Chapter 8

Pastor Sam Furman was smiling as he waited for church to start the following morning. He was sitting in a small pew watching everybody file into church and greet each other. Most of the men in the congregation were talking about last night’s scrimmage.

He knew the noise would quieten down in a few minutes as the service started.

Pastor Furman was in his third year at Petros. He knew nothing about football then and still did not understand everything, but was trying to learn.

His high school didn’t have a football team. Baseball was king in the small town of Gotebo where he was raised. The community college he attended was also too small to have a football team. Before moving to Petros, the pastor could not understand why two groups of boys enjoyed pounding into each other.

Pastor Furman always thought the boys could find something much better to do with their time than play football, until he got caught up in the excitement.

Since arriving in Petros, Pastor Furman had been to every game, both home and away. He and his wife, Sister Alice, arrived early and visited with everybody they could. It surprised him how many people came to his church after meeting him at a game. It was a little different, but football games were a great place to witness.

They were welcomed into the community with open arms and enjoyed their new home. As Pastor Furman looked around, he saw the three coaches sitting together, chatting with several members of the congregation.

Sister Alice hit the first key on the piano and everybody quieted down and made their way to their pew. The back door flew open and the choir entered the sanctuary, dressed in white robes with a green sash, singing and clapping as they made their way to their seats.

The youth stood and clapped, singing the parts of the song they knew.

Pastor Furman stood and clapped and sang, glad the congregation made enough noise to drain him out. The Good Lord had blessed him greatly in many areas, but having a beautiful singing voice was not one of them.

He loved the spirit that came over the church with the music playing and the people singing and clapping. Sister Alice had a beautiful voice, unlike her husband, talented enough she could have made a living from her music.

His message that morning was on the importance of keeping the faith. It was a subject he loved to preach about, one of the most important topics in the Bible as far as Pastor Furman was concerned. With faith, all things were possible. But for a person without faith, Pastor Furman believed that person would have a life truly empty of all the great things God has available.

At the end of the service, he issued an invitation. Pastor Furman had not planned to do this, but was glad he did as two high school students came forward and were saved.

Cole waited for the crowd to thin out and stood by the front door, waiting for the pastor and his wife to finish talking to the others. Cole hugged them both.

“That was a good service,” Cole told them.

“Thank you, Coach Cole,” Pastor Furman responded. They fell in walking beside each other as they headed down the hallway to the pastor’s study.

It had become a tradition. Cole, the pastor and Sister Alice would eat together after the Sunday morning service, usually at Mazzio’s, along with what seemed like half the town. It was a popular pizza place, usually with plenty of seating, except after church. On Sundays, there was usually a line stretching outside, waiting for one of the tables. Sometimes, they went to Western Sizzlin’ in Hodgen, if their stomach preferred some beef instead of pizza.

Pastor Furman was rather fond of the eight-ounce sirloin at the Sizzler and if there was one in Petros, that would be his choice every week.

Sister Alice’s mother was visiting so they were going to Fort Smith to supposedly see the sites, but Pastor Furman believed the trip was more than that.

“I expect they will eventually find their way to the mall,” he suggested.

Pastor Furman put his well-worn Bible on his desk and followed Cole out the door. The two men climbed in Cole’s old truck and headed out.

Lucky usually joined in, but was going to Andy’s house to ask him to come to the evening service.

Cole drove the short distance to Mazzio’s. Just like every Sunday, the parking lot was full. But from past experience, they knew the crowd thinned out fairly quickly. The other churches always got out earlier and were the first to arrive and leave.

Cole pulled his truck around back and they made their way inside. It was truly a pizza lover’s dream. Every Sunday, a buffet was set up with several different pizzas on the warmer. Best of all, it was all-you-could-throw, as Lucky said.

Cole noticed some of his players were really taking advantage of the buffet, filling up their plates with several slices of pizza. He knew they would regret eating so much when it came time to run at Monday’s practice.

A couple finished and left a table open. Pastor Furman was quick to claim it, leaving Cole standing in line. Cole finally got to order and paid for the meals.

He arrived at the table with a pair of salad bowls, plates and two glasses filled with ice. They each got a salad, a couple of pieces of pizza and some tea, the first of what Cole knew would be several glasses for the pastor. He was a man in love with his tea and could drink it all day.

Pastor Furman prayed over the meal and they tried to start eating. That was made difficult as practically everybody felt the need to come by and exchange a few pleasantries.

“Were you pleased with the game last night?” Pastor Furman asked, after they got a few seconds alone.

“We had some bright spots,” Cole answered. He knew not to get too deep with the football talk as the pastor really did not have a grasp on the sport.

The flow of traffic slowed and they could eat and have a conversation with a minimum of interruptions.

“I think we’ll be good,” Cole added.

“I’m pleased to hear that,” the pastor answered. “There was a nice crowd last night. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet many new people and invite them to visit our church.”

Cole nodded and finished off a slice of pepperoni. Aside from steak, pizza was his favorite food. He really never ate pizza until college. Then it was love at first bite and ever since he tried to make up for all the lost time.

He could eat pizza every day. The other coaches loved to go to Momma’s Diner or the Downtown Cafe and he went occasionally, but Cole favored Mazzio’s.

Pastor Furman looked around to make sure nobody was within hearing range.

“Any regrets?” he asked.

Cole was a guy, of course. So he had trouble opening up with anybody, like most of the male population. He had discussed his feelings about coaching with the pastor, the only person other than his assistants and Lucky who knew how close Cole came to quitting.

“Not really,” he responded. “I didn’t know if I still had it until we started practicing. Then all the players and the excitement kinda got my blood flowing. I just couldn’t quit when we were down.”

Pastor Furman nodded. He knew the pride of the man in front of him and how hard the last couple of years had been.

“I believe this will be a special year,” Pastor Furman mentioned.

“Is that a prophecy?” Cole asked, laughing.

“No, not really. I just believe that last year there were some young men with questionable attitudes and they’re no longer here.”

“We really have some good kids this year,” Cole added. There were a few who needed to straighten up a bit, especially Garrett Long, but it had been a long time since his team had such good kids on it. “That’s probably why I’m enjoying it right now, along with us having a perfect record.”

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This was the first time Lucky visited Andy’s house. It was hot again and Lucky was glad he went home and changed first. He also wished D.J. or Happy had joined him but Happy had some family deal and D.J. skipped church this morning, something that was becoming a routine for him.

Lucky was forming a friendship with Andy, spending a lot of time with him and his other friends. Lucky and Andy were going to the school to shoot some baskets. He also hoped to talk Andy into coming to church that evening.

He wore a pair of black shorts that almost reached his knees, a white tee-shirt with the sleeves cut out, along with a pair of old basketball shoes and white socks that barely reached the top of his shoes. He bounced the ball while walking down the road.

Lucky worked up a sweat walking to Andy’s. He hoped they could play ball for an hour or so before the heat got the best of them. Lucky wanted to find out how good Andy was at basketball, glad his team finally had some height.

That is, if Andy could play.

He walked up the steps to Andy’s house, a nice two-story house that had been remodeled prior to the new occupants moving in. Lucky rang the doorbell and quickly heard footsteps approaching the front door.

As the door opened, Lucky smiled and expected to greet Andy. But it was definitely not Andy at the door, there was no doubt about that. Standing in the doorway, looking back at him was a girl who appeared to be his age. She had long blonde hair put up in a ponytail. Her shirt was a gray Oklahoma State tee-shirt with Pistol Pete on the front, along with a pair of orange shorts and high-top basketball shoes.

She was almost as tall with an athletic build. The girl smiled at him and Lucky lost all ability to speak.

“Hello,” she said.

Lucky tried to return the greeting but failed. All he could do was stare at her, a vision of beauty Lucky had never seen before. Her blue eyes lured him in and he could not quit staring.

“Cat got your tongue?” she asked.

He tried to answer again, but still found it impossible. He just shook his head, feeling like the village idiot.

“Are you here for Andy?” she asked.

Lucky nodded.

“Want me to get him?”

Another nod.

“Are you able to speak?”

Lucky nodded again, indicating he could, but feeling like this was not a favorable first impression.

“You can come in,” she stated, stepped back and allowed Lucky to walk by. He smelled the light perfume, a fragrance that smelled better than any rose or perfume his nose ever come across. “Let me go get him.”

She started walking away toward the stairs near the doorway, then stopped and smiled back at him.

“I’ve enjoyed talking with you,” she added.

Lucky nodded, his face as red as any tomato. He tried to not stare but watched her walk up the stairs.

He felt like a complete fool. Lucky had no idea what came over him. He had talked to girls practically every day of his life and never experienced anything like this. As he waited for Andy, Lucky shifted back and forth, wondering if this was a good idea.

Lucky heard some footsteps upstairs and saw Andy come jogging out of a room, then bounded down the stairs. He also wore an OSU shirt, white instead of gray, along with black shorts and a pair of shoes that were the biggest Lucky had ever seen.

“Hey,” Andy shouted, stopped halfway down the stairs, jumped up on the rail and slid down the last half, hopping off just before encountering the knob at the end of the rail.

Andy noticed his shoes were not tied, bent over and tied them quickly.

“We got a game or just going to shoot?” Andy asked.

“I guess we’ll just shoot,” Lucky answered, glad his ability to speak had returned.

“Okay, mind if my sister comes?”

Lucky did not know about this. If this was the sister who just turned him into a bumbling idiot, Lucky wished she would stay at home so he did not go through the afternoon feeling like a complete goofball.

He looked up the stairs and saw her standing there, smiling down at him.

“Uh, sure,” Lucky responded, wondering if there had ever before been such a vision of beauty in Petros.

“He can talk!” she said while walking down the stairs.

“This is my sister,” Andy mentioned, pointing at her as if Lucky had not already figured that out. “She can have a smart mouth at times.”

“He’s just jealous,” she added. “I guess you must be Lucky. Andy’s told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you and find out you can talk. I’m Gabrielle, but most people call me Gabby.”

The three walked outside, stopping in the garage to grab a couple of basketballs. Lucky had left his in the front yard and retrieved it.

It was only two blocks to the school. The heat was blaring down on them so they kept to the sidewalk, taking advantage of the shade from the oak and maple trees as much as possible. Even with a little shade, it still felt like they were walking through a sauna. Shade from a pair of maples covered the basketball court, slightly cooling the concrete.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked, impressing Lucky that she could dribble and talk at the same time.

Lucky was still a little uptight but loosened up enough to carry on a conversation. He just hoped nothing stupid came out.

“All my life,” he answered.

“Must be nice,” Andy suggested. “We’ve moved a lot.”

“So it’s easy for us to meet people,” Gabby pointed out, still dribbling the ball and practicing a crossover. “We’ve had a lot of practice.”

Lucky nodded, watching her moves. She dribbled as good as most guys and appeared to have total control of the ball at all times.

“You play ball?” he asked.

“I try,” she answered.

“She’s a stud,” Andy remarked.

“Girls can’t be studs,” Gabby commented.

“What grade will you be in?” Lucky asked.

“She’s a year older,” Andy commented.

“And much wiser, of course,” she added. “But I’m a sophomore, just like you guys because with all our moving, I got set back a year.”

“Bad grades,” Andy pointed out.

“You wish,” Gabby stated, then acted like she was going to throw the ball at her brother. “All the different states had different rules and it caused me to start school late and be in the same grade as my dorky brother.”

Lucky was still a little sore from the practice game the night before, but knew he would loosen up. He did some stretches, trying to loosen the sore muscles while Andy and Gabby started shooting.

Lucky saw Andy was a lefty. He seemed a little awkward, but it was mostly because of his size. His shot had a nice touch to it and he handled the ball fairly well, just tended to dribble a little high.

That wasn’t the case with Gabby. She was smooth, nothing like most girls who played ball. Gabby appeared to glide through the air, no wasted movement. She was in total control of the ball. Her shot was also smooth, showing perfect fundamentals.

The swish after the end of the shot convinced Lucky she was better than the average player.

Lucky picked up his ball and attempted his first shot.

It hit nothing, especially the net. Lucky cringed as he watched the airball, convinced that would impress Andy and Gabby.

“Nice shot,” she commented.

“Thanks,” he answered. “Just getting loosened up.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“You guys don’t look like brother and sister,” he stated, tossing up a shot that clanged off the side of the rim.

She swished one from behind the free-throw line.

“There is the whole girl and guy thing, you know,” she reminded him.

“She’s the girl,” Andy commented.

“And he’s the guy,” Gabby added. “Although sometimes I have my doubts.”

“I’m working on my manly appearance,” Andy said. “I’ve been practicing spitting and grunting and making gross noises with my bodily functions. Still can’t beat her, though.”

“You wish,” Gabby argued, again acting like she was going to throw the ball at her brother. She looked at Lucky. “I’m in complete control of all bodily functions. My brother’s the one who embarrasses the whole family.”

Lucky retrieved his ball and went in for a layup, finally making a shot.

Andy started to find his range. Gabby had already found it, hitting shots from all over the court. Everything she shot seemed to go in.

Lucky missed another shot, quite badly.

“I’d heard you were good,” Gabby mentioned.

“He’s in a football mentality,” Andy pointed out. “He hasn’t switched over to his basketball one yet.”

“It didn’t take you long,” his sister countered, draining one from where the three-point line would be if the court had one.

“I’m very flexible,” Andy pointed out.

Lucky finally made a shot other than the layup, a jumper from the elbow. It hit the rim and bounced around, finally falling through. His whole body was tired and his muscles were not following directions.

“I thought you guys were going to win last night,” she stated. The first sweat had appeared on her forehead and her face was starting to get a little red.

“So did I,” Lucky agreed.

“It would have been different if I’d played more,” Andy suggested.

“I’m sure that would have made a big difference,” Gabby agreed, with a little skepticism. “The coaches probably didn’t want to destroy the confidence of the starters and that’s why they kept you on the bench.”

“You have to overlook her mouth,” Andy pointed out. “She doesn’t realize a woman’s place is in the kitchen, with her mouth shut.”

“I might have a smart mouth, but at least I have a smart brain, too,” she remarked. “I’ve always believed there is a certain amount of intelligence available for children in a family and I got the majority of it.”

“She thinks it’s a big deal just because she always makes ‘A’s’.”

Lucky was impressed. She was obviously a good athlete and also made her grades. He was always one of the smarter ones in his class but never applied himself to make straight 'A's.

He was finally starting to loosen up. His shot started finding its range, hitting nothing but net. It looked like a shot straight out of the textbook. Elbow in tight, right hand behind the ball with the left hand supporting. At the top of his jump, he paused for a brief second, shot the ball and watched it arc toward the goal. It again bypassed the rim and caused the net to swish.

As he retrieved the ball, Lucky watched Andy take off from just inside the foul line, take two dribbles and leap, soaring high above the ground and easily dunking the ball.

“She might make the ‘A’s’,” Andy commented, “but I’ve never seen her do that.”

Lucky was a little stunned, not expecting Andy to jump like that. Lucky had been able to dunk for a couple of years, but certainly not that easy.

They continued shooting and talking. The shade helped cool the court, but all three were drained and drenched within 30 minutes. They decided it was too hot and headed home since heat stroke was not something they wanted to experience.

Lucky was a little more used to the heat since he worked out in it all summer. He could have played a little longer but Andy and Gabby had all they could handle.

They slowly walked back to Andy and Gabby’s home, again staying in the shade as much as possible. After getting to their house, they sat down on the porch. It was in the shade and a ceiling fan was generating some air from above.

“Go get us something to drink,” Andy told Gabby.

“Go get your own,” Gabby countered. “I don’t see a cast on either of your legs and last time I checked you don’t sign my check.”

Andy shook his head.

“Girls,” he commented, as if that was enough said.

Gabby got up out of her chair and headed into the house. Lucky hoped she would bring them back something to drink.

“Don’t let her scare you off,” Andy mentioned.

“Is she always like that?” Lucky asked.

“Pretty much. Once she gets to know a person that tames her down a little bit. I guess we’ve moved around so much it’s some kind of defensive mechanism so people won’t mess with her.”

“You don’t seem to need one.”

“Naw, I’ve always been the biggest guy in my class. People usually don’t mess with me.”

“She seems okay,” Lucky commented.

“For a sister, I guess.”

Gabby reappeared, carrying a tray with three large glasses filled with ice and water. She handed one to each of them and sat down in a wooden rocker.

“Thanks,” Lucky said.

“You’re quite welcome,” she remarked. Gabby was putting the glass against her forehead, moving it from side-to-side.

“That’s a good girl,” Andy added, moving quickly to avoid the pillow his sister threw at him.

Lucky drank close to half the water in one drink, savoring the taste.

“I was wondering if you guys would go to church with me tonight,” he asked.

“I’m not a guy,” she remarked. “And sometimes I wonder about my brother.”

Andy fired the pillow back, missing high and to the right.

“I’ll go,” Andy agreed.

“There are a lot of people our age who’ll be there,” Lucky added.

“I’ll pass,” Gabby stated. “I’ve got some things to do.”

“Maybe next time then.”

“Maybe,” she answered.

Chapter 9