Page 5 of Love Undiscovered
Chapter 2
Chance
“Hello?” I answer my phone through my headset as I walk through the parking lot of the Y. I don’t bother checking to see who’s calling first.
“Chance, dear, is that you?” my mom asks. After all this time, you’d think she would understand that I’m the only one who is going to answer my cell, but she doesn’t.
“Yeah, mom, it’s me. You doing okay?”
“Oh yes, I’m good. Don’t you worry about me.”
“Dad okay?” I also ask, since she usually doesn’t call me in the middle of the day without there being an important reason.”
“Well, now your dad’s good too, don’t you worry about him. Are you doing okay?”
“I’m good, Ma, just heading to the Y for a basketball game.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you, I just wanted to let you know that I’m making a roast for Sunday dinner, I know that’s your favorite.”
“It is my favorite, Ma, thanks. I look forward to it.”
“Well, I do have to spoil my favorite son every now and then,” she says.
“I’m your only son, Ma,” I laugh.
“Well, if you weren’t, you’d still be my favorite, I’m sure.”
I have to chuckle at my mom’s accent, it’s very Midwest, betraying her Wisconsin roots.
“Well, I also wanted to remind you to bring my stamps,” she says.
“I won’t forget, Ma, I promise.” She collects these little stamps from the grocery store. They give out a number of them after you purchase a certain dollar amount in items. She makes my sisters and I all shop at the same chain-store so we can collect the stamps for her. She’s saving the stamps for a chance to win a European river cruise. She and my dad have never been anywhere they couldn’t drive to in less than a day. So the cruise is a big deal for them.
What she doesn’t know is that my sisters and I have been saving money to send my parents on that same cruise for their fortieth wedding anniversary next year; no stamps required. My mom has had her eye on it for years. It’s two weeks and starts in Paris, and goes through Luxemburg, and then through Germany. We plan to have enough to send them on first class for their airfare, give them a couple days of rest in the respective cities before and after the cruise, book them a suite on the ship, cover their onboard expenses, and send them with spending money.
“Well, you know I’m gonna win that cruise, Chancey,” she says.
“I know you are, Ma. And, I’ll bring the stamps, I promise. I gotta go, I’m walking into the Y and I’m running late. Love you. See you Sunday.”
“I love you too, be safe.”
I get in the Y with just enough time to change my clothes and get on the court. I don’t see Alex, the guy who invited me, anywhere. But I do see a couple other guys from around the precinct, and one guy from the fire department. I think his name is Ethan.
I grab a ball and start doing some warm-up shots. I’m not a good ball player, but I’m not bad either.
“Hey, you made it.” I turn and see Alex jogging across the court toward me. Sometimes I find it odd that he’s really a computer nerd because he looks the part of a cop to a tee. Short hair, tall but stocky build, and he more lopes than runs. Limbs loose and at the ready for anything that might come at him.
“Yeah, thanks for the invite, man.”
“We can always use another tall guy on our team.”
The whistle blows and someone yells, “Play ball!”
* * *
We lose the game by five points but still head toThe Recovery Roombar for beers afterward. I finish my first beer and am contemplating a second when the waitress sets a pint down in front of me.
“Well, thank you darlin’, I was still undecided, so I guess you’ve made up my mind for me.”
