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There was that damn word again: sacrifice.
"That's exactly what you said to her, wasn't it? That she would have to sacrifice for the one she loves."
Bo decided to lean fully into this. "Well, yeah. It's true, and God bless her, she took one for the team. Listen, I know it couldn’t have been easy. Young love always feels like it's going to last forever. But one little fight like you just had, or one bad day with Haley, could have upended your whole career. That's my job as an agent—to make those tough choices, especially when I have young recruits who don’t have the life experience to make the right decision. I have to do it for them. It's not something Ienjoy, son, it's just what needs to be done. You can't fault me for that. Look at everything you've achieved."
"I can and I will. What the hell is wrong with you?" I hollered, the rage bubbling up and pouring over now. I feared I wouldn't be able to control myself. "It's one thing to help someone with their career. But I never asked you to interfere with my love life. And not that it matters now, but Haley and I would've been just fine. She is the only reason I did as well as I did. She was my biggest cheerleader. Knowing she was out there, watching and supporting me, was the best I ever played. And even if I didn’t, who cares? What does it matter? I got hit wrong one time and I'm out for life—with no Haley."
Bo was gesturing wildly, trying to hold on to one solid thread of his plan. "But you're not out for life, Cooper. That's why I came all the way out here. Listen, I know you won’t be out there playing on the field anymore, and I hate that for you. If I could go back and undo that day you got hit, you have to know I would. But this deal as a commentator is the closest you're going to get to that field—and it’s good money. Your face will be back out there. They will remember Cooper Barclay in all of his glory. You won’t get that hiding on the island playing in the water all day."
I sucked in a deep breath through my nose and let it out through my mouth, trying to settle my anger. "I don’t know how to get this through your thick skull. I love her more than anything—more than football, more than my name in lights, more than the money. And you took that away. You willfully pushed her away from me, and I have been in agony ever since. More agony than my fucked up knee or a career that ended too early. So whatever you think you did for me, this tough choice you had to make on my behalf, it's all bullshit, Bo, like this conversation, and like you coming down here. You're fired."
Bo's eyes flashed. "Now you listen to me, Cooper. You fire me, and this deal goes away."
"I couldn't care less about your stupid fucking deal. Get the hell out of my house, and Lord help you if I ever see you again."
Bo stood, smoothing his shaking hands over his shirt. "I know you're upset," he said, gathering up his bag. "I'm going to give you some time to cool off and then we can talk this out. We've been a team for far too long for it to end this way."
"I never want to see you again," I told him as he stood by the door.
Bo shook his head and then stormed out. It wasn't until then that I noticed how dark the sky had gotten. The screen door slammed shut with extra force from the wind and as I looked through the window, I saw litter and debris flying through the air as neighbors frantically nailed pieces of plywood over their windows for protection. "Shit... Haley," I said, rushing out the door.
We'd weathered a few severe storms when we were kids, and had to help our parents get through, but I suspect it has been a long time since Haley had to deal with the wrath of Hanalei weather when it misbehaved.
I rushed over to her house, pounding on her door. "Haley! Haley, are you in there?" I called. I kept pounding with no answer and for once she'd locked the damn door.
"Shit," I cursed, punching the door.
"Cooper?" the neighbor from across the street called.
"Hey Mr. Landry, I'm just looking for Haley. I want to make sure she's all right through this," I called out.
"Oh, I saw her walking towards the Square about twenty minutes ago," he called back.
"Really? Thanks, Mr. Landry."
Why the hell was she walking to town when the sky looked like this? The wind was picking up speed by the second, and at any minute, the sky would open up and pour down on us.
As soon as I thought it, the first fat drops of rain began falling down. I barely had time to take a breath before those few drops turned into sheets of rain. Neighbors were hurrying inside their houses and some were still frantically trying to get boards up over the windows while I was headed in the opposite direction. I grabbed my poncho and started running in the rain towards the square. I had to find Haley and make sure she was safe.
I had to find her and explain everything—tell her I now understand the sacrifice she made, and that it never had to be. If it wasn't for Bo, she never would have left, and we would've been married by now with a house full of children. She never would have met Marcus, and I would've been the one to help her grieve her parents' deaths.
One selfish act by Bo has irrevocably changed two lives, but now that the truth was out, I was going to fix it. But first, I needed to find Haley and make sure she was safe.
Haley
Iwould see to my parent's house as soon as I could, but my primary concern was the community center. I knew Cooper could storm proof his house, and I'm sure he was prepared. As worried as I was about him, I wasn't ready to face him yet.
So I concentrated all of my focus on the community center.
The place was rickety and falling apart. Now that I was teaching there several times a week, I was intimately familiar with its shortcomings and how one powerful gust of wind could be the end of the place. I'd spent some time exploring the property and knew there were storm supplies stored behind the center. There were plywood boards on the ready in case a storm hit, as they often did in Hanalei. I also knew where to find a hammer and nails.
I told myself I would rush over there, quickly board up the windows and then hustle back to my house to work on boarding up the windows there before hunkering down.
It had been a long time since I'd had to shelter in place for a storm, but it was coming back to me. The wind was whipping, but it felt like I had enough time to get to the community center and back home in time.
But when I was halfway to the square, the winds shifted and were so strong, I could practically lean into it. The sky went from dark to an eerie shade of light green and I knew I might have miscalculated, but it was too late to go back.
I tucked my chin to my chest, put my hands over my head to shield the rain, and ran as fast as I could to the community center.
