Chapter 34

The legend of Tatum Sloan began as a sophomore. He moved to Petros the year before, a small, skinny boy with some talent, but more determination than anything else.

After ending the ninth grade, Cole saw little of Tatum in the summer prior to his sophomore year in the off-season workouts, but did not think much of it as nobody expected him to contribute much.

But when Tatum reported for football, the coaches had a hard time believing this was the same person.

Over the summer, he grew almost five inches and added 25 pounds of muscle thanks to a daily regiment of weight lifting and running. Tatum had spent most of the summer working at his grandparent’s farm. When he wasn’t working, there was little else to do so Tatum lifted weights, ran and got bigger.

Cole was amazed when he saw Tatum on the practice field for the first time. Still only a sophomore, Tatum looked like a man playing with boys.

During the three years Tatum played for Petros, Cole was a much better coach. The Panthers lost only six games during those three years. Three of the losses were in the playoffs while the other three came against Hodgen.

He was selected second-team All-State in football as a senior and came closer to delivering the Panthers a state championship than anybody else. He was also a standout in basketball and baseball, but it was with the pigskin that Tatum truly excelled.

Tatum was not offered a scholarship to any of the big schools, a slight Cole never understood. So Tatum went to a smaller school, started as a sophomore and was the best player on his team as a junior.

While in high school, Tatum had pretty much lived with the coaches, watching more film and asking more questions than any other player ever had. He decided coaching was his future early and dedicated his life to learning all there was about the sport.

After graduating from college, Cole offered a job but Tatum wanted to work at some other schools to get exposed to what other coaches and schools had to offer. He had all kinds of offers, finally going with a big school just outside Tulsa.

He seldom stayed at a school longer than two years, always serving with the best coaches and programs in the state, adding all this to his knowledge. Tatum finally decided it was time to go out on his own and took over a Class A school with no tradition, one that seldom won and was not blessed with great athletes.

Tatum could have had other jobs, but knew this would test him and prepare him as he climbed the ladder.

His first team went .500, the best record for the school in over 20 years. With most of the team returning, Tatum had the boys in the weight room constantly, working out with them and pushing them to the extremes.

His team surprised everybody the next year, going undefeated during the regular season and averaging almost fifty points a game. Still unranked, his team pulled off two big upsets in the playoffs to move into the state finals against the top-ranked team in the state.

With Cole, his assistants and Lucky looking on, they watched as Tatum guided his team to a 31-3 rout to win the state championship.

It was a win that provided Tatum the opportunity to have any coaching spot open that year. He moved up to a Class 2A school for two seasons, then for some reason Cole never understood, Tatum chose Cedar Lake, a school that was always decent, but could never turn the corner.

It was a school with no tradition, one of those schools in the middle-of-the-pack every year, seldom getting a playoff spot and never advancing past the first round.

But Tatum studied the program, saw there were some players coming up and thought this was a sleeping giant, something nobody else saw. He knew the only thing Big Cedar needed was leadership.

Some wondered if Tatum went to Big Cedar just to see if he could beat Cole and his alma mater, something that had crossed Cole’s thoughts.

In his first year, Tatum and the Mustangs were 6-1 overall, 3-1 in district play, the only loss coming against Summerfield.

Big Cedar surprised everybody by pulling off an upset over Forrester last week, somehow holding the Grizzlies in check and winning, 22-6.

Cole had started watching film of the Mustangs and was impressed. He had never seen any team improve so much in one year, and Cole knew most of that team would be back the next season.

Big Cedar ran an offense similar to Petros, mixing in a few wrinkles Tatum had picked up over the years. The biggest difference was he liked to throw the ball more than Cole did.

On defense, the Mustangs went with a 4-3, dedicated to stopping the run and utilizing a blitz on most plays. Everybody expected the Mustangs to get blown out by Summerfield two weeks earlier. Big Cedar only lost 21-6 and the game was much closer as Summerfield scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, the final coming on the last play of the game.

Cole looked forward to this game while dreading it at the same time. He knew this was going to be a very tough game and it would be difficult to look across the field and try to beat one of his favorites.

As he went through the film, Cole saw nobody had been able to run against the Mustangs’ defense, not even Forrester. The only way opponents had any success was by throwing the ball and the quarterbacks took a terrible beating.

Cole was aware Tatum knew pretty much everything about the Petros system, as few things had changed since he played here. Cole also knew there were a few wrinkles Tatum and the Mustangs would not expect.

He had picked up some things Tatum had never seen his former coach do and there would be a lot of changes prior to this game. In a situation like this, it was time to break out the notebook, something nobody other than his sons had ever seen.

The notebook was not anything fancy, just a book filled with almost all the things he had seen over the years, all the trick plays, different formations and ideas Cole came across. These were put back to be used at a later date, and Cole decided it was later.

He made it most of the way through the notebook before finding something that caught his interest.

----------------

The movie wasn’t all that great. It was a comedy that wasn’t funny, to either Lucky or Toni. At the end, it tried to be touching to make up for all the mistakes, but failed badly.

It was a night he had looked forward to, and the movie would not ruin it for him. He knew the only way the night could turn out better was if the movie had not stunk.

Lucky was glad he could not be blamed for the lame movie, as it was her suggestion.

He was nervous all day, since this was his first real date. The night he and Gabby spent together wasn’t really a date, more like friends getting together. But this was a date. Lucky had been so nervous and jittery he could not even enjoy watching any football games.

After practice that morning, he came home and tried watching football, but found his nerves would not settle down. Finally, Lucky gave up and went outside to shoot baskets, knowing that would help. Lloyd heard the pounding of the ball and the clanking of the rim and came out to spend some time with his brother.

Eventually it turned into a game of 1-on-1 between the brothers. Naturally, it started off slow and easy, eventually getting more intense between a pair who simply did not like to lose, even to their brother.

The game was tight, a war that went back and forth. Lucky eventually pulled it out, wearing out Lloyd and scoring the final six points to put the game away. It was one of the few times he beat his brother, a fact that did not brighten Lloyd’s day.

“You better enjoy this one,” stated Lloyd, who was bent over, trying to get his breath. He smiled at his younger brother, but did not enjoy the defeat.

“I will,” answered Lucky, as he and his brother walked over to the porch to sit down. He did enjoy the win, more than Lloyd would ever know.

It was a beautiful fall evening with just a touch of chill in the air so he and Toni decided to walk. Everything was so crisp and clear, it seemed like the stars and moon were right on top of them.

Lucky was glad he did not have to go through the parent ordeal as her father was at the store and Toni’s mother was shopping.

They talked it over and decided to walk to the movie, even though she had her license. Toni lived on the far side of town, but was still closer to the theater. They walked down the streets since Petros had never built sidewalks on some of the streets. Some of the neighborhoods had sidewalks, built by the property owners, but many were in disrepair.

The streets were not better as there were some potholes big enough if somebody fell in, a call to 911 would be needed.

Lucky was wearing his best shirt, a white golf shirt with some funny emblem that made no sense to him on the chest. He wore his newest pair of jeans, one that actually did not have any holes, along with a pair of hiking boots that was comfortable and the best shoes in his narrow selection of footwear.

His hair was getting a little ragged and needed cut. He had not gotten a haircut since school started and regretted that now. He borrowed some of Lloyd’s cologne since Lucky had never seen the need to get any.

She wore a long-sleeve blouse that was light blue, a pair of white jeans and brown shoes. She had gotten away from the ponytail tonight, going with her hair free. Toni had obviously put some time into the date also, even putting on makeup and perfume.

Lucky was almost speechless when he first saw her, wondering why somebody that attractive bothered with somebody like him.

They had plenty of time before the movie started so they walked slowly, looking at the houses. Like many small towns, there really weren’t good or bad neighborhoods in Petros. There would be a nice home, surrounded by several houses that should have been torn down long ago.

Toni’s house was a big two-story home on a corner lot with a huge porch on the front and a privacy fence surrounding the back yard.

He knew shortcuts all over town, thanks to a life of experimenting with Happy and D.J., but they followed the road, not wanting to risk getting dirty.

“You look really nice,” Lucky mentioned, as they turned off Alexander Street and on to Main Street.

She looked like nobody had ever said something like that to her before.

“Thank you,” she answered, her face turning a dark shade of red and smiling shyly. “I just wish it was true.”

“It’s true,” he insisted. “I’ve never seen you look so good.”

She smiled in return and Lucky realized that maybe Toni did not feel like she was quite as pretty as he felt she was.

There was a short line at the old theater, a building that had been around even before his father was born. Cole never told Lucky, but he was quite the juvenile delinquent around this part of town as a youth, sneaking into movies, taking money from the other kids and doing things he would like to forget.

He once threw a pickle at the screen and hit it so hard it put a hole in the fabric. Cole thought this was pretty funny until the owner banned him.

This was no multiplex, even a two-plex theater. At the old Liberty Theater, there was only one movie showing. Take it or leave it. Most people did leave it, preferring to go to the modern theaters with the surround sound, rocking seats and cup holders.

The Liberty did not offer those modern amenities. It was just an old theater, uncomfortable, narrow seats with not enough room between the rows to be comfortable. But it was a place where more than half the residents of Petros went on their first date, took their future spouse to a movie and some even scored their first kiss.

Everybody realized it had faults, but also had cherished memories of the old theater.

The theater was less than half full when they arrived, making it easy to find seats. Lucky guided her to an area he figured was safe from all the little hoodlums that would act up until the owner, Mister Fry, told them to behave or he would kick them out and not let them return.

After they sat down, Lucky left to go the refreshment stand. The popcorn was made right in the theater, none of that fake stuff made somewhere else then brought in and warmed up. The popcorn popper was going full blast, the smell the first thing a person noticed after walking inside. It was the best popcorn anybody ever ate, putting the microwave kind and all others to shame.

They shared a huge bag and Lucky got them each a drink, also of the huge size.

Some of the paint was peeling on the walls and several tiles on the ceiling showed water damage. Lucky noticed the men’s bathroom was out of order, requiring everybody to use the one good bathroom.

He wondered how this could pass safety codes, but was glad it did. Lucky bought the huge bucket of popcorn and two drinks for a third of the price it would cost at the theater in Fort Smith.

“That was a good game you played last night,” said Homer Fry, who manned the refreshment stand while his wife sold the tickets. Lucky didn’t even know Homer Fry knew who he was, but shouldn’t have been surprised in a town as crazy about sports as this one. “We’ll have a tough one this week against old Tatum.”

Lucky took the change and thanked the old man. He avoided two rowdy boys running full speed up the center aisle, which was the only one in the theater. There were two sections, left and right, cut in half by the aisle.

There was some unwritten rule that the school kids sat on the left side. The other half was left for adults, or the teens on a date that did not want to get hit by flying objects. Down in the corner was an old clock, at least thirty years old advertising some product Lucky never heard of.

Lucky and Toni had one aisle to themselves, toward the back since he knew the closer you got to the screen, the more dangerous it got. It could be quite the jungle inside the Liberty, but Homer Fry had been around long enough to know who caused trouble and get them to calm down or leave.

This was considered an adult movie, despite the PG rating, so fewer kids showed up than normal. There were those who would come even if the name of the movie was “Boring Movie”, since this was one of the few things in Petros to do on a weekend night.

The first half-eaten pickle was thrown at the screen just as the lights dimmed and the first preview started. It was a poor effort thrown by somebody who needed to improve their arm strength. Lucky heard somebody pass gas in a group of boys just a few rows away from him, one potent enough they scattered like a skunk was in their midst.

Lucky tried to keep from smiling, while hoping the fumes did not travel his way.

“That was a good one,” Toni commented, something he never expected to hear from a female.

Most of the younger boys and girls were all separated, of course, still too early in the night. Lucky knew negotiations were fixing to take place to try and get some girl to sit by some boy, or vice versa. The negotiations were carried out by a third party since nobody was brave enough to actually ask somebody to sit by them. Their friends were nearby, of course, and they could not suffer the mental anguish of getting rejected.

Lucky watched as some of the negotiations were successful. A boy left his seat to go sit by a girl, or a girl did the same. The movie dragged at times, not that Lucky complained. He just thought going on a date was pretty neat.

A couple two rows in front of them lost interest in the movie within the first five minutes. Since the movie stunk, they took advantage of the opportunity to make out without having to worry about parents disturbing them.

“I wonder when they come up for air?” Toni asked.

“I don’t think breathing is their primary concern,” Lucky added.

The movie finally came to its conclusion, shortly after the two stars figured out that they did indeed love each other, even though they argued and fought the entire movie. It was supposed to be a happy ending, but Lucky thought it was silly.

They walked down the block to the Downtown Café for some ice cream, waving as several cars and trucks passed by and honked at them. Lucky saw Garrett drive by and was not surprised his teammate did not honk or wave. But Lucky ignored him, not wanting anything to mess up the night.

Elizabeth and Andy had also gone out on a date, but went all out, going all the way to Hodgen.

The Café was not as crowded as usual as most people found something else to do late on a Saturday night other than play pool or eat. The jukebox was set on songs that were a little slower than usual and not nearly as loud.

They sat and talked for a while after the ice cream was gone, then decided to head out. Lucky guided them toward the city park, located a block behind downtown. There was a large gazebo in the middle and they walked to it and sat down, watching the traffic go by.

“Do you do that much?” Lucky asked.

“Ride around?” she asked. Lucky nodded, sipping on a drink they brought from the Café. “Not if I can help it. Elizabeth seems to enjoy it and sometimes she’ll talk me into it.”

“I haven’t discovered the joy of cruising yet.”

“Does that mean you wouldn’t ride around with me if I asked?”

“I could make an exception.”

Lucky was feeling very uneasy, not knowing what to do. He wondered if it would be proper to hold her hand, put his arm around her or maybe even kiss her. If it had to do with sports, Lucky could come up with an answer, but not when it came to romance.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Naw,” Lucky responded, smiling. He had been in deep concentration and the look must have worried her.

“You sure look like something’s bothering you.”

“It’s not really bothering me.”

“Well, what is it?”

“It’s pretty silly.”

Toni took a drink from the cup and set it down between them.

“You can tell me,” she offered.

Lucky decided to try it, hoping he did not sound stupid.

“I really don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, this is my first, you know, date. I don’t know what to do on a date.”

Toni smiled at Lucky and moved closer.

“What do you feel like you should be doing?” Toni asked.

“I don’t know, I’d kinda of like to hold your hand or something like that.”

She held her hand out while scooting closer. Lucky reached out and accepted it, deciding this was pretty cool.

“That sounded like an old Beatles song,” he said, chuckling.

“A bug song?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Lucky responded, feeling life probably could not get any better.

Chapter 35