Some parts of the house are unrecognizable from my childhood home, but that’s okay. I wanted my mom to be happy here and give her a fresh start.
“Taysom?” Mom says as she comes out of the pantry.
“Oh, hey.” I walk to her and give her a hug. “I thought you’d be at work.”
“One of my co-workers wanted to switch with me, so I’m working tomorrow instead.”
“You thought anymore about retiring?”
She gives me an uneasy look. “Retiring? No. Cutting back? Yes. The hospital said starting in September I can reduce my workload to two shifts a week.”
“That’s great, Mom. You deserve it.”
“And how are you? How’s Charlotte?”
“She’s great, actually. Her fundraiser just hit 100k. I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer. She was going into the center to start cleaning out her desk.”
“That poor girl. Maybe with the 100k, she can keep her job, though?”
“I don’t know. If the center gets to keep going, there will be a lot of changes to figure out. Everyone else already has new jobs and the building is scheduled to be demo-ed. But we’ll see.”
She tugs on my sleeve. “So, what else is on your mind?”
“You really see through me, don’t you?” I say with a laugh.
“Of course I do. I’m your mom.”
“Well, the Wolves settled on Casey Riddock’s contract last night. Word is, it’s big, though we don’t know the exact number yet.”
“Oh.” Mom’s eyes grow wide.
“I’m not off the team yet. At least not officially. There’s a chance he could still be the backup.”
“Have they offered you a new contract?”
“No, not yet.” I swallow hard. “But the Commanders’ starting quarterback is retiring and their backup is out with an injury, so…”
“The Washington Commanders? In D.C.?”
I nod and she brightens. “That’s exciting!”
“It probably won’t happen. I want to stay here.”
“Why?”
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “Mom, I’m a Wolf, through and through. I have been since I was a baby, remember?”
I point to the photo of Emma me when she was a preschooler and I was a toddler, both in tiny Wolves jerseys.
She laughs and grabs the small frame off the counter. “But if they don’t renew your contract, you might really love becoming a Commander.”
“I just…can’t comprehend it. I mean, I felt sure something was going to happen to sabotage things. No way would I get to play for my dream team for five plus years. I…I’m still not ready for this.”
“This is a big deal. Of course it’s hard,” Mom reminds.
It’s a swift kick to the gut. I’ve known since they picked up Riddock in the draft that things would end, that I was living on borrowed time.
When I don’t respond, she continues. “I hope they do renew you. And there’s a chance they’re just working on the numbers and will present it to you soon.” She shrugs. “I’d love for you to be a Wolf for life, son. But circumstances change. They might not be able to afford both you and the new guy.”
