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“So that went cocks up,” I say to Shauna as she comes forward to meet me.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she answers.
“Really? I bet they're going to label me a sexist tomorrow,”
“Screw them David. You're not a sexist and you know it. So stop thinking about these things.”
“Yeah man, just focus on the big match,” Willie says.
Yeah right! Like the coach is going to let me play in the final.
Their words may be encouraging, but I can tell from the glum faces hidden behind the forced smiles of his entourage that this is not going to turn out well for me.
“Daddy, can we go home now? I'm tired,” Harry looks at me with his big innocent eyes. I can’t help but smile.
At least I still I've my son and that is all I need.
I wipe the bar clean with a wet cloth, then buff it with a dry cloth and it finally looks acceptable. The sounds of Sportscenter play the background and I stretch my arms a little. A few hours of hard labor at the bar has taken a toll on me, considering I usually spend the day sitting in a chair. Despite the hard work I put in for the last two days at Stats, Dad’s old bar, I’m happy. Or at least as happy as I can be. Being back home in Santa Ana is a welcome relief. There are no deadlines to meet, no scandals to be part of and no evil bosses trying to ruin me.
Most of all, I’m thankful that Mom has no clue about my recent notoriety. Helen Tucker is an old fashioned, hard working woman who has no time for gossip magazines. She is just utterly pleased that her daughter’s come back home. A new light shines in her eyes and even though the last bank loan has been rejected as well, Mom’s suddenly found an optimistic outlook on life.
I smile as her cellphone number appears on my screen.
“Hey, Mom,” I smile.
“Darling, are you coming home for dinner?”
“Yes of course. Just about done here.”
“Good. I thought I heard you say something about going out. Anyway. I'm waiting for you. Drive safe!”
Being the wife of a bar owner, Helen had gotten accustomed to late night dinners. Back in the heyday of Stats, Dad had been a popular man and patrons hung around till last call and at times even later, discussing nothing but sports. Helen, who worked at the bar only during the daytime, got used to waiting at night for my dad, not complaining even once.
The going, however, is tougher now. Since I made the decision to sublet my apartment in L.A. and move back home, I decided to take full charge of the bar. It’s my father’s legacy and there’s no way I’m letting it slide out of the family’s hands. Finally, I know where my priorities really lay.
I’m just about done putting the dry glasses back in the cabinet, when I freeze, hearing a certain name on the television. I move up front to look at the screen.
‘...surely this is not a surprise, as we have come to expect outrageous things from David Adams who has long been known, back home in England, as something of a bad boy. His comments today however will surely not win him any brownie points with the women whom he loves to seduce so much.’ The host goes on before they cut to a clip of David, sitting in some sort of a press conference.
Something tugs at my heart as David’s face glares down at me from the screen. He looks as dashing as always, but somewhere underneath that smile and that calm demeanor, something is off. I know him enough to be able to tell that.
‘Women come and go, but football always remains,” he says. As the words sink in, a pain shoots in my heart. Is this the man I fell for? A man who doesn’t even see women as people? For whom kicking a ball is more important than the person he’s with?
Strangely enough, Max’s parting words jump into my head. David is a worse hound than me, he’d said, and for once, ex-boss was right. I sit down on a bar stool and look away into nothingness.
It’ll take a long time to forget about all the mistakes I’ve made.
Chapter 100
“Let’s cut down our losses first,”’ I’d told Mom before I left home to start the day at the bar that morning. Helen insisted she come along too, but after five days spent working at the bar I knew like the back of my hand, has brought me up to speed with things.
I’m actually looking forward to working at the bar everyday. Sure, we still have plenty of problems and there’s no guarantee that we’ll slip out of the red anytime soon, but a strong sense of determination is inside of me. Now that I’ve left all the distractions behind.
By the time the sun reaches its peak, I’ve already renegotiated a couple of deals with suppliers, let go of two more employees and pondered about a brand new seating structure. Letting go of employees is always tough, but I console them by promising to rehire them as soon as things get better.
Mom’s been very confident since I moved back home.
“I know you'll come through. I'm proud of you, baby,” she said, though I’m not too sure about it all. This is just a start. There’s a whole lot still to be done.
