I dive for the ball, which is out of my reach, and instead of making some awesome save, I eat it, winding up with a mouthful of sand and a whole lot of shame for not making that play. I hear Kelly, Ash, and Xavier cheering for what will very likely be another win for them if we don’t step up ourgame.
As I recover, I glance up. Ty’s over me, a concerned expression on his face, gazing at me through those bright-blue eyes that are so much like hisfather’s.
He crouches down. “You okay,man?”
“The humiliation will subsideeventually.”
He chuckles at my reply, a grin stretching across his face as he reaches out. “You did your best,Jesse.”
It’s funny what such a simple exchange means tome.
In this moment, seeing Ty extending his hand to me, reassuring me in the most trivial of circumstances, lets me know that things are already better—far better than I could have imagined them being only a couple of months after telling him I was dating hisfather.
It’s the sort of thing that could have killed any friendship, but notours.
I made amistake.
I fuckedup.
And then I fell inlove.
He helps me to my feet. “Nice work, though, dude,” he says, running his hand through his hair and shifting about those dirty-blond locks that clearly came from his mother’sside.
After we finish the game, Kelly, Ash, and Xavier’s team proving victorious, we head to a nearby pub where we usually windup.
Kelly devours a steakburger and fries while the more health-conscious Ash eats a salad beside him. Ty and I share a lettuce wrap, the way we usedto.
Back tonormal?
No, things aren’t there yet. Not sure they ever can be, but if this is the best it gets, I’m more than happy to accept that because I don’t want to imagine a life without Ty’sfriendship.
“You guys good to meet up Thursday next week?” Kelly asks, still chewing on a handful of fries he shoved into his mouth right before talking. He manages to get them down before adding, “Wouldn’t kill us to have another practice before the finalgame.”
The guys start eagerly agreeing, and then Ash says, “But I think it’s about time for me to go ahead and say that I think I’m gonna have to back out of flag football thisyear.”
“What?” Ty and I asktogether.
“I have a lot going on at work, and with a kid… I need to be spending more time withMeg.”
We go through the expected rounds of “aw, come on” and “that sucks.” None of us want to pressure him into joining, but we want to let him know we enjoy hanging out with him and that he will bemissed.
This is a natural part of us all getting older. Not everyone can make it to every practice or game. More often than not, we’re having to accept that only a few of us can meet up at atime.
“Come on. I’ll still hang out with you losers,” Ash says. “I just want to be able to spend more time with mykid.”
“We totally get it,” I tellhim.
“And you know we’re here if you need anything,” Tyfollows.
“Crazy to think that we all used to be in school and hang out every evening, basically,” Kelly notes, a sadness in his expression in clear nostalgia for thosedays.
“Don’t worry. Ty is going to have plenty of time now that he’s back in school,” Xavier pointsout.
Ty’s back in school, collecting hours to meet Georgia CPA requirements. He has at least two semesters of work before he can take the requisiteexam.
We chat some more, appreciating that this could be one of the last times we get to hang with Ash after a practice. Then we head out. I agreed to give Ty a ride back to his place since he’d taken public transit over to the park, so we head to my car together, walking side by side through the parking lot, under the orange light cast by a nearbystreetlamp.
“Funny how things change,” Ty says, and I’m sure he’s talking about more than Ash dropping out of our flag-football league. “Ash is a dad now, and I’m back in school, which I never fucking thought wouldhappen.”
