Disclaimer: I don't own anything here (except for Al and TJ) and am just doing this for fun and to pass the long months until Season 4.
On the drive over to the garage, TJ kept his face pressed against the window and said nothing. Tim glanced over at him a couple of times, but figured it was better to leave the kid alone. In fact, he thought that for now, he preferred the silence. Tim wanted to talk to Al about everything first.
Tim parked the truck on the street outside the garage and got out, holding his door open so that TJ wouldn't have to open his own door and step out on the street. The boy slid across the seat and jumped down to the sidewalk in one fluid motion. As they walked toward the garage, Tim felt little fingers wrap around his index finger. He looked down and TJ looked up at him through his bangs, a half-smile edging onto his face.
Tim pulled open the door and walked into the garage, his eyes scanning the open space for Al. He saw D'Andre working on a compact Toyota on the lift. Lauren peeked around the open hood of a Ford near the desk. Tim waved to her and kept walking, spotting Al's feet sticking out from underneath a pickup truck on the other side of the room.
Relieved that Jake was nowhere in sight, because he felt that one Mr. Mom crack out of the kid just might send him over the edge, Tim took TJ back to the break room and got him a juice. Then he took the boy into Billy's office and settled him into one of the chairs. Billy's desk was organized perfectly, papers in the correct basket and pens in a coffee mug. Tim found a car magazine on the top of a filing cabinet and handed it to TJ, telling him he'd be back soon and not to leave the room.
Lauren or D'Andre must have told Al that he was here, because Tim practically ran her over in the hallway. Her forehead was wrinkled in confusion and he could read concern in her eyes. He took her hand and dragged her out the back door.
It was chilly outside, but he wanted to make sure they weren't overheard. He took off his jacket and held it out so Al could slip into it. She tried to wave him off, but he shook the jacket like a matador and gave her a pointed look. She sighed and turned around, slipping her arms into the sleeves as he gently settled the jacket on her shoulders, then pulled her tight against him.
"I'm not complaining about seeing you or anything, but what's going on?" she asked. Tim sighed and reluctantly let her go, then walked over and sat in one of the lawn chairs, motioning for Al to sit down next to him.
"TJ kind of got in trouble at school," said Tim. He quickly summarized the events of the afternoon and then told her the drawing was in his jacket pocket.
She pulled out the paper, unfolded it and then looked up at Tim, who looked helpless and miserable.
"I'm sorry, Timmy, I should have said something to you yesterday but we were both asleep on our feet by the time we got everyone settled in bed."
"What are you apologizing for?" asked Tim.
"When I put him to bed last night, he told me he wanted to fire Billy. We talked about it and he does know that firing someone has nothing to do with actual fire. It's just, he's a very visual kid and this is how he processes things."
Tim nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't say it that good, but I thought the teacher kind of over-reacted. It just feels sometimes like they treat him different, like they expect the worst from him."
Al reached out and took his hand. "I know, but you stood up for him and that counts for something."
Tim shrugged. "What do we do now? I don't want him to think he's in trouble for the picture, but I don't want him to think he can just have a meltdown and lash out without any consequences."
"Then that's what we'll tell him. No cartoons tomorrow morning – he has to come in here with me and work on inventory."
"Ouch. Isn't that kinda harsh?" asked Tim.
"No. It won't be that long or horrible and it'll give him a little adult time, a chance to talk if he wants to, plus a bit of responsibility and accomplishment. It'll be good for him," said Al, sounding more convinced about the idea the longer she talked about it.
Tim nodded and stood up. "When are you doing this? I didn't even know you had inventory to do."
"Timmy, this place is a shambles. Seriously. And the oil change place – did Billy supervise them at all?"
He hung his head and avoided her eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I thought I was on top of things enough but I guess I wasn't."
"It's not your fault, Timmy. I will need you to watch the kids tomorrow morning. I'm thinking from eight until eleven. Then, tomorrow afternoon, you're playing golf with Eric."
"I'm doing what?" asked Tim.
"Golf, with Eric. Tami said he hated his temporary golfing buddy and I suggested that if I was back at work, it was time for you to get back to golf."
Tim smiled. He'd missed golf, but he never would have said anything to Al. She had needed his help too much.
Al stood up and held out a hand to Tim. "C'mon. Let's go talk to him before we forget what we're going to say."
"How can you forget what you don't really know in the first place?" he asked with a smile as her pulled her in for a hug.
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Tim managed to get to the golf course ten minutes early, but Coach Taylor was already there, standing next to his car, enjoying the unusually warm and sunny day. Tim got out of the truck, reached back and grabbed his bag of clubs out of the truck bed. He walked over to Coach, who held out his hand and gave Tim a firm shake and a wide smile.
"Boy am I glad to see you," said Coach. "When Tami told me you were ready to play again, I thought all my birthdays and Christmases had come at once."
Tim grinned and looked down as they made their way toward the clubhouse. "I'm sure you didn't miss me that much – your temporary partner musta been a nightmare."
"You don't know the half of it, son."
"Anybody I know?"
"Yeah, you know him – that Lance kid. Played on the special teams, used to date Tyra."
"Landry?"
"Yeah, Lance, just what I said," grinned Coach. "Damn, does that kid ever shut up?"
"No, sir, I don't think so. I thought he was living in Austin."
"He was. Moved to Midland last November, I guess it was. Got some fancy engineering job there or something. I never really understood what it was he did."
Tim wondered why he was just finding out now that Landry was living in Midland. He'd thought they were friends, regardless of whether or not Landry and Tyra were together, but maybe he had been wrong. Tim followed Coach Taylor into the office and hung back while he got them checked in. Then they headed out to the course and were able to start right away.
Tim was stiff and out of practice, so he kept quiet and focused on all the little mechanics that went into trying to make a halfway decent shot. Coach Taylor was equally quiet, probably enjoying the peace after a couple of months of golfing with Landry. Their comfortable silence stretched to the fifth hole, where Tim awkwardly sliced a ball into the water.
"Sorry, Coach. I'm a little rusty," said Tim with an apologetic shrug.
"What are you apologizing for? You're giving me a fightin' chance here." Coach Taylor set his ball on the tee and then sent it soaring in a beautiful arc that deposited it on the middle of the green.
"Nice," said Tim appreciatively.
Coach grinned. "Go ahead and take your shot over."
"For real? Are you sure?" asked Tim, unaccustomed to such leniency in the rules.
"Go on now, while I'm still feeling generous."
Tim took another shot, which he at least managed to keep out of the water. Even so, he reckoned he'd lose this hole by at least three strokes. Pathetic, really, he thought to himself with a small shake of his head.
"So, uh, how's your new job going?" asked Coach as they walked over toward the green.
"Good. It's interesting. Every day's different, that's for sure."
"I tell you what, I really envy you," said Coach, leaning on his club as Tim got ready to take a swing.
"Envy me?" Tim shook his head and laughed
"Yes, I envy you. Fixing cars, coaching football, being a lawyer, or a doctor or an Indian chief, all of that is always going to be there. Those are just jobs. Watching your kids grow up, that's a one-time thing." Coach stood in front of his ball, eyed the distance to the hole and selected his favorite putter. He sent a nice curving shot right into the hole.
Tim ran a hand through his hair. "So you don't think it's...you know...weird or strange or whatever that I'm the one at home and Al's the one at work?"
"As long as y'all are happy, what's it matter?"
Tim and Coach lapsed back into silence. Around the fourteenth hole, Coach's jaw twitched and he looked like he was chewing on something. Eventually, he asked the question Tim had been dreading. "So, you hear anything from Billy?"
Tim shook his head and looked down.
"How are the kids doing with it?"
"You know....Cody's too young, Jack's pretty much too young. Amber seems fine, she was upset, but she talks to us about it and she calls Tyra like every day, so I know how she's doing. TJ though....I worry about him. He's just so damn angry."
Coach nodded, but said nothing, which Tim took as sign that he should keep talking.
"I don't know how Billy did it. He was way younger than I am now when he had to step up and take care of me. And, well....I wasn't the easiest kid to deal with."
Tim looked down, hair falling into his face as he twisted his golf club around in his hands. He felt Coach put a hand on his shoulder, so he looked up and met his intense gaze.
"Look, you're giving these kids a solid home life and I can see what they mean to you. Have a little faith here that somehow, it's all going to work out, no matter what else happens."
Tim nodded a few times and then looked away quickly.
They finished up the last few holes with a bit of trash talk and small talk. Tim enjoyed hearing about Gracie's school play and he even pulled out his phone to show Coach a few pictures of Nicky. After they were done playing, Coach asked him if he wanted to go for a drink but Tim shook his head. He and Al had plans to take the kids out to the park, so he really had to get home soon.
Tim tossed his golf bag into the back of his truck and turned to say good-bye to Coach Taylor.
"Hey, those babies of yours, they all take afternoon naps?"
Tim nodded. "Yeah. Two hours at least, sometimes longer if I'm lucky."
"You think you'd be able to watch game film for me and fill out tendency charts and some short scouting reports? I got a massive backlog and a lot of work to get ready to do next year's offense. Jason can show you what to do."
Tim blinked, surprised by the request. "Yeah, sure."
"I'll pay you per game, of course," said Coach as he opened the trunk of his car and took out a large box of DVDs.
"That's okay, Coach. I'm happy to help."
"Well, son, I'm sure you are, but I've got all this budget and if I don't spend it, then well, next year those little bean counters and penny pinchers will cut my budget, so I will pay you."
"Great....uh, thanks," said Tim as he opened his truck door, took the box from Coach and placed it gently on the floor.
"One more thing," said Coach, pulling a tackling dummy and some shields from the trunk. "I got to buy new equipment, so I have to retire the old stuff and I was thinking maybe you had a future Dillon Panther running around who might get some use out of it."
Tim grinned and thanked Coach, thinking that if there was ever a kid who needed to get out some aggression, it was TJ.