My Life: An Ex-Quarterback's Adventures in the Galactic Empire Read Free

gave the assemblage a very graphic description of what a good time she had with ol’ Danny-boy Troy. I thought Sam was going to have a stroke. Unfortunately for you, he didn’t.”
    I thought that tidbit over. It certainly sounded embarrassing, but compared to being broke, it didn’t seem to rate.
    “You look thoughtful,” Nat said. “Do you understand what it means?”
    I looked up at him, and then I saw it. There must have been a lot of influential people in that room. “No more endorsements.”
    “Endorsements! Idiot! You’re up to your neck in shit!”
    Trading insults with Nat was an old pastime of mine, but he sounded serious. “Oh c’mon, Nat,” I said, “how does this get to be a bigger disaster than bankruptcy? I mean, for Chrissakes, Sheila’s no kid, she’s not pregnant and we both know she gets around. So why is it my problem?”
    “It is
your
problem because it was
your
bedroom adventures that lit up half of Texas society and, therefore, it is
your
ass that Sam is going to go after. And that is precisely what he will get when the police bust you for possession of drugs.”
    “What? I don’t do drugs, you know that.”
    “Yes, I know that,” Nat said, “but what you seem to have forgotten is that Sheila’s daddy, Sam Doroty, is Judge Sam Doroty. That’s the same Judge Sam Doroty whose brother-in-law has represented your own beloved commissioner. The same Judge Sam Doroty whose cousin has been district attorney here for the past three years. The same Judge Sam Doroty who has relatives at every level of the police department. Good God, Danny, I know the saying that a stiff prick has no conscience, but yours doesn’t even have a guidance system. How could you be so stupid?”
    “Natural talent?”
    “Don’t joke, Danny. This is not the time. Trust me when I say that they’re going to find drugs in your apartment. Maybe you can wiggle out and not do time, anything is possible, but even if you do, what are the odds of anyone picking up your contract, between that charge and Sam’s connections?”
    “You sound like you know what’s coming down,” I said. “Or is this just a guess?”
    “No guess, Danny.” He sounded a bit sad. “I have enough connections who owe me favors. You just got here before I could call.”
    Suddenly, I realized why Sonny had picked that particular morning to jump ship. Bad news travels fast. Nat had my full attention at that point. To be truthful, I was scared shitless. I had seen plenty of television dramas about some poor guy being framed by an imitation Torquemada and had never given it any more thought than I did anything else they showed on television. But this was a real-life judge and he was going to do it to the real-life me. In Texas, you go away for a long time for possession of drugs. I began to shake.
    “Nat,” I pleaded, “don’t stop there. There has to be some way out of this! Tell me what to do.”
    “Tell you what to do. I’ve been trying for years and you wait until now to decide you want to listen. What I ought to tell you is to find another lawyer.” He stopped and sighed. Maybe the expression on my face tugged at his heart. “I should, but I won’t, although I think my head must be going as soft as my heart. Tell you what to do.”
    I sat there, respectfully quiet, while Nat ruminated. He was, I have no doubt, the best lawyer in Texas. If there was any way of extricating me from this mess, he would find it.
    “All right,” he said at last. “I can think of a few ideas. But first, I want your word on something.”
    “Name it,” I said. I’m told that agreements made under duress are not binding, and this was duress.
    “You lay off the booze and the broads,” he intoned. “I’m not going to spend valuable favors saving your ass if you’re going to jump right back into the shit.”
    “I promise. Now what?”
    Nat eyed me carefully, as though he somehow doubted the depth of my commitment. “Do you have enough cash and