I know he’s teasing me by the wide smile, but it stings all the same. “Yeah, well, Dad doesn’t exactly hide that he considers me the family disappointment.”
“Yeah, you’re a real disappointment. You graduated from Brown, played college ball all four years and were only stoppedfrom entering the NFL draft due to an injury.” He shakes his head before adding, “You’re a real disappointment, August.”
“Say that like Dad because I’m sure you did it wrong. He manages to make all of that feel like an insult.”
I tee off and my ball doesn’t go nearly as far as Drew’s.
“You do still suck at golf. Don’t ever let Dad take you, or you’ll never hear the end of it,” he says with a chuckle.
We hop in the cart and drive down to where our balls are. Of course, we have to stop earlier for mine because I fell a bit short here. It feels like a metaphor for my whole life.
“Yes, it’ll be one more thing that he can hold over my head,” I say, the disdain slipping into my tone as I head over to my ball so that I can send it toward the putting green.
Drew waits until I’ve shot the ball, thankfully improving my position, before talking. “You know I went back to the stadium yesterday to see if I could talk to you. To see if we could put a plan in place for how we’re going to handle this with Dad.”
“Oh, I must have missed you.” I don’t turn and look in his direction. I can’t meet his eyes right now, because I know that he knows what I was doing in that locker room.
“I heard you, August,” Drew says plainly. He waits for me to react to it, but I don’t. “I knew that when you brought her to the game that she was someone on the Blaze and someone that you had dated in the past. I knew the whole sordid story. Dad had complained about it many times before he went to UNC to pull you out of there. And then I had to hear you when you came back. All lovestruck and pissed off about everything that he had cost you.” I go to say something, but Drew holds his hand up, silencing me. “I felt sorry for you, I did because I had never seen you like this over a girl before in my whole life. I don’t even think that you loved your first girlfriend, who may have been your first love, the way you did Hendrix.
“And then we I found out that you two had found your way back to each other. I was happy for you. Sure, I was skeptical because she’s a Blaze player and how in the fuck is that going to work. Dad is already pissed off about all of the fraternization violations that you have happening over there,” he says with a shake of his head. “But I figure that I would see just how far I thought this was going to before having any big brother talks with you. And then I go to the Blaze, and I can hear the sounds of you fucking her coming from the locker room. Imagine my surprise at that little nugget of information, August. What do you think would have happened if it was Dad who found you and not me?”
“I’m sorry that you heard that. I didn’t know you were coming back,” I say, shrugging sheepishly.
“August, that’s not the point. What, if had you known, would that have made it faster? Or would you just have made sure that the doors were locked? The real question is what are you doing fucking your employees in the locker room? The women’s locker room, for that matter. You are not allowed in there,” he reminds me, shaking his head.
“Yes, I’m aware,” I say, grinning.
“I met this woman. I did. I like her, August. She’s smart, funny and she’s a pretty girl. August actually found himself a good one. Sure, it’s not going to be an easy road, and what will the media think when they get wind of it? But surely they are being careful, so we’ll have some time to, first of all, get Dad on board and, second of all, figure out a strategy for the media. But we might not have that kind of time there, little brother, because you are fucking her on Blaze property.” He shakes his head. “I know you want Dad to treat you like a grown-up but sometimes you have to act the part. And right now, you are most certainly not acting the part.”
I grimace. “I see we have reached the tough love portion of the golf outing,” I say, deflecting, trying to make a joke out of it.
“What if someone had heard you? Other than me. What would have happened to her career and yours? What if it was the media? Or what if it was another player or coach? She could say that Hendrix is getting special treatment. And then it won’t matter how good she is or how many articles they write about her, whenever something comes up about her salary negotiation or what she’s worth on that field, someone is going to drudge this up and remember that she was a joke before you ever really let her be great.”
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Yeah, I hadn’t really thought of all of that.”
“No, I figured as much, which is why the tough love.”
We play through a few more holes while he lets me digest what he’s said to me.
“You know, I really did think that everyone was gone from there when I entered the locker room. I checked the parking lot. Sure, Cindy and Nancy were there but they were in another building,” I say, trying to justify my actions.
“And if someone returned?” he challenges.
“Then we would have been fucked,” I say, throwing my hands up in defeat.
“Well, she would have been fucked. You’re a Cromwell. Dad would have fixed it so that she came onto you or something like that. She would have gone down for this, not you. Maxwell Cromwell would have made sure of it, August. And if you want to stay there with her, you’ve got to be smarter than this. End of discussion. No ifs, ands or buts about it. You have to be smarter than this. I will not let you know that I caught you next time. So just remember that when you’re fixing to get busy in the locker room. Thewomen’slocker room.” He emphasizes the last part with a shake of his head.
I get the disappointed dad stare from him. From him though, I get it. I’m okay with it because I know that it comes from a place of love. I’m not so sure that it does when it’s my father.
“Thanks, Drew. I get what you are saying,” I reply. Because what else can I say, he’s right. It was just the dose of tough love that I needed from him. I want to tell him that I was surprised that Hendrix let me fuck her in there a second time knowing that my father had just been outside a minute earlier, but I don’t. Instead, I go back to playing golf terribly.
We are sitting in the clubhouse, drinking a beer, when Drew brings up work again.
“I think I’m going to talk to Dad one on one about me being allowed to take on the new team. I think I would be good at it, August. I never got to build my team. Dad moved the Marlins from Miami, in a very unpopular move, I thought, and then he decided that I would be the owner of that team while he moved on. I think I want to convince him that he wants it back and to let me have the new challenge. Besides, you and I both know that Dad doesn’t want to run the Blaze.”
I stare at him for a moment, realization hitting me.
“He would get the Blaze. He would be in charge of Hendrix,” I say out loud.
