Page 64 of A Chance at Forever
The expression on his handsome face and the tone of his voice indicated thatshewas one of those things.
*
On Wednesday afternoona multitude of fans gathered in front of Marysville High School for a pep rally. Two Greyhound buses waited while the band played the fight song and the dance team entertained the excited crowd with a new routine. Next, the varsity cheerleaders led everyone in their most popular chants.
As those who were traveling to San Francisco began to board the buses and the well-wishers dispersed, Rusty pulled Victoria out of the way to speak with her privately.
“My heart is pounding so furiously I think it might leap right out of my chest.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.
Victoria didn’t care if anyone saw her reach out and touch Rusty’s cheek. “Don’t worry. Relax.”
“How can I when thoughts of having you all to myself for four days are uppermost in my mind?”
“Shh. Someone might hear you.”
Rusty grinned. “Are you trying to keep our tryst a secret from the local gossips?”
“It’s hardly that.”
“Huh. Are you following us to San Francisco?”
“No. I have to go home first to make arrangements for Bud. I’ll be there in time for kickoff.”
“I’ll be watching for you,” he told her as his team yelled for him to get on the bus.
*
The two undefeatedteams, the Marysville Bears and the Jefferson Dragons, were given the privilege of playing at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay area. By the time Victoria arrived, opposite sides of the stadium were filled with football fans. Although the teams were nowhere in sight, she spotted Rusty’s formidable presence along the sidelines as he spoke with officials. At one point, he glanced into the stands, searching. Victoria stood up and waved and he smiled. Weakly, she thought. He also looked cold as he blew several times on his hands to warm them. She frowned. Rusty wore a heavy jacket even though the temperature ranged in the upper sixties.
As the teams ran onto the field and the game commenced, Victoria found her attention focused on Rusty more often than not. His movements weren’t as strong or commanding as before. Once, he swayed on his feet but recovered his equilibrium. Instead of pacing along the sidelines and gesticulating at his team when the score was fourteen to zero in favor of the Dragons during the second quarter, Rusty sat on the bench until the half-time buzzer sounded.
Victoria’s concern swelled into worry. She jumped to her feet and began to make her way toward the sidelines. When she finally pushed through the dense crowd, Rusty had disappeared. She waited for half-time to end. As the teams reentered the game, there was no sign of Rusty. A subtle difference came over the Bears now as their assistant coach called the plays. They performed with more finesse and fought back with determination and tenacity.
With six minutes left in the third quarter, the Bears tied the score. Suddenly, the assistant coach called a timeout as all eyes turned in one direction. Rusty strode toward his team as they clapped and cheered. The signs of his previous weakness were gone, but Victoria knew he wasn’t well, and he was waging a battle not to show it.
The Bears continued to play hard, pulling ahead by a field goal at the beginning of fourth quarter. They experienced another setback when the Dragons scored two more touchdowns, and the crowd began to accept the team from San Francisco as the obvious winner. Rusty, though, went into action, unwilling to admit defeat. Victoria admired his strength and courage when she thought he wanted to walk away and let the other team have this victory. With three minutes left in the game, the Bears intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown. Unnerved by the Bears’ defensive tactics, the Dragons lost the ball once again and allowed their opponent the advantage. In the last five seconds of the game, the Bears scored the winning touchdown and became the state champions for the first time in Marysville’s history.
Everyone went wild on the field. The boys lifted Rusty high on their shoulders and chanted his name before putting him down. When he saw Victoria, Rusty broke away and hurried to meet her. He didn’t pick her up and swing her joyfully as he had done in the past. He enfolded her in his arms, and with tears of relief in his emerald eyes, declared in a hoarse voice, “I’m glad we won, but I’m also glad it’s over. I can’t do this anymore. I just can’t do it.”
“Oh, Rusty.” She felt his muscles quivering beneath his taut skin. “You can let it go now. You’ve made yourself sick. Please let me take you home to Marysville.”
“No. Wait here. I’ll go to the locker room and get my bags.” When he saw the worry reflected in her eyes, he smiled. “I’ll be all right, sweetheart. I promise.”
CHAPTER 19
The snow-capped Rockiesrose in magnificent splendor on either side of the lake, frozen by an early winter. Floodlights illuminated the stone cabin. Large plate glass windows afforded a spectacular view from every direction. Inside, wood dominated the structure from the floors to the high beams of the ceiling.
Victoria appreciated the artfully arranged furniture around a massive stone fireplace, the focal point of the great room. She studied framed pictures of the Sinclair family. She’d seen photos of Rusty’s sister Rebecca and her family but none of their parents until now. Rusty had inherited his father’s height, golden hair, and green eyes. In all the pictures, Mr. Sinclair looked happy.
She smiled as she realized she stood on a white bearskin rug and turned to see Rusty watching her. He seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for her reaction. “I love the cabin.” She gestured toward a photograph of his parents. “You look like your father.”
His eyes darkened with pain. “I do. I’ll show you the rest of the cabin.”
“Not so fast, Rusty. There’s time for a tour tomorrow. Right now, it’s late and you need to rest. I see those dark circles beneath your eyes, and your face looks flushed to me. I watched you falter on the field earlier, and you missed most of third quarter. Tell me the truth. What’s wrong?”
He shrugged and avoided meeting her direct gaze. “I’m not over being sick last weekend, but I’m feeling much better now.”
She’d heard this excuse before but didn’t want to press the issue. “Okay, we’re going straight to bed.”
