Robofootball: Doublespin

Though it was an even date on the calendar, it was an odd day, December 30, 2020, 3 days after their hard fought victory over New York, the eve of New Year’s Eve. It was odd given that a huge snow storm had been predicted for all of southern Michigan; however, the temperature rose in the high 30’s, and all the precipitation came down in the form of rain, particularly in the Detroit area. Jess could see it pounding away on the glass of his bedroom window. The rain reminded him of Carly; hell, everything did of late except maybe football, but the rain just made it more so.

“You ready kid?”

“I don’t know Antwan, it’s been like 2 years, what do I say?” Jess was looking about as perplexed as the time he woke up from his coma in the field.

“Just speak from in here,” Antwan patted his chest with his big human left hand, “It’ll come to you, jus’ don’ mention football or what you’re doin’ now.”

“Right.”

“Here, use my cell, I’ll be jus’ down the hall in my room if you need me.”

“I don’t know if it’s the same number.”

“Only one way to find out, now get to it.” Antwan left Jess’s bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Jess stared at the phone, the moment of truth. He started to punch in a number, then stopped. How to start? What to say? Gee Carly I really didn’t die. Antwan had told him about the obituary notice and how somewhere down the line, Reynolds had acquired guardianship of his body and then used it for science. Jess wondered what his dad had to do with it and wasn’t exactly eager to contact him, but maybe in due time, after the game perhaps. He couldn’t think of what his future might be until after the game. There was no longer any human football, he knew that. For now, he had an overwhelming urge or need to speak to Carly. He took a deep breath and punched in the complete number, one slow press at a time with his right forefinger. It rang, then a second time, and then the third was cut off midway when a girl’s voice came on the line.

“Hello?”

“Uh, uh, Carly?”

“Who is this?”

“I’m looking for Gnarly Carly?” He said with an offhand grin, may as well go all in.

“Ooo, you know I hate that, wait, who is this?” She hadn’t been called Gnarly Carly since that bimbo cheerleader Amanda Simpson couldn’t help herself, the one who always flirted outrageously with Jess.

“You might not believe it, but it’s me, Jess.”

He was greeted with some agonizing seconds of dead silence, “Is this some sort of sick joke?” And then click, she hung up.

Jess stared at the phone a few seconds and hit redial, it rang 6 times and then went to automated Voicemail. He pressed the end button and promptly pushed redial. She answered on the 4th ring.

“Who is this?” She demanded.

“It’s Jess, please don’t hang up, I was in a coma for a long time.”

“Jess is dead, there was an obituary.”

“That was a mix-up, it wasn’t true.”

“Okay fine, what’s my favorite color?”

“Yellow.”

“When’s my birthday?”

“July 15th, the day after mine.”

“What color are my eyes?”

“Green, a really nice green,” Jess couldn’t think of a better adjective during his spitfire grilling.

“What’s my bra size?”

“34, D-Cup.”

“Where did we usually hang out?” She stopped a sec, the last answer really threw her off for she and maybe only her mother knew that one aside from the sales clerk at Victoria Secret back in Mt. Pleasant.

“Blue Gill Lake in Harrison, BC Pizza in Grayling, Buccilli’s in Harrison, the Clare County Fair, ….” Jess rattled off before he was interrupted.

“Stop,” Carly was confused with some heavy mixed emotions coursing through her veins like morphine. The voice sounded right, maybe a little deeper, but the testing was not over, “What’s my favorite song?”

“I made a CD for you once, we used to play it in my pickup, I can name every song on it, but I think you liked “It’s Raining” by the Detroit Cobras best. You know I was going to add “Stacy’s Mom” to the mix, you liked that one too, but I didn’t think it would fit with the theme I had going.”

There was a long painful excruciating pause when a much subdued voice said, “Jess? Is it really you? How is it possible? You’re supposed to be dead, gone.”

“Yes Carly it’s me,” he said in a husky voice, “It’s raining here.”

“It’s raining here too, where are you?”

“Detroit.”

“You’re, you’re better now?”

“Yeah, almost.”

“What happened? One day you were in Ann Arbor, the next you were gone.”

“They sent me to a sort of specialist you could say,” Jess was thinking of the warning from Antwan, keep it all hush hush about football, Reynolds, Hobs, and on and on.

“And you’re all better now?”

“Yeah, well almost, maybe a couple of weeks or so, where are you?”

“Back home, it’s Christmas break, between semesters.”

“You got to Michigan?”

“Yes, halfway through my sophomore year.”

“Do you, do you…”

“Do I what?”

“Have a boyfriend?”

“No, I used to.”

“At college?”

“No silly, it was you and only you, there’s been no one else. Are you for real Jess, truly?” She felt that it was too good to be true and that the logical part of her mind said that people did not come back from the dead, but her emotions were screaming and drowning all that out. She sat down on her bed a nervous wreck, wiggling her foot and pulling her hair.

“Sure, ask me some more stuff. You keep your diary in your underwear drawer, at least you used to, buried in the back corner, under your favorite Victoria secret stuff!”

“Jess! You’re not supposed to know that!”

“Well, I never read it, maybe one page.”

“You bastard!” She was laughing and nearly crying at the same time.

“Yeah, you know you said you liked me best, when I was well, kind of tired.”

If there were any lingering doubts, they were gone now, “When can I see you?”

Jess paused, he would have left at this very moment if he’d had transportation, “I’m still kind of recovering, maybe in about 2 weeks.”

“I’ll be back in school, new semester, new classes, why can’t I come now?”

“Um, well, I’ve got some testing, physical therapy, and that kind of stuff. I’m at a private research place where they don’t allow regular visitors. I’m getting better and I have….,” he wanted to say practice and a game against Texas.

“Do you have a phone?”

“No, I’m using someone else’s.”

“Have you spoken to your dad or Uncle Larry?”

“No, I called you first.”

“Good choice! Are you going to call them?”

“I, I don’t know, I’m not sure what my dad is up to.”

“Last I heard he was still in Harrison, still had his job I think, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had any contact with him. I can’t believe they ran an obituary on you, something doesn’t sound right.”

“I think my dad gave me up, signed off for research or something.”

“That still doesn’t explain or justify a death notice.”

“Carly, do me one favor.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t look in to it too far, let me deal with it when I get back on my feet. I’ll talk to my dad soon. I think in a way, he did me a favor.”

“Okay Jess, but god I want to see you, hold you, kiss you, do you remember?”

“I remember everything now, everything just came back to me a few days ago. I had some problems with amnesia once I woke up, but things are clear now.”

“Where did you go? It’s like I said, you were in Ann Arbor one day, then gone, just gone. Your dad wouldn’t say a word until that obituary notice.”

“I’ve been in a research facility in Detroit, special doctors and stuff.”

“Who or where?”

“I can’t say right now, but will try to explain later.”

“Who’s phone do you have? The number came up unlisted on mine.”

“My friend Antwan,” Oops Jess thought, he wasn’t supposed to give out names.

“Who’s Antwan?”

“He was a soldier in Afghanistan, lost both of his legs and an arm, he’s been in rehab too, you know, lots of physical therapy and stuff. I’ll have you meet him soon, he’s funny!” Jess breathed a short sigh of relief. That was some good improvising like scrambling on the field, but true too.

“Can’t you give me a number or an address?”

Jess paused, she was relentless, he’d give her that, “Not now, this place is very private, it’s not like a hospital, they don’t allow visitors, just give me a little more time, and I promise I’ll get it all worked out, okay?”

There was a long pause, “Okay Jess, can you call me again? Soon?”

“Yes, of course, and, and….”

“And what?”

“I love you Carly, you’re all I think about,” Jess exaggerated slightly, but in a good way.

Another even longer pause, “I love you too Jess, always have, always will, but are you sure you’re all right? Everything is okay? Did you suffer any other injuries? How’s your head?”

“Dang, slow down, my body is fine, everything works if you know what I mean! It’s just taken a long time for my brain to heal. There’s a couple of scars on my head where they did a little surgery, but my hair covers them now. I just need maybe 2 more weeks, and I might be able to get out of here. I got to go now.”

“Okay Jess, can you call me tomorrow?”

“New Year’s Eve?”

“Yeah, we don’t do much, sit around the house and play a few games, my parents have a few friends over, eat frozen food snacks, watch the big Waterford crystal ball drop in Times Square on TV, can you call me, say a few minutes after midnight, wish me a Happy New Year?”

“I think so.”

“Okay then, bye Jess, oh wait, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Call me Gnarly Carly again and I’ll break your fingers, one at a time.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.” Click. Jess sat on the bed his heart pumping like he had just run sprints at full speed. A big surge of relief washed over him as he caught his breath. Carly, his best girl, was doing well, and no boyfriend! He smiled at his good luck and was about to slide off the bed and return the phone to Antwan when there was a light rapping on his door.

“Kid? You all right?”

“Come on in Antwan.”

“Well?”

“She’s in college, no boyfriend!”

Antwan gave him a left-handed high five, “That’s aw right man, she still yo girl?”

“Yeah, I think so. Hey, can I borrow your phone tomorrow night? Just after midnight?”

“Yeah sure, I talk to Reynolds soon, maybe he can get you your own. I don’ know, maybe after the game, can’t do much ’til after that, got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Waddya tell her?”

“Just that I’m in Detroit recovery from the coma, might be a couple of weeks yet before she can visit.”

“Yeah, it be tough, but it be over soon, jus’ hang in there.”

“Thanks Antwan.”

“No problem kid, jus’ be cool, won’t be long, we got some Texas ass to kick first!”

“Yeah.” Jess would speak to Carly for 2 hours into the New Year and every day afterward leading up to the Cosmic Bowl scheduled for January 10, 2021.

“A coward turns away, but a brave man’s choice is danger.”

Euripides, Iphigenia in Taurus, I. 114 (412 B.C.)