject on their lips.

“You will make the team, Elliot.” Rebecca says flatly.

“Of course he will.” Heather says, rubbing my back. “They saw his warrior spirit.”

“I don’t know about that.” Rebecca replies. “But he will make the team.”

Just then Lamar is helped up again and begins testing his sore ankle. Though he moved gingerly it looked as if he’d be able to walk it off. With Lamar up Cap and Jenny head our way. They looked like they had news to deliver. This was it.

“How you doing, Elliot?” Jordan asks.

I stand to face him. “I think that’s your question to answer.”

“I mean you’re feeling good?”

“Good as new. Just needed a minute there.”

“Yeah.” He says. “Coop wasn’t lyin. You can throw.”

“But can I play?”

He looks over at his girlfriend who gives him a slight nod then back to me. “If you promise work on that fitness and don’t mind riding the bench for awhile…” He extends his hand. “Welcome to the Gyros, Family Man.”

“Oh! Uh…thank you!” Surprised I take my captain’s hand and give it a shake. Around me Heather, Mia and Julie are all cheering in their own little ways while Rebecca gives a subtle nod.

“Ha ha ha!” Coop laughs. “Family Man!? Yes! YES! WAY better than Diablo.” He leaps up beside me and slaps my back. “Welcome aboard, Fam-man!”

I had barely turned around when I am pulled into a big Heather hug. “I knew you could do it, baby!”

“Way to go, Elliot!” Julie rubs my shoulder. “Never in doubt.”

“Congratulations!” Mia small voice break through the other voices gathering around me, Lily’s included, to congratulate me and welcome me to the team.

The only one not to approach me is Rebecca who stood apart from the crowd with just the hint of a smile across her fine lips.

Chapter 114