The Love and Gridiron Collection by Zach Jenkins

Author:Zach Jenkins [Jenkins, Zach]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LoveLight Press
Published: 2016-02-17T23:00:00+00:00

11

Ten o'clock at night and Jimmy still hadn't called. The loneliness had been too much to handle in my hotel room, so I walked over to the bar in the bowling alley across the street, figuring the noise would drown out my thoughts.

I couldn't imagine what was taking Jimmy so long. He hadn't replied to my three texts or my one voicemail. I began to suspect a car wreck or plane crash or some other horrible calamity.

A crowd watched the Atlanta Braves on TV. Shouts at the umpires carried over the loud jukebox.

I stopped at the door, trying to decide whether this was too much for my mood to handle. While the crowd might help distract me from my thoughts, I didn't want to be with any of these people. I just wanted Jimmy. Even a few texts with Jimmy would be better than any conversations I expected to find in the bar that night.

Several people recognized me at almost the same time and screamed my name nearly in unison. Before I could blink, I had been dragged to a large table in the middle of the bar, given three bottles of beer, and pelted with questions about my senior year.

"Do you think that was holding on that last drive?"

A questionable call had ruined our senior day game ten years earlier. The fans never forgot the bad calls and tragic losses. Those moments stuck with them longer than us players.

"Who was your favorite receiver to throw to back in the day?"

"What are you in town for?"

I decided to answer that last one first. "I'm here for two things. I'm working with AJ to help with some fundamentals."

The crowd roared their approval. They were desperate for another good season.

When the crowd had calmed down a little, I added, "I'm also helping out with the blood drive on campus at the end of the week. All of you are welcome as long as you stop drinking a couple days in advance to sober up."

Their laughter helped cheer me up a little. I enjoyed my dealings with fans for the most part, especially when I wasn't at official events that always ended up feeling scripted.

If I thought the bar had been loud when I walked in, it was nothing compared to when I said, "For all of your support over my years here in Georgia and sticking with me now that I'm in the NFL, next round's on me."

Eventually, the crowd settled and went back to their own groups. I ended up paying for three rounds of drinks that night—an extremely small price to pay with my salary, especially considering how rumors of nights such as these helped build lifelong fans. It was practically an investment.

Despite the positive buzz that surrounded me all night, I couldn't quite chase away the funk that had sent me out of my lonely hotel room in the first place. I needed to talk to Jimmy, and that would only happen in my room.

The crowd groaned when I said my goodbyes.

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