Page 111 of Love, Literature, and the Linebacker

I know football matters.

But so does Lucy.

For once, I’m not chasing one future and treating everything else as a distraction.

I want both.

But maybe I want a life with Lucy more.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lucy

I’m not in Texas anymore.

I’m standing in the Deep South, surrounded by magnolia trees and red earth, the air thick against my skin. A white-columned plantation stretches out behind me. Cotton fields roll beyond the house, beautiful from a distance and built on a history too ugly to ignore.

Tara—the plantation she refuses to abandon.

Scarlett O’Hara stands ahead of me, her green eyes blazing as she surveys the land like it belongs to her by sheer force of will. Her gown snaps in the hot wind, defiant and unyielding.

Scarlett speaks as if survival is a vow she can force the world to honor.

The words are desperation wrapped in determination. I’ve always admired Scarlett, even when I didn’t like her. She’s fire and stubborn survival, a woman who refuses to bend, even when the world tries to break her.

I understand her resolve. I understand the need to fight for what matters.

But I’m not Scarlett.

Scarlett doesn’t pause to question herself.

She doesn’t stand still and wonder who she might become if she chooses one path over another.

But my world hasn’t burned down.

My life is still intact.

The library still smells like old paper, dust, and the coffee Ms. Thorn sneaks behind the desk.

Aunt Joss still hums while she ices cakes in her kitchen.

My parents still playfully argue about what movie to watch on Friday nights.

Nothing has forced me to leave.

Scarlett charges forward without hesitation, consequences be damned. I hesitate. I linger. I stand at the edge of choices, afraid of what stepping forward might cost me.

What am I willing to fight for?

What am I willing to leave behind?

“Lucy!”

The world snaps apart.

The scent of magnolia fades. The heat disappears. I blink as the rustle of pages replaces the sound of wind through cotton fields.

“Lucy! Breakfast is ready!”