04-23-2022, 01:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-25-2022, 11:38 AM by soevil. Edited 1 time in total.)
Xave angrily slammed the hotel door behind him. Another tough Prospect Bowl loss after playing his heart out. The offense is anemic and no matter how well the defense stops the opponent, they could never score enough points to seal it. Yes, he had done fine with multiple tackles, a few sacks, and his beloved tackles for loss but he wanted to win. And not just win, crush his opponents.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
As his cell phone began its first round of vibrations, Xave collapsed on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. He didn’t need to look to see who it was; his father called after every game, win or loss. Xave wasn’t in the mood this time, his father could speak to the voicemail.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
He covered his head and ears with the pillow. He couldn't face his father right now with how poorly the Lightning were doing. 1-3 going into the second half of the Prospect Bowl is not where he, or anyone else on the team, wanted to be. He was reminded of early on in his high school days when his team was last in their division then as well. Xave had made it his personal mission to ensure the opponent never crossed the line of scrimmage for the rest of the season and was mostly successful. He chuckled reminiscing about the days when he could shed blockers with ease and tackles came without effort. Now the game had changed. He was smaller than a lot of the offensive line and hadn’t had a chance to find his footwork. Success would come with time but Xave was growing impatient, wanting to start his career on the right foot.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
The phone was relentless, each buzz pounding into Xave’s skull. He thought of his father, but, more specifically, of his father when Xave was a boy. He had always been fond of his father, the man who showed him what it was to truly be a man. Dad had worked hard his entire life to make ends meet for Xave and his mother. Now they weren’t destitute but extra cash was a luxury and would be placed towards things that could produce money in the future. Whether it was new tools for the odd remodeling job his father would take on, or fabric his mother could use to create Halloween costumes for the neighbor kids. One thing was clear: purchases would be made to secure the family’s future.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
As the final round of buzzing subsided, Xave was brought back to when he first found football. Playing in the yard with the neighbors, never knowing just how hard he could hit. His best friend’s dad was the coach of the local youth football program and had seen how Xave could attack the quarterback with everything he had, even commenting to Xave that he should consider joining the team next year. Xave politely declined, knowing that pads and lessons aren’t free. The coach was persistent though and continued to foster Xave’s natural gifts for the next year in the backyard.
Earn this.
The drone of the phone had been replaced with one from his own memories, a new reminder of his father. Xave was brought back to the day when he decided he would ask to join the team and ask for the money that would be required. He hesitated at the door to the garage, his father’s sanctuary. How could this possibly secure the family’s future? Was he insane to ask for this? Xave swallowed the fear and opened the door to find his father calmly working on what looked to be a wooden bench. Dad looked up at Xave with a smile and beckoned him to try out his latest creation that was to be sold to the town for their new park. The bench was comfortable enough as benches go, and Xave remembered the smell of the stain still drying. His father continued to smile at him as he explained the techniques used to fabricate the legs and chuckled as he showed Xave how he sneakily hid the family name on the back with the year 1985 for his wedding date.
Earn this.
Xave took a deep breath and cut his father off midsentence, explaining his desire to join the football team. Dad went quiet and Xave could feel his heart beating deep within his chest. He thought the answer would come more quickly but the silence lingered for 5, no, 10 minutes. The two seemed locked in this silence as his father weighed this new proposal.
Earn this.
Xave closed the garage door and headed to his room. He knew it had been a long shot so the eventual “No” was not a surprise. He collapsed on the bed, covering his head with the pillow as the tears began to stream down his face. He had only expressed how he had liked football to his father, but the truth was that he loved the sport. The strategy, the speed, the way the players communicated without barely a sound. The tears came more readily now as he felt his newfound dream being ripped away by conditions beyond his control. Wait…He could find another way. There had to be another way!
Earn this.
His first stop was the coach, perhaps he could provide spare pads. The coach was happy to oblige but the spares on hand were much too small. Xav’es shoulders alone would not squeeze in so that was a non-starter. Next was the local athletic supply shop. He had a few dollars, maybe they could cut him a break? No dice there either, nothing cheap enough for his pocket change. Part-time job? Illegal. Mowing lawns? It was a dry year and the grass had died. Walking dogs? The neighbor girl down the street had a monopoly. Every which way he turned he hit another roadblock, another dead end. It was hopeless.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
That damned phone again! Xave took the pillow off his head and instead buried his phone beneath it. Now was not the time Dad! Like it wasn’t the time then, it wasn’t the time now! Xave continued to remember the days leading up to the start of the season. His friends talked about their schedule and how they were finally going to beat Glendale this year. He saw the other parents lugging large bags full of gear to fields on the far side of town. And he was going to miss it. He, the most talented tackler in the neighborhood, NO, the town was not going to be on the team. He resented his father for saying no and then his mother for supporting that answer. He was being denied his destiny! His future! How could they!
It wasn’t until Freshman year, nearly two after he had asked that Xave got his break. Xave waited for his father to pick him up from school and looked longingly at the practice field where so many other boys were headed. His father pulled alongside him but stopped Xave as he attempted to get into the car. Xave then saw the bag in the backseat. Filled with gently used football pads, a box with brand new cleats, and anything else Xave could have imagined. He looked at his father who looked him right in the eyes and only said two words:
Earn this.
Back in his hotel room once more, Xave found himself staring at the ceiling for an eternity. He didn’t dare check the time as it would only increase the guilt he felt for not taking the calls. As he watched the lights of the city dance across the ceiling, he began to question whether he had lived up to his father’s command. Had he truly earned that first chance? Had he done enough to justify the money and time spent on this dream? Xave could not shake the questions and was crushed by their weight.
No, he thought, he hadn’t earned it, not yet. There was still work to be done, hell he hadn’t gotten his first sack until earlier that day! But he would, you could count on that! Xave found a new determination as he shrugged off the doubt that had hidden behind the memories. Not only would he earn the first chance but every chance afterward. The chance to join the DSFL after wasting time at a D3 college, the chance to be drafted by a true team where he could make his mark, and then the chance to continue in the ISFL under another banner. This was not the end of that story, but the beginning and what a story it will be.
Xave jumped up with newfound vigor and began to pace the room, contemplating his next move. He would continue to train harder than anyone else out there, join the top tier of players that he had admired since his time in the backyard. He would not be denied his chance at his destiny just as, ultimately, he was not denied by his father. Xave hastily scribbled down a training plan for the next weeks leading up to the DSFL draft. This plan would take him where he wanted to go, all he had to do was seize the opportunity. But first….
Xave dug under the pillow and clutched his phone hard. Two missed calls. He swiped to his call history and hit the redial. It rang only once.
“Hey, Dad…”
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
As his cell phone began its first round of vibrations, Xave collapsed on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. He didn’t need to look to see who it was; his father called after every game, win or loss. Xave wasn’t in the mood this time, his father could speak to the voicemail.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
He covered his head and ears with the pillow. He couldn't face his father right now with how poorly the Lightning were doing. 1-3 going into the second half of the Prospect Bowl is not where he, or anyone else on the team, wanted to be. He was reminded of early on in his high school days when his team was last in their division then as well. Xave had made it his personal mission to ensure the opponent never crossed the line of scrimmage for the rest of the season and was mostly successful. He chuckled reminiscing about the days when he could shed blockers with ease and tackles came without effort. Now the game had changed. He was smaller than a lot of the offensive line and hadn’t had a chance to find his footwork. Success would come with time but Xave was growing impatient, wanting to start his career on the right foot.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
The phone was relentless, each buzz pounding into Xave’s skull. He thought of his father, but, more specifically, of his father when Xave was a boy. He had always been fond of his father, the man who showed him what it was to truly be a man. Dad had worked hard his entire life to make ends meet for Xave and his mother. Now they weren’t destitute but extra cash was a luxury and would be placed towards things that could produce money in the future. Whether it was new tools for the odd remodeling job his father would take on, or fabric his mother could use to create Halloween costumes for the neighbor kids. One thing was clear: purchases would be made to secure the family’s future.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
As the final round of buzzing subsided, Xave was brought back to when he first found football. Playing in the yard with the neighbors, never knowing just how hard he could hit. His best friend’s dad was the coach of the local youth football program and had seen how Xave could attack the quarterback with everything he had, even commenting to Xave that he should consider joining the team next year. Xave politely declined, knowing that pads and lessons aren’t free. The coach was persistent though and continued to foster Xave’s natural gifts for the next year in the backyard.
Earn this.
The drone of the phone had been replaced with one from his own memories, a new reminder of his father. Xave was brought back to the day when he decided he would ask to join the team and ask for the money that would be required. He hesitated at the door to the garage, his father’s sanctuary. How could this possibly secure the family’s future? Was he insane to ask for this? Xave swallowed the fear and opened the door to find his father calmly working on what looked to be a wooden bench. Dad looked up at Xave with a smile and beckoned him to try out his latest creation that was to be sold to the town for their new park. The bench was comfortable enough as benches go, and Xave remembered the smell of the stain still drying. His father continued to smile at him as he explained the techniques used to fabricate the legs and chuckled as he showed Xave how he sneakily hid the family name on the back with the year 1985 for his wedding date.
Earn this.
Xave took a deep breath and cut his father off midsentence, explaining his desire to join the football team. Dad went quiet and Xave could feel his heart beating deep within his chest. He thought the answer would come more quickly but the silence lingered for 5, no, 10 minutes. The two seemed locked in this silence as his father weighed this new proposal.
Earn this.
Xave closed the garage door and headed to his room. He knew it had been a long shot so the eventual “No” was not a surprise. He collapsed on the bed, covering his head with the pillow as the tears began to stream down his face. He had only expressed how he had liked football to his father, but the truth was that he loved the sport. The strategy, the speed, the way the players communicated without barely a sound. The tears came more readily now as he felt his newfound dream being ripped away by conditions beyond his control. Wait…He could find another way. There had to be another way!
Earn this.
His first stop was the coach, perhaps he could provide spare pads. The coach was happy to oblige but the spares on hand were much too small. Xav’es shoulders alone would not squeeze in so that was a non-starter. Next was the local athletic supply shop. He had a few dollars, maybe they could cut him a break? No dice there either, nothing cheap enough for his pocket change. Part-time job? Illegal. Mowing lawns? It was a dry year and the grass had died. Walking dogs? The neighbor girl down the street had a monopoly. Every which way he turned he hit another roadblock, another dead end. It was hopeless.
Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt
That damned phone again! Xave took the pillow off his head and instead buried his phone beneath it. Now was not the time Dad! Like it wasn’t the time then, it wasn’t the time now! Xave continued to remember the days leading up to the start of the season. His friends talked about their schedule and how they were finally going to beat Glendale this year. He saw the other parents lugging large bags full of gear to fields on the far side of town. And he was going to miss it. He, the most talented tackler in the neighborhood, NO, the town was not going to be on the team. He resented his father for saying no and then his mother for supporting that answer. He was being denied his destiny! His future! How could they!
It wasn’t until Freshman year, nearly two after he had asked that Xave got his break. Xave waited for his father to pick him up from school and looked longingly at the practice field where so many other boys were headed. His father pulled alongside him but stopped Xave as he attempted to get into the car. Xave then saw the bag in the backseat. Filled with gently used football pads, a box with brand new cleats, and anything else Xave could have imagined. He looked at his father who looked him right in the eyes and only said two words:
Earn this.
Back in his hotel room once more, Xave found himself staring at the ceiling for an eternity. He didn’t dare check the time as it would only increase the guilt he felt for not taking the calls. As he watched the lights of the city dance across the ceiling, he began to question whether he had lived up to his father’s command. Had he truly earned that first chance? Had he done enough to justify the money and time spent on this dream? Xave could not shake the questions and was crushed by their weight.
No, he thought, he hadn’t earned it, not yet. There was still work to be done, hell he hadn’t gotten his first sack until earlier that day! But he would, you could count on that! Xave found a new determination as he shrugged off the doubt that had hidden behind the memories. Not only would he earn the first chance but every chance afterward. The chance to join the DSFL after wasting time at a D3 college, the chance to be drafted by a true team where he could make his mark, and then the chance to continue in the ISFL under another banner. This was not the end of that story, but the beginning and what a story it will be.
Xave jumped up with newfound vigor and began to pace the room, contemplating his next move. He would continue to train harder than anyone else out there, join the top tier of players that he had admired since his time in the backyard. He would not be denied his chance at his destiny just as, ultimately, he was not denied by his father. Xave hastily scribbled down a training plan for the next weeks leading up to the DSFL draft. This plan would take him where he wanted to go, all he had to do was seize the opportunity. But first….
Xave dug under the pillow and clutched his phone hard. Two missed calls. He swiped to his call history and hit the redial. It rang only once.
“Hey, Dad…”