Cecil Gordon kept his hands on the wheel of the green Buick at ten and two. He turned to his wife. She was on the edge of breaking into a fresh flood of tears. Her hair-trigger emotions usually annoyed him. Today, he’d make an exception. He was feeling some of it, too.
He checked the rear-view mirror. He twisted it down. His son, Lonnie, sat in the back seat, thumbs working his phone.
“Your face is always in that thing,” Cecil said.
Lonnie didn’t look away from it. “I’m just killing time,” he said.
“You could talk to us for a change,” Cecil said.
“I also could have driven myself. It wasn’t my idea for you to come here and pick me up at my dorm.”
Cecil nudged the mirror back into position. “Your mother wanted to take you on your first day.”
Emily Gordon’s eyes slid toward her husband. “It wasn’t my idea, either.”
Cecil stared straight ahead. “If it wouldn’t have been mine, it would have been yours.”
Lonnie put the phone on the seat. “I’m sorry if I sound ungrateful. All I’m saying is this wasn’t necessary.”
“Might not have been necessary for you,” Cecil said. “It was necessary for her.”
“It was necessary for you,” Emily said.
Cecil did the thing with his eyebrows that he knew she hated. “I did not hear you say once that you’d stay home.”
“It’s fine,” Lonnie said. “I appreciate it.”
Emily turned to look her son in the eyes. “This is a big day, honey. We wanted to be part of it.”
“It’s just spring practice,” he said. “Besides, it’s not like I’ll play this season.”
“You always have to be ready for anything at any time,” Cecil said.
“Have I ever not been ready for anything at any time?”
“Only because I tell you, all the time.”
“Cecil, the boy knows what he’s doing.”
“Just don’t do anything stupid,” Cecil said.
“Like what?” Lonnie said.
“Like plenty of stupid things. Like showering with your shorts on.”
“Dad, I don’t do that.”
“Not no more. I heard you all did it in high school. Afraid somebody’s gonna sneak a peek.”
“Cecil!” Emily said. “What is wrong with you?”
“That’s what they do,” he said. “They act like they don’t, but they do.”
Lonnie picked up his phone again. “I promise I won’t shower with my shorts on.”
“Good, because they’ll be looking for any signs of weakness. If you act different, they’ll sniff it out and use it against you.”
Emily rolled her eyes and laughed out loud. “Seriously, Cecil? He’ll be singled out and bullied if he takes a shower with his damn shorts on?”
“You’re damn right,” he said. Cecil turned his head and looked at Lonnie. “Son, you need to let that thing breathe.”
“Cecil, will you please stop?”
This time, Cecil laughed. “Unless you take after your grandpa, that is.”
The Buick pulled into the lot at the Pitt practice facility. After it rolled to a stop near the main entrance, Lonnie opened the back door and climbed out. He reached inside for his bag.
Emily put her window down. “I suppose you don’t want me to get out and give you a hug?”
Lonnie bent over to whisper to her. “I probably shouldn’t be hugging my parents out here.”
“See?” Cecil said. “He’s figuring it out.”
“Call us when it’s over,” Emily said. “I want to hear all about it.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I get back. I promise. And I’ll tell you everything.”
Emily pressed the button. The glass started moving up. Cecil leaned toward his wife.
“Especially whether you showered with your shorts on,” he said just before the window closed.