Senior Year Box Set

Speaking of Jill, Tracy had pointed out that she’d neatly used my little brother to get herself a seat at the senior table. Quite the little coup for a freshman cheerleader. I think the old Tracy was impressed with how she’d finagled that.

“I’ve been after you to blog. Why don’t you use streaming video on game days? We can point them to it via your social media accounts. That way, fans will get a taste of the behind-the-scenes action,” Lily suggested.

“I’ll film him,” Cassidy said, getting excited.

“You really are a ‘Bad Girl.’ You’re not catching the football team in the shower,” Brook said.

Poor Don just gaped at what Brook said about his new girlfriend. He had no idea.

“Let me think about that one,” I said. “What else?”

“You like food. You could do a video on local restaurants,” Pam suggested.

“I’ll film him,” Cassidy repeated.

“She wants to be there so you feed her,” Wolf said sagely. “I would volunteer for that.”

I saw Tracy’s wheels turning.

“What do you think?” I asked her.

“I was wondering if I could do it with you. For a while now, I’ve had this idea about doing a short video piece that might be picked up as a segment on the news. My working title for it is Dessert First,” Tracy suggested.

“I like dessert.”

“You could have David and a girl taste-test them,” Gina suggested.

“It sounds like you plan to get a date with my boyfriend,” Brook said.

“You have him on lockdown. We have to be creative to get him to spend time with us,” Gina said.

Fortunately, Brook was just teasing. On the other hand, Gina wasn’t.

“Do you know anyone who would let us practice on them?” I asked.

“I can’t believe I have to say this, but you do own two restaurants that would probably like the publicity,” Tracy reminded me.

◊◊◊ Saturday September 10

Chuck drove my mom, Caryn, and me to Washington High. We planned to be there early so we could meet Wyatt and his family. When Mom found out what I was doing, she insisted on coming with me. She’d been a tremendous help in teaching me how to deal with cancer patients. I was sure that Wyatt just wanted to forget about his problems and enjoy a day of football.

Chad Lutz, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was waiting for us along with Jeff Delahey and his cameraman. Caryn took charge to make sure everyone knew each other.

“Wyatt and his family are inside. Shall we go meet them?” Chad asked the camera in his face.

Jeff got behind his cameraman and grabbed his belt. That way, he wouldn’t trip or walk into anything as he walked backward to film us entering the building and then going to the Washington coaches’ offices. I got my first look at Wyatt and his family and put on my best smile. The boy was small for his age.

“You must be Wyatt. I’m David, and this is my mom, Carol,” I said as I shook his hand.

My mom handed Wyatt a duffle bag, which he ripped open.

“Dad, look at this,” he said, getting excited.

He’d pulled out a football helmet. Coach Diamond walked in and shook his head.

“You’re stealing our biggest fan,” he said with a big smile. “It’s good to see you, David.”

I was surprised when he hugged me. That was when I found out that Wyatt’s dad was one of their coaches. I’m not too sure how I would feel if Little David and Coby decided they were Washington fans.

“I thought we could go change into shorts and t-shirts for now. Later, you can dress for the game in your football gear and join us on the sideline,” I said. “You can tell me what plays Coach Diamond is calling.”

Mom decided that she should change the topic, so she handed Wyatt’s sisters their own duffle bags. They had Lincoln High cheerleader uniforms. Pam Lowden, our cheerleading coach, had signed off on them joining the team. Brook said they would teach the girls some cheers before the game. From the squeals, Mom had made the right call in contacting Sandy Range and getting Range Sports to donate the gear for the kids.

“What? Nothing for the parents?” Wyatt’s mom asked.

Caryn handed them each a football jersey with my name and number on it.

“I dare you to wear that during the game,” I said to Wyatt’s dad.

“I think he should, for Wyatt,” Coach Diamond said.

“Come on, Wyatt, let’s go change,” I suggested.

I soon found out that Wyatt wasn’t shy. Between him and his two sisters, it was a wonder their parents were sane. Jeff and Chad hadn’t stopped smiling. I was sure this was video gold for both the charity and documentary.

After we got dressed, I decided to put Wyatt in charge of my streaming video broadcast. He was eager to do it when I explained it to him. Lily had put out messages on my social media to promote it. I handed him my phone.

“My parents said I couldn’t have a phone,” Wyatt said.

“And you’re not getting this one.”

He batted his eyes at me, but I was immune. Pam was an expert at explaining that our son needed something, like a new purse, and Wyatt’s gambit didn’t even make me flinch.