I smiled. “Yeah, I think so.” Delilah jumped up into my lap as I spoke, and I scratched her behind her ears as she purred. “I’m feeling better. She invited me and the kids over for dinner Sunday. She said you’d be home.”
“That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see you all.” He was quiet for a second. “Did she talk to you about the party?”
“Yeah. She wants me to chat up Joseph Druthers. Figures he’s lonely.”
My dad groaned into the phone. “Don’t worry sweetheart. I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I just, I, um.” I felt myself start to tear up.
“Hey, hey, you don’t have to date just to date, or to make your mother happy. You’re a wonderful mother, Melanie, and I’m proud of you. And if you ever want to start dating again, any man on earth would be lucky to have you. I love you, Doodlebug.”
My dad let me cry for a minute, before distracting me with a new subject. “So, I hear Paige has a new coach. What do you think of her?”
“She’s, well, she’s something. Striking, intense features, commanding presence. During her welcome dinner she basically told all the parents she was going to run the team her way and they could all butt out. It was amazing.”
“I like her already.”
“Me, too. She was an Olympian, you know. I just hope she lasts.” Dad and I chatted for another thirty minutes. I told him all about Anna, Will’s new girlfriend, and that Charlie had started to beg me for stuff he would need to start live streaming the computer games he was playing, and by the time we hung up I was feeling okay again. Dad had been interested in something other than Anna’s family, and he was eager to support anything Charlie might be interested in, even if he didn’t understand it at all. And I knew he’d be at as many of Paige’s games as he could manage.
Sunday turned out beautiful, one of those days that had you singing ‘Bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day’ under your breath, and I went for a walk around the neighborhood before breakfast. The dew was still glistening on the grass, and the only people I saw were joggers and walkers.
A woman ran past me as I strolled down the street, her tight exercise pants emphasizing her perfect figure. I watched with appreciation as she jogged away. My eyes seemed more drawn to the women I saw today than usual. Generally I kept myself under better control. Maybe it was the fact that my dreams last night had featured a tall, chestnut brunette field hockey coach and her stunning green eyes.
I made it to the late service at church, slipping out afterwards without talking to anyone. I really didn’t feel like being there, especially today, but one thing I’d had drilled into me from infancy was how important it was to keep up appearances. Skipping church was a perfect way to get rumors started about you.
***
I looked up from my computer when I heard the front door open on Monday afternoon. My older son’s quick step could be heard heading into the kitchen, and Sampson jumped down from his perch near the window to head that direction. Delilah stayed with me, curled up in the box I kept for her on my desk. It did a good job keeping her off my keyboard.
“Mom! Can I make some pizza rolls?”
I hollered down. “Only if you make enough for your brother. He’ll be home soon.”
“Okay! Thanks!”
I looked back at my screen. I was on the last page of this document, and I wanted to finish before I had to go pick up Paige from practice. I heard the T. V. come on, and I stood up to close the door so I could concentrate.
About an hour later I finished checking the last section, making a few notations before attaching it to an email and returning it to the author for corrections. Paige’s practice should be done by five, and my computer told me it was not quite four.
Charlie had gotten home about twenty minutes after his brother, and he’d popped in to say hello before disappearing into his room. I’d let him do that until dinner. I went down into the kitchen and preheated the oven to 350 before throwing in the pasta bake I’d put together yesterday afternoon.
“Will?”
My son looked back over the couch at me. “Yeah, Mom?”
“I’m going to get your sister. I should be back before the timer goes off for the pasta bake, but if not pull it out, take the tin foil off and spread the cheese and put it back for ten minutes, got it?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“And keep the volume low enough that you can hear the timer, right?”
He chuckled. “I will.”
“Thanks, Sweetheart.”
My heart was beating just a little faster than usual as I started up my minivan and pulled out of the driveway. I was going to be at the school at least fifteen minutes early, and I was excited to catch a little bit of practice.
When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a number of other vehicles. Some belonged to the luckier student athletes, who didn’t have parents like Bill and me. We were on the same wavelength regarding that; Paige didn’t get a car until she graduated.
Practice had always been open under Coach Collins, but I didn’t know about the new regime. I did see Renee Perry’s Lexus, so chances were good she was inside. I could hear the football team out on the practice field as I approached. I know Bill had always wanted Will to play football like he had, but he’d always preferred baseball. He was planning on trying out for the varsity team in the spring.
Charlie, he wasn’t interested in sports at all. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t competitive, he just preferred a virtual medium. I was just glad that Paige was getting to play the sport she loved. I’d never gotten to try field hockey, but I’d loved soccer and softball when I was little. Mother, however, made me stop when I turned twelve, and the only acceptable alternative had been cheerleading.
There was still a security guard on duty as I approached.
“Are we allowed in, Frank?”
“Yes, Mrs. Pierson.” He held the door open for me with one hand and tipped his cap with the other, and I thanked him as I went inside. As I headed through into the fieldhouse proper the thudding of sneakered feet sounded on the composite floor as a whistle blew.
“On the cones! Quickly!”
The girls raced to one end of a grid of white cones, forming four lines. I saw that Paige was at the front of one of them, which made me proud. Coach Dalton blew her whistle and the girls began stickhandling through the cones, weaving back and forth. When each player reached the end they fired the ball back down to the next person in line.
“Watch your first touch, ladies! It has to be more than just settling the ball! It has to be done with purpose. Where am I, where do I need to be? That’s better, Samantha. Cleaner through those cones, Kaylin!”
Once Paige was finished with her part of the drill I took a moment to watch Coach Dalton. She was dressed in blue and white track pants that stretched over her perfect backside when she moved, along with a shiny silver athletic tank, stretched tight over a flat stomach and what appeared to be perfect breasts. Her powerful, bare shoulders rippled as she brought her whistle to her lips again.
“She’s something, isn’t she?”
Renee Perry’s voice sounded in my ear, making me jump and snap my mouth shut, which I hadn’t realized was hanging open.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I’ve been here the whole practice. Adrienne’s been doing well. So is Paige.” The coach barked another set of instructions. “She’s a lot more intense than Coach Collins.”
“Yeah, intense.” Even with Renee, the scariest person I knew, next to my mother, sitting there beside me, I couldn’t look away from Coach Dalton. She chose that moment to look up at the ten or so parents sitting on the plastic bleachers. Her eyes passed over me for just a moment, and my breath caught in my chest as she did a subtle double take, the barest hint of a smile playing over her features as our eyes met. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I turned away. Renee was looking at me strangely.
“You okay, Melanie?”
“Yeah, fine.” Had she seen anything? Okay, time for a little damage control. “Are we sure she’s the right fit?” Anything I thought, Renee would think the opposite. It was as good a way as any to ensure two things, that the new coach got a fair chance, and to eliminate any suspicions in Renee’s mind about how what I was feeling. It was just a stupid fancy anyway.
Coach Dalton’s whistle blew again. “Huddle up!” It was about five till five. “Proud of you ladies today. Coach Pat is going to take you through some cool down stretches, and then you can hit the showers. You keep giving me this kind of effort, maybe I’ll let you scrimmage next week.” This got a good-natured groan from the girls, and Coach Dalton chuckled along. “Alright, line up!” Paige was center front, right next to Adrienne Perry.
In short order the girls were released to the locker rooms. The coaches congregated for a moment before separating, and Coach Dalton headed over to our little bleachers.
“It’s good to see so many parents. I have to admit, I wasn’t planning on having open practices, but I know it’s tradition around here, so we’ll give it a try. But y’all be on your best behavior, now, understood?” She said it with a smile, and she got a couple playful ‘Yes, Coach’ responses.
Parents started to disperse out of the fieldhouse, but Coach Dalton caught me before I could follow suit.
“Melanie, right?”
“Um,” Oh my god! Say something, Stupid! “Yup, that’s me.” Yeah, that was stupid all right. Shit.
“I just wanted to tell you that Paige really worked hard today. She’s a great example for the lower classwomen.”
My heart warmed at the compliment. “Thanks. She’s always been a hard worker. Dedicated. She’ll give you her all, promise.”
“Adrienne is dedicated, too.” I’d almost forgotten Renee was still there. I knew she expected Adrienne to be named team captain. If Paige got it instead, well, that would be quite a coup.
“She is.” She looked over at Renee Perry, but never turned her body away from me. “And she’s a fine player. But the difference is she doesn’t seem to care if anyone else on the team is as well.”
“Excuse me?” The bite in Renee’s voice made me wince, even if it wasn’t directed at me, but if Coach Dalton was cowed it didn’t show on her face. She turned towards Renee, her sharp, angular features seeming to harden.
“My seniors need to be team leaders, and a leader inspires their teammates, which makes the whole team better. They don’t snicker at younger players when they make mistakes, or give them condescending looks when they ask questions.” The tone of her voice made it absolutely clear that she had caught Adrienne doing exactly that.
Anger flashed in Renee’s eyes, although I couldn’t tell if it was directed at the Coach or her daughter. Probably both. Either way, Renee turned on her heel and stomped out into the hallway. Coach Dalton turned back to me and shook her head.