This story is a sequel to my stories , Fast Break and Footsteps (Ghost Towning) . You may want to read the preceding stories before reading this one. Fast Break and Footsteps (Ghost Towning) can be found on my on my website – mickeyminner.com
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Pat, Sherry, Kelley, and Mac were seated at a table in the corner of the hotel's dining room while the players occupied several tables a short distance away.
“That was quite the revelation you made on the plane,” Mac said when the waitress retreated from their table with their orders. “I must say I'm somewhat concerned about it.”
“You don't want us to get married?” Sherry questioned the team owner.
“When my head coach and my point guard declare they plan to wed and start a family…” Mac paused to take a sip of coffee. “Well… you can say that troubles me.”
“I don't understand the problem,” Sherry said.
“The problem is I don't want to lose either of you from the court.”
Sherry smiled. “It's always dollars and cents with you, isn't it?” Sherry asked not unkindly.
“Yes, it is,” Mac agreed. “I don't own the team for a hobby.”
“Mac, I'm sorry,” Pat said. “I really didn't plan to do that… at least, not on the plane,” she quickly added for her now fiancée. “But after that scene with Jackson this morning, I just… I wanted Sherry to know how important she is to me.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Mac said. “But…”
“I know we should have talked to you first,” Pat continued, smiling when her hand was covered by Sherry's. “Just so you know neither of us plans to quit the team.”
Mac smiled. “That is good to hear,” she said sounding relieved.
“But we may want to make some changes,” Sherry said digging into the salad that had just been placed in front of her.
“Changes?”
“Nothing major, Mac,” Pat told the owner. “But to be honest, we really haven't talked about what's next. We agreed it would be better to wait until we get back home.”
“I hope I'm the first to know,” Mac told them.
“Right after we know,” Pat assured her employer.
“Uh oh,” Sherry warned, “trouble headed our way.”
Seated with their backs to the dining room, Pat and Mac looked over their shoulders to see Teresa Tompkins, the Los Angeles team owner, marching purposely toward their table.
“She's not really going to cause a scene, is she?” Kelley asked.
“Let me handle this,” Mac said shifting her chair to give her a better view of the approaching woman. “Good evening, Teresa,” she greeted as Tompkins arrived at their table.
“You have a lot of nerve,” Tomkins snapped.
Mac acted genuinely confused by the comment much to her coaches' delight. “I'm sorry,” she responded innocently. “I'm just having dinner with my coaches and team. Is there a problem with that?”
“You know what I'm talking about,” Tomkins said angrily.
“No, actually I don't.”
“That damn plane,” Tomkins barkped. “You have no right putting champions on it.”
Mac smiled sweetly. “Well, to be factual, Teresa, I have every right since we currently own the trophy.”
“Which you won't after Saturday,” Tomkins declared nastily.
“Your opinion differs from mine,” Mac stated calmly.
“You did that to upset my team, didn't you?” Tomkins accused.
“No. I did it to reward my team for another great season. If that upsets your players, I really don't know what to tell you… except maybe to suggest you could buy them their own plane.”
“I guarantee this is not going to effect how they play,” Tomkins assured the seated women. “By the end of the game, you'll definitely know which team is the better one.”
Mac grinned. “Oh, I'm more than sure of that,” she said amiably.
Tomkins glared at Mac for several moments before spinning around and marching back across the dining room and out into the hotel lobby.
“For all her denials,” Mac said shifting her chair back to its original position, “that put a mighty big burr under her saddle.”
“How'd you know we would arrive in Toledo ahead of them?” Sherry asked.
Mac grinned. “Lucky guess.”
Sherry laughed. “I bet.”
“Doesn't appear the players are too upset,” Kelley noted looking across the dining room to where the Los Angeles players had been seated during the unpleasant exchange between owners.
Pat smiled. “Buttram is too smart to let that happen. She'll stick to her game plan and make sure the players focus on that… and only that,” she told the others then turned to face her employer. “You enjoyed that,” she stated.
Mac nodded. “Matter of fact, I did. Teresa has been a pain in my ass since I bought the team. Little known fact, Teresa is from Montana and she really wanted the Cougars but she didn't have enough money to top my offer. So she's stuck in LA with a team she inherited from her father. And she's spent the past few years trying to make me feel guilty over that.”
“Which, of course, you're not,” Sherry said.
“Not in the least,” Mac replied. “During my first few years with the team—the losing years, Teresa used to constantly send me offers for the Cougars. For much less than I paid, I should add. But I just kept saying no. I knew we were only missing one key ingredient to turn the Cougars into winners. And when Pat joined the team, we had it.”
“First time I've been referred to as an ingredient,” Pat noted drolly.
“Don't pout,” Mac told her head coach. “You turned the Cougars around. And as good a coach as Julie is, Teresa knows you're better.”
“I'm not so sure of that,” Pat said.
“I am,” Sherry stated confidently.
“Do you think Tomkins will ever forgive you?” Kelley asked.
Mac laughed. “My goodness, I certainly hope not. I have way too much fun pushing her buttons.”
As the women laughed, their entrees were served.
#
Pat slid open the glass door then stepped out onto the hotel room's balcony. “Nice night,” she observed joining her lover leaning against the railing.
“Yes, it is,” Sherry agreed. “Team settled?”
“Yep. All tucked in,” Pat said slipping her arm around her lover's waist.
“You didn't actually do a bed check, did you?”
“Head check. Knocked on each door, made sure the right number of heads were in the room and told them I didn't want any butt dragging in the morning. Hopefully, they're all in bed soon.”
“So you got the times we have for practice?”
“Yeah… tomorrow morning from eight to one; then eight to ten on game day.”
“That leaves a lot of time to keep everyone out of trouble and focused.”
“I know. I hate waiting. I wish we could just play the game tomorrow.”
“Me too,” Sherry said resting her head against Pat's. “Guess we blew it with Mac, huh?”
“I think she understands.” Pat twisted her head to kiss her lover. “Ready for bed?” she asked moments later.
Sherry nodded. “Very ready.”
#
Friday afternoon
Pat followed the players out of the Toledo arena to the bus waiting for them.
“Hey, Coach,” Hudson said slowing her steps to walk alongside Pat. “Did you know there's a zoo in Toledo .”
“Can't say I did. What about it?”
“I was wondering,” the rookie continued hesitantly, “would it be possible for us to go there? It sure would be better than sitting around the hotel the rest of the day.”
Pat considered the idea as they approached the bus. “I guess we could suggest it to the team and see what they think.”
Hudson smiled. “Great,” she exclaimed before bounding up the steps inside the bus.
“The zoo, huh?” Sherry asked having overheard the conversation.
“She's right… it would be better than sitting around the hotel,” Pat responded.
“Yes, it would.”
Pat waited for Sherry to climb the steps then followed her. “Everyone here?” she asked Kelley who had been taking a head count of the players as they entered the bus.
“All present and accounted for,” Kelley told the head coach.
“Okay, we're ready,” Pat told the bus driver. “Is this bus assigned to anything else today,” she asked the young woman behind the wheel.
“I'm assigned to take you where you want to go,” the driver replied shutting the door.
“Really?” Pat asked surprised.
The young woman nodded as she released the brake and eased the bus away from the curb. “That's what my boss told me. Sit at the hotel if you don't need me… otherwise, drive you wherever you want.”
“Good to know,” Pat said then turned to face her players. “Okay, we're headed back to the hotel for lunch,” she informed them. “Now, you can spend the rest of the day sitting in your rooms or an alternative has been suggested.”
“Dang, Coach, what's the alternative?” Terry asked.
“I don't care what it is,” Val said. “I'll take anything to sitting in our rooms.”
“I agree,” Jade joined in.
Pat held up her hands to quiet the players. “Hudson thinks a trip to the local zoo is a better option,” she said smiling at the rookie. “But this is an all or nothing offer… I'm not leaving some of you at the hotel.”
“We're in, Coach,” Pete, not wanting to sit around the hotel, spoke for her teammates.
“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Latesha said.
“Me too,” Stacy said. “Heck, I haven't been to a zoo since I was a kid.”
“Anyone not agree?” Pat asked. “Alright, we go to the zoo,” she said hearing no objections. “Is that good with you?” she asked the driver who nodded.
#
A few hours later, Pat and Sherry were walking down a path in the zoo.
“There's a bench,” Sherry said pointed down the path.
“And there's a hot dog stand,” Pat said diverting toward the colorfully painted cart. “Want one?” she called to Sherry who had continued to the bench.
“Two. And a bottle of water.”
Pat passed the order on to the cart operator then added her own order. Moments later, she was headed for Sherry balancing hotdogs and water bottles in her hands. “I had him put everything he had on them… except chili. I figured that might get a little messy.”
Sherry took the foil wrapped hotdogs from Pat then placed them on the bench beside her. “A very good idea,” she said unwrapping one of the hotdogs.
Pat glanced across the path at the animal enclosure opposite them. “Ah, look, it's your relatives,” she said grinning.
Taking a bite of hotdog, Sherry looked over at a pair of gorillas. “Seems to me that they favor you much more than me,” she mumbled chewing on her snack.
“Nah, my family favors orangutans.”
“You don't have orange hair,” Sherry observed untwisting the cap on her water bottle.
“I'm talking about the long arms, pot bellies, and bow-legged walk.” Then dropping her arms over the edge of the bench, Pat did her best impersonation of a seated orangutan.
Sherry laughed. “Yes, I do see the resemblance.”
Pat leaned back against the bench. “This was a good idea,” she said picking up a hot dog.
“The dogs or the zoo?”
“Both.”
Sherry settled back on the bench to watch the gorillas. “What do you think they're thinking?” she asked after several minutes.
“Probably wondering why a bunch of ugly looking creatures are standing around looking at them.”
“That's what I think too. I kinda feel sorry for them… it must be a boring existence.”
“I don't know... I bet they are as entertained watching us as we are watching them.”
“Think so?”
Pat nodded. “Know what else I think?” she asked.
“What?”
“I think zoos are definitely on the list of places to take our kids.”
Sherry cleaned up the piled of discarded foil between them then scooted closer to her lover. “How many kids?” she asked.
“Let's start with one.”
“Then?”
“Well, if I have them… then we'll probably stop after the first one.”
“Pat!” Sherry squawked. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I've heard that childbirth is really, really painful,” Pat answered with a shiver. “And I think I could only do it once.”
“You're such a wimp,” Sherry exclaimed slapping Pat in the belly.
“Ow,” Pat protested feigning pain.
Sherry giggled. “Sheesh.”
“I think it's time to head back to the bus,” Pat said standing and pulling Sherry up with her.
“Honey, are they any zoos in Montana?” Sherry asked dropping their lunch wrappings and napkins into a trash receptacle.
“One… but it's pretty small. There's a big one in Seattle.”
“Hmmm.”
“What's that mean?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Sherry smiled reaching for Pat's hand. “Maybe we can check it out on our honeymoon.”
“What makes you think we'll be honeymooning in Seattle?”
“Washington is the closest state where gay marriage is legal. So it's only logical that our honeymoon will begin there.”
“It may begin there but it sure isn't going to end there.”
“Oh, do tell,” Sherry urged.
“Nope. Gotta have some secrets.”
“Brat.”
“Yep.”
#