Page 5 of The Right Player
Gemma offered a sad smile, she and Zach exchanging looks that told me more than their words ever could have.
I knew they wanted to see me happy, but what they didn’t understand was that fairytales weren’t for everyone.
Some of us got stuck with the kind of stories that made you cry, that made your heart ache, that made you hold your knees to your chest and rock in a corner, or drown your sorrows in a bottle of wine or two.
That was the kind of story I had the leading role in, and I’d accepted it long ago.
I just had to find the next chapter.MakoaFor as long as I could remember, there had only been two things I ever wanted in my life.
Love, and football.
The latter was easier to admit, and, I found out early in life, far easier to accomplish, too. I started throwing a ball as soon as I could pick one up, and then my dad was tossing spirals to me in the backyard, teaching me how to catch and protect the ball while I ran. My parents put me in Pee Wee football as soon as they could, and from there, I was unstoppable.
I was picked out as a top receiver by my Pee Wee coach, played in the Pop Warner Super Bowl twice, and even received the MVP Award the second time around. I went on to play varsity all four years of high school, and then four years as a starting wide receiver for The University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Being six foot five and two-hundred-and-twenty pounds made me one of the tallest and largest receivers in college, and that, combined with my record-breaking high-catch seasons, got me the national attention I needed.
At twenty-two years old, I was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the NFL draft. I mostly rode the bench in my time there, but I made the cut, made the team each and every time.
And now, five years later, I was moving into my new home, in my new city, and getting ready for my first season with my new team.
The Chicago Bears.
Not that my position was set in stone, yet. As a free agent, I was essentially guaranteed training camp and pre-season games, a tryout more than an official position.
But I wouldn’t accept anything less than a spot on that team.
I was manifesting it in every way I could — by wearing the team colors, practicing every day in the “off” season, running drills and watching tape, getting close with the players I could to learn the ins and outs of the team. And, as the cherry on top, I didn’t just rent a place in Chicago. No, renting insinuated that I was temporary, that I was only staying for a little while.
Instead, I bought a condo.
Buying instead of renting spoke volumes. It was a symbol of my commitment. It was a good omen to turn my dream into fruition.
It was a mark of my permanence — in this city and on the Chicago Bears team.
“Braddah, look at this view!” My sister, Oliana, ran to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Michigan, pressing her face right up against the glass. She was the youngest of our siblings, seventeen, about to enter into her senior year of high school. Her jet-black hair hung to her waist, the front twisted into a braid that wrapped around the crown of her head. “The water is so blue.”
“It is nothing compared to home,” my mom said, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a tissue I knew was too damp to do anything anymore. Oliana looked a lot like our mother, both with the same wide, chocolate-brown eyes and dimples. Both thick with curves that all my sisters had. My eyes favored my father’s, a sort of golden maple syrup, but I had the same goofy smile as my mom, one that took over my entire face and usually garnered me a comment or two every time I met someone new.
Your smile is so unique!
You have such a big smile!
That’s the best smile I’ve ever seen!
Of course, I learned early on that to the girls, that smile told them one thing and one thing only.
Put this guy in the friend zone.
But we’ll get to that.
“Ah, my beautiful Mah,” I said, pulling my mom into my arms and kissing her temple. “No more tears.”
“I just cannot believe you’ll be so far from home now.” She sniffed. “California, not bad. But this… this city… in the Midwest?” She shook her head, like the mere thought of it made her want to faint.
“Did you forget that you have a spare key and a card that you can book as many flights as you want to on?” I smiled. “Consider it a second home for all of us.”
