Page 33 of Scoring Chances
Joshua
“Well, good morning, Sunshine!” my mom’s chipper voice sounds like a megaphone on my phone’s speaker.
“Hey, Mom.”
“You sound glum, Josh. What’s going on?” I instantly hear the way her voice changes from cheery to concerned.
“You woke me up. This is how I sound in the morning.” I check the time. It’s not even seven. “Is something wrong?”
“Does booking a trip to Texas constitute as something wrong?”
My stomach does flips at the mention of her coming here.
“Now?!” I sit up straight and try to wipe the sleep from my eyes.
“I mean, not today. But soon. I’m waiting for Oliver’s work to approve his time off. And then… we’re coming to Texas! Oh god, you don’t already have plans, do you?”
“Uh… I mean… kind of, Mom.”
Plans that include keeping the three children living under my roof off her radar.
“Well,” she sighs. “Can’t you just reschedule? You know I don’t get time off from U-M often. I’d really like to see you, Josh. Even if only for a weekend.”
The woman pulls at my heartstrings. She doesn’t get much time off. She hardly ever gets time off. And when she does, I usually have to fly to Michigan to see her and Oliver. Not the other way around.
“Please, Josh. I’d really like to see my one and only son. Explore his neck of the woods…”
I rub a hand down my face. I can do this. I can make this work. I’ll just keep her away from the house.
“Ok, Mom. Of course. I want to see you too. And Oliver.”
I can hear her smiling now when she says, “I can’t wait!”
We catch up on things, and she gives me updates on a few surgeries she’s done recently that landed her in a few medical publications. I tell her about anything other than the fact that I’m now responsible for the kids, the man she hates most in this world left behind.
They were supposed to be gone before I ever had to mention it to her. Now, I’ll have to figure out how to keep them under wraps until she leaves.
And then she asks the dreaded question. “Anyone serious I should know about?”
I scoff. “You know I don’t date… long-term,” I add.
She groans. “My son, the heartbreaker.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I tease.
“You won’t be young forever, baby. Just remember that. Eventually, you’ll want to settle down, even with your crazy life as an athlete. These girls you meet… the ones you don’t date long-term. Each one of them takes a piece of you, whether you want to admit it or not. I just hope you know that there’s something special about meeting the one that will hold all your pieces together when you need it the most.”
“Are you getting sappy because it’s your anniversary?” I ask her.
She pauses. “Oh my god. I need to call Oli!"
I laugh. “Just doing my part in holding together all your pieces.”
She chuckles. “Just think about what I said, Josh.”
“I–I’ll keep that in mind, Mom.”
“Love you, my boy.”