Hey all! I am sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted. Things came up, and it's been a mess for me. This chapter isn't my favorite, but I do enjoy a few parts within it. This chapter does see a small 2 year time jump.
Enjoy!
"I don't see why I can't play," a 12-year-old Will sighed. "Mom said it was fine. What's the problem?" He asked his father.
"When did you talk to your mom about this?" Wade asked, stopping what he was doing at the stove. Zoe hadn't mentioned anything to him about their son wanting to play any sport. It'll be a topic of discussion they'd need to talk about, not just for Will but when it comes to Aurora as well.
"After school, I stopped by the practice and asked her, before I came home," Will shrugged. "And she told me that she was okay with it, as long as you were, she signed the slip and everything," he told his dad, placing the permission slip on the kitchen island.
"I think this is something that I need to talk to your mom about," Wade told his son.
"Can you at least tell me why you said no when I asked?" Will questioned his dad.
Will didn't get it. Half the guys in his class play football, the others playing a different sport. All his friends are joining football, he doesn't see the big deal. And he asked his mom thinking that she would be the harder one to convince to let him play. Instead, when he asked, she agreed, she didn't ask him questions, told him that he could as long as his dad said yes. Will thought for sure that it would be an easy yes from his dad, guess he was wrong with what parent would say no.
"Because as much as I want to say yes and let you play, it's hard to do that," Wade slowly started to explain with a sigh. "There's no certainty that you won't get hurt with each snap of the ball. I played when I was your age," Wade told him.
"Then why can't I?" Will hollered. "Why can you play, but I can't?" He asked.
"Because I broke 3 ribs in one game. That was the worst pain I have ever been in, and I don't wish that upon you, Will," he told his son.
"Shouldn't I get to choose that?" He asked his dad, taking a calming breath.
"Yes, you should," Wade sighed. "And I am not outright saying no, just that I need to think about it and have a chat with your mom," he informed his son.
Wade wants his son to play sports. To find something to be passionate about. He knows it's his fears of what happened to him during the last game he ever played of high school football taking hold of him. He couldn't help but feel like that. He doesn't want his son to ever feel the pain of breaking any bones.
Will nodded, heading upstairs to get started on his homework. There wasn't much else he could say to convince his dad to let him play. Sure, it sucked that his dad got hurt, but that shouldn't stop him from trying out for Bluebell's football team. At this point his only hope would be his mom.
"I think he should play, Wade," sighed Zoe, swirling the white liquid around in her glass. Words didn't need to be said when she came home from work. One shared look with her husband told her everything she needed to know. Will had asked Wade instead of waiting until later in the night when they could sit as a family and talk it out. That's what she wanted to do.
"I want him to play too," Wade sighed, leaning back in the chair he sat in outside. Will and Aurora are supposed to be in their rooms sleeping at the late hour, but the lights that shine through the windows while they sit outside, told another story.
"Then why tell him no?" Zoe asked, frowning. She didn't get it. Why tell Will no and admit a few hours later that you want him to play. Zoe couldn't follow what her husband was thinking.
"Because I couldn't help but think back to when I played and got injured, that's not what I want for my son, and accidents happen on the field no matter the rules for safety," he sighed. That she could understand, she doesn't want to see her son hurt either.
"As much as I want to protect him from everything," she said, gesturing around herself. "We can't. It's not fair to Will. He's growing up, and he's going to get hurt, there's no way around that. We can't think of the things to go wrong, we need to focus on what can and will go right," she shared.
"I know," Wade sighed, picking his beer glass up to take a drink. "I don't want to hold him back, and I want him to succeed in a sport if that's what he wants. He asked, and before I knew what I was saying it was out there," he sighed. "I won't let my fear hold him back." He had a few hours to think about it and he did realize that he was quick in giving his son an answer. Rules and protocols have changed since he last played football as a kid.
"It's normal to have these thoughts and fears," Zoe said, placing her glass down, pushing herself up off her chair, to sit in her husband's lap, wrapping an arm around his neck. "It's our job to keep them safe and healthy, but we can't hold them back, not from something like this."
"I know, and I will be at every game being the first to cheer him on," he smiled, pulling her closer. "But every hit is where I will worry the most," he sighed. He's already signed the paper giving him consent to play.
"I know," she shared, running her fingers through his slowly graying hair.
They sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence as they listened to the world around them. A few crickets and frogs could be heard over the soft rustling of the leaves with a soft gust of wind that blew.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Aurora asked, pushing her brother's ajar door open, to see him sitting on his bed.
"The same could be said about you," Will retorted, looking at his sister.
"You know Mom, will talk some sense into him," Aurora said, instead of focusing on if they should be in bed or not. She knows that her brother is freaking out over if their dad will change his mind on letting him play football.
"Will she?" He asked his sister. "It can easily go the other way," he sighed, voicing his thoughts. He's been thinking about it and well there's a good chance that his dad can convince his mom on the reasons why he shouldn't be playing football.
"It can go that way," Aurora nodded, Will sent her a glare, she raised her hands moving into her brother's room to sit on the bed. "But I haven't seen Mom let Dad talk her into doing anything she doesn't want to do. Mom stands her ground, and she knows how much you want this. Right?" She asked, trying to comfort her brother.
"I told her," Will shared, nodding. He really wants to play football. Not just because his friends are joining the team.
He's seen and heard the way his Uncle Lavon talks about his career. With so much passion. He really wants to find something he is as passionate about. His mom talks about knowing she wanted to be a doctor since she was 9-years-old. His dad was a bit more tricky when he talked about what he wanted to be. At first, he wanted to be a rockstar and maybe if his dad stuck to it, he could have been a rockstar, but after that his passion changed into wanting to own a bar. Will's not sure where that came from though. He doesn't want to be a doctor like his mom, and she's okay with that, he doesn't want to own the Jammer after his dad retires and yeah he's okay with that as well. And he can't sing or play the guitar to save his life so being a rockstar is out of the question. He doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up and sure that's okay because he's only 12, but he wants to have something in his life that he's passionate about.
"Then believe that everything will work out," she told her brother, walking from his room. She can't make him or force him to see that everything would work out.
He sighed. It wasn't his intention to make his sister mad at him. He can't help but think that he won't be able to find his passion in life. And that kind of scares him.
"Hey," Wade said, softly knocking on his son's door. Will jumped slightly not expecting his dad to be standing there. "The slip is signed and on the kitchen counter, so don't forget to grab it before you leave for school," he told his son.
"I can play?" He asked, surprised.
"Don't sound so surprised," Wade chuckled. "It was going to happen no matter what," he informed his oldest. "I just needed a moment to clear my head. I can't hold you back from this," he shrugged.
"Thanks Dad," he smiled, jumping from his bed to give his dad a hug.
Wade hugged him back, pressing a kiss to his son's head. "You're welcome, buddy," he whispered. "Bed," he told Will, letting him go.
"Night dad," Will said, climbing under his covers. "I love you."
"I love you," Wade shared, flipping the light switch off. "Goodnight," he said, pulling his son's door closed.
