Devil Town
001
“This is my team, Tami,” he said to his wife of the last nineteen years. Since 2000, Eric Taylor had been coaching at Dillon High School. For five years, he was the quarterback coach and he trained in one of the best quarterbacks the Dillon Panthers ever had—Jason Street. Even though Jason’s quarterback days were short lived under Eric’s then head coach tenure, during his head coaching days he also trained in the second best quarterback the Panthers had seen in recent years—Matt Saracen.
After the football season had ended in 2008, Eric Taylor was more or less fired and replaced by the more favorable—Joe McCoy. Eric was thus banished to the newly reopened East Dillon Lions and formed one hell of a football team from scratch. Although they didn’t do well for the 2009 season, they did go to State for the first time in twenty-five years in 2010—and they won.
Now after East Dillon High has shut down after two years of a bankrupted run, the Panthers have called upon Eric Taylor’s name once more. To bring the Panthers out of the two year slump they’ve been in ever since they fired Coach Taylor, to keep Coach Taylor in Dillon instead of going to Shane State in Florida, and more importantly: to keep coaching the fine young men that are currently on the Dillon Panthers football team.
“You’ve had a lot of teams, Eric,” his wife said in an empathetic tone of voice. It was true. Over his nearing twenty-year coaching career span, he’d had a lot of teams. There had been lots of teams before the Dillon Panthers…but Dillon had become their home. Dillon had crept into the empty crevices of their hearts, including their daughter Julie’s, and filled them completely.
“I know, Tami. But this one… this one is the one. We’ve moved so many times, we’ve started over. This time, let’s take the option that’s on the table right here. It’s not as fancy as Braemore College’s; it’s not even a quarter as fancy as Shane State’s. But Tami, its good enough…and isn’t it about time we settled for that? I can’t give you the in ground swimming pool Shane State promised. I can’t make Dillon High pay you the salary you’re turning down from Braemore; I can’t even make them give you a decent job. But I can promise you one thing—and it’s that you’ll be happy. Our friends are here; our little girl can grow up here surrounded by family and friends. We’ve cemented a life here.” It was rare that the Coach ever went into a long speech like this with his wife. Over the last nineteen years, Tami had done a lot of the talking in their relationship and he’d done more than his share of the listening.
In the last nineteen years, however, Tami had compromised quite a lot for Eric Taylor. Braemore was knocking on her door, they were hitting her buzzer so to speak…and with the way things were going right now, she was going to have to turn them down. An opportunity like this had never come for her before and she knew it’d be years before another one did. Sighing in a bit of defeat, Tami looked to her husband and nodded her head, but her eyes were full of ultimatum.
“I can’t argue with what you said,” she started and Eric mouthed a ‘thank you.’ “But, I’m not rejecting the job without going in person and you explaining to them why I’m not taking it. School is out, you’ve got a month before football practice starts over the summer—Eric, let’s enjoy that. We’ve never taken a family vacation, not since Gracie Belle was born. Let’s go to Philadelphia for a few days, take in the sights. Then, let’s go to Chicago for a few days, visit Julie and Matt.”
Eric had been partially afraid the second Tami brought up ‘family vacation’ that she was heading in that general direction. It wasn’t that Eric didn’t miss his daughter, Julie, whom he hadn’t seen in a number of weeks…it was more, he didn’t want to go up to Chicago and see she was truly happy this young with Matt Saracen. Eric idolized Matt as a football player and thought him to be a very grown up young man but…the second Matt asked Eric for his daughters hand in marriage—the apple turned sour. It was only because Eric didn’t want to lose his eldest daughter quite yet. Any Father would be the same as he was in this situation.
“Alright, I can’t say no to that.” Eric said in a half-reluctant sounding voice but the other half of him screamed enthusiasm. He was excited to go to Philadelphia with Tami and Gracie, even if it meant telling the President of Braemore to his face why his wife couldn’t take the job. The only part Eric dreaded was going to Chicago…even though he knew he’d enjoy it once he got there.
“This isn’t what I wanted exactly…but thank you, Eric,” Tami lent over from the recliner to the chair and kissed her husband’s cheek. “I meant what I said though, Tami, you will be happy. I didn’t accept the job without a few perks; I’ll be getting a raise. We can get that bigger house you’ve been dreaming of for a couple of years. His and her closets.”
It wasn’t the best time for him to say that to Tami, but she knew his heart was in the right place…so she put a smile upon her face and stood up from the recliner that evening at 7:07 Texas time and walked to the cordless phone, taking it into the bedroom. She planned to call Braemore’s President first, and then their daughter Julie and inform her of their upcoming family vacation.
“What’s the verdict, Garrity?” The voice echoed off the walls of Buddy’s Bar in the East Dillon section of town. It was clear as day to the older gentleman who was asking, even though he wasn’t the only other guy in the room.
The room had fallen into an eerie hush while Buddy Garrity was on the telephone to Coach Eric Taylor that night at around eight o’clock. They waited, and they waited; to the boys of the now Dillon Panthers football super group, it felt like they’d been waiting an eternity for coach to say whether he was going or staying for sure.
Buddy closed his flip cell phone and looked over to Tim Riggins, whose voice had brought him out of his trance. A smile started to form onto Garrity’s face and Tim knew exactly what it meant. “It looks like we’ve got Coach to annoy for the next five years!” Tim’s voice carried over the entire bar as he cracked open the top to an ice cold beer.
“I’ll drink to that one, son,” Buddy stated as he took a sip of a tonic and gin. The rest of the bar erupted in cheers—a lot of the people there were Panthers, former Panthers, former Lions, or just friends and associates of Eric Taylor’s. They all shared one thing in common though: they all wanted Coach to stay, no matter what.
“This is great.” Freshly graduated former QB #2 Luke Cafferty said as his girlfriend, Becky Sproles sat in his lap there in Buddy’s Bar. “Great for us—Mr. I’ve signed up for the National Guard,” she pointed out. “You’ll probably be doing basic training when football season starts.” It was true, Luke hadn’t thought about it until now but Becky was probably right.
“Don’t look so down all of a sudden 44,” said QB #1, Vince Howard as he took a seat across from the couple at the table. Vince was drinking a soda in a bottle—after the stuff that went down with his father and drinking…well; he tried his best to abstain from it, even in a place like Buddy’s. “I knew Coach wouldn’t leave us.” Vince stated and Luke nodded.
“I’m happy as hell, Vince. Becky just made me realize…I probably won’t get to see any of y’all play until closer to the Championships, if you make it there. I’ll be doing basic training probably.” Luke explained. Vince felt a twinge of sadness over the fact that his...on and off again best friend wouldn’t be there to see him make the new super-group team, or that he wouldn’t be there to see their first several games but…Vince wasn’t going to let it shatter his night. He was already sad enough about the fact that Jess wasn’t here to celebrate with him.
“I’ve got to go call Jess, let her know it’s finally official.” Vince said as he stood up from the table after one last smile to Luke and Becky before taking off towards the front parking lot to call Jess, his girlfriend who had just moved to Dallas, to inform her of the great news.
It had been a long going on six months since they’d made Coach Taylor the offer to coach the Dillon Panthers this coming season. It had taken him six months to fully accept the deal and honestly in those six months, a lot of people had lost faith. Vince…he had been one of them. But Jess assured him every day, even after she’d moved to Dallas, that Coach wouldn’t do that to him…not after rescuing Vince from himself. She kept reminding him that if Coach Taylor would look at Jason Street as a prodigy, then surely he looked at Vince like a son.
“What’d he say?!” Jess’s voice boomed on the other end of the cell phone, Vince hadn’t been expecting her to actually be anticipating his call. “He’s staying. He’s signing the papers first thing in the morning. We start football practice next month.” Vince informed her. Jess squeaked in excitement, and then you could hear a soft sigh on the other end as she calmed down.
“What’s that for baby?” Vince questioned his girlfriend. “I just wish I was there with you tonight, celebrating. If Dallas wasn’t several hours away, I’d make the drive…” her voice trailed off.
“I wouldn’t ask that of you, Jess. I’m sure you’ll come back for a visit sometime over the summer. In the meantime, stay excited about your opportunities there!” Vince said enthusiastically. He was dating a soon to be prodigy of football coach Dallas Walker. He was about the only name locally bigger than Coach Taylor’s.
“You and Dad are coming for a visit?” Julie’s breath was just about knocked out of her. Here it was, early June, she hadn’t been living with Matt a month quite yet and her parents were already trying to come visit her! Gees, talk about overprotective!
Matt looked over to his fiancée from the bed as she sat at their quaint kitchen table talking on the phone with her Mother. His throat had somewhat went dry as he swallowed a gigantic lump. When he had last spoken to Coach a little after Christmas…things still hadn’t been smoothed out about the engagement yet.
Julie finished her first year of college, went home and got her things and promptly moved up here to Chicago. Matt had been having the time of his life this last month with the love of his life, but he guessed as they said: too much fun will make you forget the matter at hands. He was now dreading happening to meet again with Coach Taylor, the man who for the last five years he had looked up to like a Father figure…and especially since his Father passed away.
“No, no, I’m excited, of course. There are so many nice places I’ve gotten familiar with thanks to Matt. We’ll have a really good time,” Julie reassured her Mother. Julie hated to sound so dire on the phone a moment ago…of course she was excited to see her parents and younger sister, she only wished it wasn’t so soon. “So Dad did take the new offer from the Panthers, then?” Julie questioned and was silent a few minutes.
“Well that’s good. Hey, at least you get the “his and her” closets now, huh?” Julie asked and her Mother laughed over the phone. “That’s exactly what your Father said!” Tami laughed with her daughter on the other line. It had been all too long since the woman had spoken to her daughter and there wasn’t some kind of tension on the other end. Tami missed Julie desperately and wished she and Matt could just live there in Dillon but… Matt was a big art scholar now with a nice job.
After Tami hung up with her daughter as she lay on the queen sized bed in she and Eric’s bedroom—it dawned on her. Her daughter was going to end up just like herself… in a marriage of compromise that never favored her. Tami had compromised her life away for her husband, Eric, and Julie was destined to do the same for Matt. But at least for Jules, her nickname for her daughter… it seemed Jules was genuinely happy.
Tami knew right now everything she was feeling was depression. She’d been in this rut before and it didn’t take too long before she’d been happy again. With Dillon High School always came possibilities. She had been the guidance counselor and even the Principal. Surely they’d offer her another job…she’d be good at anything. Most importantly, she had her husband on her side and had the love and respect of numerous kids who would be attending Dillon High this year. And an incredible resume never hurt anyone, either.
“So the family is coming for a visit?” Matt asked Julie after she’d hung up with her Mother. Jules got up from the kitchen table and plopped down onto the bed next to her fiancé, nodding her head.
“I feel like it’s too soon, but, Mom really wants to come visit before Dad has to start coaching next month. They’re going to Philadelphia first for a couple days, she’s going to turn down that Dean Job I told you about,” she explained to Matt. “Then they’re coming here for a few days, a week, I don’t know. I just feel like it’s too soon and that they’re invading on my life.” The eighteen year old admitted.
“Hey, hey, I know. I know I’m damn sure not ready to face your Dad after all that tension at Christmas… but… if there was one thing he taught me, you got to face your problems head on eventually. Can’t run forever.” Matt said in a soft voice, pulling his petite girlfriend into his arms and holding her. Julie rested her head on Matt’s shoulder.
“Sometimes I hate that my Dad taught you such wise things.” Julie mumbled against the flesh on Matt’s exposed shoulder due to him wearing a man's athletic tank top. “Well sometimes I hate that you’ve got so much of your Mom in you that you argue over silly stuff and usually prove me wrong all the time,” Matt teased and Julie couldn’t help but pull her head back and start giggling.
It was moments like these that reminded Matt Saracen why he fell in love with Julie Taylor and it was moments like this that reminded Julie why she was still so in love with Matt and would be for the rest of her life.
“It won’t be long now,” Mindy said in a quiet voice as she sat in bed next to her husband, Billy Riggins. “When do you think you’ll pop?” He asked his wife, after all, she could feel what was inside her stomach—he couldn’t.
“By the end of the week, without a doubt.” Mindy said, sounding rather calm and collected. It had taken her this long to get used to the fact she was going to have twins. A lot of the last six months had been worrying about money, whether or not Billy was going to get a coaching position at Dillon now that the Lions team was defunct. She was looking forward to not happening to worry about that anymore.
“Twins. I’m still gob smacked,” Billy said while chuckling—a hint of disbelief in his voice. Little Stevie was almost two years old now…and here they were about to bring two more babies into the world at the same time. Who’d have ever thought he and Mindy would be the parents of twins. He certainly wouldn’t have guessed this four years ago when he was pursuing her at the Landing Strip for nothing more than a quick…you know what.
Billy jumped somewhat in the bed when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He figured it would be Tim with news about Coach Taylor staying or going. Sure enough, it was his little brothers’ number on the caller ID. Billy flipped his phone open and said hello.
“He’s staying, Billy. He’s going to sign the papers in the morning, so if I were you, I’d be at the school too. That way, you can talk negotiations for your own job,” Tim suggested. It wasn’t a bad idea. With Coach Taylor there negotiating his own terms, things could go in Billy’s favor.
“That’s good news. When will you be home, tonight?” Billy asked his brother, since he and Mindy didn’t intend to burn the midnight oil, especially now if Billy was going to be at the school early in the morning. Tim was just about to answer that question when he saw a dark haired girl walk through the doors to Buddy Garrity’s bar. That dark haired girl could change the flow of his entire night…and life.
“I don’t know just yet, Billy. I’ll see you when I see you.” Tim said and with that he hung up. Billy could tell as he closed his flip phone, something had come over his little brother. Of course Billy figured that Tyra Collette, his wife Mindy’s younger sister had probably just strutted into the bar…oh was Billy wrong.
After the football season had ended in 2008, Eric Taylor was more or less fired and replaced by the more favorable—Joe McCoy. Eric was thus banished to the newly reopened East Dillon Lions and formed one hell of a football team from scratch. Although they didn’t do well for the 2009 season, they did go to State for the first time in twenty-five years in 2010—and they won.
Now after East Dillon High has shut down after two years of a bankrupted run, the Panthers have called upon Eric Taylor’s name once more. To bring the Panthers out of the two year slump they’ve been in ever since they fired Coach Taylor, to keep Coach Taylor in Dillon instead of going to Shane State in Florida, and more importantly: to keep coaching the fine young men that are currently on the Dillon Panthers football team.
“You’ve had a lot of teams, Eric,” his wife said in an empathetic tone of voice. It was true. Over his nearing twenty-year coaching career span, he’d had a lot of teams. There had been lots of teams before the Dillon Panthers…but Dillon had become their home. Dillon had crept into the empty crevices of their hearts, including their daughter Julie’s, and filled them completely.
“I know, Tami. But this one… this one is the one. We’ve moved so many times, we’ve started over. This time, let’s take the option that’s on the table right here. It’s not as fancy as Braemore College’s; it’s not even a quarter as fancy as Shane State’s. But Tami, its good enough…and isn’t it about time we settled for that? I can’t give you the in ground swimming pool Shane State promised. I can’t make Dillon High pay you the salary you’re turning down from Braemore; I can’t even make them give you a decent job. But I can promise you one thing—and it’s that you’ll be happy. Our friends are here; our little girl can grow up here surrounded by family and friends. We’ve cemented a life here.” It was rare that the Coach ever went into a long speech like this with his wife. Over the last nineteen years, Tami had done a lot of the talking in their relationship and he’d done more than his share of the listening.
In the last nineteen years, however, Tami had compromised quite a lot for Eric Taylor. Braemore was knocking on her door, they were hitting her buzzer so to speak…and with the way things were going right now, she was going to have to turn them down. An opportunity like this had never come for her before and she knew it’d be years before another one did. Sighing in a bit of defeat, Tami looked to her husband and nodded her head, but her eyes were full of ultimatum.
“I can’t argue with what you said,” she started and Eric mouthed a ‘thank you.’ “But, I’m not rejecting the job without going in person and you explaining to them why I’m not taking it. School is out, you’ve got a month before football practice starts over the summer—Eric, let’s enjoy that. We’ve never taken a family vacation, not since Gracie Belle was born. Let’s go to Philadelphia for a few days, take in the sights. Then, let’s go to Chicago for a few days, visit Julie and Matt.”
Eric had been partially afraid the second Tami brought up ‘family vacation’ that she was heading in that general direction. It wasn’t that Eric didn’t miss his daughter, Julie, whom he hadn’t seen in a number of weeks…it was more, he didn’t want to go up to Chicago and see she was truly happy this young with Matt Saracen. Eric idolized Matt as a football player and thought him to be a very grown up young man but…the second Matt asked Eric for his daughters hand in marriage—the apple turned sour. It was only because Eric didn’t want to lose his eldest daughter quite yet. Any Father would be the same as he was in this situation.
“Alright, I can’t say no to that.” Eric said in a half-reluctant sounding voice but the other half of him screamed enthusiasm. He was excited to go to Philadelphia with Tami and Gracie, even if it meant telling the President of Braemore to his face why his wife couldn’t take the job. The only part Eric dreaded was going to Chicago…even though he knew he’d enjoy it once he got there.
“This isn’t what I wanted exactly…but thank you, Eric,” Tami lent over from the recliner to the chair and kissed her husband’s cheek. “I meant what I said though, Tami, you will be happy. I didn’t accept the job without a few perks; I’ll be getting a raise. We can get that bigger house you’ve been dreaming of for a couple of years. His and her closets.”
It wasn’t the best time for him to say that to Tami, but she knew his heart was in the right place…so she put a smile upon her face and stood up from the recliner that evening at 7:07 Texas time and walked to the cordless phone, taking it into the bedroom. She planned to call Braemore’s President first, and then their daughter Julie and inform her of their upcoming family vacation.
“What’s the verdict, Garrity?” The voice echoed off the walls of Buddy’s Bar in the East Dillon section of town. It was clear as day to the older gentleman who was asking, even though he wasn’t the only other guy in the room.
The room had fallen into an eerie hush while Buddy Garrity was on the telephone to Coach Eric Taylor that night at around eight o’clock. They waited, and they waited; to the boys of the now Dillon Panthers football super group, it felt like they’d been waiting an eternity for coach to say whether he was going or staying for sure.
Buddy closed his flip cell phone and looked over to Tim Riggins, whose voice had brought him out of his trance. A smile started to form onto Garrity’s face and Tim knew exactly what it meant. “It looks like we’ve got Coach to annoy for the next five years!” Tim’s voice carried over the entire bar as he cracked open the top to an ice cold beer.
“I’ll drink to that one, son,” Buddy stated as he took a sip of a tonic and gin. The rest of the bar erupted in cheers—a lot of the people there were Panthers, former Panthers, former Lions, or just friends and associates of Eric Taylor’s. They all shared one thing in common though: they all wanted Coach to stay, no matter what.
“This is great.” Freshly graduated former QB #2 Luke Cafferty said as his girlfriend, Becky Sproles sat in his lap there in Buddy’s Bar. “Great for us—Mr. I’ve signed up for the National Guard,” she pointed out. “You’ll probably be doing basic training when football season starts.” It was true, Luke hadn’t thought about it until now but Becky was probably right.
“Don’t look so down all of a sudden 44,” said QB #1, Vince Howard as he took a seat across from the couple at the table. Vince was drinking a soda in a bottle—after the stuff that went down with his father and drinking…well; he tried his best to abstain from it, even in a place like Buddy’s. “I knew Coach wouldn’t leave us.” Vince stated and Luke nodded.
“I’m happy as hell, Vince. Becky just made me realize…I probably won’t get to see any of y’all play until closer to the Championships, if you make it there. I’ll be doing basic training probably.” Luke explained. Vince felt a twinge of sadness over the fact that his...on and off again best friend wouldn’t be there to see him make the new super-group team, or that he wouldn’t be there to see their first several games but…Vince wasn’t going to let it shatter his night. He was already sad enough about the fact that Jess wasn’t here to celebrate with him.
“I’ve got to go call Jess, let her know it’s finally official.” Vince said as he stood up from the table after one last smile to Luke and Becky before taking off towards the front parking lot to call Jess, his girlfriend who had just moved to Dallas, to inform her of the great news.
It had been a long going on six months since they’d made Coach Taylor the offer to coach the Dillon Panthers this coming season. It had taken him six months to fully accept the deal and honestly in those six months, a lot of people had lost faith. Vince…he had been one of them. But Jess assured him every day, even after she’d moved to Dallas, that Coach wouldn’t do that to him…not after rescuing Vince from himself. She kept reminding him that if Coach Taylor would look at Jason Street as a prodigy, then surely he looked at Vince like a son.
“What’d he say?!” Jess’s voice boomed on the other end of the cell phone, Vince hadn’t been expecting her to actually be anticipating his call. “He’s staying. He’s signing the papers first thing in the morning. We start football practice next month.” Vince informed her. Jess squeaked in excitement, and then you could hear a soft sigh on the other end as she calmed down.
“What’s that for baby?” Vince questioned his girlfriend. “I just wish I was there with you tonight, celebrating. If Dallas wasn’t several hours away, I’d make the drive…” her voice trailed off.
“I wouldn’t ask that of you, Jess. I’m sure you’ll come back for a visit sometime over the summer. In the meantime, stay excited about your opportunities there!” Vince said enthusiastically. He was dating a soon to be prodigy of football coach Dallas Walker. He was about the only name locally bigger than Coach Taylor’s.
“You and Dad are coming for a visit?” Julie’s breath was just about knocked out of her. Here it was, early June, she hadn’t been living with Matt a month quite yet and her parents were already trying to come visit her! Gees, talk about overprotective!
Matt looked over to his fiancée from the bed as she sat at their quaint kitchen table talking on the phone with her Mother. His throat had somewhat went dry as he swallowed a gigantic lump. When he had last spoken to Coach a little after Christmas…things still hadn’t been smoothed out about the engagement yet.
Julie finished her first year of college, went home and got her things and promptly moved up here to Chicago. Matt had been having the time of his life this last month with the love of his life, but he guessed as they said: too much fun will make you forget the matter at hands. He was now dreading happening to meet again with Coach Taylor, the man who for the last five years he had looked up to like a Father figure…and especially since his Father passed away.
“No, no, I’m excited, of course. There are so many nice places I’ve gotten familiar with thanks to Matt. We’ll have a really good time,” Julie reassured her Mother. Julie hated to sound so dire on the phone a moment ago…of course she was excited to see her parents and younger sister, she only wished it wasn’t so soon. “So Dad did take the new offer from the Panthers, then?” Julie questioned and was silent a few minutes.
“Well that’s good. Hey, at least you get the “his and her” closets now, huh?” Julie asked and her Mother laughed over the phone. “That’s exactly what your Father said!” Tami laughed with her daughter on the other line. It had been all too long since the woman had spoken to her daughter and there wasn’t some kind of tension on the other end. Tami missed Julie desperately and wished she and Matt could just live there in Dillon but… Matt was a big art scholar now with a nice job.
After Tami hung up with her daughter as she lay on the queen sized bed in she and Eric’s bedroom—it dawned on her. Her daughter was going to end up just like herself… in a marriage of compromise that never favored her. Tami had compromised her life away for her husband, Eric, and Julie was destined to do the same for Matt. But at least for Jules, her nickname for her daughter… it seemed Jules was genuinely happy.
Tami knew right now everything she was feeling was depression. She’d been in this rut before and it didn’t take too long before she’d been happy again. With Dillon High School always came possibilities. She had been the guidance counselor and even the Principal. Surely they’d offer her another job…she’d be good at anything. Most importantly, she had her husband on her side and had the love and respect of numerous kids who would be attending Dillon High this year. And an incredible resume never hurt anyone, either.
“So the family is coming for a visit?” Matt asked Julie after she’d hung up with her Mother. Jules got up from the kitchen table and plopped down onto the bed next to her fiancé, nodding her head.
“I feel like it’s too soon, but, Mom really wants to come visit before Dad has to start coaching next month. They’re going to Philadelphia first for a couple days, she’s going to turn down that Dean Job I told you about,” she explained to Matt. “Then they’re coming here for a few days, a week, I don’t know. I just feel like it’s too soon and that they’re invading on my life.” The eighteen year old admitted.
“Hey, hey, I know. I know I’m damn sure not ready to face your Dad after all that tension at Christmas… but… if there was one thing he taught me, you got to face your problems head on eventually. Can’t run forever.” Matt said in a soft voice, pulling his petite girlfriend into his arms and holding her. Julie rested her head on Matt’s shoulder.
“Sometimes I hate that my Dad taught you such wise things.” Julie mumbled against the flesh on Matt’s exposed shoulder due to him wearing a man's athletic tank top. “Well sometimes I hate that you’ve got so much of your Mom in you that you argue over silly stuff and usually prove me wrong all the time,” Matt teased and Julie couldn’t help but pull her head back and start giggling.
It was moments like these that reminded Matt Saracen why he fell in love with Julie Taylor and it was moments like this that reminded Julie why she was still so in love with Matt and would be for the rest of her life.
“It won’t be long now,” Mindy said in a quiet voice as she sat in bed next to her husband, Billy Riggins. “When do you think you’ll pop?” He asked his wife, after all, she could feel what was inside her stomach—he couldn’t.
“By the end of the week, without a doubt.” Mindy said, sounding rather calm and collected. It had taken her this long to get used to the fact she was going to have twins. A lot of the last six months had been worrying about money, whether or not Billy was going to get a coaching position at Dillon now that the Lions team was defunct. She was looking forward to not happening to worry about that anymore.
“Twins. I’m still gob smacked,” Billy said while chuckling—a hint of disbelief in his voice. Little Stevie was almost two years old now…and here they were about to bring two more babies into the world at the same time. Who’d have ever thought he and Mindy would be the parents of twins. He certainly wouldn’t have guessed this four years ago when he was pursuing her at the Landing Strip for nothing more than a quick…you know what.
Billy jumped somewhat in the bed when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He figured it would be Tim with news about Coach Taylor staying or going. Sure enough, it was his little brothers’ number on the caller ID. Billy flipped his phone open and said hello.
“He’s staying, Billy. He’s going to sign the papers in the morning, so if I were you, I’d be at the school too. That way, you can talk negotiations for your own job,” Tim suggested. It wasn’t a bad idea. With Coach Taylor there negotiating his own terms, things could go in Billy’s favor.
“That’s good news. When will you be home, tonight?” Billy asked his brother, since he and Mindy didn’t intend to burn the midnight oil, especially now if Billy was going to be at the school early in the morning. Tim was just about to answer that question when he saw a dark haired girl walk through the doors to Buddy Garrity’s bar. That dark haired girl could change the flow of his entire night…and life.
“I don’t know just yet, Billy. I’ll see you when I see you.” Tim said and with that he hung up. Billy could tell as he closed his flip phone, something had come over his little brother. Of course Billy figured that Tyra Collette, his wife Mindy’s younger sister had probably just strutted into the bar…oh was Billy wrong.
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Word Count: 2,982