“Then you understand why he’ll need you more than ever. Having something you love as much as he loves this stupid game and having it ripped away would be hard on anyone. Stay by him and help him figure out who he is without it.”
“I’ll try, Dad. But that’s as much his decision as it is mine. Did he tell you about what the team offered him?” The thought of him going away again had kept me up last night. I wasn’t sure how I would handle it again.
“No, he didn’t say.”
“Oh! Yeah, because I think he found out after we left you yesterday. They want him on the pitching staff as an assistant pitching coach.” I tried to make it sound like I was excited for him.
“Really? Jax is one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen. He’d make a mighty fine coach if that’s what he wanted to do. Shame we can’t… Nah! That’s a wish that would be stupid to make.” Dad laughed.
“Old man, are you starting to crack up?” I laughed.
“Son, I’ve been cracked for a long time. A damn long time. But as for the long-distance thing – I never really thought that mattered. But let me ask you this. Does teaching here at Hardin mean so much to you that you couldn’t leave it behind? If Jax is in LA, and he wants you to be with him. What’s holding you back?”
The question slammed into me with the force of a tractor-trailer.
Nothing.
There was no reason why I couldn’t pack up and go with him if that’s what he wanted. Why had I been making this so complicated? Of course, he hadn’t really asked me to go with him, either. But if I told him I would… I knew what his answer would be – I felt it in my heart.
Only one more period, and I would get to see Jax again. I had things I needed to say to him. If he wanted me, I would follow him wherever he led. The most important thing was the two of us being together once again.
This time I would be sure to make the right choice, for both of us!
15
JAX
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? That’s almost a warning shot being fired right into my chest.” I was pissed off. “Dan? I…”
“I know, kiddo. I tried to talk them out of it, to give you more time, but they want a face-to-face with you.”
“And they want it now?” I whined. This was fucking insane.
He sighed heavily. “It’s the owner. Coach Howard was on your side, by the way. But Franklin wants to have this settled and done with ASAP, and if he has scheduled the meeting and demanded your presence, you know that means cameras and statements directly after you come to an agreement.”
“He does love his cameras.”
“Yeah… He doesn’t want to lose you, Jax. He said you’re the face of the franchise, and until they have someone else step up and start playing like you did, he wants you to stay the public face. You bring in money, and I think the time is right for you to negotiate. His face got so red that I thought it might explode during our meeting. If you say yes, I think you can give him a number that will make it worth your while if you know what I mean.”
“But I’m in Kentucky, Dan.” I paced, knowing that if I had been called by the almighty lord of baseball, I couldn’t say no. If I did… Well, no one got a second chance. I’d be dropped and not paid.
“A private jet is landing in Paducah in two hours, kiddo. Franklin didn’t want there to be any holdups, so he sent his personal plane. That should tell you how much he wants to keep you on the team, Jax. I know it’s not pitching, but this can be the start of a new career for you.”
“I can’t just leave, Dan. I made commitments.” I mumbled. I knew it didn’t matter. I had to go.
“Kid, you have to get on that plane. You’re still under contract, and as they say, it’s his candy shop. If you’re not there – you lose all power, and he could say you were in breach. I know it sucks, but the best thing for you to do is to get your ass on that plane. It’s your future, kiddo. Don’t throw it away.”
“I promised to be here for Coach Criss’s retirement celebration. I’m giving him his… If I’m not there, it will… I really want to be here for him. It really can’t wait a couple days?” I was begging now. I hated being put in this position. I either hurt myself or those I cared about.
“You need to be here for you. Look, I was going to wait to tell you after you arrived, but I had to let all of your endorsements know that the terms of your contract had changed since you won’t be playing anymore. They’re waiting to find out what happens for now, but it doesn’t look good. The bottom line is – if you’re not playing, your contracts won’t be extended.”
“Fuck. I know I said that I hated it, anyway, but I was hoping that money would keep coming in for a little bit. I knew they’d drop me eventually.” My shoulders slumped. If Iost the endorsements, I needed to figure something out fast. I was flush – but I wanted more of a nest egg if I was truly leaving baseball. Was that what I was doing, or was I going to take the scraps they offered?
“Yeah, but… If you let them know that you weren’t disappearing, Jax. If they knew that you had irons in the fire over at CBS or Bravo…”
“No reality show for me, Dan. I’m sorry, but it looks like this is really the end.”
“It is if you don’t get your ass on that plane. You have a little over an hour, Jax. Grab what you need and get there now. Do you really want to leave your future in the hands of a bunch of money guys who only care about what it is you do for them?”
