Page 99 of Fumble Into the End Zone
“What happened between you two?” she asked.
I calmed my racing heart to gain control of my emotions. “I came home from school, and she was gone. She fucking left me and built a new family. And now she is talking about not giving up. You gave up already,” I yelled with aggression.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Mia said as she cradled her hands over my beard and tugged my face toward her.
Tears erupted from my body, and I gasped hard for air. I wanted to push my emotions back, but I couldn’t. They were flowing. Mia pulled me into a hug as I released my heartbreak on her shoulder.
“She threw me away,” I managed to announce as I choked up on my tears.
“I got you, Marcus. Remember, I told you I take care of you,” she said.
Chapter 14
Trust your Teammates
Marcus
Three weeks later
I sat in Dr. Choice’s office, nervous but determined. With Mia’s surprise engagement coming up, I needed to cross this hurdle. The Armadillos were still undefeated, although the Philly game pushed us as a team. Bryce and I put together a pair of touchdowns to seal the game. With teams now understanding Vick was an option with Keyshawn in the backfield, teams respected us as a unit.
“Mr. Allen, Dr. Choice will now see you,” Carla, his receptionist, said.
I stood from the waiting room sofa and followed her into the office. Dr. Choice’s office wasn’t what I expected. I eyed the purple couch and teal armchairs before we shook hands. His salt and pepper, low-cut fade matched his tapered beard and with the glasses he appeared to be legit.
“Mr. Allen, my name is Dr. David Choice. Please have a seat wherever you’re comfortable,” he said.
I wasn’t left with much of an alternative outside of the purple couch. He sat behind his desk and flipped open a tablet.
“Tell me, Mr. Allen, what brings you into my office?” he asked.
I scanned the room again and reminded myself of the goal: get Mia to marry me.
“My woman said I needed to see you as a condition of her saying yes to my proposal. I don’t anticipate us seeing each other after today,” I said. “No disrespect,” I followed.
Dr. Choice grinned before he jolted down a sentence. “None taken. We have an hour. Let’s make the best of it. Did she say what we would need to discuss, or do we have free range?”
“She said I needed to attend one meeting. But she was confident in your ability to get me to keep seeing you. No stipulations on the conversation,” I said.
As he jotted down more notes, I noticed three awards sitting on the shelf behind him. One was as recent as last year.
“Do you have anything in particular to discuss? Was there an event leading her to suggest you come to see me?” he asked.
I danced a few of our conversations through my head and nothing in particular stood out from when she introduced the idea. However, I was sure Mia wanted me to dissect the circumstances around my mother.
“When she suggested it, no, but later we touched on a sensitive subject,” I said.
“Tell me, what’s your greatest accomplishment?” Dr. Choice asked.
“Raising my daughter as a single father, taking care of my grandparents, and getting drafted,” I quoted with pride.
“You have quite a bite of a resume for taking care of others. Tell me more about your family,” he said and marked a few things on his tablet.
“Harley is seven and my grandmother is seventy-nine and feisty. Without them, I wouldn’t be sitting here. Prior to them, my life headed down a path of death.”
“Tell me about it. Twenty-five years sober. After I held my first son in my hands, I made a commitment to stop drinking,” Dr. Choice said, and my eyes widened.
From his clean-cut appearance and awards, I assumed he didn’t have any issues.
