That afternoon was full of last minute planning. Damien regained enough of
his common sense long enough to call for two round-trip tickets to San Diego
International Airport. He was about to go by himself, but Amy reasoned that he
might try to do something terrible to himself. So, she insisted that she go along
with him. Even though Damien read that as forced, but agreed to the terms
nonetheless. While Damien was in the back frantically packing some clothes,
Amy called Lita to inform her of their plans. Unsurprisingly, Lita wasn't pleased
with the whole scheme of things.
"I don't get it," Lita said, "I mean, why does he have to go to San Diego so
suddenly, and why do you have to go along with him?" Amy looked around the
corner to make sure Damien wasn't coming, and answered, "Because his father
died, and I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to him, either by accident
or on purpose." When Lita heard this, her attitude changed significantly.
"I'm sorry! I must sound like an insensitive little witch. I'll let the others know,
and take care."
"Make sure that the guys know about our absence as well," Amy
emphasized. They both exchanged good-byes before Amy hung up the phone.
This was perfect timing, for as soon as the phone hit the charger, Damien came
moping around the corner. "Who was that?" he asked.
"I just called Lita," Amy answered. "I just let her know that we were leaving
today." Damien shrugged and said, "Whatever. Does she know to tell the
others about what's going on?"
"Yes," Amy nodded. "I'm not quite sure she knows how to take it, but still,"
she walked over to him to give him a quick hug, "I think she'll understand."
Damien smiled and said, "I hope so…even though I don't quite know how to take
it." Amy looked at him with sad eyes and said, "I know it must be hard, Damien.
But, you've got your friends, you've got your sister, and most importantly, you've
got me." Damien smiled a sorrowful smile and said, "You're right, Ames.
Anyway, I've got the bags packed, and one of the guys from my class is giving
us a ride to the airport." Damien grabbed for his bags when a startling thought
ran across his mind: "Hey, where's Merc?"
"You know," Amy began, "I don't know. I haven't seen him since after the
'dinner party.' There's no telling where he might be hiding." Damien hung his
head low, and muttered, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I just
hope he's gonna be all right while we're gone. Besides," he added as an
afterthought, "Who knows? Maybe he'll find somebody else to bug." Amy
smiled and walked out the door, Damien following close behind. And with the
slam of the door, the apartment that not even a full day ago was full of noise and
excitement sat in mournful silence.
* * * * *
Later that day, Lita called the rest of the guys, with the exception of
Donovan, over for a quick and stunning announcement. "I don't know if you
guys know this or not, but Damien and Amy are gone." Naturally, this didn't sit
well with Darien. "Gone? Where are they gone? How could they just up and
leave like that?"
"Well," Lita sympathetically said, "Damien's father died last night." It got so
quiet in the room after that, one could literally hear a pin drop. Nakorru broke
the silence with a shocking question of concern: "Is he all right?" Lita nodded
her head and said, "Yeah, he's fine, but I don't see him coming back the same
way he left." When all she got were confused looks, she added, "The loss of a
parent isn't something you're gonna get over easily. As a matter of fact, it could
be months before he gets over it. You heard how close they were." Darien
suddenly looked like he had just made the biggest mistake in his life. He knew
what it was like to be without parents; he lost both of his at a young age.
However, he didn't exactly know how Damien felt; unlike Damien, he never
knew his parents very well. But, he did know what it was like to have an
emptiness that could never be filled. He could only imagine what was going on
in Damien's mind right now.
"Have you talked to them since they left?" Darien asked. Lita shook her
head and answered, "No. I only talked to Amy this morning before they left.
She might call me from his house; she might not. I don't know what she's going
to do right now." There was another uncomfortable silence before Lita asked,
"Did anybody talk to Donovan before he left?"
"I did," Andrew answered. "He called me this morning…at about 5:30 in the
morning. He said he'd call me back after the game. He told me that he wanted
an update on everything when he got back." Lita nodded and said, "That's
fine. He's gonna need to take a rest after the game anyway. I don't know how
they do it; run around all day in those big pads…" she let her mind wander for a
few moments before saying, "Well, that's all I have for you guys. As soon as I
hear something from Amy and Damien, I'll give all of you a call." Everyone
began to filter out of the apartment, but when Andrew turned to leave, Lita
grabbed him by the arm and said, "Not so fast, Andrew. We need to have a
little talk."
"What about?" Andrew asked. Lita led him over to the sofa and pushed him
down before sitting beside him. "About us," she answered. When Andrew was
silent, she clarified, "I just want to know if you have any emotional baggage I
need to know about, because if you do, then I'm going to have to beat it out of
you.
"Emotional baggage?" he asked. "Like what; former girlfriends? Lita, let me
explain something to you: when I was in high school, the last thing I had on my
mind was trying to find a significant other. The way I saw it, that was the last
thing I needed to concern myself with. I wasn't interested in any of the females
at my school anyway; they were all uppity sorority wanna-be's. They went for
the kind of guys I despised: the jocks, the superstars, and the wanna-be bad
boys. Whereas I was content reading the newspa-per, keeping myself
up-to-date with current affairs, they were busy trying to get themselves in the
Sports section of the newspaper." Lita took one look at him and summed him
up in one sentence: "You were a nerd, Andrew."
Andrew looked at her and smiled. "Perhaps. But, I was a handsome nerd."
Lita looked at him and tried with all her might not to laugh in this poor guy's face.
Granted, it took a lot of effort, but she did it nonetheless. "Were you, now?" she
asked. "That's in comparison to what? An ugly one?" Andrew smiled at her
and said, "I am not about to get into an argument with you. Why bother, when
I'd lose very quickly?"
"I take it debates weren't your strong suit in high school, huh?" Andrew
shook his head and answered, "Nope. As a matter of fact, I felt that any
elective was a waste of time and energy. Now, math, on the other hand, was
something I loved more than life itself." Lita looked at him and said, "You're
beginning to get boring, Andrew." Andrew apologized, and Lita beamed with
glee. Finally, she thought, somebody I can train… "Hey," she said aloud, "You
feel up to going ice skating?" Andrew stood up, took her hand in his, and
answered, "For you, my dear Lita, I would do anything." With that, they stepped
out of the apartment and headed for Alpine. Just before Andrew closed the door
behind them, he warned Lita, "Don't be surprised if I get called in to do some
work while I'm there. After all, I do have to go to work tonight."
* * * * *
"Be it ever so troublesome, there's no place like home." With those words,
Damien ushered in his return to San Diego. Amy followed close behind him, not
wanting to get lost amongst the clutter. She was well aware of what happened
the last time she was in this airport. Everyone decided they wanted to go their
own separate way and pick up some quick souvenirs, and in the process they
almost missed their connecting flight. They rounded a corner heading for the
baggage claim terminal, and a bouncing teenage girl unexpectedly mauled
Damien. She was shorter than Damien by about six inches, and she had long
reddish-brown hair. Her brown eyes sparkled in the perfect San Diego sunshine,
and she had the presence of any teenybopper's worst nightmare. "DAMIEN!"
she screamed. Damien himself was taken aback by this so-called "attack".
"What the hell-"
"Should I be jealous, Damien?" Amy asked. Damien looked at Amy, then at
the girl who suddenly found herself attached to him and said to the girl, "Look
here; you about to get me in trouble with my woman. Don't make me beat you."
The girl looked at Damien and replied, "Well, if you haven't told your woman
about me, then you deserve to be in trouble." Damien then surprised Amy by
erupting in laughter before saying, "Amy Anderson, I'd like to introduce you to
Andrea Gordon. Andrea Gordon, I'd like for you to meet Amy Anderson. Sister,
meet girlfriend and girlfriend meet sister. There," he said with a hearty sigh,
"Now, I'm off the hook." Andrea extended her hand to Amy and said, "Nice to
meet you, Amy."
"Likewise," Amy responded and took Andrea's hand. Damien smiled, then
sternly commented, "You can get off of me now!" Andrea complied with her
brother's wishes, then dusted herself off. "So, how long are you here for,
Damien?" Damien got up, shrugged his shoulders and replied, "About four
days. Amy and I don't need to miss that many classes." Andrea shrugged and
said, "Whatever. Big Mama wants to see you."
"From DENVER?!" Damien whined, "Damn! Why she come all the way out
here for?" Andrea responded by smacking Damien on the head and growling,
"Because of Daddy, stupid!" Damien scowled and said, "I hope she don't try to
pinch my damn cheeks!" When Amy looked confused, Damien clarified things
by saying, "My grandma was famous for pinching her grandchildren's cheeks. It
was almost a rite of passage; you had to get it done, or you weren't worthy.
Coincidentally," he whispered, "I tried not to be worthy sometimes. That hurt!
Especially when she grabs and turns, and…" he began to wince at the memories.
"Anyway," he commented aloud, "I think it's time for us to get our bags and
head on to the house." They began to walk to the baggage claim when Andrea
said, "Darrien's here to see you, too."
"Darrien came, too?" This reaction was completely different than earlier.
"What's so special about Darrien?" Amy asked. Damien stopped and looked at
her like she had just called him a jock. "'What's so special about Darrien?'"
Damien repeated, "Nothing besides the fact that he taught me half of everything
I know about football. He started it, and Daddy taught me the rest. Come to
think of it," he reflected, "That was a great pair to learn from: an All-Pro Strong
Safety and a former All-American Wide Re-ceiver." He stopped reflecting for a
moment and asked, "Have they decided when they're gonna bury him yet?"
"No," she answered. "Although, with your influence, they'll probably try to do
it sometime on Monday afternoon." A few moments later, they picked up their
bags and headed for the car, where longtime family friend and Damien's former
quarterback rival Alex Rodriguez waited. When they got to the car, Damien's
face lit up with glee. "A-Rod!" he yelled. "Long time, no see!" Alex hopped out
of the car and gave his friend a strong hug and said, "How you doin',
superstar?" Damien smiled and said, "I'm doing pretty good; how's about you
there, second stringer?" Alex smiled a toothy grin and commented, "I'm doing
pretty good. I'm not a second stringer any more."
"Really? What the hell kind of school took a chance on you?" Alex looked
at him and said, "The very school that you turned down." Damien stopped
loading their luggage in the trunk of the car, winced and asked, "San Diego
State?" Alex nodded and said, "San Diego State." Damien put the last bit of
their luggage in the car and said, "Well, they needed somebody to jumpstart
their football program. And if anybody can do it, it's you! So, tell me," he asked
after he let Andrea and Amy get in the car first, "What was you guy's record last
year?"
"Two and nine." When Damien heard this, he jumped back in shock. "Two
and nine," he repeated, "I thought I taught you better! You should know better
than to lead a team to a two and nine record…and be glad about it!"
"Hey! It's not something that I'm proud of, Damien! I'd much rather have a
winning record like you than to be sitting at the bottom of the crap barrel.
Believe me, I ain't the least bit proud of a two and nine record." Damien got in
the car and smiled. "That's more like it. So, you think you're gonna have a
winning record this year?"
"No. We're at the bottom of the talent pool, and there's no way we can pick
up any talent from the general area, especially since people are taking your
example and bailing after high school."
"Look," Damien said to his defense, "Plenty of people left Los Altos before
me and went to schools like Washington, Oregon, and Arizona State! Why
should I be any different?" Alex looked at him and answered, "Because they
stayed in the West Coast. You ran clear across the country to Alabama."
"I didn't run," Damien retorted. "They offered me a scholarship, and I
accepted it. If that makes me wrong, then so be it." Alex looked at his friend
and said, "I'm sorry, Damien. I didn't realize it meant that much to you. We're
still cool, right?" Damien looked at him and nodded his head in agreement. He
started to introduce Amy, but he decided to wait until he got home. The way he
figured it, he'd be doing it an awful lot anyway, so why repeat himself over and
over again, when he could do it in one fell swoop? However, Alex wanted to
know who settled down the self-confirmed bachelor. "Who's your lady friend,
Damien?"
"Well," Damien thought to himself, "So much for waiting it out…." He took in
a deep breath, released it and said, "Amy Anderson, this is Alex Rodriguez.
A-Rod, this is Amy Anderson." Alex glanced at her in the rear-view mirror and
said, "Nice to meet you, Amy." Amy nodded and replied, "Likewise," before
whispering something to Andrea. They began to giggle, and Damien feared the
worst. "Oh, Lord," he said. "It's started."
"What's started?" Alex asked. Damien turned and said, "The gossiping
about me." Alex looked and said, "Well, aren't we the man with the big ego?"
Damien grinned and answered, "Damn straight!" Minutes later, they pulled into
the driveway, and Damien began to get misty-eyed. "Welcome home, Damien,"
he whispered to himself. Andrea looked at her big brother and realized that he
was being tortured inside. She touched his shoulder and said, "It's gonna be all
right, Damien. You can do it."
"I just wish it was under different circumstances," Damien weakly responded,
taking her hand in his. Amy saw this and was respectfully silent. This was a
man who, unless it was really necessary, showed no emotion. Now, here he
was about to cry rivers, with good reason. Her heart went out to him, and she
was wondering what she should do to try to comfort him. They got out of the
car, Damien grabbed their luggage, and they all went inside. Upon entering,
Damien turned to Amy and solemnly said, "Call Lita. Tell her to tell the others we
got here fine, and we'll call when we get back to Birmingham." Amy nodded,
and went for the phone.
* * * * *
Lita was about to turn the key to lock her front door when she heard
the most unexpected sound: her telephone ringing. "I wonder who that could
be?"
"What?" Andrew asked. Lita turned to him and said, "My phone's ringing."
She unlocked and opened the door, ran inside, and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Lita!" Amy beamed. Lita nearly jumped out of her skin when she
heard her voice. "Hey, Amy! How are you two?"
"Just fine," Amy answered. "Damien's kind of spun up, but that's
expected. I think he's gonna be fine, though. Did you tell the others
like I asked?"
"Yes. They all sent their love and respect. Even Nakorru was
concerned. Donovan doesn't know yet, but he'll find out in due time.
When's the funeral, and when are you two coming back?" Amy thought about
it for a second, then said, "They said the funeral might be Monday after-
noon, and we'll be back Wednesday night. Make sure Donovan's sitting
down when you tell him."
"Will do. Anything else I need to know?" Amy was silent for a moment
before answering, "No. If anything else happens, I'll let you know. I'll
talk to you guys later." With that, she hung up the phone and began to
look around the room she was standing in. The walls were full of pictures,
diplomas, and floral arrangements. All of the pictures were nice, but
there was one in particular that caught her eye. It was one of Damien and
his father after Los Altos had just won the state championship. They
looked so happy together. She would have pondered this forever had it not
been for someone lightly touching her on her shoulder, trying to get her
attention. She turned around and came face to face with one of the most
well-proportioned people she'd ever seen before in her entire life. "Can I
help you?" the man asked.
"Um..." The usually articulate Amy suddenly found herself searching for
words in the face of this man. Finally, she answered, "I- I- I'm here
with Damien Gordon. I'm his girlfriend, Amy." The man looked at her for
a second before erupting into laughter. This left Amy confused. "What's
so funny? Is it something I said?"
"No, no," the man responded. "I'm not laughing at you; I'm laughing at
Damien's luck. He sure can pick 'em." He then extended his hand and said,
"Hi. I'm Darrien Gordon, Damien's cousin." Amy shook his hand and said,
"Don't you play professional football?"
"Sure do," he answered. "I used to play for the hometown team here,
but I got bounced around a couple of times and now I'm about eight hours
away...taking traffic, crazed police officers, and tourists into
consideration." Amy began to relax a bit, noticing how she could look
almost directly into his eyes, considering he was only about a couple
of inches taller than he was. Darrien began to feel a little uncomfortable
with Amy staring at him like that, so he turned to look at one of the
pictures and asked, "How did you meet Damien?"
"Well," she answered, blushing a bit, "I ran into him at school...and
I kind of shot him down." Darrien cringed and asked, "You didn't call him
what I think you called him, did you?"
"Yep!" Damien answered from down the hall, "She called me a jock." He
walked down the rest of the way, put his arm around her, and said, "That's
all right, though; we all make mistakes in life." He took his free arm
and hugged Darrien and said, "Well at least I don't have to introduce you
two." Darrien smiled and said, "Yep; that's true. Have you been watching
the news lately?"
"I sure have," Damien responded crossly. "I thought you were happy in
Denver. What happened? Not enough money for you and Big Mama?" Darrien
turned to Damien and said, "It's not that; it's just that they had somebody
in Oakland that they wanted, and Oakland had been eyeing me for quite some
time, so they put two and two together, and here I am!" He smiled and
said, "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Not really. I wish you would have stayed in San Diego. It was
easier for me to get tickets to Jack Murphy Stadium than it was to get
tickets to Mile High. Now, with you in Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, it's
gonna be even harder." Darrien shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well,
you know our family motto..." They both looked at each other and said,
"It be's that way sometimes."
"Where is the rest of your family, Damien?" Amy asked. Damien looked
around and answered, "I don't know; Andrea, where's the rest of the clan?"
Andrea looked around and said, "I think they're outside. Why don't we go
and check?" Andrea and Damien led the others out to the patio where
Damien's grandmother and the rest of his family were waiting. Damien's
grandmother was the first to notice the group step outside.
"Damien Gordon," she said, "Come here and give your Big Mama a kiss!"
Damien thought about it a second before answering: "No." Then, he decided
to give in to the inevitability of it all and waddled over to her so she
could give him a big hug and kiss, and pinch his cheeks...hard. "Owww...um,
thanks, Big Mama. It's good to see you, too." Damien rubbed his cheeks,
cleared his throat, and said, "If I could have everyone's attention please:
I have someone I would like for all of you to meet. Amy Anderson, this
is most of the Gordon clan; everyone, this is Amy Anderson...my girl-
friend." Everyone went around doing the traditional round-robin intro-
ductions and getting acquainted before settling down and getting down to
business.
"So, Damien," one of his aunts asked, "How long are you two gonna be in
town? We need to know so we can go ahead and make the final funeral
arrangements." Damien looked thoughtful for a moment before answering,
"About four days. We leave on Wednesday morning, so if we could do the
funeral on Monday, then that'd be much appreciated." Everyone looked at
each other, then at Damien before one of his uncles said, "Well, I don't see
how that'd be a problem, but we do have one question: cremated or buried?"
"How long will it take to prepare the body?"
"About two days."
"Well, call the funeral home and tell them to begin the embalming process.
We need this done by Monday morning at the latest. Make sure they have
his best suit ready, call as many of his friends as you can, and don't
worry about the newspaper article." When everyone looked at him funny, he
answered, "I think the fact that he was my father is enough to generate
enough press and media attention. We don't need anymore." That being said,
he excused himself to the house. Amy turned to Andrea and asked, "Has he
always been so take-charge?" Andrea shrugged and responded:
"Pretty much Amy. Pretty much."
* * * * *
Serena walked into the den, carrying two glasses of lemonade for
herself and Darien. He had come in looking shaken up after his visit
with Lita. Naturally, she wanted to know what had gotten him so perturbed.
"What's the matter, Darien?" she asked. Darien looked at her and took
one of the glasses. He took a sip from it, looked up at Serena disappoint-
ingly and said, "Something happened in Damien's family." Serena started and
asked, "Oh, no! Is everything all right?" Darien lowered his head and
managed to croak out a barely audible "No." Serena looked at him in
horror and asked, "Is it about his father?"
"Yes." After getting that information from Darien, she was able to put
two and two together. "When did it happen?"
"I'm not quite sure, but it probably happened sometime last night.
Damien and Amy left for San Diego this morning, and Lita hasn't heard
anything from them since their last conversation before they left." Serena
just couldn't get any of this new information to stick in her head. Just
yesterday, Damien had a very animated conversation with his father, and now,
his father suddenly passed away without so much as a whimper.
"Is he going to be all right?" she asked.
"Let's hope so," he answered. "The loss of a family member is hard to
get over. Let's just hope that Amy can keep him from doing anything brash
to himself. Seeing how close he was to his father..." Darien looked up
into Serena's eyes; they were shimmering with horror. That, coupled with
the stark look of horror on his own face, were words enough; anything else
wouldn't have begun to express what was unspoken on their minds.
* * * * *
Nakorru blanched at Raye and Mina's door. He really didn't want to go
and see Raye. He figured that he should go and tell both of them about
Damien's new situation, but he was beginning to think it probably wasn't a
good idea...especially knowing that he wasn't one of Raye's favorite people
at that moment. However, he realized that he would have to face the
consequences of it all and knock on the door. He raised his hand to knock,
but he came to the conclusion that he really couldn't do it.
"Damn!" he thought aloud, "I just can't do it! Even if Mina comes to
the door...no, wait...especially if Mina comes to the door. I really don't
wanna go through that drama right now." He sighed at the irony of it all,
thinking to himself about the infinite possibilities of death behind this
door by the two people who wanted him dead the most. Finally, he said,
"Forget it; I'll knock on the damn door!"
He knocked on the door, and waited in silence. Finally he heard a
voice cry: "Coming!" He smiled to himself and said, "It's Raye; the lesser
of the two evils..."
"Who is it?" she asked. Nakorru chuckled and answered, "It's your
handsome prince!" Raye opened the door and smiled sweetly. "Hi, Nakorru.
Would you like to come in for a minute?" Nakorru smiled and said, "Sure!"
Under his breath he said, "The Yuki-onna has finally melted." He took a
couple of steps forward before hearing a sudden slam and he found himself
taking a very close and intimate look at the front door. "I thought you
said you were gonna let me in?"
Raye thought about it for a second, and yelled, "Not on your life,
Nakorru!" Nakorru blanched again and yelled, "I've got something important
to tell you! It's about Damien and Amy!" Finally, Raye opened the door and
let Nakorru and his newly deflated ego inside. Nakorru looked around Raye's
apartment and gasped; they had everything in high Shinto/ultramodern Tokyo
fashion. Raye led Nakorru to a futon, shoved him down on it, and left the
room to get Mina. While she was away, Nakorru played with the notions of
how to tell them what was wrong with Damien and Amy. Also, subconsciously,
he was wondering what it would be like to wake up to this apartment, to
this girl, and to this moment...that is, until Raye showed up with Mina in
tow.
"All right," Raye declared, "What's the deal? What's wrong with Damien
and Amy?" Nakorru stood up, practically ignoring Mina, and said, "Damien's
father died last night. Lita told us this morning, and they left for San
Diego soon afterwards. No one has heard from them yet." He stopped and
looked at both of them to judge their reactions. Raye was shocked and
incoherent, and Mina looked stunned. He was wondering whether or not
it was from the news or if it was just from his being there. Finally,
after a few moments had passed, Raye managed to say, "When you find out
anything, you'll let us know, right?" Nakorru nodded his head and said,
"I'll do my best. Now, if you'll excuse me," he motioned towards the door,
"I have some studying to do. I'll talk to you guys later." With that,
Nakorru turned and waltzed out of the apartment.
Both girls stood there for a moment, taking in the scene they just saw.
Raye was stunned the most by the sudden change in Nakorru's behavior. One
minute, he was being sarcastic with her, but the next, he was showing
just how sympathetic he could be. She found herself having second thoughts
about her behavior towards him. Mina saw Raye's sudden change and realized
that she was getting ready to make the biggest change she's ever made in her
life. She knew that Raye was beginning to fall for Nakorru, and she realized
that she had to push the feelings she had for him aside in able to
support her friend's decision. By the same token, she had to sort out her
own feelings for Donovan. Mina started to say something, but Raye
said, "I think I need to lay down for a moment, Mina. I'll talk to you later,
'K?" Mina nodded, and Raye left to go take a long nap and contemplate on her
new feelings for Nakorru.
* * * * *
After giving Amy the grand tour of the house, Damien left her in the
den while he went to talk to Andrea about family affairs. "So," he began,
"You do realize that you'll have to do the reading of the will without me,
right?" Andrea nodded her head and he continued with, "Because you are
aware that you're probably going to gain his part of the inheritance,
seeing that I got mine from mom. You're probably going to get the house,
too. I want you to bear in mind that Darrien's in Oakland now, so he's
closer than Denver, but not close enough to come down at the drop of a hat.
It'll take him at least six to eight hours to get here." Andrea nodded
and said, "You know the 'house rules' are still in effect, right?"
"The house rules? Damn, I forgot all about those. I guess that means
I have to inform Amy." Damien turned to leave when Andrea said, "I know
it's going to be hard for you to tell her that she can't sleep in the same
room with you, but you also have to realize that I'm only thirteen and I'm
not supposed to be exposed to that kind of a relationship." Damien nodded
and said, "You're right. I guess I should go and break the news to her."
Damien sighed and walked out of the study and into the den. He sat beside
Amy and tried to smile. Unfortunately, it came up as a grimace, and he
said, "I've got bad news for you, Amy."
"What is it, Damien?" she asked as she put her hand on his. Damien
lowered his head and thought, I can't do this. But, I've got to...other-
wise...I'll be breaking the agreement. So I have no choice... "You've got
to sleep in the guest room while we're here." He then looked up to see Amy's
reaction. As expected, she was stunned. He added, "I know this is kind
of hard for you to comprehend, but we have house rules here that we have
to follow. One of those rules is that no significant other unless they're
married will sleep in the same room with a sibling. And, because we're not
married, we can't sleep in the same room. I'm sorry it has to be that way,
but..."
"You're sorry," Amy scathingly said, "Damien, I usually follow the
rules to a 'T', but...I don't see why I have to isolate myself from you for
four days. That's not fair to me!" Damien gave Amy a confused look and
said, "You're not isolating yourself from me; all you're doing is sleeping
in the guest room."
"Damien," she said, her voice quavering, "That's the same thing."
Damien sighed out of frustration and Amy continued, "Besides, it's not like
the rules are written down or anything!"
"Actually," he began, "They are. They're kept in a frame in the study.
Mom and Dad came up with the idea when I became a teenager. They knew that
certain things might happen, and I'd have to know how to act when it
happened." When Amy began to look as if she would throttle him, he added,
"If you don't believe me, let me show you." Damien stood up and walked
towards the study. When he felt that Amy wasn't following him, he angrily
added, "You want proof; you're getting proof! You know, one would think
that you'd trust me by now, but apparently, I was wrong! So, since you
don't believe me, I think you should follow me to the study so you can
see the uncontested truth!" Damien turned and continued walking, and Amy
decided to call his bluff and follow.
When they reached the study, Damien glanced at the wall for a moment
before pointing to a spot and yelling, "There! Uncontested proof!" Amy
followed Damien's point and, sure enough, there was a professionally typed
document sitting there, staring at her. She walked up to the document and
read:
THE HOUSE RULES OF THE GORDON RESIDENCE
1. You will respect your parents and this house.
2. There will not be any parties without parental
consent.
3. Unless you are married, the only people who will
sleep in the same bed are Franklin Damien Gordon and
Alicia Renée Gordon.
4. Unless work schedules dictate otherwise, everyone
will sit down for breakfast and dinner.
5. Unless you are married, there will not be any major
showing of affection.
6. There will be no profanity in this house. This
includes all telephone conversations.
Signed: Franklin Damien Gordon, Father
Alicia Renée Gordon, Mother
Damien Gordon, eldest child
Andrea Chantel Gordon, youngest child
Amy finished the document and sighed. "I guess you're right. So," she
continued, trying to sound as reasonable as possible, "Where's the guest
room?" Damien lowered his head and thought, This is going to be the hardest
thing I've ever done...damn... "Right this way," he finally managed to say.
Damien grabbed her bags and they walked to the guest room. Along the way,
Damien tried to steal a glance at Amy, but she just turned her head and
proceeded to ignore her with all of her might. This succeeded in dropping
Damien's already low countenance even lower. Finally, they made it to the
guest room and Damien said, "Here you go, Amy. I'll come and check on
you every now and then-"
"That won't be necessary," she said, cutting him off. "I'm a big girl,
Damien; I think I can manage here by myself. Besides," she looked at Andrea
and said, "If I need anything, I'll just call on your sister...especially
considering that you're pretty much unreliable right about now." That was
the straw that broke Damien's back. Instead of raising his voice and yelling
at her, he just slouched his shoulders and gave up on the notion of
trying to comfort her for the rest of the day. Instead, he slunk into
his bedroom and began watching college football in hopes that the ticker
tape would show the score of the UAB-Alabama State game. He laid on his
bed and rolled his eyes to the heavens.
"Well...this sucks...
* * * * *
Amy sat on the bed in the "room" and pretty much felt the same way.
She had to admit that, even though they hadn't done anything serious, it
was more of a comfort for her to wake up and see him lying there. She
hadn't had that sort of comfort in quite some time. As a matter of fact,
the last time she had ever had felt so relaxed around someone was when
she was younger...
She recalled back to when she was barely five and she complained about
monsters in her closet. She went to her mom first before being forced to
ask her dad. At first, he brushed her off, but when he saw the genuine
look of concern in his daughter's eyes, he reconsidered and decided he would
go and help ease his daughter's fears. Eventually, as time passed, Amy's
fears began to disappear as night after night, her father came in and
defeated the "monsters" with his mighty "sword". She paused as she
recollected at how much that "sword" actually looked like an old, beat-up
broom. Unfortunately, all of that changed for the worse...
It seemed to her that the older she got, the more her father and
mother argued. Pretty soon, it got to the point where every time she
walked into the room, either a fight broke out between them, or one was in
progress. It seemed that there was never an end to their constant fighting.
It finally came to a head one day when her father "accidentally" slapped her
mother. She had never felt such hatred before in her life for one person
until that point. It seemed like after that, she was always avoiding her
father, opting instead to spend more and more time with her mother. Pretty
soon, her father got tired of the insolent behavior of both his wife and his
daughter and left, never to return again.
Her mother remarried, this one was a nice young Naval Officer who was
on the USS Kitty Hawk. They fell in love at first sight, and when they were
married, they looked like such a happy couple. She smiled at that memory
for a moment before realizing that she knew of a few more people who looked
like they would be a happy couple. Naturally Serena and Darien were the
first pair. Then, there was Raye and Nakorru. They didn't act like a
happy couple on the outside, but Amy knew better. She compared them to
Ranma and Akane back in Nerima. Lita and Andrew looked as if they were
hitting it off famously at Damien's apartment earlier, and Mina and Donovan
had all the makings of a wonderful couple. Which lead her to herself and
Damien.
After Greg's harsh mistreatment of her back in Tokyo, she thought she'd
never be able to love anyone ever again...that is, until she met Damien.
Truthfully, she had fallen for him long ago, probably after she first met
him, but she didn't really care for his attitude. After the Pickwick Place
incident, she wondered if that was the Silver Millennium connection talking
or was it really them. She noticed how easy it was for him to just jump to
her aide to fend off an unwanted presence. Unfortunately, Damien lost...
thanks to her interjection, but she was torn between sides. She wanted
Darien to win, if only to make him happy. But, secretly...she really
wanted Damien to come out the victor. When she admitted to the others
that she loved him, she was being dead serious. She had never loved anyone
outside of her family as much as she loved Damien, and now...
She was afraid that her own insecurities were going to force him away
from her. She was going to make absolutely certain that nothing would tear
her away from the man she loved.
Tomorrow, then... she thought. I'll tell him tomorrow. That thought
firmly set in her mind, she started unpacking, deciding to make the most of
this trip before having to comfort her boyfriend.
* * * * *
Mina looked at the TV in earnest. She wasn't completely absorbed in
what was on; she was just looking forward to a chance to talk to Raye. She
knew that Raye had something on her mind, and she knew that whatever it was
would have a profound effect on how she felt about Donovan. Also, deep down
inside, she wanted to steal a glance at the UAB-Alabama State game to see
how Donovan was doing. She had to admit that he did look very handsome
when she first met him. It was almost as if everything she had done be-
fore him was about to come to a head. She remembered how she reluctantly
gave up her Sailor V job back in London to come to Tokyo, and how she gave
up her idol singer routine to become Sailor Venus, Protector of the Queen
of the new Silver Millennium.
Well, actually, she didn't leave London for her own reasons. It was
pretty much because if she didn't, she would've been dead a long time ago.
She left to avoid the killings of the Interpol agents. It was getting to
the point where she didn't know who to turn to; things were getting so
dangerous. So, in a desperation move, she moved to Tokyo and attempted
to start over, her only possessions being a couple of changes of clothes
and her pet cat, Artemis. But, instead of starting over and being Mina
St. Croix, the young girl who dreamed aimlessly, she turned into Sailor
Venus, a job that was more deadly than being stalked by Interpol. However,
this time, she had true friends. She had Raye, Lita, Amy, and Ser-
ena...especially Serena. Serena had idolized her Sailor V form, and
when she realized that Sailor V and Mina/Sailor Venus were one in the
same...it's safe to say she lost her mind.
Finally, the Missouri-Louisiana Tech game was interrupted with
highlights from the UAB-Alabama State game. To Mina's satisfaction, they
showed Donovan catching a long touchdown pass from Fred Dixon. She sat and
watched with glee as he took off his helmet and went to celebrating with
the others, when she noticed something different about him; something no one
else would have noticed. "He's glowing," she said softly. "His battle aura
is glowing...that, and his symbol is showing." She smiled and added, "I
guess he's the one for me after all." She got up and went to look out of the
patio door.
"Kodanna Nakorru," she said with an almost apologetic tone, "I'm sorry,
but there's someone else. Someone who's supposed to be with me. I hope
you're happy with Raye. She deserves to be happy, and so does he."
She didn't hear Raye come towards her, feeling fresh from her nap. She
didn't see her reflection in the window; her own eyes were so watery. But,
she did feel Raye's hand cover her own, and she barely heard her best friend
whisper:
"Thank you, Mina. Finally, we can both be happy."
* * * * *
That night, Damien got together with his family and did what his family
usually did during times of mourning: reminisce and drink alcohol. Needless
to say, Damien was in an oddly jovial mood. After all, the Blazers beat
Alabama State 56-3 and his best friend and fellow Star Guardian Donovan scored
four times. He felt confident in knowing that he predicted Donovan's rise
before anyone else. Also, he was happy to be back with his family. Granted,
he hated that it was under such gloomy circumstances, but sometimes it took
bad times to bring out the good in people. He sat and listened as Darrien
thought about a particularly fond memory of his dad playing against him
in football.
"...I remember I tried to jump and pick the ball off," he said with a
far away look in his eyes, "And, I ended up misjudging my jump and watched
him slide right under me and catch the damn ball! That one gave his school
the state championship. And you know what he did after the game? He came
over, hugged me, and said, 'You know you could never cover me! That's all
right, though; it be's that way sometimes.' That's been our family motto
ever since."
"So, that's where that came from," Damien smiled. "I always wondered
where that goofy saying originated from. Now, I know Dad used it against you
in a game. Cool!" Darrien gave Damien an incredulous look before erupting
in laughter. This caused the entire room to burst out into laughter as well.
Then, one of Damien's uncles asked the inevitable:
"Damien, how'd you get started in football anyway?"
Damien smiled and said, "Simple. Dad and Darrien started me off.
Darrien would come over every now and then and ask Dad to help him train. I
always knew that Dad was a wide receiver in college; I just never knew how
good he was. One day, Dad asked me to come out and help..."
* * * * *
"Damien!" No answer. Frustrated, Franklin Gordon went running through
the house trying to find his wayward son. Finally, he found him in his
bedroom doing some light reading. He stood there and watched his son for a
few moments before asking, "Did you hear me calling you, son?"
Five year old Damien Gordon turned around to face his father and said,
"No. I'm sorry, daddy. What do you need?" Franklin stood silent for a few
moments before answering, "Your cousin and I would like for you to come out
and give us a hand practicing." Damien looked at his father enigmatically
before answering, "Daddy, you know I can't grip the football that well. My
hands are too small."
"Damien, hold out your hands." Reluctantly, Damien did as he was told.
Franklin took Damien's tiny hands in his own and said, "Damien, you are
going to be somebody someday. You're going to be somebody special, and I
don't want to ever hear of you not doing something because you think that
something is 'too small'. There is no such thing as 'too small'. You have
to remember people said I was too small to play football, but look at me
now. I ended up an All-American at Texas Southern University, and I'm the
head of a major corporation here. So, if someone tells you that you're too
small, I want you to try harder and prove them wrong. Now, are you going to
come out and give us a hand?" Damien smiled and said, "Coming, Daddy."
"That's better." Damien hopped off of his stool and ran outside to
help his dad and cousin in their practicing. When he scrambled out into the
backyard, he came face to face with Darrien. Damien looked at him and
smiled. "Hiya, Cousin Darrien!" he yelled. Darrien smiled at him and
answered, "How are you doing, Damien?"
"Fine, thank you." Damien looked around eagerly and asked, "So, where's
the football?" Darrien grinned at his cousin and answered, "Right here." He
lightly tossed it over to Damien, who made a big show of almost dropping it.
Damien sighed as he finally pulled the ball in and grasped it with both
hands. He was right; the ball was too small for his hands. But, he wasn't
about to let that stop him.
"Are you ready, Damien?" his father asked. Damien nodded and Franklin
said, "O.K. Let's start off with the basics. I tell you where to throw the
ball and you throw it to me." Damien nodded, and Franklin added, "Now, the
trick of it all is to make sure that Darrien doesn't get the ball. Under-
stand?" Damien giggled and said, "Yes sir!"
"Very well. Now, just watch where I point to, and you throw it in that
direction." Damien nodded and suddenly, his father took off running,
Darrien right behind him, covering him like a blanket. As expected, the
first two times, Damien threw the ball basically into the ground. But, the
third time, Damien got an intense look in his eyes, and then...he threw the
ball directly into Franklin's hands. Franklin and Darrien both exchanged
dazed looks before Darrien finally asked, "Are you all right, Damien?" Damien
just nodded and said, "Let's try again."
What happened next was nothing less than amazing. Damien dropped back
and completed miraculous throws time and time again, with no flaws in his aim.
Time after time, he threw strikes that caught his father right between the
numbers. And, instead of getting worse as time progressed, Damien just got
better. It almost got to the point where he was outperforming his father
and cousin. But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and that's
what happened after a couple of hours of non-stop passing. He finally got
tired and threw one back into the ground. Of course, by this time, Franklin
and Darrien could barely walk. Franklin hobbled over to his son and plainly
asked, "Where did that come from?" Damien shrugged his shoulders and
answered, "I don't know. It just happened!"
"Don't get me wrong, son; I'm not mad at you. I'm just wondering how
someone who thought his hands were 'too small' was able to throw passes that
accurate and that deep, that's all." Darrien came up behind him and said,
"Maybe he's got 'it'."
"What do you mean?" Darrien smiled and said, "Maybe he's got the
spirit that it takes to be a champion. You had it; as a matter of fact, you
still do. The only difference is, you transferred yours to business. Damien
could be a real star one day."
* * * * *
"And I was right on the money," Darrien finished up. Damien looked
at Darrien, then at everyone else, and said, "Maybe so, but I sure wish Dad
were here to help celebrate the rest of my good times with me."
Sailor Moon: Legend of the Silver Star copyright 1997 Joseph Keith Seltzer and 2-Hype Productions. All rights reserved.