Page 39 of The Linebacker

“Not a bad start,” Gunner said, grinning back and patting his helmet.

Amil jogged off the field, slapping hands with Dante, Royce, and Jalen, who were all heading out now that the Mountain Lions had gained possession of the ball.

First down, second down, a holding penalty, and then Dante threw a beautiful pass that Jalen caught seemingly effortlessly and ran down the field for a touchdown. Callahan kicked for the extra point. Amil hadn’t thought it was possible that the crowd could get any louder.

And yet, they did.

By halftime the score was 14-0, but the Cardinals made a valiant attempt to come back, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter.

The game ended with a 24-7 win, and Amil was feeling pretty freaking fantastic.

Coach’s post-game locker room speech was filled with F-bombs and the word incredible. Amil got a shout-out for that fumble recovery in the first quarter.

He waved it off. “Jalen catching that pass and running for a touchdown was the best part of that play.”

Jalen scoffed. “Just take the compliment, man.”

Amil showered, dressed for dinner, and headed out to find his parents.

Who were standing in the tunnel with Diana.

He slowed his pace, took his time, carefully studying this unexpected interaction.

Diana was talking animatedly while his parents both nodded, his dad interjecting a comment every few moments. Amil could not imagine what else they might chat about other than the game.

But then he remembered that single night he and Diana spent together, how they lay side by side in the dark and just…talked. About their lives. About their families. She’d told him she’d been raised by a single mother, that her father had been involved in her life for a few years. But then he’d remarried and started a new family, and eventually their relationship dissolved into child support checks and a card on her birthday.

He couldn’t imagine his parents not being together, either one of them not being a part of his life. Each time the bullying started up, his father had wanted him to fight back, while his mother wanted to take a more diplomatic approach. The compromise was to move him from school to school to try to get him out of the situation.

While he had emotional scars from all that moving around, what would he have become if he’d had only one of his parents to influence him? Diana had turned out pretty fantastic—the family curse not withstanding—but he wasn’t so sure he would have gotten so lucky.

And now that he knew about the family curse, combined with what she’d confessed to him under the blanket of postcoital relaxation, he could understand her hesitancy to try a real relationship on for size.

He hated it, but he could understand it.

His mom noticed him first. She cupped her hands over her mouth and blinked like she was trying to keep tears at bay.

His dad glanced over, grinned, and gently pushed his wife’s back, as if she needed the prodding to rush forward and hug her son.

He wrapped his arms around Mom, who produced a tissue from somewhere and dabbed at her eyes. Dad came over and enveloped them both, muttering at his wife for being so teary eyed and at the same time congratulating Amil for such a great game.

Diana watched it all with wide eyes. She didn’t move closer, she didn’t walk away; she simply stood where she was and stared at the little family reunion. Amil had the most ridiculous urge to invite her into the group hug. But he held back, mostly because he suspected she’d refuse. If going out on more than one date was off the table, bonding with a guy’s parents most definitely was.

Finally, his parents released him and Amil indicated her. “You’ve met Diana.”

Mom nodded enthusiastically. “She’s lovely. She gave us several recommendations for where to go for dinner. She also assures us that you are fitting in with your new team better than you expected.”

Yes, under the guise of darkness and a belief that he’d never see her again, Amil had told Diana about the bullying, about constantly switching schools, about never feeling like he fit in. At the time, he’d actually thought he’d found his place with the 49ers, as it was the best situation he’d ever been in.

But now, after only a few weeks with his new team, he knew without a doubt that this was where he was meant to be. The Mountain Lions were the team, the family he’d been seeking for all this time.

He wondered if part of that was because of Diana. Because she was part of the Mountain Lions’ organization.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I really like these guys.”

“And you all play so well together,” Dad enthused. “That was a hell of a game, son.”

“Thanks. So, did you settle on a restaurant? I’m starved.”