Junior Year Box Set

Frank handed me another sheet of paper. These were my talking points in case that was brought up. I passed it to Jeff, who read it and started to laugh.

“Do you have any other sheets of paper?” Jeff teased Frank.

“I might,” was his cryptic answer.

“Can I attribute to David everything in the notes you gave me?” Jeff asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Just tell me this: did you do anything that’ll come back and bite you in the butt as far as Pam is concerned?”

“I wish I knew, but those notes have everything I can say right now. My goal is not to trash Pam, as she’ll be the mother of our child, if what her dad told my mom is true. Frankly, if Pam says it’s mine, I believe her.”

“Don’t you want a DNA test to confirm you’re the father?” Jeff asked.

“Did you need one for your children?” I asked.

“No, but what does that have to do with … Oh.”

“If I had to ask, it would tell Pam that I didn’t trust her. Even if it were someone else’s baby, I’d treat it like my own because Pam told me it’s mine. If she had any doubt, she would’ve told me. I’d hope Pam understands I would do what’s needed to support her and our child,” I said.

At first, Frank had been against what I said about not having to prove paternity, but he soon saw the light. I was amazed at how he could spin-doctor anything into a positive. He reasoned it showed I really cared. I just shook my head in disbelief that I might feel any other way. Frank told me I was actually in the minority on that point of view, as far as young men were concerned. When I thought about it, he was right. Mitch had run off to Arizona State as soon as he found out Peggy was pregnant.

Jeff then wanted to talk about football. We were to play St. Joe on Friday. It would be senior night, so I told him about Jim. We had already wrapped up the conference championship. The only way the game might help us would be in how we’d be seeded in the state playoffs. It was also Halloween, and Brook Davis was my date. I was pretty proud of myself for both asking someone and having a costume to wear. Frankly, I didn’t trust Tracy to figure out one for me. I still shuddered at the Superman costume she’d talked me into wearing.

Both Frank and I were impressed when we were done in less than twenty minutes.

◊◊◊

When I finally made it home, I’d just sat down to eat dinner when my dad jumped out of his seat and turned up the TV. My picture was on the screen. Dad usually would have it turned on so he could see the weather report. I think he just liked the weather girl.

“… Dawson, the starting quarterback for Lincoln High and currently rated the number 1 football recruit in the junior class, has gotten himself into some trouble. It seems he has been accused of getting a fellow classmate pregnant, and there are rumors that he may have raped her.”

The scene changed, and Detective Kitchens was caught as he walked from the station. He held up his hand.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.”

Then the picture switched, and we were all shocked to see Angie.

“Family spokesperson Angie Dawson had this to say.”

“Ms. Dawson, were you aware that your brother-in-law has gotten one of the cheerleaders at Lincoln High pregnant?” she was asked.

Angie scoffed.

“That wouldn’t surprise me. I think all the Dawson men can now claim at least one child out of wedlock.”

Mom and I looked at Dad, and he didn’t look good. They showed a reaction shot from the reporter and she was stunned.

“What about the allegation that David raped the girl?”

“That’s just silly. David would never resort to force. He’s one of the sweetest guys I know. I would also bet he’s excited to be a dad. He’s always treated our children as if they were his own. They all love him to death. He’ll be a great daddy.”

Guess which answer would be repeated on the evening news without the second one? Angie was so dead. I wasn’t sure who would kill her first, Mom or Dad. They had worked to heal the wounds my dad’s infidelity had caused, and Angie had shouted it out to the world. At least for a few minutes, my own problems didn’t seem so big.

◊◊◊

Chapter 28 – You’ll Never Look at Me the Same Tuesday October 27

I sent a text to Pam last night before going to bed. Everyone had told me not to, but I knew if we talked, we could work this out. I was surprised to actually get a reply. All it said was ‘I can’t.’ That told me that Cal had directed that she wasn’t to talk to me. It was starting to become clear that her dad was our biggest issue. I wasn’t sure what good it would do for either of us to have him drive a wedge between the mother and father of his grandchild. He obviously wasn’t thinking clearly.