Below these words are words on a blogpost. Agreement fulfilled. Touche.
"Time out!" Aidan needed a minute. This was the most important moment of his life. If they could pull the upset, Aidan's team would be the first from this school to win state since his father manned the helm some 25 years before.
"I know you're helping me pops!" Aidan whispered to the sky as he ran over to the sideline to tell coach his idea. The sold out stadium was shaking with the roar of the crowd. About 90% rooting for Aidan and his team.
Aidan's opposing team had won state 4 of the last 5 years and looked to add another one tonight. Their fans were fewer in number. It was old hat to them.
Coach smiled to relax the kid. Since Aidan had taken over at QB, the team had won 6 straight and got themselves into this title match. Coach already knew he was going to go with whatever idea Aidan had. The kid had a head for this stuff. He could be a hell of a coach some day, thought the coach.
"Hey Coach," Aidan began, "I have an ideeeeeAAAHH!!!
At about 7 feet from the sideline, Aidan slipped through the earth. To the onlooking crowd, he seemed to just vanish. From Aidan's perspective, he was falling and spinning. It was complete darkness. He didn't know where he was or which way was up.
After what seemed like about a minute, the spinning slowed and the darkness was giving in to a faint light. A moment later, he was standing before his dad.
"Dad?" Aidan ventured, not daring to hope it was true. He had been without his father for 6 years. He always said he had a million questions for his dad if he ever saw him again. Now, here he was. Casually sitting on a grassy embankment. Blue jeans. Plain black T-shirt. Slicked back blonde hair. The place seemed familiar to Aidan, but he couldn't figure it out.
"It's me, son." Dad's eyes were a little watery.
"What is this?" was all Aidan could manage. The million questions gone.
"I don't have a lot of time kid. But here's the deal. You've got this thing. Go with your gut and you'll succeed. I guarantee it. I've seen it."
"Really? We're going to win the game?"
"Game? What game? Oh you mean the football game? How the fuck should I know? Seriously kid. Your dead dad comes from the grave to visit you and you're thinking about a sporting contest of some sort?"
"Sorry, I just. It's just that it's happening right now, so it's kind of, you know ..."
"Yeah I understand kid. Listen. You're a good kid ..."
At that, Aidan instinctively turned to see if anyone was behind him.
"Son. Stop fooling around and listen. Some hard news is coming. I need you to be strong for your sisters."
"Sisters? What about Mom? Oh."
Aidan knew when he saw his father's head bowed. The spasms of his big shoulders. His dead dad was crying. Weeping actually. It was sooo embarrassing.
"Dad? Why would you cry? Doesn't this mean you and mom will finally be together?"
Aidan's father nodded and regained his composure. Wiping tears from his eyes, he looked at his son who had become a man and said, "That's the problem, son. If you know what I mean. Wink wink nudge nudge!"
"What is this place?" Aidan asked his dad.
"I think you can figure that out. Look around you."
Aidan scanned the horizon. He was at the bottom of a tiny valley. Dad was sitting at the edge of a steep hill.
"Nope. No idea pops."
"You're in the same place you've been all night, Aidan. This is how the field looked when I was a boy."
"Weird," said Aidan.
"Ok son. I gotta go. Why don't you go win that championship now!"
"Sure thing pops!"
"And son?"
"Yeah?"
"You won't forget about the taking care of your sisters, right?"
Now Aidan was getting a little impatient. He didn't want to cool down before the biggest play of his career. He exhaled, "No dad. Mom's gonna die and you need me to be strong. Blah, blah, blah."
"Fair enough. One last thing son. Don't be a dick."
Aidan's father faded from view. Aidan found himself standing in front of coach who was yelling at him to get out there and finish this thing. The crowd noise was deafening. There was suddenly a sharp pain on the left side of Aidan's neck. It felt like he was cramping up. Not now, Aidan thought. Just one last play. But it was happening again. It always did. Always before the last play. Aidan reached up to try to massage the kink from his neck and in so doing, woke himself up.
The crowd noise became the white noise blasting from the television, long off the air. The pain in his neck was from falling asleep sitting up with his head against his shoulder. There was a half drank bottle of beer resting on Aidan's enormous gut. Aidan looked at his watch. "Shit. 5:30. I can't be late for work again. Fuckin' Mike. Like it matters at all if I'm a few minutes late."
But it did matter. Those Eggs are aren't going to McMuffin themselves, Mike always said.
Aidan grabbed his dirty McDonald's "Jersey" from the spot on the floor he'd thrown it last night.
"Another day in paradise," Thought Aidan, age 47 as he lit a smoke and raced his way through the sleepy neighborhoods in his piece of shit 87 Buick.
"Look at this Fuckin guy," Aidan remarked to himself, pointing with his cigarette, as he gunned the Buick and changed course toward the bike commuter "in his way."
To be continued. Not really. I was just goofing around with ideas. God, I'm lazy. Goodnight.
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