By the time the game ended, his throat was hoarse from yelling and his cheeks hurt from smiling. “That game was unbelievable! Did you see Robert out there? That was my kid brother! Mykidbrother!”
A few minutes later, a little bubble of security escorted them to the locker room area. When Tommy reached for the door, Jessi stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Wait,” she said. “I can’t go in. There are half-naked men in there.”
Impatient to see his brother, he forgot that it was inappropriate for Jessi to be inside the locker room. “Sorry, hon. I’ll just pop in for a sec. Wait here with Angel. I’ll be right out.” This time, Angel stopped him from opening the door.
“Tommy Blade, if you think you’re going inside that locker room, filled with half-naked professional athletes, without me, you are delusional.” A naughty smile spread across Angel’s lips, and he waggled his finger from side to side. Then he brushed past Tommy and strode into the locker room.
Tommy quickly followed.
One by one, heads turned in their direction, and the next thing Tommy knew, both he and Angel were surrounded by a group of professional football players. Jerseys were thrust in front of them by world-class athletes who asked for autographs, as starstruck as teenage fans.
The Bucks’ wide receiver stared at Tommy with wide-eyed wonder and his mouth agape. “I can’t believe Tommy Blade and Angel Garcia are standing in my locker room.” He looked down at himself. “And I’m only wearing a towel! Holy shit!”
Tommy and Angel must have spent at least ten minutes signing helmets, gear, jerseys, and talking to famous football players who regarded them as the celebrities in the room. It really gave Tommy an ego boost, and he felt on top of the world.
“Is my brother here?” he finally asked.
“Robbie!” one of the players yelled. “Get over here!”
Tommy couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at the nickname. He turned to Angel and whispered. “Robbie?”
Angel smiled and shrugged.
“Let me through!” Robert called, in his usual happy-go-lucky voice. The crowd of football players parted, and Robert came into view with his arms outstretched. The brothers greeted each other with their usual chest bump, then embraced in a forceful hug.
After Robert gave Angel the same hug, but no chest bump, Tommy practically shouted, “What a game! My heart was thundering!”
“Now you know how I felt watching my big brother play college ball when I was in high school. You were my hero. Still are.”
Tommy almost blushed. “C’mon. You’re the star here.”
“Really?” Robert asked, turning left and right. “I don’t see America’s top football team fawning over me. They’re enamored and pumped to meet you, bro. They’re falling all over themselves trying to shake your hand. I couldn’t even get through to say hi. You and Angel are the rock stars here. You’re the worldwide celebrities. I want you to meet our coach.” Robert turned to face the semicircle of teammates that surrounded them. “Where’s Coach?”
The crowd parted, and the team’s famous coach walked down the opening toward Angel and Tommy. He held a football in his hands and presented it to them. “It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you,” Coach said. “On behalf of the team, I’d like to present you with today’s game ball.”
Back home, Tommy couldn’t stop looking at the football and thinking about watching Robert on the field. As he sat in one of the loungers next to the pool, he turned the ball over and over in his hands, examining the names of the players and reading them out loud. This one was his favorite, and he traced it with his finger. Robert Blade. He was so proud of his brother. A thought crossed his mind, and he wondered what his life would have been like if he went into pro ball instead of music, like his father had always wanted. Staring at the ball, he let the scenario play out in his head . . .
It was the last 30 seconds of the Super Bowl, and the score was tied. Tommy needed a touchdown to win the game. His team was counting on him, and the pressure sent his heart racing. The quarterback threw the ball, and it sailed high in the air. The entire field full of players started running toward Tommy as he caught the pass and headed toward the end zone. His blood pumped so hard that he could feel it rushing through his chest, even under the heavy equipment. He glanced to the stands and saw Jessi cheering for him, just like she did when he was playing college football, only now Angel was beside her, and it pushed him twice as hard. His feet started moving so fast it felt as if they were in the air more than they were on the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the linemen from the opposite team headed straight toward him. He veered to the left in a zig-zag pattern, but the lineman was still on him. The takedown was inevitable, but Tommy still ran as if he could make it. Suddenly, Robert practically flew through the air and tackled the lineman. Just before he hit the turf, Robert looked up and made eye contact with Tommy and the two shared a smile.
“Holy cow!” the announcer screamed through the loudspeaker. “The Blade brothers do it again! These two are unstoppable! The Bucks win the Super Bowl, thanks to the dynamic duo!”
Voices brought Tommy back from his little fantasy. It was Jessi and Angel whispering between themselves as they sat on the edge of the concrete with their feet dangling in the pool. He didn’t look their way and remained focused on the football as he listened to them.
“I love seeing the spark in his eyes.” Jessi told Angel, unaware that Tommy was privy to their conversation. “We did a good thing.”
“Yes. I do love seeing him smile,” Angel replied.
The smile on Tommy’s face was both genuine and a mask. He loved his life and making music, but he didn’t want to be one of those rock stars who were well past their prime and still on stage trying to recapture the glory of their youth. He knew that wasn’t exactly something he had to worry about just yet, but it kept staring him in the face every time he looked down the road, and he couldn’t look away. The inevitable taunted him with mediocracy like a constant reminder from the Ghost of the Future. And that’s what he feared most. If his career couldn’t go any higher, the only place for it to go was downhill.
The chaise shifted as Angel sat at his feet and Jessi on the arm of the lounger.
“Why so sad?” Angel rubbed Tommy’s leg with affection and worry. “Just a few moments ago, your eyes were aglow while you examined the football from Robert’s team. Now, it’s cast aside, and you have a crease between your brows.”
Tommy tried to shrug it off, but knew he was unsuccessful. “I don’t know, A. Don’t you feel like we’re doing the same thing over and over again? Like there’s nothing new, professionally, to look forward to?”
