Love Refound
by: E Walk
(© 2008 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 44

The Big Day

On Saturday, I was awakened by Benji, “Daddy, why am I still dressed?”

“Because you fell asleep coming back from taking your great grandmother to where she is living.  Why don’t we take a shower since you didn’t take one last night?”

Benji and I were in the shower when we were joined by Cole, “How come you didn’t wake me?”

“Good morning, Dad, we didn’t wake you because you were snoring so loud that you woke me even though I was in my bedroom.”

Cole went to grab Benji, “That’s not true, I don’t snore.”

Benji was too quick for Cole.  He opened the shower and challenged, “Daddy, make Dad be nice.”

When Cole and I arrived in the kitchen, Benji was talking to my Dad and Mr. Summers who were drinking coffee, “Granddads, I had a dream last night and dreamed that a lady put me in the field where Dad Cole found me.   Why would she do that?”

Dad Summers answered, “Benji, it’s very difficult to tell why people do stupid things.  I think in this case, a guardian angel was looking out for you, and your Dad Cole found you.”

The other three boys came in and asked, “What’s for breakfast.”

Benji went to the pantry and returned with three boxes of cereal.  “It’s Saturday, so it’s a cereal day.  Get the milk and juice while I warm the muffins.”

We were eating when the Grandmothers appeared.  Benji got them a cup of coffee and asked what they would like for breakfast. 

As we were finishing eating our breakfast, Benji looked at me, “Daddy, how can I call Grandmother McBride and tell her about the picnic tomorrow?”

Karen looked up from her breakfast, “Benji, I’ll help you get in touch with her, but I think we should wait until after ten o’clock to call her.”

I stood and announced, “I need to get ready to go, so I can be on time for Clark’s graduation.”

Cole stood, “I’ll go with you.  We’ll meet the rest of you at the restaurant at 11:30.”

Cole and I went and put on dress clothes.  Cole suggested that we take our blazers with us for the big signing.

As Cole and I were leaving, Benji reminded us, “Dads, we’ll meet you at the restaurant at 11:30.  Don’t be late because we’re going to be hungry.”

Cole dropped to his knees and bowed, “Yes, master, we’ll do as you say, master.”

Benji hugged Cole, “Dad, get up before you get all dirty.”

We went to where the commencement ceremonies for the graduate degrees was being held.  Cole and I were joined in the seats by Mrs. Louisa Mitchell, “Mind if I join you, gentlemen?”

Cole looked at her, “Mrs. Mitchell, I’m surprised you’re here.”

She looked at him, “Why would you be surprised?  It’s not everyday that your only son gets his doctorate degree.  Now I have two Drs. to boss me around.”

Austin had arrived, “Don’t believe Mom Mitchell, no one, but no one bosses her around.”

Cole and I invited the Mitchells, Clark and Austin to join us at the Timbercreek restaurant.

When we arrived, my parents and Autumn and Austin’s parents were waiting with our four sons.  The restaurant changed the configuration of the tables and we were seated around a big square table.

Lunch was a fun affair since everyone had already met each other.  Benji invited the Mitchells and Austin to the unsurprise party on Sunday.

We made our way to the Georgia Dome.  We had just gotten seated when we were joined by four more people.  A voice asked, “May we join you?”

We looked up and saw Trent and his fiancée Cindy and Trevor and Jeff.  Benji answered, “Please do.  Are you going to be able to come to Dad Cole’s party tomorrow?”

Jeff was his normal self, “That’s why we we’re here.  We were miffed that we weren’t invited, so we invited ourselves.”

When Cole’s name was announced, the young people stood and applauded.  A gentleman who was sitting in front of us turned around and asked, “What's the big deal?”

Trent looked at the man, “Mister, six years ago Mr. Weaver was about to quit school.  But with some help from his friends, he is graduating from college with a perfect grade point average, and he is going to be signing a contract with the Atlanta Falcons, later this afternoon.”

The man looked at us, “So that’s the Cole Weaver who has set all kinds of football records here at Georgia Tech.  I should have realized that.  I dislike that young man very much, because he eclipsed all my records here at Georgia Tech.”

That caught Benji’s attention, “Why would you dislike our Dad because he’s a good football player?”

The gentleman turned to look at Benji, “How can he be your Dad?  You don’t look like him.”

Benji leaned forward, “He’s our other Dad.  My first Father is dead, but Dad Cole found me in a field after a tornado.”

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Cole and two young ladies.  One of the young women looked at the man Benji had been talking to, “Dad, this is Cole Weaver whom you have come to love and hate.”

“Cole, this is my Dad, Gene Bradbury.”

Cole shook the gentleman’s hand, “Mr. Bradbury, your daughter, Val, and her friend, Alisha, are special.  They’ve covered for me for four years, and I guess I should add, I covered for them as well.”

Benji jumped up and Cole caught him. “Dad, what time do we need to go to the signing?”

Cole looked at his watch, “I guess we need to be going, if we’re going to be on time.  I don’t think the Falcon brass would be very happy if we weren’t on time.”

It was only the four boys, Cole and I who went to the Falcon offices. We were escorted into a big room and there were television cameras all over the place.  Uncle Howie was already in the room when we arrived.  I figured this would be easy.  Boy was I wrong.

The Falcon brass made a big production out of signing Cole.  There were three reporters firing questions at Cole.  He handled them all very well until the female reporter asked, “Mr. Weaver, what is the first thing that you are going to do with the money?”

“Ma’am. I won’t be spending any money until I see it.  My family has provided everything that I need.  I’m not going to run out and buy a big car or fancy house, if that’s what you want to know.”

The reporter looked around the room, “Mr. Weaver, you mentioned your family.  I don’t see anyone who might be your family.”

Cole stood, “Ma’am, for your information, my immediate family has all died.  Dr. Christiansen and his sons have taken me into their home, and they have made me feel like I’m part of their family.”

The lady was persistent, “Mr. Weaver, what did you mean by that comment?”

Benji asked loud enough for the lady to hear, “Daddy what do these questions have to do with Uncle Cole playing football?”

Benji leaned forward, “He’s part of our family because he is the person who found me in the field after a tornado.  He and his grandmother came to live with us, and she was our nanny until she died.  Uncle Cole still lives at Summerhill when he’s home.  Since our Mother died, he has helped our Daddy take care of me and my brothers.”

The woman was indeed persistent.  She pointed the microphone at me, “I assume that you are the young man’s father.  Is he always that rude?”

I took a deep breath, “Lady, it’s not my son who is rude; you’re the person who is not only rude but crude.  As Benji said, you are completely out of bounds asking questions like this at an event like this.”

“Who are you and what gives you the right to say that I’m rude and crude?”

“Ma’am, I’m Dr. Douglas Christiansen and I’m the Vice President of Harwood Community College.  I’ve been around long enough to recognize someone who is obnoxious.  You fit right into that category.”

The young woman was glaring at me. She started to say something but stopped.  She turned to me, “I hope you’re satisfied; you just got me fired.”

Uncle Howie spoke for the first time, “Miss Andrews, Benji and Doug did nothing to get you fired.  You did a fine job of that, all by yourself.  I doubt very much if you will ever be working again in media in the Atlanta area after your outlandish behavior today.”

The young woman wheeled around, “Who are you, and how dare you criticize my behavior?”

“Miss Andrews, I’m a lawyer and I would advise you to quit while you’re ahead.  There are enough people here who witnessed what has transpired that we could take you to court and win a case for libel against my clients. I would suggest that you and your camera crew depart immediately.”

Miss Andrews and her crew left and Uncle Howie turned to the two other news people, “Mr. Weaver will be glad to respond to any questions you have that pertain to his football career.”

One reporter asked, “Mr. Willingham, I would like to talk about some things before we get back to the business at hand.”

I looked at the gentleman and he looked familiar but I couldn’t figure why.  I asked, “Sir, you look familiar.  Have we met before?”

He answered, “Dr. Christiansen, I’m Rick Caster and I have been to Summerhill, but we were never formally introduced.  In fact I was the reporter on the scene when Cole found Benjamin in the field.  I was also at your wedding when you and Miss Autumn were on horseback and Cole arrived carrying Benji.  Cole and everyone, I would like to put together a mini special about Cole to lead into what is aired about the signing today, using some archived materials.”

Benji asked, “Sir, you won’t say bad things about Uncle Cole, will you?”

“Benji, I promise I won’t say any bad things about Mr. Weaver.”

Cole looked at the man, “Mr. Caster, would it be possible for us to see the material before it’s aired.”

Mr. Caster looked at Cole, “I’ll cut you a deal.  Why don’t you come to the studio at five thirty to preview what I was able to put together.  Then you can stick around until the six o’clock news so that we can do a live interview.  It would be nice if you could have the four boys and Dr. Christiansen, as well as some of the Falcon management team that are here today, join you.”

We agreed and the last reporter had his go at Cole and it went very well.  I think everyone was a little in awe over what Cole had done.

We arrived at the studio and were shown to a viewing room and the video that Mr. Caster had put together was very tastefully done.  It had some tense minutes, but it had some fun minutes as well.  Mr. Black, the owner and CEO of the Falcons commented, you people do have some influential friends.”

Mr. Caster asked, “Cole, if you approve, I would like to use this to lead in to a live interview with you and Mr. Black, if he would agree to do so.  It would be a spontaneous interview because I have not had time to put anything together.”

Cole looked at Mr. Caster, “I will agree to a live interview, but I retain the right to not answer any questions that I do not deem appropriate.”

Mr. Black looked at Mr. Caster, “I’m always game for a live interview.  I think it would be fun if we could get Dr. Christiansen and his four boys involved as well.”

I took a deep breath, “I have no problem with Benji being involved because he appeared in the clips, but I think it would not be wise for me and the other three boys to be involved.”

The show went really well and they did get Benji in front of the cameras and he responded like a professional.  Mr. Caster ended the show by commenting, “Mr. Black, it appears that you not only signed yourself an athlete, but a scholar and humanitarian as well.

When the show was over, Benji was pulling Cole’s hand, “Come on, Uncle Cole, we’re hungry.”

Mr. Black laughed, “Benji, I tell you what, I’ll take you dinner.  Let me call Bobby and have him meet us at Singletary’s.  That would be on your way to Summerhill.”

Mr. Black pulled out a cell phone, “Robert, why don’t you meet us at Singletary’s.  I have four young men that you can entertain.  … I think they will probably be entertaining you. … Okay, see you in twenty minutes.”

Mr. Black turned to us. “Follow me, and we’ll be eating at this greasy spoon.  You boys need to get rid of your coats and ties, they don’t allow any people with coats and ties in the restaurant.  They wouldn’t allow shoes and socks either except the health regulations insist that the customers wear shoes, socks and a shirt.  I guess you could take off your slacks and briefs if you wanted to.”

We had the four boys strapped in the back and Cole asked, “Doug, what are we getting ourselves into?”

When we arrived at the restaurant, a young man was waiting by the entrance.  As we were walking toward the entrance, Cole commented, “I think I know that guy.”

The young man came to greet us, “I’m Bob Black.  I understand that I was asked to come to baby-sit four young men.  Good evening Cole, nice interview and show.  Heck, now I’m going to have to baby-sit a goody, goody quarterback on the football field, too.”

Cole was laughing, “Bob, I’d like to introduce you to my family. Meet Dr. Doug Christiansen and his four sons, Benji, Mark, Matt and Michael.”

Mikey took exception, “My name is Mikey, not Michael.  Michael is too hard to spell.”

Since there were four adults and four young boys, we each had one of them sitting beside us when the young waiter arrived with the menus and announced, “The specials for tonight are a small filet mignon served with a twice baked potato and steamed broccoli or a breast of chicken stuffed with wild rice and fresh asparagus.  The specials for young people is either a hotdog with French fries or chicken fingers with French fries and fresh green beans.”

Benji looked at the young man, “I’d like the chicken fingers and could I have chocolate milk to drink, please?”

The other three boys were quick to have the same thing.  The four adults had the chicken breast. 

During dinner, we found out that Mr. Art Black was a widower and was more or less retired except for his involvement in Falcons.  The reason Cole knew  Bob was that he was also drafted by the Falcons, but that he was also Mr. Black's only son and had played his football at the University of Georgia and was a wide receiver.

Our garbage machines cleaned everything they were served, and Mr. Black paid the bill over my objections.  As we were getting ready to leave, Benji took it upon himself to invite them to the party, “Mr. Black and Mr. Bob, we’re having an unsurprise graduation party for Dad Cole tomorrow after …”

Benji stopped and tears started to form in his, “Dads, I’m sorry.  It slipped out.”

Mr. Black was so cool, “Benji, I already figured that your two Dads loved each other, and besides, Robert has a boyfriend too, so it’s okay.  Now what were you saying about an unsurprise graduation party?”

Benji took a deep breath, “Were having a picnic for Dad Cole at two o’clock at Summerhill tomorrow.  You need to bring your swim suits since there are going to be ladies present.  Mr. Black, you’ve already been to our house, so you know where it is.”

Bob asked, “May I bring my friend, Alex?  He’s due in about an hour.  I need to go to the airport to pick him up.”

Benji grinned, “Of course you can bring him.”

Needless to say, all four boys fell asleep on the way home.  After we got the boys settled, Cole and I went to the family room and told the parents what had happened.  We turned on the eleven o’clock news and the lead story was Cole’s signing and the mini-special and the interview.  Mr. Caster said, as he was closing the segment, “This story has been picked by the national news media. The story of Cole and Benji has drawn a lot of attention.”

Cole slumped back on the sofa where we were seated, “Oh great, I guess that I won’t even be allowed to go to the bathroom without someone spying on me.”

Dad Summers was laughing, “You’ll be old hat by this time tomorrow when something else grabs the headlines.”

Cole sighed, “I hope so.”

I looked at the parents, “Benji managed to invite three more people tomorrow for the picnic.”

My Mother spoke up, “I almost forgot, Mrs. McBride called after we got home and told us she would be bringing two guests as well.  They will be driving her, so you won’t need to pick her up.  She’s really excited about coming.”

My Dad stood, “I need to go to bed, it’s been a long day.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes: It looks as if there won't be a problem concerning the fact that Cole and Doug are a couple, at least not with the head of the Falcons.  Honestly, I think it is for the best that the situation is out in the open with Cole's boss. I think that Benji was a little scared that he had caused a problem. 

I wonder who the two guests that Grandma McBride is coming with are? 

I can hardly wait for the next chapter, to see what will happen next.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 10/16/09