Chapter 12

Lucky was stretched out on his bed, reading his Bible. He had on a pair of gray shorts and a black tee-shirt with the sleeves cut off. The covers were thrown back but he hadn’t gotten inside yet. He tried to spend some time every night reading the Bible and it always seemed to make him feel better. Lucky also usually learned something new, even though he had read it several times.

His room was much like that of most other boys his age, only a little cleaner and without any posters of scantily clad women. Most of the decorations were pictures and posters of sports. There was a small bookshelf crammed with books, mostly about sports and history.

In the corner was a desk with a computer on top, one he purchased earlier in the summer with money earned from working. His television was turned to a NFL exhibition game between the Browns and his favorite pro team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Most of the other football fans in Petros favored the Dallas Cowboys but he always liked the Chiefs.

While he liked the Cardinals in baseball and the Chiefs in pro football, no team in the NBA stood out. He rarely even watched a pro game until the playoffs and then favoring the underdog was the norm.

In baseball, the Chicago Cubs were a close second. All his life, Lucky had watched the Cubs play on television and always wanted to see them play at Wrigley Field once before the field was torn down to make room for one of those modern stadiums.

It was a little frustrating being a fan of a team that seldom won more than it lost, but his allegiance never wavered. All his friends liked the Braves, mainly because they were on television almost every day and seemed to be in the playoffs every year. He’d stick with the Cards and the Cubbies.

His two favorite college teams were Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. He had posters of both teams on his wall. If he didn’t wear clothing with Petros on it, his attire usually featured something from Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.

Lucky even liked hockey, one of the few fans in Petros. The Detroit Red Wings were his favorites, a team he had watched since getting interested in the sport. Lucky had trouble getting into it during the regular season, but his interest grew once the playoffs started. He didn’t share his passion for hockey with others, knowing most Petros residents wouldn’t understand.

With the television muted, Lucky heard his father in the bedroom down the hall. Cole had started praying and would continue until he got things right with God. Lucky knew his father read the Bible at least an hour each day and probably spent almost as much time praying.

Cole didn’t ask for wins on the playing field, instead asked for guidance, grace, wisdom and help to be a better witness and to do His will, whatever it might be.

Lucky knew his father could quote most of the scriptures from the Bible. It was a gift Cole had, a memory as sharp as that of many preachers.

This was Cole’s nirvana. He knew no matter how good or bad the day was, it would end great. He finished off the day feeling a peace and calm that enriched him.

He was a deacon at his church and filled in when the pastor missed services over the years, delivering a message good enough many in the audience thought Cole went into the wrong profession.

It hadn’t always been that way for Cole, however. As a child, both his parents died when he was only four. His house caught on fire and Cole escaped by climbing out a window and jumping to a nearby tree. He climbed down the tree then stood in the yard, his feet wet from dew, watching the house burn and wondering why his parents weren’t outside with him.

His parents and sister perished in the fire. He didn’t remember many of the details, but that awful night still visited him in his sleep, imagining the screams of his parents and sister, asking him to help. Cole never remembered hearing screams and knew it was a trick of the devil.

He would wake from the nightmare, covered with sweat and shaking.

Cole moved in with his grandparents after the fire, moving back and forth between the two sets every time he wore out his welcome, which happened frequently after hitting his teens. He was in constant trouble as a youth, getting sent home from school most days when Cole bothered to go. Fighting was a favorite activity, mainly because he liked the challenge of taking on another person and finding out who was tougher.

He got whipped many times, but soon was tough and mean enough nobody in his school messed with him. Cole managed to slip through the cracks, climbing up the ladder until reaching senior high.

His life was headed down the wrong path. Cole would have gone on living that way, eventually getting into enough trouble to find a place to stay courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

But one day, the coach at his high school, Sal Justin, cornered him in the hallway and started talking to Cole, asking him to give sports a try. Cole wasn’t interested at first, but eventually gave it a shot, mainly to get the coach off his rear.

He turned out to be a good athlete, just as the coach expected. Cole was the best athlete in his class, although nobody knew it until he put on a football uniform.

Cole loved football from the start, enjoying the opportunity to hit somebody as hard as possible and not have the cops after him. It was even encouraged!

Coach Sal became the most important person in his life. He didn’t have to mess with Cole, none of the other teachers or coaches did. But he saw something in Cole, treating him the way he needed to be treated. Cole fought against it, but soon grew close to his coach, learning quickly that walking a straight line was the right way, at least when his coach was around or would find out about it.

He tested Coach Sal a few times, of course, and found out it was a mistake. The old man was sharp and it was impossible for Cole to pull anything over on him.

Coach Sal didn’t care what your name was or your background. He gave all the boys a chance, but if they did the crime, they did the time.

Cole got involved in sports as a sophomore. He wasn’t a model student or person, mainly getting by and staying out of trouble to keep Coach Sal off his back. All the while, Cole watched, listened and did what his coach told him to do.

He was good and his talents grew quickly. By the time he was a senior, Cole was good enough to lead Petros farther in the playoff than the school had ever been.

In basketball, Cole again led the Panthers into the playoffs and as the top pitcher in baseball, went undefeated and hit twenty homers, a school record at the time.

After graduating from high school, Cole started edging back toward his former ways. He had several offers to play ball but couldn’t picture himself as a college student. He had gotten by in high school, just putting out enough effort to pass. Cole was passing time during the summer after his senior year, working enough to have some spending money, but with no plans for the future and no cares.

When a friend asked him to go on a trip to Tahlequah to visit some friends going to school at Northeastern, Cole didn’t think anything about it. He was going to have fun, see the sights and that was it.

That was when he met her.

It was a small restaurant just off campus. They had gone there to eat after spending most of the day on the Illinois River, swimming, riding rafts and drinking enough beer to make sure Budweiser could pay a dividend to its stockholders that year.

They wanted to get some food before hitting the bars and adding more alcohol to a system already filled. Cole and three other guys had just sat down in a booth when he looked across the room and saw her. His eyes locked on her, simply the most beautiful thing Cole had ever seen.

Strangely enough, she looked back at him. Cole thought there had to be some mistake and tried looking away, but couldn’t. He was drawn to her, wanting to somehow get closer and maybe even talk with her. But for all of Cole’s talents, meeting girls weren’t one of them, at least girls who didn’t have a beer bottle in a hand.

He froze and sobered up completely. For once, he was speechless. His friends kept asking if something was wrong but Cole couldn’t say anything. He forced himself to look away, but his eyes returned to her and she looked back.

His friends finally figured out what was happening and asked if he wanted to meet her. One of the guys was in a class with her and knew her. Cole tried talking him out of it, fearing that talking to her would be more than he could handle.

Cole protested, begged and practically tried to hold his friend at the table, but the guy got up from the table, ignored the protests and walked across the room to where the girl and her friend were seated in a booth. Breathing became impossible as Cole watched his friend talk to the two girls and motion back toward his table. He asked if they would like to join them, loud enough for Cole to hear.

When she nodded, Cole felt like his head would explode. He wanted to go under the table and hide until the coast was clear. Cole saw the other girl wasn’t really crazy about joining them, but was talked into it.

It seemed to take forever for her to walk the short distance over to their table. Cole was as rigid as a statute, wondering what he should say and do. He still remembered how she looked, even to this day, like a picture imbedded in his brain.

She had long blonde hair put up in a ponytail. Her white tee-shirt had “Northeastern” written across the front. Her pants were a pair of cutoff blue jeans with the strands hanging down, along with tennis shoes and no socks.

The girl sat down across from him and Cole couldn’t keep from staring at her. He knew it was rude, but couldn’t quit. She said her name was Sharon Lee, a name Cole knew he would never forget. Her last name sounded familiar to Cole, but he couldn’t figure out why.

When they had ordered earlier, Cole was starving. But when the food arrived, his appetite had disappeared. One of Cole’s friends, the one who invited the girls over, hogged most of the conversation. Sharon talked little, a voice barely more than a whisper. After the meal was demolished, the others helped Cole clean his plate and they decided to do something together.

Cole’s friend suggested hitting the bars, which was the earlier plan. Sharon was not crazy about their idea.

“If that’s what you guys want to do, that’s is fine,” she had said. “We’re having a revival at church and that’s where I’m going. You’re more than welcome to join me if you like.”

She looked at Cole while saying that, wanting to see his reaction.

“Do you have to go to church?” her friend asked.

“No, I want to go,” Sharon answered.

Cole’s mood spiraled downward. He had only met her and wanted to spend time with her, not go to some bar and drink beer all night.

When it came time to leave, everybody started walking toward the door. Cole’s feet felt like he was moving in quicksand. As they made their way outside, all Cole thought about was how badly he didn’t want to be separated.

They split up, Sharon walking away by herself. With every step she took, the lump in his heart grew bigger. As Sharon got to her car, she suddenly stopped and turned around, looking back at him, a smile brightening her face as their eyes met.

“You want to go with me?” she asked.

He was nodding before she finished and started walking toward her, ignoring his friend’s protests.

For the rest of the night, Cole felt like he was walking on air. Sharon had to go home and change before they went to the church. He waited in her car, so nervous Cole was shivering despite the summer heat. When they pulled up in the parking lot of the church, Cole was caught completely off-guard. He had only been to church once or twice in his life and never seen a church like this.

It was huge, easily the biggest church he ever saw, a new building that seemed to cover an entire block with a parking lot full of cars and trucks.

At first, Cole was scared, wondering what he got himself into. The buzz from the afternoon was gone, but he knew the smell of beer was still on him. Cole was sure he didn’t belong here and wondered what the people would think if they knew of his past activities.

She sensed his discomfort and touched his hand.

“It’s okay,” she said.

And it was, after that.

He had never believed in love, especially love at first sight. But from that point on, Cole never doubted it existed. Cole Lester was hooked. When he found out Sharon was going to school at Northeastern, his feelings about college changed. But he had no idea how to pay for college. Nobody in his family had that kind of money and based on his behavior prior to coming to Tahlequah, Cole doubted anybody would help even if they could.

He spent several days with Sharon, seeing the sights during the day and going to church at night. Cole was convinced on what he wanted to do and after returning home, talked about it with Coach Sal.

Cole told his old coach what happened during his trip and that he wanted to go to Northeastern, but didn’t know how. Coach Sal was thrilled Cole wanted to continue his education, but advised him not to go to school just because of some girl.

After they talked for quite a while, Coach Sal came up with a possible solution for Cole to attend Northeastern. He remembered the coach at Northeastern had offered a football scholarship, but Cole turned it down.

Coach Sal was convinced the scholarship was taken, and wasn’t even sure if Cole wanted to play football. The coach at Northeastern was a friend, and Coach Sal offered to call the coach if Cole wanted to play.

Cole thought that was a great idea. He would do anything to go to Northeastern and spend time with Sharon, even if it meant going to school. Heck, he did like football and wouldn’t mind thumping a few guys again.

It took several days for Coach Sal to get back with Cole, who was on pins and needles the whole time waiting to hear. They met at the gym, Cole out of breath from running all the way to the gym.

“You got lucky,” Coach Sal stated. “One of their guys decided to go somewhere else and there’s a scholarship available.”

He said the coach wanted to meet Cole, but that Northeastern’s coach was also talking with another player about the remaining scholarship and it would probably come down to who wanted it the most. Coach Sal had scheduled a meeting the following day.

Cole was so nervous he barely slept that night. Coach Sal drove him to Tahlequah, the two-hour trip seeming to take forever. When they arrived, they found out the coach wasn’t at his office, but wanted to meet at his house.

It was a nice house in a better section of town. Something about the house seemed familiar, but Cole could not place it. After parking in the driveway, they got out of the car and walked to the front door. Cole had a strange feeling, wondering what caused it. As they stood on the porch, Coach Sal pushed the doorbell and Cole waited nervously, shifting back and forth on his feet.

When the door opened, he about gagged.

Standing in front of him, smiling back was Sharon. Cole couldn’t figure out why Sharon was at the Northeastern coach’s house, deciding she must be babysitting or cleaning it. Suddenly, it hit him. He figured out why her last name was familiar, along with the house. He had been here that one time when they stopped for her to change before going to church and Cole was too nervous to pay attention to the surroundings. The Lee name she shared also happened to be the last name for the Northeastern coach.

During a time filled with many surprises, this one took top honors.

In the time they spent together, Cole never met either of her parents.

Coach Sal introduced the two.

“We’ve met,” she responded, still smiling at Cole.

Coach Sal figured out how they had met and looked like a tennis ball was lodged in his throat. He knew then the girl Cole had fallen for was the coach’s daughter. Coach Sal doubted it was a good idea for Cole to be playing football for the coach and dating his daughter.

Coach Lee entered the room, easily the roughest-looking man Cole had ever seen. Cole wasn’t easily shaken and not the type to back down from a fight, but decided this was one man he never wanted to tangle with.

The Northeastern coach stood in the doorway, a huge hulk of a man, standing well over six-foot tall, his body one big muscle despite his age. He was the type of person who had gone through some rough times and thrived. Cole didn’t know many military types, but this man looked more like a lifetime Marine instead of a football coach. His face bore the scars of acne, his gray hair cut close to his scalp. He wore a white shirt that appeared to be tailored to his chiseled frame. A pair of green shorts stretched nearly to his knees, capped off by a pair of black socks that nearly made Cole laugh, so out of character with the man.

The coach stood there for some time, sizing up Cole, frowning at what he saw.

“You ain’t as big as I expected,” the coach bellowed, his use of grammar surprising Cole. This man was obviously no English teacher. “You sure you can play with my boys?”

The question stunned Cole. He had never seen a college game, didn’t know it would be different than a high-school game. Cole just knew he had never played anybody that couldn’t be brought down.

“Give me a chance,” Cole pleaded. “You won’t regret it.”

Coach Lee stood with his thick, hairy arms crossed, staring a hole through Cole. He rubbed his mouth, wiping away a little tobacco juice that had escaped to his chin.

“I’ll give you a chance, boy,” the coach finally stated. “But you best show up in the best shape of your life. If you make me regret this, I will kick your rear all the way back down to Petros.”

Cole moved to Tahlequah a couple of days later. He got a job with a construction company and worked all day, worked out for a few hours in the evening and then tried spending some time with Sharon.

They grew closer as time went by, both worried what her father would do when he found out about their budding relationship.

Practice started a month later. Cole had met a few of the other players but was stunned at how big the other guys were. He was one of the smallest players on the team, not that it bothered him. He just hit whoever and whatever came by him, quickly earning a reputation as one of the hardest hitters on the team.

Coach Lee played Cole at defensive back for most of the season, then moved him to quarterback toward the end of the year because of injuries. His only playing time that year was with the special teams. His teammates couldn’t believe the lack of fear on their teammate who stood maybe five-foot-nine, weighed less than one hundred sixty pounds, but acted like he was ten-foot tall and bullet proof.

But it was tearing up Cole and Sharon, keeping everything a secret from her family and sneaking around like they were doing something wrong. Cole finally had to tell Coach Lee he was seeing his daughter.

He found Coach Lee in his office, sitting at the desk with his feet up on the desk. A big chaw of tobacco in his left cheek and a spit cup in his left hand, nearly filled up. The bill of his hat was pulled low, making it hard to see those steely eyes.

He let loose a big wad of spit, never letting his gaze drop from Cole.

“I was a wondering when you’d tell me,” he responded. “I figure my little girl must see something in you that I don’t, son. But let me tell you something and you best not never forget it for one second…you ever mistreat my girl and you’ll be a dealing with me. I know you think you’re a tough guy, but I’d be your worst nightmare.”

Cole nodded, not wanting to have to deal with Coach Lee. He couldn’t even imagine treating Sharon bad, she was too good for him.

He had never been that good of a student and struggled with his college classes. Sharon helped him every night and slowly his grades started improving. She found out Cole was sharper than anybody knew, he just never had worked at school, always believing it was a waste of time.

Coach Lee was big on the grades and going to class so Cole knew that had to improve. Because of Sharon, it did.

During off-season and the summer, Cole hit the weights like a madman, mixing in agility drills to get quicker. Nobody else wanted to work out with him, knowing Cole was impossible to keep up with.

He was happy to get playing time, but didn’t want to just get on the field for special teams. Cole wanted to start somewhere and didn’t care what position.

For his sophomore year, Cole started out at defensive back, but was again shifted back to quarterback because the other quarterbacks had a tough time moving the offense.

He was playing behind all-state players, but it didn’t bother Cole. He started to gain ground on them, avoiding the other quarterbacks’ mistakes. He didn’t have a rocket for an arm like the other guys and his passes fluttered, but the coaches discovered the offense played better when Cole was taking the snaps.

It wasn’t because he was the best player, everybody knew that wasn’t the case. But Cole had that special something only a select few players possessed.

In the first game of the season, Cole was on the sideline, hating every moment of it. But with his team trailing in the second half and the offense faltering, Coach Lee sent him in.

Cole promptly led his team down the field, getting his team in the end zone on a short pass to the tight end. Northeastern eventually came from behind to win the game and never stopped, going undefeated for the first time.

Northeastern won two playoff games and made it to the national championship game, playing a school which had won the last two national championships and was favored to slaughter the Redmen.

But the game didn’t go as planned. Cole and his teammates dominated the first half, actually leading by ten points late in the second quarter. With less than a minute left before halftime, Cole rolled out to his right, with the option of throwing or running. It was a play he and his team had run hundreds of times.

When he planted his right foot to cut upfield, his body went one way and his leg the other. Nobody had touched him.

It was the worst knee injury the team doctor had ever seen, the ligaments torn beyond repair. The doctor only hoped Cole would eventually walk without the aid of a crutch. Playing again was out of the question.

Northeastern wound up losing the game, falling apart in the second half without Cole.

He was in the hospital over two weeks, getting visits every day from Sharon, usually followed shortly by Coach Lee, who never missed a day. The day his coach cried after finding out Cole couldn’t play anymore was one that shattered his perception of the old man.

Cole hated the thought of not playing anymore and would have headed home if it wasn’t for Sharon and Coach Lee.

He was lost, having no idea what to do when Coach Lee said a few words that changed his life.

“I’d like you to stay with the program,” Coach Lee requested, sitting down in the only chair in the hospital room. He had his spit cup with him, along with his chaw of tobacco. “You’re probably the best leader I’ve ever coached and I think you’d be a heckuva coach if that’s what you’d like to do.”

Cole thought about it for the rest of his stay in the hospital. He had learned to love football in the last two years, never realizing how badly he would miss it.

Coach Lee kept him on scholarship for the next two years. Cole spent most of the time with the coaches, especially the head coach.

By his senior year, the other coaches asked him for input, realizing Cole saw things other coaches missed. He was a natural. Coach Lee was the first to realize this, but the other coaches were in agreement.

Cole continued seeing Sharon as much as possible. By the end of his sophomore year, Cole weaned himself off her for help with his grades, determined to make it on his own.

He made straight “A’s” the final two years of college. Aside from getting his diploma, the biggest moment in his college years came while he was still a sophomore, recovering from his knee injury.

Cole had become a regular at church, at first because it was a chance to be with Sharon. After a while, though, he spent time with her elsewhere, but kept going to church.

He started reading the Bible every night. It was a gift from Sharon shortly after they met. Cole started out reading for a few minutes, then added more time, discovering that reading before going to bed gave him a sense of peace.

Two weeks after he finished reading the Bible for the first time, there was a revival at his church. The evangelist was a preacher from Louisiana with enough energy to light up a room without needing any help from the electric company.

Everything the evangelist said that evening hit home. Cole had felt bad about some of the things he did over the years. He believed what was in the Bible, but didn’t feel like his relationship with God was what it should be.

He read the Bible and attended church every time the doors were open. Cole had also started praying, but something wasn’t right. He had seen many altar calls during the past couple of years, but never felt the urge to go forward.

But that night, Cole knew it was time to visit the altar.

As soon as he was saved, Cole felt like a new person, knowing his sins were taken away. There was such a peace from knowing Heaven was his final destination and he vowed to never return to the darkness.

Chapter 13