Team Mom Read Free Page B

eating.
    â€œBut that? Me? A preacher’s wife? I don’t do that, man.”
    The waitress returned with another pitcher of beer. She poured them some.
    Coach didn’t let up. He was on a mission. “So, what do you say, Calvin? I have over fifty kids who have been discarded by the middle school system. Can you believe no gotdamned money for football? How the hell does that happen?”
    Calvin poured some beer and took a few gulps. “Hell, I don’t know. I ain’t on that screwy-ass board that makes all the decisions. If it was up to me, they would be playing in the Georgia Dome instead of the Falcons.”
    Coach said, “They want to play some ball, but I can’t coach them all by myself. It was cool when they were younger and I had just enough for an offense and defense, but I have numbers now. I’m talking boys that will be in high school soon.”
    â€œFifty kids, huh?” Calvin sucked down some more beer. Enjoyed it too.
    â€œOr more,” Coach replied.
    Calvin raised his mug to his mouth and drained it. “What type of offense you running?”
    â€œPistol. Lots of motion and some read option,” Coach informed him. “If I can find me a quarterback.”
    Calvin poured himself another beer from the pitcher. He smiled. “What the hell, man. You haven’t won without me in the last two years, anyway.”

5
    The team’s personnel was finally in place. As promised, Calvin joined the coaching staff, and Coach was grateful to Shonda Black for filling the post of team mom. After several weeks of practice the team took on a rival neighborhood team in a scrimmage and looked better than anyone could expect on the hot summer evening.
    Coach and a few stragglers, along with Calvin, were gathering up equipment after the scrimmage and dumping ice water out of coolers. Calvin noticed a few Gato-rades left in the cooler, reached down through the chilling ice, and tossed one to Coach, then cracked another open for himself.
    â€œWe looked good today,” Calvin said.
    â€œYeah, man, you have that defense on point.”
    Without any hesitation, Calvin said, “I’m scratching it. I think I want to go with something else.”
    â€œWhat do you mean? We beat them twenty-eight to seven.”
    â€œThey scored on us, Coach, and that’s a problem for me,” Calvin told him.
    â€œShoot, man, when I asked you to come back, I didn’t know you had this much fire left.”
    â€œCan’t lie, I missed it. Missed everything about this.”
    â€œGood to see the passion, because you’re going to need it tomorrow for the fund-raiser,” Coach said.
    â€œSay what?”
    â€œThe fund-raiser. The one we’ve been talking about the past few weeks. We need to get some extra money for the uniforms, team meals, and trophies for the end of the season for all the players. You know how this works, Calvin.”
    Calvin said, “When have you ever known me to participate in a fund-raiser?”
    Coach stood still, thinking about it. “I don’t remember.”
    â€œExactly. I don’t do fund-raisers. I will put a donation can up at my place of business with a photo of our team and hope someone finds the goodness to leave a little something in the can.” Calvin was the owner of a postage stop shop. “But as far as standing on the corner, begging or washing cars, big daddy ain’t with that. If I were you, I’d ask the parents for an extra bump. They would probably rather do that than wash a car or barbecue. What are you doing, anyway?”
    â€œHaven’t you been listening at the end of practice?”
    â€œGuess not. Maybe my brain shuts down at the sound of the word fund-raiser. ”
    â€œWe are doing a barbecue and car wash. The usual. I thought about asking the parents for more money per child, but let’s see how this goes.”
    â€œWell, let me know too,” Calvin replied as