Goal Posts

"Going to have to get a bike first," Rachael smiled, gently pushing the man out of her room.

"Oh, okay," Darren said and proceeded her down the stairs.

Hey! "There's the Birthday girl," Charlie said, smiling.

Immediately, three pair of hands held out their hands for the baby.

"Naw, y'all, make her walk," Arville said. "She's got y'all fooled, acting like she can't walk yet and stuff."

"Hey!" Rachael said, surprised at seeing Arville there.

"Hey, happy birthday," Arville smiled.

"I uh, hi, what are you doing here?" Rachael asked, flustered.

"Iris called and invited me," Arville admitted.

Iris disappeared into the kitchen.

"That's all right, huh?" Arville asked.

"Well, yeah!" Rachael smiled, taking one of his big hands into hers.

"Now, really would like to meet Elaine 'The Ripper' Thibodeaux," Arville smiled and took the infant from Elise's arms.

"Hi!" Arville cooed to the wiggling girl. "Hi!

And Elaine picked that moment to throw up.

"O my God!" Rachael gasped, horrified.

"Oh my God!" Elise hooted. "A minute earlier, that would have been me!"

"Oh my God, she really got you, didn't she?" Carmen said, wiping at the stunned Arville's shirt.

"Uh, yes ma'am, she did," Arville said and let Carmen blot his shirt.

"I'd let you wear one of Dick's shirts, but I really don't think any of his shirts will fit you," Carmen said.

"What are you talking about?" Dick said, flexing his muscles and standing on his tip toes. "We're practically the same size!"

"Oh my God, I am so sorry!" Rachael gasped.

"Sorry about what? Arville smiled, putting his hand on Dick's shoulder and pushing the man back onto his feet. "Babies do that. They're allergic to clean clothes."

"God, if that isn't the truth!" Charlie agreed. "And it's especially nice when they do that right when you're walking out the front door and you're already late for work and don't have time to change into anything else."

"Oh Arville, I'm so sorry," Rachael said again.

"Sorry about what?" Arville said again. "Rachael, babies do that. I hang around long enough, she'll probably pee on me too."

"And man can she pee!" Elise agreed coming back down stairs with Elaine, now in a clean dress. "Want to try that again?"

"Absolutely," Arville smiled and held out his hands for the girl.

He did manage to hold her and croon to her for a few minutes before Carmen decided Arville had had enough of Elaine's time and snatched the infant away.

"Okay, heartburn's ready... I mean, dinner's ready," Carmen called out. "Big people in the kitchen, little people in the dining room, you know who you are."

"Are we the big people or the little people?" Arville asked as he took his place in line.

Rachael proudly took her place, just like Carmen and Iris and Elise, making sure her man got his food, making sure the children got their food, then got her own and took her seat next to her man.

"Good God, I don't think I've ever seen her smile like that," Darren whispered in Elise's ear.

"Looks good on her, don't it?" Elise agreed and gave him a quick kiss.

"Aw, none of that at the table huh?" Dick said. "People are eating!"

"Hush you," Carmen said and gave him a kiss.

"Don't even start," Iris said and kissed Charlie.

"Cornbread's good, Honey," Darren said, making choking sounds.

"Oh shut up," Elise laughed. "Arville's eating it."

"Oh. Is that what that is?" Arville asked.

"Shut up!" Elise yelled and the adults laughed.

"Can we have cake now?" Carmy asked, running into the kitchen.

""You are not finished your dinner yet; don't tell me you are," Iris said.

"But I don't want it," Carmy whined.

"I count to three you better be back at that table, eating," Charlie threatened.

Carmy ran back to the dining room before her father even said 'One.'

"Want more?" Rachael asked as Arville scraped the last from his bowl.

"Eat, eat, I got this," Carmen said, gathering his plate and bowl.

After clearing away all the plates and bowls from the dining room, Carmen lighted the nineteen candles and they sang a rousing, off-key 'Happy Birthday' to Rachael.

"Okay, make a wish," Elise prompted.

"But I don't have anything to wish for," Rachael said, eyes swimming in tears.

"Ooh!" Carmen said and gave the girl a hug.

They clapped when she did manage to get the candles blown out, then laughed when they all re-ignited.

"Dick!" Carmen said.

"What?" Dick said, the picture of innocence. "You mean those weren't regular birthday candles?"

"That man, I swear," Carmen said and got a cup of water to dunk the candles into.

"Y'all this is too much!" Rachael protested as gaily wrapped presents were brought into the room.

""What... Oh, it's a bicycle helmet!" Rachael said when she opened the small box.

"Yeah, we saw you didn't have you a bicycle," Dick said and wheeled the shiny bicycle into the room.

The bicycle had been stolen in Baton Rouge and recovered by the Lafayette Police Department. Dick picked it up at the police auction and he and Darren and Iris and Elise cleaned it up, repainted it a lip gloss pink, replaced the bald tires.

"And like I said, I've still got Henry's training wheels," Darren said.

"Training wheels?" Trey scoffed.

"Hush you; she didn't have a momma stand out in the middle of the road and teach her how to ride a bike," Carmen told the boy.

"LaLa did that?" Rachael asked.

"Yep, stood right in the middle of the road, gave him a hard push, then ran alongside him praying he wouldn't fall off," Carmen agreed.

"And since she's not around, Elise gets to do it," Dick volunteered.

"Or I could take her out to the U.L.D. track and teach her," Arville offered.

"Naw, think it'd be more fun watching Elise run after her," Darren said.

"And I think it'd be more fun have her boyfriend teach her," Elise said.

"Let me know what y'all decide," Arville smiled easily, not disputing the implication that he was now Rachael's boyfriend.

"What in the world?" Rachael asked as she opened her present from Arville.

"I um, I mean, we just met, really didn't know what to get you, but this is real popular in the dorm," Arville said.

"What is it?" Iris asked.

"It's a marshmallow gun," Arville explained. And I even put a bag of marshmallows; see, you stand on one side of the room, and try to shoot it into the other guys mouth on the other side of the room. Whoever catches the most wins. My buddy Jack says he can hold twenty marshmallows in his mouth; don't know if that's really something to be proud of."

Arville loaded the gun and said "Hey, Trey, open wide!"

"Aw, man!" Trey laughed when Arville's shot hit him in the forehead.

"Should have put two bags in there," Charlie said as the gun was immediately taken over by the children.

After all the presents had been opened and the cake served, Arville and Rachael found themselves pushed out onto the back stoop. They sat down on the stoop.

"Thank you so much," Rachael whispered, suddenly nervous.

"No, thank you; this is how it used to be, right before my dad died," Arville said. "We'd all get together over at Aunt Gracie's house and there'd be about fifteen, sixteen of us and all running and screaming and crying and carrying on and having a good time, at least until Mom and Dad got into the beer."

Rachael put her head on his bicep, not tall enough to put her head on his shoulder.

She sighed when she felt his lips touch the top of her head.

"I can see you again? Arville asked her.

"Yeah; I'll try to keep Elaine from puking on you," Rachael said.

"Hey, like I said, that's what babies do," Arville laughed.

"Thank you," Rachael said again and looked up at him.

They kissed for a few moments, then Arville got to his feet and pulled her up.

"Got to go; I still have a bunch of homework," Arville said, gave her another kiss then opened the back door.

"Oh, someone's been kissing," Carmen teased Rachael as Arville walked through the house telling people good night.

"How'd you know?" Rachael asked her. "I mean, you and Dad, y'all been together what, twenty years? No, wait; Elise is twenty seven so that means..."

"Been married just over eleven years," Carmen said. "How'd I know? Couldn't imagine my life with anyone else but him, couldn't imagine being without him."

"Same here," Elise said. "Just can't imagine being with anyone but Darren, can't imagine being without him."

"And it better stay that way, hear?" Darren demanded, giving Elise a light smack on her rear. "Taking the kids home; Jennica's already asleep."

"You thinking it might be that way with Arville?" Iris asked, holding a sleeping Carmy in her arms.

"I don't know," Rachael admitted.

A hot blush spread over her face.

"But when he kisses me? Oh baby!" she said and the women tittered.

Chapter 7

Bobby Breaux did get his face to face interview with Arville Brodt, but found himself being the one interviewed.

Arville Brodt had obviously done his homework and cited the numerous insults Bobby Breaux had broadcast about the University of Louisiana at DeGarde and in particular, about their Athletic department.

So, in the post-interview editing, Bobby chopped the interview up and even did a few over-bubs to paint Arville as an immature and petulant youth.

His camera man, tired of chasing Bobby Breaux around, tired of constantly having to edit and re-edit Bobby Breaux's mistakes, did a restore and put the restored interview into the final production mix for that evening's broadcast.

"And I sat down with the U.L.D.'s rising star, quarterback Arville Brodt, a lifelong resident of DeGarde, Louisiana and recent graduate of Northside High School," Bobby smirked at the camera. "Let's just say, the interview didn't go as I had hoped.

Less than fifteen seconds into the playback, Bobby realized, the interview really didn't go as he had hoped. He looked like an egotistical and inarticulate ass and Arville looked like a thoughtful young man that confronted Bobby Breaux about his negative perceptions about the DeGarde School and DeGarde in general.

"Turn it off, cut, cut damn it, go to commercial!" Bobby ordered.

"Four minutes, twelve seconds to commercial, Bobby, just roll with it," the floor manager said, smiling widely as the man's career came to an abrupt end, live on Lafayette's television sets.

"Damn, sorry, must have forgot to finalize the edit points," Robert Pope, the cameraman shrugged when Bobby confronted him about the mix-up.

"Breaux, my office, now," the station's general manager ordered as soon as the broadcast was over. "NOW!"

That Thursday night, Arville found only Dick, Carmen, and Elaine waiting when he stopped by to pick Rachael up.

"Where's everybody?" Arville asked, lightly stroking Elain's tiny face with his fingertip.

"What? Boy, you expect a parade every time you come over here?" Dick growled.

"Really, you're old news," Carmen sniffed.

"I guess I am," Arville smiled.

"By the way, cute interview the other night," Dick said and looked up as he heard Rachael's door open.

"Yeah, well," Arville shrugged and smiled as Rachael came down the stairs, dressed in another snap-button blouse, fringed skirt, and bright blue boots.

""Hey, you look great," he smiled

Rachael smiled, gave her daughter a soft kiss, then hugged Carmen and Dick good night and they left the house.

Darren pulled up in a police cruiser and hit the siren for a short blast.

"Where y'all going?" he asked Arville in his tough cop mode.

"Cowboy's; Thursday night's line dancing night," Arville politely said.

"Time you'll be home?" Darren demanded.

"Early morning bus trip again tomorrow, so..." Arville said,

"Darren, Mom and Dad said it's all right if I go out, Rachael said peevishly.

"Honey, he's just being a big brother," Arville said to her over the truck's hood.

Darren nodded his approval and drove away.

"Honey, they worry about you," Arville said and helped her up into the cab of his truck.

"But they know you by now," Rachael argued when he got into the truck.

"Uh huh, and they probably knew Elaine's daddy too," Arville said.

"No, no they didn't, my other mom and dad did and they thought he was great," Rachael said bitterly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring..." Arville apologized.

There was a twenty minute wait for an available booth; a few people came up and chatted with Arville, mostly about the television interview.

"Oh, my God, I love those boots!" a girl said to Rachael.

"Thanks, my mom got them for me," Rachael said and lifted one leg so the girl could see them better. "Then my dad saddle soaped them like four or five times in a row and now they're like butter."

"Where'd y'all get them?" the girl asked. "I love that heel too."

"Cal's in Flowers," Rachael said.

"Y'all, if we get a booth together, they can seat us now; that all right?" Arville asked the girl's date.

"Yeah, sure, they're talking about clothes; they'll never shut up," the girl's date agreed.

Arville soon regretted his decision. The two girls were chattering pleasantly, both having a great time and the girl made all the appropriate noises about Rachael's baby, Elaine and glared at Arville when Rachael informed her that Arville had christened the girl as 'The Ripper.'

"You don't call a girl that!" she shrilled and Arville smiled while Rachael hugged his arm.

"He's really into football," Rachael tried to explain.

But the girl's date stared at Rachael's chest and did not try to disguise his intense stare.

Shortly before their food was to arrive, both girls decided to use the restroom.

"Man, what size are those tits?" the man asked the moment the girls were out of earshot.

"The size of my girlfriend's breasts are none of your fucking business," Arville snapped.

"Are they fucking real? I mean, they bounce like..." the man enthused, not paying any attention to Arville's ire.

"Again, that is none of your fucking business and really don't appreciate you staring at them like that," Arville snapped. "You need to put a stop to it, now, hear?"

Their food arrived, stifling any further argument and a few minutes later, the girls, still chattering happily, came back to the table.

"You know, on Monday nights, they got square dancing here; that's a lot of fun," the girl commented as she dunked her fried jalapeno into the Ranch dressing.

"Never been square dancing; wouldn't have a clue," Rachael said and looked at Arville.

Arville knew how to square dance and knew, as difficult as it might look it was actually quite easy. But he was still seething at the man's rude, boorish behavior and had no desire to be around the couple again.

"Guess that's a 'no,' " Rachael shrugged.

"Oh, but we could teach you," the girl offered.

Arville put a hand on Rachael's leg and shook his head no, almost imperceptibly and Rachael smiled and patted his hand.

"Thanks, but not right now; see, my boyfriend's still in school and, can you believe this? Even though he's on the football team, he's carrying a three point eight! He's been on the Dean's List every semester he's been there," Rachael proudly enthused.

Arville looked at Rachael, surprised. She beamed up and him and motioned him to come closer.

"Yeah, my big brother checked up on you," she giggled and kissed him.

Arville patted her leg and pulled the hand off her leg.

"Oh no sir, that's where that belongs, you put that back right now," she ordered.

Arville laughed and put his hand back on Rachael's thigh. She gave his hand a squeeze and stuffed the last of her French fries into her mouth.

"Liked her just fine; just really didn't like the way he kept staring at your chest," Arville admitted when they stepped on to the dance floor.

"Honey, they're big; guys are going to stare," Rachael tried to calm him down.

"Stare, yeah, but Honey, he was trying to burn holes in your shirt," Arville said. "Told him I didn't appreciate it and he needed to stop."

Rachael hugged him tightly.

Her old boyfriend, Harrison Smith, Elaine's father, would have tried to start a fight with the other guy, would have embarrassed her to no end. Arville handled the uncomfortable situation like an adult. He told the man he did not like the blatant stares and for the most part, the man had ceased.

The dancing was fun, and Arville soon felt his anger dissipate. When the DJ again announced a Texas twostep, both he and Rachael let out a rebel yell and moved around the floor.

"Switch partners?" their table companion asked/demanded, eyes again boring holes in Rachael's blouse when a slow number came up.

"No thank you," Rachael said pleasantly. "Been waiting all night feel this man's arms around me, so if you don't mind..."

Again, at ten after ten, Arville reluctantly led Rachael out to his truck.

""Hey, I tell you something? Rachael asked when they pulled up to her house.

"Yeah?" Arville asked and waved as Darren's cruiser drove past.

"Oh, I swear!" Rachael huffed, looking out the rear of the truck as her brother in law drove away.

"Hey, it's all right if he checks up on me and goes through my school records but it's not okay he checks up on you makes sure you get home on time?" Arville laughed.

"Well, that's different," Rachael weakly argued.

"Oh, it is? How?" Arville asked and came around to her door.

"It just is," she said and slid out of his truck, 'accidentally' letting the knee length fringed skirt ride up, showing a good portion of her legs.

"I'm not going to argue with a woman," Arville said.

"So what'd you want to tell me?" he asked when she stepped up on the door stoop to put herself slightly closer to his height.

"I wanted to tell you," she said and gave him a soft, long kiss.

"That I think," she said and gave him a soft and longer kiss.

"That I might be," she said and sucked his tongue into her mouth.

"Falling," she said and again sucked on his tongue for a long moment.

"In love with you," Rachael said and dashed into her house before he could respond.

"Damn it, woman!" he protested, then laughed out loud.

A few blocks away, Arville pulled to the curb when a police cruiser came up behind him and flashed its lights at him.

"Hey, just wanted to tell you, have a safe trip to Lowridge and hope you have a great game," Darren said as he stood outside of the truck.

"Thank you, Officer Richards," Arville smiled. "And you saw I got her home on time, right?"

"Yeah, I saw that," Darren smiled. "Who knows? Ten or fifteen years from now? I might even trust you a little bit around her."

"Whoa, now, let's not be too hasty," Arville said and both men chuckled.

"Have a great game; you know we'll be watching," Darren said and walked back to his cruiser.

The bus loaded up at 5:30 am the next morning, and there were many sleepy young men that staggered into the dark interior of the bus. At 5:45, a roll call was taken, then they were pulling onto I-10 and making their way West.

Arville used his laptop computer to work on a report for his World Economics class, chatting occasionally with Ray Curry, their punter. Ray likewise was on his laptop, so long stretches of silence were just fine for both young men.

"Brodt, know you'll be happy to hear got you and Pedro sharing a room," Coach Schaeffer taunted as the bus was pulling up to the small hotel in Wakilluh, Texas.

"Oh thank you!" Arville gushed, much to the amusement of Ray and Jack and Clay.

At three o'clock that Saturday, to nearly deafening boos from the crowd, the Storm took the field. Coach Schaeffer did not even bother starting Chip, just sent Arville out.

They got off to a lightening quick start, but bogged down at the thirty yard line.

Coach sent Pedro out and smiled for the television cameras as Pedro did managed to send the ball through for three points.