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“I agree.”
“But you don’t think you could have both? I mean, most football players do have significant others.”
“Most players aren’t me.” I shrug.
“Don’t move.” She’s quick to correct me. “So then what? You’re just never going to settle down, get married, start a family?”
“Maybe one day, when my football days are coming to an end and it’s time for a new chapter.”
“You’re that dedicated to the game?” She looks up at me.
“You should understand that kind of dedication. Do you not feel the same way about your design career?”
“How do you know I want to be a designer?”
“Because I pay attention.”
She shifts almost uncomfortably like it’s physically painful to be seen.
“Are you not doing the exact same thing? Putting everything you have into what you want.”
“Yeah,” she admits softly.
“So you should actually understand me better than most. You may believe that we’re polar opposites, Rory, and maybe we are in the way we conduct ourselves, but the truth is, we’re more alike than you’ve yet to allow yourself to admit. We both work hard. We sink everything we are into our passion. There isn’t anything we wouldn’t do, nothing we wouldn’t sacrifice to reach our goals. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong.” She allows herself to admit.
“Then my answer should make perfect sense to you. It’s not that I don’t want a family, to fall in love and one day have children, it’s that I don’t want those thingsright now. Some may say that the two things are not mutually exclusive, but I disagree. I learned a long time ago that if you want something badly enough, you have to be willing to give up just about everything else.”
“Did your father play football?” She makes a sharp turn.
“He did. He played collegiately and would have most certainly gone pro...” I don’t finish the thought.
“You said your mom and dad married right after they found out she was pregnant with you. Was that while they were in college?”
She’s more perceptive than I originally gave her credit for.
“It was.”
“So what happened? He gave up playing in the NFL to be there for you and your mom?” She hits the nail right on the head. And while yes, I’m sure this information can be found if you search for it, something tells me this is something she’s piecing together as she goes.
“He did.”
“And now you’re afraid the same will happen to you?”
“I am,” I answer honestly. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my dad. He was willing to put me and my mom above everything. And in doing so, he made me who I am today. He trained me. He coached me. And he’s stood by me every single step of the way. I’ll be lucky to be even half the man he is one day.”
“But that doesn’t mean you want the life he chose.” She finishes the thought for me.
“Exactly. Now you’re starting to get it.”
“Maybe.” She chews on the inside of her cheek as her hand moves across the page.
“So, no devil horns are going to sprout up in this one?” I grin.
“We’ll see.” She smiles to herself but doesn’t look up at me again.
I let her finish her work in silence, completely taken by the sight of her as she loses herself in her work. I was convinced after that first day I sat for her class that I could watch her work for hours and not get bored for a single second.
