The Dark Lady Ch. 06

"Women!" Coach was divorced, with a passion for younger, good looking girls, especially blonds. His teams numbered them as they were glimpsed climbing into his fancy cars after games. "Hey, he's got Blond #2 tonight."

The university had sent over a parking placard and we got an impressive slot right in front of the faculty club. I felt like royalty getting out of the car.

Arthur and Larry were in the lobby, waiting for us. Introductions were quick and warm and we followed them into a spacious dining room. Larry and Lyle were sharing coaching gossip as Arthur was telling me he thought Selma's and my article was a nice contribution to an underexplored area of mathematics.

After we ordered, Larry started right in with business. "Theo, Lyle shared some of the game pictures from this year with me, and you certainly have quick reflexes and great hands. How would you like to play football for the University of Arizona?"

Before Larry could go any further, Arthur broke in and said, "Theo, I can't recall a situation where an incoming freshman was published in a refereed journal. The math department would very much like to have you join our student group, probably at the graduate level."

I let some silence develop before I responded. They knew I was smart, and I knew they were smart. No great point in beating around the bush, but there was still the basic issue of spreading myself too thin. Lyle saw this as negotiating about money, but it really was about negotiating for my time and potential dedication to the work they did, the culture they lived in.

I began, "Thank you for inviting me today. I'm honored to be here. I'm going to speak very frankly because if we are going to join forces, we need to have no secrets from each other. I suspect this kind of recruiting lunch usually spends time on how wonderful your school is and how much support you are able to provide. Maybe we should get those out of the way first. I've grown up next to the university, watched it grow and admired programs such as the ones you manage. I don't need any persuasion about the virtues of UA. About support, you must know that my mother recently promoted me to be President of Parsons Gallery. We are very successful, and the cost of the university is not an obstacle for us.

"The two real issues for us to discuss today are your digging into me and deciding whether what you see on my resume matches the Theo Parsons in front of you, and my seeing if there is a match for my ambitions in math and football with my commitments to the Gallery."

The food arrived, which gave everyone a chance to kick that around mentally. The salmon salad was fresh and delicious. If nothing else, Lyle and I were getting a good lunch, as he had predicted.

Lyle said, "Gents, what we have here is a very talented young man who is mature beyond his years. He is already where it usually takes two or three conversations with recruits to get to. I think we need to cut to the chase."

My eyes said thank you to Lyle. Larry and Arthur took a couple more bites before speaking.

Arthur spoke first. "Theo, judging from your work on that paper, and what Selma tells me, you could shoot through our department to a math PhD in four or five years from now. Given your already chosen career path, that's probably not an attractive option. Let me suggest something you might like and our department would benefit from. You have an excellent, curious, math-adapted mind. You've already done the equivalent of a year of independent study with Selma. If you matriculate here, I'd very much like the opportunity to tailor a course of study that brings you into personal contact with the strongest faculty in the department, and challenges that curiosity. All the problems in math are not solved, as you already know. Come and join us and let's work on solving a few that are of interest."

Larry didn't let me digest that before jumping in with his guns blazing. "Theo, Arthur is perhaps the most distinguished department chair in the university and just made you a fantastic offer. I want to put a different kind of challenge in front of you. Collegiate football is a very tough game. It demands a lot from your body, including the risk of injury almost every day you are on the field. It pushes your brain, because the number of offensive and defensive plays is almost limitless, and your mind has to be able to recognize patterns in split seconds. Being on the receiving end of a passing game is the ultimate exercise in making probabilities break your way. You seem like the type of athlete who could make a real contribution to Arizona football."

Lyle smiled, "Well, that's certainly putting your best foot forward. Pretty darn attractive propositions, I'd say. Let's give Theo a chance to finish his salad and think about what you said."

After a couple of minutes, I looked at them with a hard expression. "My mother, Kim Parsons, was a single mom as she built the best art gallery in Arizona up from nothing. I'm her only child and we are very close. She recognized my talent when I was very little, and has always pushed me out of my comfort zone when she thought I needed it, which was most of the time. Both of you have probably seen kids like me who were coasting, not working. That hasn't been true in my life, and I'm the better for it. I'll be honest, before your lunch invitation, I thought I was going to skip college for now and concentrate on making the gallery bigger and better. Whether you know it or not, you've both got me out of my comfort zone, got me asking myself if the opportunities you are offering, which are really tempting, won't help me grow and expand my abilities.

"I'm not here to make any commitments today, but if you are willing, I need a chance to sort this out with my mother, and I also would like to talk to some people in the math department and in the football program, before giving you an answer."

There was an odd sense of comfort around the table as we stood and shook hands again. They extended their cards and asked me to call to make visit appointments as soon as I could. Lyle and I walked to the Camaro in silence, but as we drove away, he said, "Shit, Theo, you did a complete number on them!"

"I guess that means you think it went ok?"

"Ok doesn't begin to cover the impression you made on them. I'd like to see you take up both of those offers, but how the hell you do that and run the Gallery at the same time sure beats me!"

It sure beat me too, I thought as I drove back to Keeler. I changed into running clothes and was partway out the door when the twins showed up with provisions for dinner. "Hey, you can't go without us, wait up." I was about to wave them off when I realized that was a bad idea, a very bad idea. Get real, I said to myself, love is a two way street.

We were loping along in the desert gravel, watching where our feet were going, when Laura asked, "How did the great recruiting lunch go?"

I was about to answer when we heard shouts behind us and saw Karen and Susan coming at a great rate. After everyone got kissed and cuffed around, we were back on the trail and Laura said, "Well?"

"Terrible, just terrible."

Silence except for hard breathing. I picked up the pace.

"Do we get to hear any more?"

"I got two of the most incredible offers any freshman ever deserved to get."

"Oh shit, no wonder you are depressed."

"Any of you want to play football, or be a frosh math major?"

They stopped and beat on me. Karen finally said, "Girls, we have to find a way to help Theo deal with this. The recommended therapy is finish the run, shower, give him a margarita and dinner, then push him into a floor pile so we can think about this."

She added, "And give him kisses."

I was on the sofa, mostly out of it with a belly full of tequila and tostadas, when Kim came and sat next to me. She held my hand and kissed my knuckles. "Hey."

I folded her into me and held on tight. My eyes were wet. Others were kneeling and sitting on the floor next to us. The high school principal sat on the other side of me and said, "In a minute, Theo is going to tell us about his lunch at the faculty club. He has a crisis, which means we have a crisis. It's not our job to tell him what to do, but maybe, just maybe, we can give him some advice, and some loving." Her hands were in my hair and she was licking the back of my neck.

I looked at all the serious faces around me and felt even worse. I had a connection with every one of them.

Kim spoke, "Theo, before you start, you should know that you are our guy. We are your team and you are our leader. We know you are feeling under pressure. Let it hang out. Whichever way you decide to go, we are with you."

Now there were even more wet eyes. Suck it up, I said to myself. You owe them.

My voice was hoarse as I began. "Coach Lyle and I went over to the university at their invitation. Larry the head coach, and Arthur, the math dept chair, were there. The short version is they recruited the hell out of me. Arthur said with my background, he and his faculty would tailor a custom course load that matched my interests in math and try to build interesting challenges for me. Larry talked about how tough college ball was and how he thought I had the potential to make a great contribution to the team."

Selma's eyes were shining. Her pride in my math skills was showing. Clara's eyes were dark and challenging. I thought I could read a message that said, "Of course, you are going to do this." Clemmie was sitting close, shaking with excitement. Sarah was planning on starting next fall herself and her eyes were smiling. I reached out hands and drew them into my lap.

"I told them that Kim raised me as a single mom, and I was going to talk to her before I decided anything. I also said I wanted to talk to people in math and in the football program before I made any decision. Then I drove home thinking dark thoughts about reaching too far. Before I do anything at the U, I owe the Parsons team my best efforts."

I added, "I have these two in my arms because there are really three of us headed for the university in the fall. Maybe there is strength in numbers." I kissed them and for once did not fondle their boobs.

A collective sigh went up. Clara got up and stood next to me, cuffing me really hard. The others mumbled, "Why are you hitting him?"

"I'm trying to wake him up to the fact that he can take on his two offers. Look what he has done with us. There's not a woman in the room whose life is not changed because of Theo. He coaxed me, after eight years, out of being a lesbian. He took his mom's worn down analyst and turned her into a big time HR Director. He discovered the court musician in his English teacher and put her to work revolutionizing music education for the whole city..."

They were on their feet, crowding around and trying to all beat on me at once. I stood and shouted, "Ok, you win. Please stop destroying the merchandise. What about some ice cream?"

Clemmie and Sarah had me down in the pile, feeding me ice cream and talking about school. Clemmie said with a big smile, "Theo, you are going to be famous. Sarah and I can be your bodyguards. And also keep you from straying when the coeds throw themselves at you!"

"What if one of my teammates puts a move on you? A big handsome jock with a lot of sex appeal?"

They beat on me, but it was a nice beating. I was half asleep when a soft voice said, "We are still going to Eduardo tomorrow, aren't we?"

I jerked awake, "Oh my god, Selma. We have to get organized. Please forgive me, it has been a big day."

(cont'd in Ch. 7 - A Visit to Nogales)