Page 19 of The House of Wolves

After that I was heading to Hunters Point High, having told the principal that even though I was taking a leave from teaching, I was going to continue to coach my team.

“I just wanted to give you a heads-up that you’re going to be hearing from the commissioner,” Danny said.

“To welcome me to the old boys’ club?”

“There are women, too,” he said.

“Occasionally seen. Rarely heard.”

Danny sighed. It sounded sadder than if he’d blown a blue note on a trumpet.

“He is going to tell you that you need to give this up now. Because there’s no way you’re going to get approved by three-quarters of the owners.”

“And why is that?”

Danny said, “I’m sure he’ll explain.”

“Is that what you came here to tell me?”

“No, as a matter of fact it isn’t.”

He put his hands on my desk and leaned forward.

“What I came here to tell you is that all football decisions in this organization still run through me.”

“Maybe by you,” I said. “But notthroughyou.”

“Why don’t you just go ahead and fire me?”

“I have no plans to fire you unless you give me no other choice. Imagine how much fun all my new friends in the media would have with that. And I was hoping we might find a way to work together.”

“Not happening.”

“Your call.”

Today was all about the Wolves. I’d already decided I would deal with my brother Jack and theTribunelater—starting with this morning’s front-page headline:

CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD

“You can’t possibly want to do this,” Danny said.

The feud was on.

“And why is that? Because I’m a woman?”

“Because you have no experience!” he snapped. “Because coaching your little high school team doesn’t qualify you to run a pro football team! Because you’re out of your goddamn depth, and the only person in San Francisco who doesn’t appear to grasp that is you.”

Splotches of red were showing on his face. That had been happening to him since he was a little boy, every time he got upset. Or didn’t get his way.

“You’ve done everything possible to avoid being around this team or part of it,” he said. “But now you suddenly love it—and dear departed Daddy—so much that you’re going to be a boss?” He snorted. “The only people you ever wanted to boss around were Jack and Tommy and me.”

“Who knew things would come full circle like this?” I said, putting my hands out helplessly.

“Keep making jokes.”

“Who’s joking?”

“This is my team, goddamn it!”