Page 85

“Thanks. I’m not sure he likes me very much.”
“That man doesn’t like himself right now, but he’ll get it. I told Charley the same thing. He’s too stubborn to fail. Always was.”
“I’m sure she liked to hear that.”
He claps me on the back. “Alright. Where do they need me?”
He sees some guys struggling to move a section of the ramp into place, so he jogs that way. “Let me show you how it’s done, fellas.”
Man, I love this place. I love these people. It’ll be hard to leave here after this year, even if I do know what I’m going to be doing. At this moment, watching my team—old and new—come together, I can’t imagine not playing football for the rest of my life. The camaraderie. The competition. I don’t care what side of the whistle I’m on, I just want it. The pigskin. The grass. The sun on my face.
We work for several more hours. As jobs get completed, volunteers trickle out. I take note of each one, thanking them for coming.
I’m standing back, staring at the house while Drake, West, and Lex set up the last part of the ramp. It’s unbelievable how it all came together. From the yardwork to the painting. The porch is so much better. It no longer looks like the worst house on the street.
“Young man?”
I turn to find an older man walking toward me.
“Excuse me, do you know these people?”
“The Heywoods? Yes.”
“I’m so glad to see this house looking like this. We just got home from visiting family or I would’ve come by earlier. Is there anything I can do? I always see the poor girl who lives here coming in and out, looking so sad.”
“She won’t be sad anymore, sir.”
“That’s good.” He places his hands on his hips and stares up. “Look at this. I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole married life, and to see this place get the makeover it deserves. I’ll have to bring my wife out.”
“If you see the girl out here again, you should say hi. Her name is Charley.”
“Charley? I will. I’ll have to get my brain to remember that name. I don’t have a memory like I used to, but I’ll be saying hi to her no matter what. Such a sad girl.”
I rub at my chest, trying to keep the sadness out on such a happy day. I don’t like the idea of anyone describing Charley as sad, no matter if it’s accurate or not. I hope no one has to refer to her in the same way again.
That happy girl. That beautiful girl. Either of them will do.
“Here we go!” Drake drives in the last nail and then throws his hands in the air. “Record timing, Cuz. Man, I wish I had some of these football guys on my team. They are beasts.”
“Yeah, we don’t mess around.” I run up, slapping his hand. “Thanks, man. This was awesome.”
Briar appears next to me. “Let us know what we owe you, and we’ll get the money sent.”
“Come on, Squirt.”
She frowns at him. “No one has called me that in ages.”
He starts laughing. “Sorry, old habits die hard. I agreed to do it for free. I only wanted money to pay my guys, but they said they’ll do it for free, too. I think everyone actually had a good time, and my guys enjoyed the fact that they let other people do all the hard stuff. Plus, I heard you guys paid for the materials. It’s the least we could do.”
“It looks awesome,” I tell Drake, running my hand along the railing.
“It’s completely up to code, permitted, everything. He’ll get to come home and go right in.”
I give him a hug, clapping his back. “See you at Nan’s tomorrow?”
He rubs his belly. “I worked up quite an appetite, so you better get there early.”
“Don’t go stealing all the rolls.”