I bend to scoop up Abby, giving her one more hug. “I’ll miss you, little bear. Good luck in your gymnastics showcase,” I say, since that’s another thing I’m going to miss this weekend.
“Good luck in your game.” She gives me knuckles, and her fist explosion is legendary, but it breaks my heart all at the same time.
***
We fly to Seattle to vie with one of the toughest teams in the league. That Sunday it’s the game of the day, a marquee matchup between two top teams in the west.
When we run through the corridor of the stadium and hit the field, that familiar rush of energy blasts through me.
Always has.
Ever since I was a kid and touched the gridiron for the first time, I’ve felt it. The thrill. The excitement. For nearly fifteen years, I’ve been playing the game I love for a living.
Will I still feel this way next year?
Who knows?
Right now, though, it’s game time.
And I’m in the zone.
Trouble is, so’s Seattle.
Their defense is on fire, and I don’t get a chance to make a singleplay during our first possession. I run a quick route right, but the secondary is all over me like flies on honey.
The game’s a tight one for the rest of the quarter, with both teams putting up zeroes.
When we get the ball with three minutes left before the end of the half, I’m raring to break the scoreless streak. Hell, we all are.
Cooper gives us the play, and I head to my spot on the line of scrimmage. I’m in motion, and once he takes the snap, I race off down the field, slip behind the linebackers, and catch a beautiful twenty-five-yard pass at the edge of the field.
And hot damn, I would love to sail away with this baby into the end zone, but Seattle’s about to steamroll me. I scramble two feet to get out of bounds, spinning around before the linebackers tackle me.
I land just so, and for a smidge of a second, I wait for that wince in my hamstring.
But I feel fine.
Completely fine.
And that makes me feel good.
Now, I know Katie didn’t cure my hamstring strain in a couple sessions. Sports and training don’t work that way.
But every little bit helps, and I’ll happily enjoy this moment, especially since it turns into a touchdown before the clock runs out and we head inside at the half.
The seven points is energizing, as it fucking should be.
Andthis—this is what I’ll miss if I retire.
The buzz, the intensity, the utter joy in making plays as a team.
That’s what we do in the second half, too, hunting for a chance to put more numbers up on the board.
It’s not easy, but Cooper slings another pass my way right before I spin out of bounds. But I haul it in, whirl around, and put my fleet feet to use to bring it all the way home.
I feel great when I reach the end zone.
The kind of great that makes me want to run to the stands and kiss the girl I like.
