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Taking the field, I looked around at the stands. The place was jammed packed. I knew where Quin’s seats were but there was no way to see them from here. Past the row closest to the field, the stadium became a blur of cheering, colorful dots. Usually, that was how I preferred it. Today, there was one person I wished I could pick out.
Was Quin here or not? Whatever the case, I was going to play like I was only playing for him. I wanted him to be proud of me. I wanted him to think that I was worthy of someone as great as him.
Our offensive team took the field to start the game. As quarterback, I surveyed the defensive line looking for all of the weaknesses Coach had been training us to spot. I didn’t see anything until my tight end shifted indicating that he thought he could make a hole for our running back.
We had run this play in dozens of games. The other team knew that. That meant that the opposition would be looking to adjust to it as soon as we committed to the play. So, if I called the play and waited for the defense to commit…
“Orange, 52, summer, hike,” I said telling my guys my plan.
As expected, our tight end opened a hole in their defensive line. As soon as he did, our running back charged from behind me looking for a hand-off. Wrapping his arms around nothing, he charged the line causing the defense to collapse on his position. The right safety moved into place to stop our running back if he got through. And the man who was defending our wide receiver favored his right to back up the charging safety.
That was when our wide receiver broke loose and sprinted down the field. This was it. He was open. I just had to stay on my feet long enough for him to reach the ten-yard line.
The grunts of 300-pound men echoed in my ears. They were coming. My heart pounded.
‘Stay calm. Wait for it,’ I told myself.
When our guys couldn’t hold back their line any longer, their linebacker cut through like a bullet through metal. He was going to get me. I had to throw. Whipping my arm back, I let go. The second the ball left my fingertips, a freight train hit me leaving me on the ground for dead.
Lying there, I heard the collective awe of the crowd. They were watching something. It was my pass. I had gotten it off in time. It was spiraling forty yards through the air. It took a while to get there. When it did, the screams of the crowd were deafening.
“Touch down!” The announcer yelled.
20,000 people shot to their feet. Celebration. Agony. The rush of it all was amazing. Dan ran over to me and helped me up.
“Fuck yeah!” He yelled slapping me on my back.
Jogging off the field watching everyone go wild, there was only one person who I hoped had seen it. I looked toward his section again. There were too many people and it was too far away. I didn’t see him. It broke my heart to think he might not have been there.
I played like a man on fire for the rest of the first half. I had never thrown a more perfect game in my life. I had my offensive line to thank for it, of course. And, it didn’t matter how well I threw if my receivers didn’t catch it. But, there was one name the crowd chatted as we jogged off the field for halftime, mine.
Hurrying back to the locker, the only thing I cared about was checking my messages. I would have given anything to see Quin’s name pop up. Ripping my glove off to unlock the phone, I tossed it aside and illuminated the screen.
There were two messages from him. One said, ‘Got the tickets. Heading up now!’ And the other one said, ‘WOW!!!!’ That was it and it was enough.
I was so happy I felt drunk. He had seen me do what I did best. I couldn’t feel better if I tried.
I entered the field for the second half beside myself. I felt like I was glowing. I felt intoxicated. It was a good thing we started the second half playing defense. It gave me a few extra minutes to pull myself together.
As much as I tried to focus, I couldn’t help but search the crowd for him. He was out there somewhere. I could now feel his gaze on me. I wanted to show off for him. So with my helmet in hand headed back onto the field, I called a series of plays that would guarantee we would win the game.
It started with a few passes that got us closer to the end zone. I just needed to be within thirty yards. That was it.
When my final pass got us there, I gathered the guys into a huddle and called the big one. They looked at me questioningly but I was their quarterback. They listened.
In the line, I called for the hike. With the ball in hand, I pulled back my arm ready to launch it. After a continuous parade of passes, the defensive line stepped back. That’s when I lowered the ball tucking it under my arm and charged.
Caught by surprise, the other team was late to react. It opened a gap down the sideline. Ahead of me, I could see the end zone. I wanted this touchdown. I wanted Quin to see me do this.
Rifling towards me was the free safety. He was going to get to me before I got to the goal. I had two options. I could run out of bounds, or I could risk my life and charge through.
I wanted this. I wanted it bad. Picking up speed I made my decision. Nothing was going to stop me.
An arm’s length away, the safety lunged. That was when I leaped into the air. I was going to jump over him. I had seen it in movies and the most spectacular games. I could do it.
Leaving the ground, I watched as the safety cut under me. I wasn’t high enough. I would have to step on him to clear him. But when my foot reached down for his body, I felt his hand.
It was hard to tell what happened after that. What I know is that I heard a crack. It was as my body hit the ground.
